The Hockey Show: The Return of Puck

Summary

The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz

Episode: The Hockey Show: The Return of Puck

Date: January 9, 2026
Hosts/Panel: Dan Le Batard, Stugotz, Roy Bellamy, Ethan, Rose, Dave, Chris Cody, David Pinota (guest)

---

Episode Overview

Broadcasting from the Elser Hotel in Downtown Miami, this special "Hockey Show" episode features deep dives into current NHL happenings, playful panel banter, and expert insight from The Fourth Period’s David Pinota. The crew analyzes the NHL’s Winter Classic location choices, evaluates surprising and disappointing team performances, debates roster moves for contenders and struggling clubs, and delivers uniquely chaotic segments like “Un Minuto Rosie.” Expect a blend of sharp analysis, humorous sidebars, and inside scoops on league rumors as the crew moves rapidly across the league landscape.

---

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. NHL Winter Classic & Outdoor Game Talk

Utah Announced as Next Host ([01:15]-[04:59])

• The Utah Mammoth, a franchise only three years old, will host the next Winter Classic at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
• Ethan: “I think it’s cool that the NHL is trying to get these new teams and new franchises out into these premier games... it’ll be really cool to see what they do with the uniforms. The Mammoth have great colors, great jerseys.” ([03:07])
• Panel jokes about potential “mammoth fur” jerseys and helmets adorned with tusks and animal hair, agreeing the backdrop will be scenic.

Reflections on the Miami Winter Classic ([13:53]-[17:52])

• The Miami Winter Classic exceeded low expectations with fun event production, though Marlins Stadium’s logistics (crowd flow, sound) posed hiccups.
• Dave: “They killed it at the Winter Classic. I thought it was awesome. I think we all had a good time.” ([14:15])
• Chris Cody: “I liked it a lot more than this show represented… the vibe was really good. That ballpark kind of stinks when it turns in terms of getting in.” ([16:35])
• Discussion on the possibility of Miami or Hard Rock Stadium hosting future outdoor NHL games; consensus is it's unlikely to happen again soon.

---

2. Surprising Teams & Preseason Prediction Revisit

([05:13]-[12:43])

Biggest Surprises:

• Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, and (to an extent) Blackhawks all exceed expectations.
• Review of preseason tiers: Florida Panthers remain in their own top tier despite injury woes.
• The panel corrects itself on early underestimations or overhypes (e.g., Winnipeg, Minnesota, Ottawa).

Team Tiers Breakdown:

• Top: Florida Panthers (will “stay there until someone knocks them off” - [06:42])
• Next: Minnesota, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, New Jersey, Vegas; some hits and misses—Winnipeg notably not living up.
• Should-Be Playoff Teams: Disappointment in Calgary, Columbus, Ottawa’s struggles.
• Teams with Potential: Praise for Seattle, San Jose, Philadelphia; accurate reads on Anaheim and Buffalo.
• Beer Leaguers: Chicago and Vancouver initially written off; Chicago fighting injury but showing late surge.

Quote:

• Roy: "Rose has wrote the word dying on the Florida Panther tier there, which is... not true because they're recuperating. No, they're healing." ([07:46])

---

3. Deep Dive: Florida Panthers Rollercoaster

([10:30]-[13:53])

• Recap of recent games: tough losses to Toronto and Montreal, injury challenges (Brad Marchand, Matthew Tkachuk, Seth Jones).
• Dave: “This was supposed to be a time where the Panthers were turning things around... now they've been alternating wins and losses, but the road trip, they've got to turn it around just because if you looked at the divisional standings particularly, that's one area that it's starting to spread out a little bit.” ([10:49])
• Ethan: “It just goes to show how important Seth Jones is for this team right now... their defensemen aren't getting up the ice as much. The power play is nowhere.” ([12:43])
• Emphasis on necessity to “stay afloat” during this crucial road trip.

---

4. League-Wide News: With David Pinota ("The Fourth Period")

([31:07]-[52:15])

Florida Panthers’ Trade Deadline Strategy ([31:32]-[34:11])

• GM Bill Zito exploring depth acquisitions, primarily on defense and bottom six, but not under pressure to move anyone out due to LTIR cap flexibility.
• Pinota: “They're allowed to do that because they're working within LTIR parameters... there is wiggle room.”

Eastern Conference Rumblings ([34:11]-[45:02])

• Carolina Hurricanes aggressively shopping Jesperi Kotkaniemi for flexibility, tried a swap with LA for Phil Danault.
• Toronto Maple Leafs on a hot streak but lost Chris Tanev to injury—facing defensive decisions; Auston Matthews “back.”
• Buffalo Sabres’ hot streak after major front office shake-up; focus turning to Alex Tuch's contract.
• New York Rangers: Shesterkin’s injury not long-term, internal debate whether to stay patient or push for big trades. Panarin’s future (potential highest-paid player/free agent) in flux.

Olympics Arena Drama (Milan) ([35:54]-[40:53])

• The new Milan venue: smaller-than-promised ice and construction delays. NHL isn’t pleased, but everyone acknowledges “Italians move at their own pace.”
• Panel riff on possible Italian arena concessions (“Why not fresh pasta at a hockey game?”).

Goalie Watch, Trade Rumors ([41:33]-[44:11])

• Linus Ullmark: on personal leave from Ottawa amid social media rumors & potential team discord. Possible trade, but his high salary complicates a move.
• Top teams that might fit: Edmonton (but would require salary gymnastics), Carolina (with Kochetkov out).

Western Conference Jumble & Playoff Bubble ([49:19]-[52:15])

• Seattle & San Jose currently in playoff spots but vulnerable.
• San Jose labeled a “buy and sell” team—re-signed Wenberg, added Laurent Brossoit, but might move D-men.
• Dave sees Ducks (Anaheim) and LA rebounding, Chicago and Winnipeg unlikely to make noise.

Quote:

• Pinota: “San Jose has the potential but... they’re in buy and sell mode. ...I don’t think there’s enough in the tank for Seattle, personally.” ([49:46])

---

5. Fun Segments & Notable Moments

“Un Minuto Rosie” ([19:52]-[22:11])

• Rose delivers a rapidfire, delightfully chaotic, accented recap of Seattle Kraken’s week: “When the Kraken wakes up, somebody's getting dragged on there. This was one minute of hacking the bones. Your weekly recap of cup... and a little bit of chaos.”

Wins and Fails ([22:10]-[27:06])

• Wins:

  • Maverick Lamoureux (Utah Mammoth prospect) fights post-fight, tries to re-enter rink.
  • Hat tricks from ex-Fl Panthers Justin Sordif and Anthony Duclair.
  • Layla Edwards becomes first Black player on U.S. Women’s Olympic ice hockey roster.

• Fails:

  • Ryan Reaves (Sharks) KO’d in a fight but “passes the neurological tests with flying colors” ([25:43]).
  • Devils lose 9-0 to Islanders with Tony DeAngelo scoring, “If you allow a goal to Tony D’Angelo, you deserve to get what you get.” ([26:21])
  • St. Louis Blues’ Joel Hofer “hiding” instead of relieving Bennington, providing unintentional comedy.

Tech Wish: Open-Mic NHL Players? ([18:44]-[19:40])

• Dave: “Wouldn’t it be cool to tie into Brad Marchand miked up for a game? …It’d humanize the players.”
• Ethan: “Great idea. I just don’t think the NHL would ever let people hear what players say to each other.”

