On the 18th episode of hockey or this podcast. We talked all about the teams that didn't quite make the playoffs this year. There's a couple teams on the bubble will talk about as well. But for the most part we're going to chat dammnit to know others New Jersey Devils the Buffalo Sabres the LA Kings the Anaheim Ducks in a couple of other teams, why didn't they make it? What's the problem in those cities? And can they make it next year or are they going to be on the outskirts? Again? That is the 18th episode of the doctors podcast.Well that can accelerate in told Rex guard.Good afternoon, Brandon. How are you? How are you? Good, you know what? We're going to talk this week about the NHL playoffs but not particularly Bo, you know predicting the playoffs or what's going to happen with certain teams that are probably going to be in the playoffs now not everybody's in for sure yet. There are still some teams where the race is tight. But for the most part we know who's going to be in and we know who's going to be out. And so we figured we'd talk this week about teams that are out butWe shouldn't have been based on where you saw them at the beginning of the year. What you predict for them might be an interesting and fun topic. What did you thought would you think when I said hey, let's talk about this. It's kind of a downer for probably half the listeners right assuming that we have all 31 teams that listen to the show. It's sucks. Probably something to laugh about if you're a fan of the others like half of the league, I guess because you thinking hey, we made the elite we made the playoffs. Oh, you know, we're top of the week. But in general, I mean, yeah every year you have certain teams that shine and do better than expected and every year you have teams that you think are going to make the playoffs and they either just narrowly miss it or sometimes some cases they fall off completely and it's not what you expected from them. Well you and I are on different sides of the fence because you cover the Bruins and they're doing extremely well there, you know II in the Atlantic there a playoff team for sure and I cover the Edmonton Oilers and they sucked they were terrible. So considering what kind of the East please Okay, I'm looking at the Eastern Conference by division and you're listed as second in the Atlantic, but I see if I were to switch over to the conference. You are right the Boston Bruins, you know our second in the East and if I switch over to the league they are third in the NHL a hundred Five Points. So yes, your team is doing quite well, whereas if I look at the league standings and I go all the way down to the Edmonton Oilers. I got to go all the way down to 25th to find them and considering that there are two players on the team with more than a hundred. Points and five learning Team Six if you count Darnell nurse on Blue Line who has broken records for themselves this season. I it's bad so so surprising so they'll be one of the teams that we cover in terms of the conversation on disappointing teams. But you know, I listed a handful of them in the message I sent you today. Is there a place you want to start? Yeah, la seems like the best place to start right actually before we even start that sure I think it's interesting. If you look at all the teams in the league, there's only one team who might not Make the postseason everyone team will make the most postseason with a positive goal differential every other thing that missed it is going to have a negative goal differential. So if you look at the Western Conference everything that's in a playoff spot right now has a positive goal differential and every team in the East has a positive one as well every teen and the West without a playoff spot has a negative goal differential and every team in the East outside of Montreal has a negative goal differential. So obviously Montreal and Columbus right now are battling it out for that that last block Carolina. To you is also fighting for a spot. But all three of those teams have a positive goal differential. So it's going to be one of those three teams that are going to be the only one of the 14 non-playoff teams that are like 15. I plan to use that that don't end up having a playoff spot with a goal by plausible differential. Okay, I didn't look up that's Ted who's the team that doesn't have it? Well Montreal Columbus or Carolina always positive. So one of them's going to miss it. Okay. I was just yeah, you would mention that I think he said all but one team or something had a positive or something like that. So I was wondering which team got in but got, you know got scored on more than then what have you but you know, just just once he was getting a missing it when everything's said and done. Well, we're going to talk about and it's also a sorry. That's assuming that Colorado makes it an Arizona doesn't because Arizona has a negative color as a positive, but that will see how that happens there. Well, we'll talk about the Blue Jackets and they're in a spot right now. I mean, they're kind of the tiebreaker of that wild card division, but we should talk about them because this Not where they were supposed to be but yeah, let's start with it'll a part of the reason that you probably mentioned them. And one of the reasons I think about the Kings not only were they not good this season but Drew Doughty just recently kind of came out and was talking about you know, how he just wanted the season to be over if he could play all the games right now back to back and finish up the year. He just do it and go that's about how telling the season it has been for the kings that their star player who's got it, you know is going to be in the first of a Very long-term deal coming up. Next season is about as