Puck Luck: Betting Segment ([15:19]-[16:25])

Dave hands out hot NHL bets, highlights Chicago’s recent resurgence and key shot totals for player props.

---

Notable Quotes

• Ethan ([03:07]): “I think it’s cool that the NHL is trying to get these new teams and new franchises out, out into these premier games in these premier spots to promote them.”
• Dave ([14:15]): “It blew away my expectations… they killed it at the Winter Classic.”
• Roy ([07:46]): “Rose has wrote the word dying on the Florida Panther tier there, which is... not true because they're recuperating.”
• Pinota ([32:48]): “There is wiggle room. We know Barkov’s not coming back till playoffs, so they’re not really concerned about that money right now.”
• Chris Cody ([16:35]): “I liked it a lot more than this show represented. I thought it was fine. That ballpark kinda stinks when it turns in terms of getting in.”
• Pinota ([49:46]): “I don’t think there’s enough in the tank for Seattle, personally. …San Jose has the potential, but they’re in buy and sell mode.”
• Rose ([22:08]): “Because when the Kraken wakes up, somebody’s getting dragged on there.”

---

Highlighted Timestamps

• 01:15–04:59 Utah Mammoth announced as Winter Classic host; uniform/branding brainstorm
• 05:13–12:43 Reviewing preseason tiers, over/underperforming teams
• 10:30–13:53 Deep dive: Florida Panthers up-and-down, injury impact
• 13:53–17:52 Miami Winter Classic/post-event takes
• 19:52–22:11 “Un Minuto Rosie”: Seattle Kraken recap
• 22:10–27:06 Wins and fails, hat tricks, hockey fights
• 31:07–52:15 David Pinota NHL roundtable: Panthers, Hurricanes, Sabres, Leafs, Rangers, Ullmark’s status, Olympic rink drama, Western playoff race

---

Conclusion

This energetic episode brings classic Le Batard Show humor and inventiveness to a hockey-heavy news cycle. The panel manages to balance sharp, up-to-date league analysis (from injury updates to insider trade tidbits) with their signature mischief (see: mammoth jersey ideas, tech wishes, and chaotic recaps). If you missed it, you’ll walk away up-to-speed on the league’s shifting landscape, why everyone is buzzing—or not—about the Panthers, and which big storylines to track as the season barrels toward the playoffs and the Olympic freeze.

Transcript

[A]

Prime's exclusive wild card playoff game is Saturday night. Jordan Love and the packers take on Caleb Williams and the Bears. Not a Prime member. Sign up for a 30 day free trial to stream the game. That's gonna be poor for the touchdown. NFC north rivals square off in the latest chapter of the NFL's oldest feud, the packers and Bears and Prime's exclusive wild card playoff game Saturday, 7:30pm Eastern.

[B]

Only on Prime.

[A]

Sign up for a 30 day free trial today. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com amazonprime for details.

[B]

Go Canes. I am definitely not talking about Carolina. This is the Hockey Show. David Drucker the Hockey News is holding up the U. Ethan is in the other studio. Rose is back for the rest of the season. Hopefully. I think possibly. Are you. Are you ready? Are you back?

[C]

Yes, because this is done. And if you're asking about my sunglasses, I know it's not cool to have them on, but my eyes are popping puffy and I don't want it to be on camera because it hurts.

[B]

I did not ask you about your glasses.

[C]

I'm telling the audience. Yes, hi.

[B]

They are asking about your glasses. My name is Roy Bellamy. This is the Hockey News. You can watch us on YouTube.

[D]

It's the Hockey Show.

[B]

I'm sorry, the Hockey News? That's where you work?

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. Well, this is the Hockey Show. The Hockey Show DLS is where you can find us on YouTube, on TikTok, the Hockey Show 7 on X Instagram and threads @Hockey Show DLS. We had a lot of fun at Winter Classic. Unfortunately Rose wasn't there to partake. Hopefully she will be for stadium Series. We will talk about that in a moment. But the NHL has made an announcement where the next Winter Classic will be. Next season it is going to be in Utah as the Utah Mammoth will host Winter Classic at Rice Eckley Stadium, the home of the Utah Utes. And I got to see a picture of the stadium. Mountain background, very scenic, good chance of snow. And if you've read any of the mentions that I got from the day of the Winter Classic when I posted a picture, hey, this is what the ballpark looks like right now. This is probably a good spot to have because everybody wanted it to be in a winter wonderland instead of near a beach somewhere in Miami. But yes, the Mammoth will hold this game for the Winter Classic. Do you agree with the decision?

[C]

I had a joke there. This team is hosting and is not even old enough to rent a car.

[B]

Yeah, that's true. Three years old even. They came from Arizona which came from Winnipeg, but. Yes, but officially they are their own franchise, the Utah Mammoth. And they are going off for the previous two seasons that they've been in existence. Do you agree with. Yes, Ethan.

[E]

I mean, you know, Rhodes mentioned that they're a brand new team. Seattle hosted the Winter Classic.

[B]

That is also true.

[E]

And they were their third year of existence as well, I think.

[A]

So.

[C]

Remember, I am three years old of knowing hockey.

[E]

No, I'm just saying. I'm just saying I think it's cool that the NHL is trying to get these new teams and new franchises out, out into these premier games in these premier spots to promote them. It'll be really cool, first of all to see what they do with the uniforms. Just in the same way that the Panther uniforms were a really cool fallback kind of idea. Like, I think ma, the Mammoth, they have great colors, great jerseys. I think they'll do a really nice job. And yeah, the setting is going to be beautiful. That stadium is, is absolutely gorgeous. So I'm really excited for it.

[D]

Well, Utah was the last team, interestingly enough, that hasn't played an outdoor game. They're three years old and every other team now thanks to the Panthers doing, doing their thing a few like a few days ago. Like a week ago.

[C]

Right.

[D]

A week ago today, Tampa played. Yeah, Tampa did the stadium series against Nashville a couple years ago. Columbus Stadium series, I think last year. Yep. So yeah, that's just the Mammoth. And I don't know, I'm excited. I know that the Lake Tahoe experiment didn't go super duper awesomely well because of the sun and the glare and all that, but I remember like the, the lake setting behind it with people like pulling up on their boats. That was cool as shit. So I hope that they come up with something cool. I think what they did with the Winter Classic down here blew away my expectations, which were admittedly low for a Winter Classic in Miami, but they killed it. So I'm very curious and excited to see what they come up with in Tampa. And I think they're going to probably do a really awesome job in Utah.

[B]

The boys at what Chaos. Specifically Pete Blackburn mentioned the uniforms as Ethan brought up. Now they do have a sky blue tint to their uniform. That would be a great base color for their Winter Classic uniform. I think. Sky blue. What? Black and white is the color?

[D]

Pretty simple winter colors. I don't know. I think they should lean into the Mammoth. I think their jerseys should have some kind of like a like animal hair coming off. Yeah, for sure. Like A fur like.

[E]

Like a brown jersey.

[D]

Absolutely.

[E]

That might be pretty cool.

[D]

Maybe hanging off the front of the helmet, little tusks there, you know?

[A]

Cool.

[E]

It's like a brown with like a light blue. And it's kind of like they're the mammoth, but you incorporate that light blue kind of like a.

[D]

Like a mammoth vest over a hockey jersey.

[E]

Blue.

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

Maybe we're on to something.

[B]

Ah, man.

[A]

Keep them warm.

[B]

The Buffalo Sabers and the San Jose Sharks have been the biggest surprise so far this season. I think even the Blackhawks have been better than expected. And that's just the positives. We're not going to talk about the jets here, which is the complete opposite of positive. So this gives us a chance to review our preseason predictions. I don't know. What was that? What are you doing?

[E]

Somebody allowed Rose to have the Telestrator.

[D]

Rose thinks she's John Madden over there.

[C]

Oh, I was. I was showing you. Oh, are you looking for it?

[B]

Yeah, it was right here next to Dave. Now it's gone.

[C]

I'm so sorry I hijacked it.

[A]

I don't know.

[D]

It was right here.

[E]

I don't know whose idea this was.

[B]

It certainly wasn't mine.

[C]

No, but keep talking about the Sabers. I'm gonna. I'm gonna try to.

[B]

We're not talking what we're saying. We're talking about our tears before we get there.

[E]

Anytime you're watching a football game right on the Telestrator and somebody draws. Rose, can you give me two circles? Any. Anytime somebody draws two circles, we're not.

[B]

Going to do that. We're not going to do that. We're not going to do that.

[E]

Sit up a little bit. You know, you get a little excited in your chair.

[B]

You're like, we're not going to do it. We're not going to do that. So we. We tears. Preseason tiers that we made prior to the season starting, as I said, the Sabers and Sharks and Blackhawks. Positive surprise. So let's go over what we said earlier in this. The season is, as you remember, the Florida Panthers, top tier.

[D]

Yes. They're in their own.

[B]

They are in their own tier and.

[D]

They will stay there until somebody knocks them off.

[E]

Correct, David?

[D]

Correct.

[E]

That's the only take.

[B]

Yeah. And of course, in the bottom tier, the Roy's opinion of Sidney Crosby are the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh.

[D]

Penguins, who are both in a playoff.

[A]

Spot at this moment.

[B]

Both in the playoffs.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

In the middle. In the middle. Now we can pass out where we were. Right. And where we were Wrong. Let's start with the second tier. The teams trying to be like the Florida Panthers. We had Minnesota, Carolina, color, Colorado, Dallas, New Jersey, Vegas, and Winnipeg. Winnipeg being the obvious wrong answer there.

[D]

Yeah, Jersey's a little ebbs and flows this year out of a playoff spot at the moment, but everybody else in that tier, especially after Minnesota made a.

[E]

Trade, who could have seen that coming?

[A]

Yeah, you shut up.

[E]

No, seriously. I mean, I probably would have put them in the should be playoff teams tier, but you guys had them right at the top of the. Trying to be like the Florida Panthers tier. And now they are trying to be like the Florida Panthers. They went out, made a huge swing and got Quinn Hughes and I mean, they've been the best team in hockey since they did that.

[B]

Rose has wrote the word dying on the Florida Panther tier there, which is.

[D]

Not true because they're recuperating. No, they're healing.

[C]

They're losing everything.

[B]

Rose is the first half of the season. They're not losing everything.

[E]

Well, it's the second half.

[D]

Let them get healthy.

[B]

It's the start of the second half.

[D]

Of the season still tightly packed.

[B]

Correction there.

[C]

You know what? There's a theory that you guys have that one player doesn't make a team, and I believe a little bit of that. But the Florida Panthers, they need two of the players. If not, they're not good.

[B]

Rose, they're missing half the team. But that's neither here nor there.

[E]

We got to continue with these teams.

[D]

Hall of Fame caliber people are out of their lives.

[C]

Yeah, Multiple Barky. That's why we.

[E]

Chucky and their best defense.

[D]

Marshy is out this year. Jones is out.

[C]

Jones is out. Oh, sorry, I didn't.

[B]

You've been on vacation.

[D]

Way more than one player.

[B]

All right, let's talk about the third tier here. This should be playoff teams. We had Calgary, Columbus, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Montreal, Ottawa, the Rangers, Toronto, Washington and Tampa. With the clear wrong answer being Calgary and Ottawa.

[D]

Ottawa. I'm not. I'm not done with Ottawa. Ottawa's not done either. They're five points out of a playoff spot.

[B]

But in Columbus, by the way.

[E]

Yeah, Columbus.

[B]

Columbus is on there as well. But yeah, if we can, we can replace Columbus with Ottawa there.

[A]

Yeah, yeah.

[D]

Well, they're. They're the. Right now, they're the bottom two teams in the East. It's tightly packed, I'll give them. But yeah, it's. We may have been a little. A little over excited there with some.

[B]

Of these teams, teams with a. With potential. Maybe. We had Boston, Buffalo, Utah, Detroit, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Jose, St. Louis and Anaheim.

[D]

This might be our best tier. Just because St. Louis. Yeah, one miss, really, but like, come on. Anaheim we saw coming. Yeah, the Sharks saw somebody here saw coming.

[E]

Yeah, it's Seattle.

[B]

So.

[C]

Whoa.

[E]

Seattle's in a place, man. Because divisional playoffs. Yeah. Because the Ducks have fallen off so much. They've won like two of their last 14 games.

[D]

Yeah, they're like that.

[F]

And.

[E]

Yeah. Wow. I didn't realize. Seattle's been playing better.

[D]

Q is not going to win the Jack Adams anymore.

[B]

That's. That's definitely our best tier. The beer leaguers, Chicago, Vancouver and Nashville. Chicago should be in a higher echelon there. Vancouver and Nashville, all of them are.

[D]

Out of the playoffs, but. Yeah, I mean, yeah, but Winnipeg is.

[B]

Chicago's injured.

[E]

Chicago's been coming back recently to the better.

[D]

Four in a row.

[E]

Four in a row.

[D]

Stay tuned. Chicago's coming up in puckluck.

[E]

All they need to do is stay afloat until Bedard gets back and they can just kind of hang around because this wild card race, man, it's. It's wide open. San Jose still in there. Los Angeles hasn't played very well, but they're holding onto a playoff spot.

[D]

Los Angeles will get themselves aligned next to Edmonton as the season progresses. Like we. However it plays out, you know where they're going to be.

[E]

Exactly.

[B]

All right, let's go into the Panthers, then. Let's start with the Winter Classic. Start with the new year. They lost 51 to New York, the New York Rangers, they beat Colorado. That was almost a perfect game. And they had to play an almost perfect game.

[D]

2.

[B]

One Filthy Baby Team in the league. And then they went out to Canada and got their asses kicked by Toronto and Montreal.

[D]

Yeah, losing 10 to 3 combined in Toronto and Montreal. Not ideal. Granted, they played four of those periods without Brad Marchand, in all of those periods without all of the guys that we talked about before. But this was supposed to be a time where the Panthers were turning things around. Like it looked like as we got around Christmas time that they were really starting to figure it out. They had one 8 of 9 or 7 of 8 or whatever it was. Now they've been alternating wins and losses, but the road trip, they've got to turn it around just because if you looked at the divisional standings particularly, that's one area that it's starting to spread out a little bit. I know. Florida as of this morning. Let's see. Tampa's in the third spot at 55. Florida's at 47. That's a big number. Eight points back is a big number.