unhappy as any player and I think any team in the NHL right now ya Jus daddy. Obviously, he's going through the motions right now. We've seen a few players speak out about it. But Drew Doughty doesn't seem so much passionate about the season as he is just frustrated about where they are and how he's excited for it to end. I didn't know excited is the right word out of these excited for anything right now. I think he just wants the the season end and then just move forward with it and see what happens next year, but typically with LA. I mean this team there where they signed Kovalchuk and they were expected to be a contender this year. Right? No one expected them to be the 30 out of 30 first-place teams in the NHL and they have been very bad - 61 goal differential. They have only 30 wins, which the only team was less right now. It could finish with the least in the amount but then the season but the only team with less games one than La is Ottawa and that's not company that you want to keep. Yeah, it's not. Yeah, it's not good, but I wonder what's going to happen with the team. We know the heading into the trade deadline. They were shaking things up a little bit. They try to Jake Muzzin and they were looking at some other options to head out the door. What do you think is going to happen with a guy like Cole Chuck? Which goes first you think the coach goes first. You think Cola Chuck goes first because those two were like oil and water they do not go well together with since they turned and came in Kovalchuk is on the outs and he's I don't even know if he is traveling with the team at this point, but they're not using them. They're not playing them. He not happy, but he doesn't seem to want to leave. Leave La necessarily like his wife has settled into the City and he wanted to be there. He chose the Kings over bunch of other. What gives first year. Do you think I can't imagine that the coach is going to stay into next season. So do you think Cole's are just Waits it out or is this one of those things where they should going to move both people? I can see both being gone in the I don't know if the offseason is the right time to move on from either of them. But obviously they can move called much like the offseason don't get me wrong they're going to do it. But I'm just trying to think about teams are going to obviously want to figure out their draft capital and then free agency. So maybe it's going to be middle to enter free agency to you know, beginning of season and see what happens assuming there's a new coach and place but let's say that coal truck, you know, let's just ignore him for a second to the coach is still there. R next season what do you do as far as improving the team to a point where they're not the second last year in the league, right? So the coach is a big issue. Obviously, he wasn't the coach, you know, he's had to be there for a very long time. So they've made Personnel changes on their the coaching staff and they're even the general manager multiple times now in recent years. It's very weird considering La went from you know, a Powerhouse in the Western Conference to what they are now, I guess in summary both Move both could be moved in the offseason could be a nurse. I moved or fired in the offseason could be regular season, but I don't think you can move forward past the midpoint of next season without having a different coach. I have a culture still on your roster and that's me as a big ol shark fan. Obviously things haven't worked in La. Yeah. I mean they're going to make a lot more changes to like there were names all over the place that were rumored to be going. Jeff Carter's one of them Tyler toffoli was one of them Alec Martinez was one of them. I mean they they were looking at sweeping changes and it's no secret that Rob Blake was calling around trying to see who he could move and and get rid of it in heading into the deadline and he didn't he just didn't do as much as he probably would have wanted to so my expectation is that he's going to do a lot if he can at the draft and over the summer and shake up this team. They're older for sure Kovalchuk does not help when he came in, you know, he was among if not one of the oldest players in the NHL when he signed so they need to get you. And faster, I'm interested to see what they do how that affects, you know, just the dramatic overall makeup of the team and how it affects the kind of like Dowdy who seems to be very much doubt. He's an interesting guy to me because he he's a trash talker you watch them. He seems to enjoy the games when he's having a good time. He's singing and dancing on the bench and all kind of stuff. But he's also that guy that he almost has like a whiner that you you watch him and you go man. This guy's like folded in right now and I get the sense from Him that that's where he's at. Yeah, there's only a couple games left in the season and phoning it in for the Kings at this point doesn't matter. But that's is that the guy you want, you know with that attitude coming in maybe he just refreshes over the summer and comes in completely different next season, but man, he's the guy you're building around in a way, right? You've got this big long term contract that he's going to be kicking off. He's your franchise blue liner. He's probably your franchise player outside of Kopitar who is getting older. I don't know what you do there. If you try to appease him make him happy. What do you do? Right like you don't you don't necessarily work around one guy, but that's a long time to have a guy who doesn't seem like he's very happy. Yeah, I doubt he's like the kind of guy who if he's not having fun Dobies lots of fun. That's the kind of impression I get from him. And I mean, it's normal if you're a passionate guy and you're having you know, you want to make sure you're winning games and whatnot, but it's not about passion right now that we're not seeing passion from daddy. Like I said, it's not good traits of being a loser like even Connor McDavid the and I'm sure we'll get it was like you said he seemed to still be a captain when he was speaking despite, you know some of the some of the things that were said, he still seems like a captain throughout the entire process and that's saying a lot considering he's younger than I am right, but if you look at El Alamein Kopitar, I'm a big fan of Kopitar, but he's still got one until 2023 24 at 10 million dollars a year. He's 31 already Kovalchuk. He's 35 Of the two years at 6.25 Dustin Browns 34 with another three years after this year at 5.75 Jeff Carter who we heard was, you know rumored to be potentially moved wasn't moved 34 years old another five point two seven million for next three years. They've got a lot of these contract Dion Phaneuf 5.25 for another two years after this year. He's 33 years old, so it's not getting better any time soon for La. So I don't know how they're going to end up moving all of these players, especially when you consider its going to take draft capital and Pecs and does La really have that top prospect that they're willing to part with just to move a player and even if they do how many times can they do that with amount of players they have right? There's so many expensive contracts. You can't just keep moving prospects and picks and then you're just further barriers of a hold because you're not getting any better because I mean again in the NHL draft picks don't pan out in a year they take time. So if you're hurting now you trade away those prospects and picks. Well, then you're going to hurt again three four five years as well. So it's just I mean, what's the point of that point? All right, we're going to do this for every team will move on from the Kings. But before we do move on to the next one, let's make a prediction LA Kings playoffs next season or not. No no way. No me neither. I don't think so either. All right, let's move on to do you want to go to next we can do a I mean Edmonton like you said, I don't know if they were expected to make the postseason but they're definitely I mean at least a potential player in the playoff race through what the majority to season because of that Western Conference being so bad, right? Sure. Sure. Yeah, I can tell you from our perspective in in Edmonton. It was about 50/50 the there was half the city thought they were going to be a playoff team have the city thought they'd be up just outside of it and until a few days ago. I mean they were playing games that mathematically they could have gotten in so that I guess for some people is, you know a small victory in a season that did not go as well. It's not like they were out of it in January. You know what I mean? So that that is somewhat of a victory for some people who didn't think that they would make the playoffs. They were playing competitive hockey all the way up until like last week is kind of a win. But the fact that they are not making the playoffs is overall a major bummer for the Oilers. This is now 12 out of 13 years that they are not in the postseason and it probably things like I said before the beginning a whole lot more because you've got Connor McDavid is breaking records Leon draisaitl has you know, 40 Gold season with a hundred points. I'll exchange 120 goal season you had Zack kassian score and 15 and broken his own. Single records Darnell nurse offensively was breaking his own record new John Hopkins broke his own personal record. Like there are so many guys on this team that had such good individual Seasons. You would think collectively when you put all that together that they should have been a playoff team. The problem was there blue line still isn't good enough. They're goaltending has a massive question mark and their bottom six is just not ready so they didn't make it and that's kind of but I don't know necessarily how far away they are. There is a major issue though for the Oilers. Going into next season which is what changes they can make based on the contracts that they have to move. So a guy like Mila music who makes six million dollars to season. He's like a nonverbal. Yeah, but he's like an immovable contract without dumping an asset along with it. And even then you might have to retain some salary. You've got guys like Chris Russell, but you know people here in Edmonton can give and take some people love them. Some people hate them, you know, he's hot and cold and that way but he's got a pretty expensive contract that maybe the Oilers might choose to move on from but to any trade Them. That's the question. Right? You've got this that mean let's just take a look at some of the other guys that have been rumored to be moved here in terms of you know, I like your hair whose injury-prone obviously. I don't know that he's rumored to be moved. But you know, he's an interest fact. He's an interesting guy only because when he came back last season four major, he was not good, but when he came back this season four major, he was wonderful. So it's hard to know what he is. Yeah. Like is he a player that is going to help you next year? He's got a unique skill in that he is unlike any other In the Oilers have he's not he's not your offensively gifted, you know Oscar cleft bomb that you you put out there and hope that he's going to get points. He's not the up-and-coming version of Darnell nurse that you know sure if he's going to be offensive or defensive but he could be your best overall defense and by the time everything is said and done. He's not a shutdown guy like Adam Larson is supposed to be he's just got