[B]

Panthers are two games into a six game road trip. Ten of the next 12, including two that they just played on the road. The injuries that definitely hit the Panthers again. Brad Marchant taken out of the Toronto game. That was a coach's decision by Paul Maurice. He's been dealing with a little bit and did not play against Montreal. Matthew Tkachuk is on the road trip with the Panthers. He just got back to wearing a normal practice jersey. He took off the non contact jersey and is getting shoved around. So that is a good sign. He's close to the playing.

[D]

Yes, hopefully. I mean this is just me totally speculating. I have not heard anything on this, but I'm. Hopefully it'd be cool if he plays on Saturday just because he's praying against this brother. Be kind of a cool way to market it and get Chucky back on the ice. And it's the last few years it's been a lot of fun when the Panthers and Senators get together. For whatever reason, they don't seem to like each other. So either way he's coming back on this trip. It looks like Marshan's day to day, so it's nothing insidious and serious with that. So I'm just trying to be positive here because they're still right there within striking distance and we've seen how good they can get just by adding a little bit of depth. You remember when Verhadi and Luzerainen missed a game or two last month? They both came back and it was like a huge shot in the army. So if they can get a similar effect right now, go a long way towards their momentum towards the playoffs.

[E]

I mean, it just goes to show how important Seth Jones is for this team right now because they managed to stay afloat and survive and win that Colorado game with what I thought was actually a great defensive effort despite not having Seth Jones out there. But since then, I mean just they. They had a good third period against Toronto, I guess you could say. But Wall kind of stonewalled them and they didn't score anything. Montreal last night, like I was kind of in and out of that game because of the playoff game. But like it was a, you know, it was not a great effort from the Panthers. I thought like it was very lackadaisical offensively. Just it's hard to generate anything right now because their defensemen aren't getting up the ice as much. The power play is nowhere, you know, and you've got guys that are in roles that they probably shouldn't be in and eating minutes that they probably shouldn't eat. I don't want to say any names here, but you know, I think you can kind of pick up what I'm putting down. And look, they got to stay afloat because it, you know, this is a crucial, crucial road trip for the Panthers. I mean, six games on the road here, you're two in already and you're down two and you're falling three points out of a playoff spot. Like if you don't get anything going on this road trip, there's a chance that this could be it for the season.

[B]

And not enough rest even with the Olympic break, because half the team. As I mentioned, we had a lot of fun with the Winter Classic. And if you want to watch that video, it will be posted on YouTube. But for right now, guys, give you a quick thoughts on what happened on New Year's. Not even New year's day, but the 2nd of January.

[D]

I think I said ahead going into it that my expectations were kind of low just because it was a Winter Classic in Miami. I had no idea what to expect. I purposely wanted to go in kind of with sunglasses on and let it potentially blow me away. And it really did. I think they did a great job. I thought everybody that went had a good time. I think the only negatives had to do more with the stadium BS than the game or any of that.

[B]

You know, not the league's fault. No, not the Panthers fault. Not the league's fault at all.

[D]

No, it's just they don't know how to put on a big event at Marlins Stadium because they don't really get a lot of people there. Hopefully that will change as the Marlins continue to improve. But you know, that's. That's another topic for another day. But overall, I think they killed it at the Winter Classic. I thought it was awesome. I think we all had a good time. Ethan seemed to have a blast, making his way around spending way too much money in the team store. And Roy, you even cracked a few smiles.

[B]

I hate when you listen, you're smiling right now. I smile. Okay. All right. Now people like to say, hey, Roy, you don't smile. Hey. Yeah. Finally Roy got the was able to smile.

[D]

Hahaha. Hehehe.

[B]

I smile.

[D]

I'm not saying you don't, but the ratio of smiles to other expressions on your face is a lot lower than other people.

[B]

That's true, that's true. All right, it's time for Puck Luck. It's sponsored by DraftKings. DraftKings. The Crown is yours. I will not do that. Pause. That Chris Cody does every time he does a DraftKings read. So no, that's not happening from this side. Dave. Let's win some money.

[D]

Let's win some money. So this only three games on the slate tonight, so I had to do a little digging. But I feel good about what I've come up with. First off, as Ethan mentioned earlier, Chicago has been playing really well lately. They've won four straight and those four straight include wins over Dallas, Vegas and Washington in Washington. And that's relevant because they're playing the Caps at home tonight and the Caps have lost four of six overall and six of seven on the road. So I like Chicago's money line. Get some value there. Dylan Gunther on Utah, we talked about them earlier. He's hit his over two and a half shots prop in eight straight games before missing last game against Ottawa. So we're getting slightly better odds off the miss. And then Kevin Fiala of the Kings, him as well. Over two and a half shots on goal. He's hit that number and five straight. The Kings are a little banged up and he's seeing a little bit more ice time right now over the past few Kings games. Total odds on your parl 477. Go make yourself some money and have a good weekend.

[B]

Chris Cody is in the studio and as we mentioned with the Winter Classic, he was there as well. He was there as a fan. Chris, talk about your experience at the ballpark that day.

[E]

I liked it a lot more than this show represented. I thought it was fine. I thought the vibe was really good. I agree. I mean, that ballpark kind of stinks when it turns in terms of getting in it lines.

[D]

You missed the first part of what I said. I raved about the event. I just trashed on the. The kind of the ballpark experience of people trying to move around.

[E]

I thought it looked cool. I couldn't hear role model from where I was near the unnamed beer bar.

[B]

Now, they had, they. They had speakers around the home plate area facing the actual seats. I don't think they had any in the outfield.

[E]

Like, I'm telling you, man. I had to, like, someone's like, oh, they're performing. Like, couldn't even hear. Didn't know the performance was happening.

[D]

That's not.

[E]

And the bar we were at is like the closest actually to that.

[D]

We're at the outfield bar. Yeah.

[E]

Yeah. And my brother was sitting in left, the left field seats right next to It. And I went and sat with him and there were speakers right in front of the seats so you could hear, like, the skates during the game. It was a really weird audio experience because they had mic to the ice so you could hear all the sounds on the ice. Like, you could hear them already, but then you are also hearing them through a speaker. It was just kind of weird. It's not a great viewing experience.

[B]

Were you able to hear any chirps?

[E]

Not chirps, no. That would have been cool.

[D]

That would.

[E]

It was really more so just like kind of the skates and the puck crashing into the stick.

[D]

Whatever.

[E]

It was a. I mean, it was a great time. I had a great time. We never get it again, though, right?

[D]

Like, we.

[B]

I mean, no one and done.

[D]

Think about this.

[B]

Think about this. Outside of the football window for stadium series, do you think Heart Rock will get one?

[E]

Yes, I think because of the timing.

[A]

Right.

[E]

With football still going on, they might not do that.

[B]

It's in February.

[D]

They just have to do it. What's in the playoffs?

[B]

A non super bowl year.

[E]

College football playoffs, bowl games, schedule.

[D]

But they can make it tennis.

[E]

See, I think we blew it, guys. You guys speaking positive of it, but nope, I don't think we're getting. I think Lone Depot blew it. I don't think Miami necessarily blew it because it turned out fine. Like, the guys after the game weren't really complaining about the ice or anything. Like, they said the ice held up pretty well. By Chris Cody. Love you. But, you know, they weren't really complaining about the ice. I thought the surface held up pretty well, all things. All things considered, so. But of course, Hard Rock is outside. Marlinspark is indoors, so it might make it a little more difficult.