good skill in a lot of different areas and he's unique in that way, but he's not like a number one guy. So you're paying them five. Point five million in yeah, you can move that money. You move that money, but he might actually help you write. So yeah, it's a challenge for the Oilers to go. Okay. Well, how do we move these guys? Should we move these guys and how do you get rid of contracts? Like, you know, Brandon Manning who they brought in for some crazy reason this season, you know taken out Connor McDavid you would think that you and now he's not even playing in the minors. He's waived in the minors. Like that's just not a good situation and when you have those Kinds of contracts on the team they're hard to move. So that's a question how much better than the others need to get to make the playoffs next year and how can they do that while trying to figure out what to move? That's the question the nemeton and I'm just not sure how much you know of a dance they'll be able to make and there's going to have a new GM trying to do it too. Right? Yep. So that's the number one thing obviously is getting a new general manager making sure that you can kind of write the ship build the team in his own molds as much as you can considering the Pieces that are already in place are pretty much securely in place based off of contract years age, whether it's you know players that are younger who you don't want to move on from the fact that Oscar class bomb was even mentioned in potential rumors last offseason were surprising because the me clef under a very good player that also do when team should want I think Edmonton has some help on the way. Now, you've got Evan Bouchard and Ethan bear is also someone that is as well known but I think both I mean obviously Bouchard's very well known but both could be contributors for Euler's in the near future obviously buescher has a higher ceiling you would hope as one of the top prospects coming out of last year's draft that forward obviously plea already hasn't really panned out yet. He's been a rumors as well. I think he's another player that could benefit from a change of scenery. But how many players could Edmonton keep moving to help them out? And I mean at the same time, it doesn't seem fair to the player or the team that for some reason they can't develop these young players whether it's putting them into the NHL too soon not giving them a chance to succeed in. In Bakersfield whatever the situation is. I don't know why these young players and it's been multiple times with the last few years. I'm sure you can touch to it. We're young players just don't seem to work out in Edmonton. And I mean for a guy like Yakupov, he didn't work it anywhere, but Eberly obviously was good everywhere. He's been she was never an issue Taylor Hall was good in Edmonton really great at side of Edmonton. Plea RV hasn't worked out right new Shopkins economy. David are two very good examples of centers who have worked out and obviously draisaitl. Despite the flag is drivers contract is worked out very well. What do you think about Kyle Yamamoto for next year though? It answers your question to me of rushing prospects. You said two things in that last little bit there that caught my attention one change of scenery is like a four-letter word here debatin like you just it's happened. So often than it almost never works out that it's one of those things you want to try to avoid if you can help it unless you know for a fact that the contract is just a bad one and the mistake was a Assign, the guy or traded for the guy and he's just not the player you thought he would be in our Pro scouting here dammit in is not being good. So there are certain situations where changes of scenery are required because the guy you picked up is just not good. The other one was the rushing of prospects. You mentioned guys, like pull your RV and you get mentioned guys like Evan Bouchard who's having a fantastic season with London Ethan Bears a guy that he could be an interesting player on the blue line. He's got a wicked shot. He could be a power place. Socialist, you know in the vein of it like a James Wisniewski when he was on top, you know that kind of stuff I could see for anything better. But to put any of those guys including Yamamoto in the NHL next season would do the exact opposite of what you know, and Nicholson hasn't Bob Nicholson hasn't said great things here and I didn't recently but one of the things that he did say that that's was really positive was that they need to overripe and guys in the minors before they bring them up and I think if you bring any of those four guys up next season or your plan is to bring any of those four guys up. Next season you're already fund Ali making a mistake heading into this season. Yeah, I can agree with that. Yeah, so that I mean Evan Bouchard May Force his way onto the lineup. He might be that good and if pool Erv can figure out a way to click his hockey mind to the NHL game. He could be dangerous. The problem is he hasn't been able to do it consistently if at all and Evan Bouchard will be one day a very good defensive in my opinion. But is he that guy you want in there next year? I don't know like I like A lot and I think he had a really good showing in the games that he played this season. So I'm not one of those guys that says, you know about if you put them in here next year. Oh my gosh, you're killing this kid, but at the same time I got no problem with him staying down, you know and and really over ripening and just dominating for the blue line where he plays with its Big Field or what have you and then bring him up and do that. So if you're going to take that stance the others need to find ways to fill the hole until those guys are ready. And I don't know that the guys that they've called up. The season now Bakersfield has been wonderful. They've been a very good team, you know, very very strong and they brought up some guys from there Joseph gambardella, you know, those guys have played and fit in quite well actually, but I don't know if their long-term Solutions, right? Yeah, so I'm not sure if they're their depth guys that may or may not be part of your you're fixing of the problem next season. So you're going to need to find some guy some dead guys on the cheap. That you can bring in there until so you know what you want to do with the other guys and that could create a situation for a guy like Alex Chase on who you got to make a decision on this summer. How much do you pay him? What is he worth? Do you want to keep them as you going to get too much in free agency? Can you get them on a short enough term that if he doesn't pan out to be another 20 gold guy. Well, it's okay. He's still got some value and you can move on from him this the next season right? Like that's a big decision for the Oilers and they're going to make their going to need to make multiple decisions like that to to Really sort of turn the team around. Film the gas before some of these young guys get ready. There's lots going on in Edmonton and there's lots of questions. The fun stuff is just begun here. Well, she saw I was when I was actually curious as to why they wouldn't have moved him at the deadline. I assume the offers weren't good enough and maybe they were still kind of married to the player where they like them and they want to potentially renegotiate with them, but I don't understand why you wouldn't move on from a guy who scored 20 goals as career-high in goals and points this season, I believe he's not that player right? He's a big bodied player. He's always been an NHL But it's not a 20 goals scored a national level. I've been watching him since Boston University. I don't think he's I mean, even the season he fell off with his goalscoring as the season went on didn't he? It was all area who admitted he was very streaky. He was on fire for a really long time. And then he had a massive gap of I think it was about 17 to 20 games where he didn't really do much of anything and then he sort of picked it up a little bit again, but then with streaky, you know towards the end and the finish of the Season. Yeah, you don't sign Chase on with the expectation he's going Get your 20 again what you do when you look at him as you go? Okay? What is he really? Is he a fourth line plug or is it twenty gold guy? And he's probably somewhere in between given the right opportunity these playing on the power play in Edmonton and he's got Line lyrics like McDavid or draisaitl. He's gonna get points. Like that's that's just the way that it is. Will he get 20 goals? Probably not so you don't pay him for that if another team is going to do that then let him go but to answer the question of what you ask is. Why did the others keep them? I think is twofold one. I think I agree. I don't think the offers were there and to I think that Well, he's legitimately thought they had a chance to make the playoffs and that's fair to move Chase on at that time. Even though he wasn't scoring any goals at that point when they were making a decision to move him would have been like okay, we're playing will pulling a potential 20 gold guy out of our lineup and getting nothing back because they were going to get a player they were gonna get a prospector draft pick and it's kind of been a second or third round draft pick like it wouldn't have been anything very good. So they probably said, you know, what weird you better hang on to them what if we make it or what if we're close somewhere? I don't like they were in the last three games for a playoff spot and he's not part of the team and we took away, you know, however many goals. It could have been there with him. I think they were afraid to move them thinking that they might have still had a shot. So yeah, I don't know if he'll stay if the dollar figures low enough. I think the others will look at it for sure, but I don't think he solves the problem. So let me ask you this or the Oilers a playoff team next season or not playoff hunt like bubble team. I'm leaning more towards no than yes, because I don't think they're going to get production from like a guy like Shay. So again, For example, yeah, I based on what I saw this year and the issues I think to do with others going to have it pains me to say this. I do not see David draisaitl Nugent Hopkins all having careers again. And if they can't figure out how to replace some of this dead weight on the team like nobody thought to bias reader was gonna get no goals like so when you bring in a guy like that you got all this stuff like they don't have to keep them for sure, but they need to figure out a better way to I know the lineup and if they can't do that either because the contracts but then they're not a playoff team. So I'm going to say no, but I agree. I think they'll be real close and I'm hoping I'm wrong. Let's move on to Buffalo. There's a team that for the longest time at the beginning of the season was in the playoff mix. It was like, oh my gosh lightning in a bottle when you talk about Jack eichel and Jeff Skinner and then the wheels fell off and buffalo is definitely not a playoff team now. They are going to have massive questions. If they've got even deal with over the summer including what you do with a guy like Jeff Skinner who was a free agent who's going to want the world in terms of money and has just proven after the hottest start that he is exactly what people thought he was which is a super streaky score. What do you think's going to happen in Buffalo? So I'm on record for the last few