[D]

You guys kind of set off a little light bulb in my head a minute ago when you're talking about the mics on the ice and maybe could you hear them chirp? You know how. Maybe you don't know this, but you know how, like, in nascar, you can actually dial into the radio feeds of the drivers and their crews and everything, so you're hearing whatever they're saying. They could be chirping each other, they'd be swearing at each other. They could be talking shit about other drivers. You don't know. So can we get to the technology where we can maybe cut into a feed of a. Of a hockey player who's miked up and just hear how he's like, bagging on the guys on the other bench or go. You know what I mean? Like, wouldn't that be cool to like, you tie into Brad Marchand miked up for a game.

[B]

It would be for Matthew Kachuk versus Evander.

[D]

Yeah. Just think about the endless possibilities.

[E]

The NHL would never let that happen.

[B]

No, not the NHL. The NHL Players association would never let that happen.

[E]

Might be true too, but I don't think the NHL wants people to know.

[D]

What I think on the. This is a great idea. I think this would bring more people into the game. It humanizes the players. It's like, oh, he's pissed about the same thing I'm pissed about.

[E]

It's a great idea. Don't get me wrong. I just don't think the NHL would ever let people hear what players say to each other.

[D]

There was an outdoor game in Miami a week ago. Like, maybe we're. That's true.

[E]

That's true. Maybe they're getting a little more advanced.

[B]

It's time for Rosa and unminuto Rosie.

[C]

Okay, let's go.

[D]

I missed this song.

[C]

Calgary. Shane wright. English people.

[B]

Yeah. I hope that wasn't the English script. Holy shit, that is loud.

[D]

What is happening?

[B]

I told you it was English script.

[C]

One minute of Hockey with Rose, people. Hey, kids. It's one minute of hockey with Rose. And this time we're heading to Seattle, where the Kraken has been unleashed.

[A]

Kraken.

[C]

Yes. The Kraken started the weekend by crushing Kakari. 5 1. Shane Wright scored. Go ahead. A goal. But then the monster was Phillip Gabra with stuff. 41 shots. Yes, 41 shots. The man was in full brick wall.

[E]

Mole.

[C]

So they kept the show going at home. 74 win over Boston and wall mode. Kaku scoring twice and Berkeley Katun narying his first two goals on the NHL. Woohoo. Nobody's stopping them. But every party has to end. Against Minnesota. The Kraken tied it in the third period, but Sucarello shut them down in the overtime. 3 2, loss. Still, Seattle finishes the weekend with 32 wins, 1 loss. Points and 10 straight games. And play. Points and strength. Grapes. And playing in a serious team. Yes, a very serious team. Because when the Kraken wakes up, somebody's getting dragged on there. This was one minute of hacking the bones. Your weekly recap of cup.

[B]

Cheeky.

[C]

And a little bit of chaos.

[B]

That's cheeky. And that's why sunglasses. It's time for wins and fails. Dave.

[G]

What?

[B]

You win.

[D]

Oh, man. All right, hold on. My win. My wins and fails have a fighting theme this week, so you might enjoy it. But my win is. Maverick Lamoure, former first Round pick of the former Arizona Coyotes, now the Utah Mammoth, playing for the AHL's Tucson Road Runners. The massive Lamoru 6 7, 214 Roy Big Boy. He won a fight against Turner ottenbright during Tucson's 32 win over the Calgary Wranglers last week. And the fight was actually at the end of December, so two weeks ago. But the video is just showing up. And the video shows Lamoru after he got sent off the ice for fighting, trying to get back on the ice to fight someone else. And the referee's like, no, that's illegal. No, no, no, no.

[E]

So badass.

[D]

You're done. No, no. And he's like, the fans are into it. He's like, come on, let me fight what they paid for. I thought that was awesome. I thought that was so cool. So that's definitely my win of the week.

[B]

Three wins for me this week. Hat trick if you want three wins. Yeah. Funny enough, two of those wins were hat tricks and both were from former Florida Panthers. The first were was from Monday as the Capitals played the Ducks. Justin Sordif, who was traded because there was no room on the Florida Panthers roster last season. At least last season. This year we probably could. They probably could use them. Got a hat trick as the caps beat Anaheim 7 to 4. And then on Tuesday as the Islanders hosted the doubles Anthony Declare mess around and got himself a natty Hattie in New York's nine nothing win versus New.

[D]

Jersey celebrating an Islanders event.

[B]

That's wait until my fill. Wait until my fail. My third win is even more special. Layla Edwards, who is currently a senior at Wisconsin, she is playing on defense over there as a Badger, would now be an Olympian as she was chosen to be part of the U.S. women's hockey team. She became the first black player to ever be rostered.

[D]

That's awesome.

[B]

For the Olympics for the United States Women's hockey team. So that is awesome. Ethan.

[E]

Yeah, I want to go back to the Winter Classic, Roy. That was just an amazing event and a lot of people deserve props for it. The NHL first of all did like watching that happen from the inside. That's an unreal event that they put on there. Quite the production that was happening there and I just wanted to highlight it again because we had such a great time. First of all, I wanted to shout out Fatou for coming down and hanging out with us. She gave you some love, Roy. On the justice sortif Hatrick. She was all excited that, you know, her Caps were taking good care of a former Panther. So we had so Much fun hanging out with her and Sean and everybody that was there. And we just had such a great time, and it was such a great event. I'm so happy we got to go. So thanks again.

[C]

Okay. I'm not gonna give you a win. I'm just gonna give you the next week, and the next week is a lightning. But my win was stranger things. I'll talk to you about it after.

[B]

Yeah, okay. Fails of the week, Dave.

[D]

Massive brawl last week between Ryan Reeves of the Charts and Columbus's Matthew Olivier. Not the first time they've squared up, but this might be the most memorable because Villier knocked Reaves the BLEEP out. Didn't quite get him out cold, but certainly put him on his ass on the ice. You know, Reeves is a fighter. He knows how this all works. He's cool with it. After the game, he was talking about the fight and, like, the neurological tests he had to play. So if you guys have that, can we play it?

[B]

They just played it.

[D]

No, there it is, right?

[B]

There it is.

[D]

Yeah.

[E]

I mean, I had to memorize some words.

[A]

Cotton, Honey Arrow, I think was there.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

The months of the year backwards to do some number games, some balance stuff. Pass with flying colors.

[B]

Well, there you go. All right. My fail for the. For the week. And you sure saw this coming. My fail goes to the Devils because on January 6th, the Islanders played the Devils on Long Island. On January 6th, the Devils lost 9 nothing to the Islanders. On January 6th, Tony D' Angelo scored the Islanders seventh goal. And on January 6th, you allow a goal to Tony D'. Angelo. D', Angelo, you deserve to get what you get. And on January 6th, Tony D' Angelo scored. The Devils deserve that nine nothing. Beat down.

[D]

Ethan, you called it too. You texted me like, I should have taken D' Angelo on January 6th, on.

[E]

January 6th, that he scored on January 6th. Did you guys see what happened in the Chicago St. Louis game the other night with Jordan Bennington? Jordan Bennington gives up seven goals. This is Team Canada starting goalie, and he refuses to come out of the game. And then the Blues can't find their backup, Joel Hofer. He's just kind of hiding. I'm not sure if he's hiding. He didn't know what to do exactly. But it gave us this unbelievable screenshot of Hofer just kind of waiting in the wings, like, hiding in the locker room. It was really a hilarious moment. I don't know how Jim Montgomery always finds himself in these situations where he just loses control of his team completely. He is once Again, the most fired coach in the history of sports.

[B]

All right, coming up next, if you watch. Fuck. Excuse me.

[D]

I love that channel.

[B]

Yeah. Fuck channel.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

5, 4, 3, 2, 1. If you're watching on DraftKings Network, coming on next, we have David Pinotta. The fourth period, we're going to talk about the league. He has some inside news for us. You can watch that on YouTube. So for everybody who's listening on audio, David Penota is coming up next.

[G]

Sometimes all it takes is a simple.

[D]

Yeah.

[G]

I'll swing by on a football Sunday for a regular moment to turn legendary. That's when you say yes to the unexpected hang and you bring a pack a Miller Lite. Because those small decisions, that's Miller time. Some of my most legendary moments started that way. A buddy's house, a game on a tailgate. No big plan. You just crack open a Miller Light and see where the day takes you. After you take that sip, you look around, you see your friends, sometimes your family, and you think, yeah, this was the right call. You're locked into the game, the conversation, the moment, not thinking about what you're drinking. Miller Lite just fits. Clean finish, refreshing, brewed for taste, with simple Ingredients and at 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces, it never weighs you down. It's the taste beer lovers have trusted for over 50 years. The original light beer since 1975 and still iconic today. Legendary moments start with Miller Lite. Great taste. 96 calories. Go to millerlight.com dan to find delivery options near you. Or you can pick up some Miller Lite pretty much anywhere they sell beer. It's Miller time. Celebrate responsibly. Miller Brewing Co. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 96 calories and 3.2 carbs per 12 ounces.

[F]

One of my big goals for 2026 is just less money stress. How about that? I've got a kid now and I want to start a real travel fund, knock down some debt. I and not feel like every surprise expense is a mini heart attack, which I've had about 11 now since the holidays. Managing your money doesn't have to be a struggle this year. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool designed to make your life easier. It brings your entire financial life, budgeting, accounts and investments, net worth and future planning together into one dashboard on your laptop or phone. Start the new year on the right foot financially. After the chaos of the holidays, Monarch has been my full financial reset. I can actually see what I'm spending, set realistic budgets and track goals. I'LL stick with past February. It even tells me what goals are doable based on our real numbers, which I desperately need. The weekly recaps alone keep me honest even when I'm sleep deprived. Like the last three days, the baby has been absolutely insane. But Monarch helps me know that I'm financially okay. Monarch help users save over 200 bucks per month on average after joining this new year, achieve your financial goals for good. Monarch is the all in one tool that makes proactive money management simple all all year long. Use code [e-mail] for half off your first year. That's 50 off your first [e-mail] with code dan. All right, kicking things off with Smirnoff, the official vodka sponsor of the NFL. And then a more vodka in the world. Chris Cody, you're here. Wow, you're on the money with Smirnoff.

[B]

Chris, do you know what goes great with Smirnoff?

[F]

Yes, but I'm really talking about the game day fit. The style's got to match the vibe. All right, here's the deal. Game day is everything. And that's exactly why your fit has to match the occasion. Starting this December, Smirnoff is giving fans 21 and over the chance to score limited edition Smirnoff commission merchandise from some of today's top creators, including Kayla Jones, Gavin, Matthew and Aleli May.

[B]

Smear it off.

[F]

Here's the kicker. One lucky fan will take home the grand prize, a trip to the biggest game of the off season. Plus, one fan will win a Laylee May's one of one game day jacket.

[B]

Wow.

[F]

The merch will be dropped on select dates from December to January 21st. And it's all courtesy of what brand?

[A]

Miroff.

[F]

That's right, Chris. Fans 21 and over can head to Smirnoff Socials to learn how to sign up. And don't forget to grab a bottle of Smirnoff vodka number 21 at your local retail. Please drink responsibly. Smirnoff number 21, vodka distilled from grain, 40% alcohol by volume. The Smirnoff Company, New York, New York. Please do not share with anybody under legal drinking age. No purchase necessary. Must legal US resident 21 or older. Sweepstake starts 12152025 at 12:00am Eastern and ends 1232026 at 11:59:59pm Eastern. See official rules at program website.

[B]

David P. Is from the fourth period. He's our. He's not our insider, but hey, he's our insider. Kind of is he's our insider. So yes, he's our friend and we love him and he joins us with some leak news and we are getting closer and closer to the trade deadline and we will start with the defending reigning two time Stanley cup champion Florida Panthers. Is Bill Zito going to do anything?

[A]

Well, he's looking around, boys. He's looking around. He's trying to see what, what he can do. Talking to a few teams in the last week, they're starting to at least relay that, yeah, the Florida Panthers are starting to kind of comb the market a little bit, see what options might be available to them, depth wise, more so than anything. You know, he's looking at, at strengthening the decor and just deepening that. But there's also, maybe it's the bottom six, maybe it's the fourth line just to give him some more options. As you know, the season moves on. We know Matthew Tkachuk's coming back soon. Let's see how the roster looks once he's back in it, how he does. They're probably going to ease him into it and then kind of go from there. But yeah, Bill Zito, GM of the Florida Panthers, looking around, just trying to see what options are available to him. Probably closer to the trade deadline. Not the holiday. Excuse me, not the, not the holiday. The Olympic freeze, where there's a roster freeze from February 5th to the 22nd. And some teams are viewing that as like the mini trade deadline. I think we'll see some activity, but it won't be like a regular trade deadline which will happen on March 6th. And it looks like that's kind of the timeline where Florida's kind of seeing, well, look, unless something happens now and falls into their lap, that's probably closer to the actual trade deadline where they look to make a move.

[B]

Who is the most expendable person on the Panthers roster right now?

[A]

I don't even know if they're, they're looking or have a desire to move anyone out per se. When Kachuk comes back, they're going to be sitting at around 17,18,000 in cap space. So they're allowed to do that because they're working within LTR parameters. They still have flexibility to send guys down. Some of the, some of the guys that are waiver exempt. You add that all up, it's about 2,3 million in additional space. So there is wiggle room. We know Barkov's not coming back till playoffs, so they're not, you know, they're not really concerned about, you know, that money right now. So I don't even. I don't even get the sense that they're looking to move anyone out, really. It's more so just insulating the roster and cushioning some areas of the roster as much as they can until playoff time. Now, with Barkov, the initial prognosis and timeline was in and around conference final time, the end of May. That could be escalated up to beginning of May, potentially, if they get to the second round, we'll see. I mean, they got options. There's no sense of urgency. It's just looking to see what options may be available to them. And again, I just don't get the sense that they need to move anybody out in order to make something happen.

[D]

Speaking of flexibility, I know that another team in the Eastern Conference is looking for some flexibility as we get closer to the Olympics and the trade deadline, and that's Carolina. You reported a couple weeks ago that Jasperi caught Kaniemi. They were looking to shop him. They were trying to get to unload him off of their books. That may be heating up lately. Can you tell us anything more about that, Dave, and just about Carolina's plans?

[A]

Yeah. So the Hurricanes offered up Kakanyemi right before the holiday break for Phil Dano in la and the King said no, they didn't want to add on the. The additional term. He's got four more years on his contract after this season at 4.82 million per year. Wasn't necessarily the money, it's just the term. And you know, he's kind of fluttered this season. I don't think LA viewed him as. As an option at the dot for them. He's been kind of rotating. He plays center, but he's also been rotating on the wing. But he's been available. The Hurricanes are never afraid to take a big swing, not lately. And that's something that they're looking to do. They've got some cap space, but moving cocking out frees up a lot more and it gives them a little more. Bit more roster flexibility too. So that's a player that we put up our trade watch list earlier this week. He's on it. They've been actively made. They've actively made him available, but again, I think it's more of a preference to upgrade the roster in another area by moving him out and utilizing his position on the team roster wise and the cap space itself. So we'll see kind of where that goes. There's been more smoke today on Kakaniemi. We'll see kind of if that evolves today and into the weekend, but he's definitely a piece that the Hurricanes have been dangling.

[E]

Pags, as we're sitting here talking, I just saw a tweet of the neutral zone at the Milan Olympics ice, and it is tiny. This is like two strides for Connor McDavid from Blue Line to blue line. How did.

[D]

Normal, isn't it?

[E]

How mad is the NHL about this happening? And it seems like. I was reading an article yesterday from Emily Kaplan. Things are. It's going to happen, you know, the. The arena is going to get done. How did this happen? And again, how mad is the NHL about this situation?

[A]

Well, with the ice size itself, they were supposed to have NHL size rank, and NHL size rank, like, it's three feet shorter. It's IIHF size, so it's international size, but it was supposed to be NHL size. So that's why everybody is kind of like, up in arms going, well, for this Olympics in 2030. We agreed for NHL size, it's not the end of the world, really. And everyone's kind of. They seem to be okay with it now because they really don't have another choice. But it was supposed to be NHL size, not IIHF size. So that's kind of where things kind of got disconnected with the building itself. Look, I'm Italian. Italians have a tendency of moving at their own pace, so I'm not overly shocked that this building is not done yet. The ice seems to be in place now. It's just figuring out everything else. Like, the locker rooms aren't done. The concourse isn't done. It looks like the seats are all in. The roof's finally finished, so that's a plus. But they still have, you know, what is it, like, three weeks to go? So all hands on deck for these guys. Put the espresso down and just finish it up, boys. Come on. So what you got this.

[D]

What's the concession situation going to be once this place is open? Like, are we getting, like, fresh pasta? Like, how exactly? Because I'm, you know. You know about food. Yeah, right. We got to get some nice fresh canolies out of the oven. Like, how. How hard do they go with the concessions out there, Dave?

[A]

Well, I've never been to a hockey game in Italy, so I'm not sure how. Soccer. Yeah, I've done. I've done. I see. I went to. I went to Milan in August for the NHL player tour, and at that point, they were supposed to. Some of the Canadian and Americans were supposed to have. They didn't even go, like, from the executive team. They were Supposed to do a tour of the facilities then. And there's no chance. It wasn't even. But I've been to a few soccer games out there, and I'm sure they're going to bring in some. Like, there's going to be pizza. There's going to be, I guess, sausages equivalent. Like, not really hot dogs, but they've got sausages. A lot of different spicy. A lot of different sandwiches, a lot of different types of sandwiches. I didn't see any pasta when I was there at some of the soccer games, but that could be something.

[D]

That's this.

[A]

I'm sure there's. I would. I would impose. I would impose an espresso bar.

[D]

Well, you think about, like, baseball games in Japan where they're, like, shoveling lo mein into their mouth. So I'm thinking, like, why can't we do that with pasta?

[A]

You can. I. I just. I don't know. It's more the sandwiches. Italy does more of the. The pizza and the sandwiches that come in for. For their sporting events at the concessions. But, like, I don't even know if there's popcorn, to be honest. There might be. There might be something, but I. I never saw it. I just saw these little sandwiches and little. They're. They're actually massive and the opposite.

[E]

We're having a big discussion here. Assuming that the concession stands in the arena will even be done.

[B]

Yeah, it's the most.

[A]

Like. Yeah, I think the fan experience is.

[E]

Going to be done. It's insane.

[A]

They're gonna have to makeshift it because, like, you know, if you're going to a game, you're going to want snacks and all that stuff. Like, maybe they just simplify it, but, like. So I saw a picture of one of the locker rooms yesterday. It's just a room, like, they have, like, the walls done, but nothing's in there yet.

[D]

Nice.

[A]

And I think some of the electrical still has to be worked out and finished up. Like, all hands on deck. These guys can finish off, like, those types of rooms in, like, a week. You know, it's not. And I think that's kind of their mindset going when he opened the fifth. Ah, we got time.

[E]

Seven years they had to construct this arena. Seven years. It's insane.

[B]

Jeez.

[E]

It's insane.

[B]

First I.

[A]

Look, I don't get it, but I.

[E]

Know you don't get it. It's just crazy to me. It's crazy to me.

[D]

That's still exciting for the.

[E]

This happens every Olympics, seemingly, though, but.

[A]

Oh.

[E]

Oh, I'm. I can't wait, all that's good. Once they're on the ice, nobody's going.

[A]

To give a shit, right?

[D]

I mean the ice holds out.

[A]

It should. I think they're using the same type of technology that the NHL is using to, to make sure that the ice is good to go. And we'll know pretty quickly because I think the first game is on the fifth. I think the women's game they play on on February 5th, 5th or 6th, something like that. So yeah, hope it works out.

[B]

First Rose dances with pizza boxes and before the segment starts and then we end up talking about pasta and massive sandwiches and pizza. Let's just move off of food because I'm very hungry. The Ottawa Senators announced that Linus Olmark would be away from the team on personal leave. And apparently somebody had gone on the social media and as I guess the team called him a troll and delivered some misinformation about what has been going on with Linus. And the Senators unleashed a statement with fury against this so called troll. What do you know what's going on in Ottawa? What can you divulge?

[A]

Yeah, well, Olmark's gone. He's taken a personal leave and that's really all the Senators are saying. Now there have been some rumblings that there may have been altercations with a teammate or something along those lines and that's part of the reason why he's away. There's been some talk that they've been exploring the trade market on him. So it certainly sounds like something just doesn't jive with Hallmark and the team. Look, I saw the stuff that was posted on social media on X and whatnot about it and I just figured it was just fans doing what they do. Guys like to troll and chirp and do all this kind of stuff. I didn't think it warranted it as a statement from the team. It's just some random anonymous fan that's just causing shit and stirring everything up. Excuse me. Look, I don't know why they decided that they needed to acknowledge that, but it does add a little bit of fuel to the fact that something's going on within the organization. With all Mark's relationship there with the team and it just amplifies some of the rumors and speculation out there that he might be on the move. Now I've asked around some, some people around the league have heard that his name out there, some haven't. So this still might be a little bit fresh, but it certainly sounds like the relationship between player and team in some capacity has has been Hindered a little bit. And is it in the best of spirits? Let's put it that way.

[D]

If he does go on the trade block, like do you think there is any potential teams that he'd be a good fit for?

[A]

I think there'd be a lot. But the issue is his $8.25 million cap. It that's where that's, that's going to be the biggest problem, at least in season. Like maybe this is something that they view as an option in the off season, but you know, right now in terms of pulling it off, you know which teams want to make an upgrade in goal and which teams have the cap space to do it. Like if Edmonton, for example, wanted to get in on this, they probably have to package Jari, who they just got from Pittsburgh with another piece to make the money work. You know, Carolina, you know, Kachekov's done for the season. Do they want to roll with Anderson and Bussey or do they want to just go for the upgrade with Hallmark? Maybe that's a potential fit, but outside of that, it's hard to see where the options might be in season. I think there'd be a lot of options out in the off season. Excuse me, just in season because of the dollars tied to it. It might be pretty, pretty difficult.

[B]

The Eastern Conference is all bunched up. So I'm going to give you three teams right now that you can talk about. You can talk about Toronto and because they were in the bottom of the league and have somehow worked their way up now to within striking distance of a playoff spot. You talk about Buffalo, who has won 12 of the last 13. Given that they fired the general manager, Kevin Adams in the midst of that winning streak. They were on a three game winning streak at the time. And you could talk about how close Lindy Ruff was close how close he was to losing his job. And you could talk about the New York Rangers who have been so terrible at home. And is it because of Mike Sullivan's playstyle and they haven't gotten used to it yet like the Panthers did with Paul Maurice when he just got, when he first got there. And is there any word on ego Shesterkins injury?

[A]

All right, well, Toronto, they, yeah, on an on and upswing. They've gotten things, you know, rolling now. What is it, 6, 0 and 2 in their last eight. So things are going better for them certainly after the win last night. They play Vancouver on Saturday at home before they go on the road for a week. Things have looked better in terms of their overall performance. Auston Matthews. People are saying, yeah, he's back. He's. He's back to the player he was and we've been waiting for that since last season. He hasn't really, you know, exploited his talents in the best way because of some injuries that were nagging and bothering him. It seems like that's, that's now a thing in the past and if you're a Leaf fan, you're hoping for that. But they're also a little bit banged up. Like Chris Tan of season is probably over. He's going to need surgery and if he does, he's done for the regular season anyways. Not coming back till I think the timelines end of April, maybe beginning of May. So they're going to look to see if they can move, make an addition on that back end. Initially they wanted to bring in a puck mover to help get that up the ice, but because of Tanf being out, I think they want to just see can Carlo hold that, that role, that defensive physical presence in that back end and we can still bring in a puck mover or do we have to replace now what Tan have brought to the table? I think Bradshaw living, their GM is looking at every angle, but now that they're, you know, rolling again and kind of got their heads out of the, you know, what they're going to look to add and try to cement themselves in a playoff position. Buffalo, I think Ruff was right there. I think they were contemplating making that change behind the bench and then said, you know what, let's just, we'll keep it going, see how this goes. You know, it's not Yarmo Kekalainen's guy. Maybe if they, you know, can build up a few more wins together, then, you know, gives him enough Runway for the rest of the season. Well, he's got a hell of a lot of Runway now. Given 12 wins in their last 13, things are, things are looking good there. The priority right now for Buffalo is Alex Tuck. Can we get him signed? That's where their, that's their, their mindset. So they're trying to see if they can get him signed or at the very least know that they can get him signed this month. They're going to hold on to him. If not, if they feel like he's not going to sign here or he's out of our price range, he's. Whatever deal he signs, it's going to make him the highest paid forward on the team. 9, 10 million plus. It won't be the highest player that's that's Rasmus Darlene 11 million. But he'll be in that 9, 10 range somewhere in the tens is what I think. Especially if he hits open market. And if that is the case and the Sabres don't feel they can sign him, then closer to the trade deadline they will probably try to trade him within that two week window from end of Olympics to the trade deadline itself. Unless they find out now, for example, that, that he's not going to sign. But I don't think they're going back and forth right there, right now on that subject. And then Rangers, I don't even know if they know exactly what direction they want to go in. You know, the owner James Dolan came out last week and said preach patience. He's willing to be patient with this group. He may wake up tomorrow and say the hell with that. Go make this team better. Now there's no the Shuster can injury. Thankfully he's only day to day or whatever it is on ir. It's not as serious. It's obviously he's got to miss some time, but it's not. It's like this isn't a long term thing. At least that's what they're relaying to everybody. Similar to Tuck and Buffalo. Panarin in New York, they got to figure that out too. So they're trying to see if realistically they can sign him. If not. And he likes it in New York, he'd like to stay, but he wants more term than I think the Rangers are willing to give him, at least at the dollar figure that they're looking at, which will be similar to the 11 he's making now because he's going to be the biggest fish in the open market in July if he hits it. If the Rangers feel they can sign him, they'll do it. If they don't, then they'll probably make him available for trade. But this is another team like Carolina always kind of lurking right now. And if they can make a big splash and take a big swing, I think that's what Chris Drury would like to do. And it would revolve around a player in his 20s that's controllable for the.

[D]

Foreseeable future and then shifting to the West. Dave, I've got four teams for you. Two are in playoff spots right now, two are not. Seattle and San Jose are currently playoff teams. Chicago, who's won four in a row, and Winnipeg, I don't know what the hell are out of the playoffs. Is that how it's going to stay? Do you See some switcheroo does that. Mainly Dave, Seattle and San Jose, playoff teams right now. Is that how it's going to stay?

[A]

I don't know. I don't think, I don't think there's enough in the tank for Seattle, personally. If they proved me wrong, awesome, good for them. But I think there are other teams that are going to, you know, surpass them. I think San Jose has the potential, but San Jose is in a buy and sell mode. They've got pieces they're willing to sell off, but they're also trying to insulate that roster and give them a good shot at making the playoffs, which is, you know, evident in them a resigning Alex Wenberg, getting him to a three year extension, and then the trade yesterday to bring in Laurent Brassoise to stabilize their goaltending position a little bit and provide a backup there. So there are other guys like Mario Ferreira, Timothy Lilgren, John Klingberg, they got two other guys on expiring deals as well on that back end. I think they're going to move out one or two of them, but they're also looking to add as well and bring in somebody that fits like a top six role. Excuse me, a top six top. Holy smokes. Top six forward line. Still not saying it right, but a top six forward is something that they'd like to bring in, but also controllable, fits the mold. They can grow with the younger guys like Celebrity and Smith and Eklund and everyone. So they're, they're an interesting group for me, but I think there's enough there because of just how great Celebrity is and has been this year where there's an argument for them to make the playoffs. They probably won't do much, but to just gain that experience would be something I think. You know, I think the Ducks are going to rebound a little bit, get back into it, get their game going. They're on a hell of a slump now, but I think they've got enough to rebound and get back into it, get, get out of this little funk they're in. I think LA's got enough to be a playoff team. Edmonton's obviously rolling, the Knights are rolling, but I don't know about Seattle's the kind of the bubble one more so than anything for me in that group because I don't think Chicago is going to have enough to get going and nobody knows what the hell's going on with Winnipeg. So. Oh man, they can't score outside. They got a first line and then the rest. Nobody else can do anything. So we'll see. We'll see. It'll be very LA like for the Kings to lose to the jets tonight and and snap that streak, and then everyone in LA will panic and go, what the hell? How do we lose to a team that's lost 11 straight but eventually Winnipeg's gonna win again? It would just be a little bit hilarious if it ends up being against la because the Kings fan base will lose their minds.

[B]

All right. That's what's going on around the league. David Pinota from the fourth period. Thank you for sharing what you know.

[A]

Thank you, boys. See ya.