years of saying I'm a big fan of what Buffalo has been doing with building their team huge Jack eichel fan huge sand. Hard fan Jeff Skinner. I thought the Bruins should go after the offseason. So that says everything that there's about him for me. I think he's a very very good underrated player. You think he showed her that they should have they should have I minute I think they're still they still should know even at the 9 million don't know and he wants. Yeah and I was joking. It's too much money for the length. Not that he's not worth it. But the Bruins have their own internal stuff that's take care of so he's not the way that I would want to dish it out for right now. It just knocked a It's not something that I it's again. It's off topic with the Bruins, but it's not something that I feel comfortable the Bros paying with players like Charlie McAvoy and the like coming up for contracts. There's well, there's a lot of them. So tasty little stat. I thought was the third best player coming out of this draft class and I haven't proven wrong it. I think he is tremendous. I didn't think his in go third overall. I thought - it was going to go through to her all just based off of a team need but I think that'll status going to prove to be one of the best players in the league and you're going to look back years later and say wow he Go talk five that Jeff had a lot of very interesting players to me. But that's neither here nor there. Yeah, the staplers are a team that has some good young players, you know considering, you know, the the changes that a lot of teams in their position of the standings are going to be facing this summer. I wondered how much drastic change do they really need to make what do you think? It is just a matter of getting rid of a couple contracts and making some decisions on guys and letting the young guys just grow. I don't think Buffalo is really an issue in terms of contracts. I think they're actually I mean Kyle opposed it was obviously a bad contract and I think they would move them in a heartbeat. I didn't really get the addition of sobotka and Bergland at the time who obviously isn't the same anymore. But I mean that is what it is. I guess you can't change that. I think the major issues in Buffalo. The coach coach has to go. He does not know how to manage an agile team in 2019. It's weird to me that I mean, obviously Phil how's this one of the best players in the team's FF history, but doesn't always translate to being a good coach defense. Is that a big issue Rasmus crystalline in very good offensive player make some questionable decisions of times exactly Goshen. Okay, you know good not great Marcus Candela who I was a big fan of he is looked like a mess in Buffalo like not even a little bit like nothing even resembling good his come from Scandal of this year, but they have some good players to build around. And Brandon Montour is a very good player. They just picked up you dumb as well. Obviously Rasmus aliens, very good Lawrence. I honestly don't know how to say his name because I haven't seen enough games where he's actually been played but peel it. I don't know. Yeah, he's honestly one of the better prospects they have and I've looked at, you know, just threw out the Buffalo fan base and they've been calling his name's on, you know, the rooftops and he just has been played and he's been the AHL and whatnot. Just because Housley For whatever reason does one apply them but I think they have a lot of like solid pieces to build around. I think the coach has to go. I think they have to make sure that they keep building the way they've been going a guy like Victor Olufsen to they just called up he was I think a seventh-round pick he's been excellent for them like really good. So he's definitely deserving of his spot there. Yeah The Taste Thompson obviously picked up. He's very good as well. They certainly have some players to build around get a new coach maybe deal with some of the contracts like you mentioned every team would like to deal with a bad contract or two and just keep developing your players. And I think Buffalo has a good chance of making the postseason. If not next year the year after it really depends what they do as far as developing players. Like I said because a guy like Alex Newland are you expect more from at this point Sam Reinhardt has finally turned into the player that I expected him to be. So you have players there. Everyone has to kind of pull their weight and I think a lot of that comes down to coaching. Like I said, yeah. Is going to be an interesting team. Do you think they're a playoff team next year or not? That's tough because there's a lot of teams in the East that could make it especially the land Division. I think you can lock in Tampa Boston and Toronto S3 play. I three picks there. So the next two options would be wild card. So you're competing with the rest of the Atlantic and the Metropolitan Division, right? So it's not that I don't think they can be a playoff team. I just I'm not sure they're going to be better than some of the teams that are in the race. So I'm going to say bubble team with and I'm leaning towards them in the next five years being a legitimate playoff. Yes that work sure. I uh, I'm going to say the next three years just so I have a little I'm not giving myself such a wide net. So I'm not cheating the system. There you go. I'm gonna say no only because I don't think they figure out this Jeff Skinner stuff and I think it's under underrated as to how much him and eichel Together made that team what people thought was going to be a playoff team this year. Their chemistry offensively was unbelievable the beginning of the year. And I for some reason think that Skinner's got it in his head that he is worth what he's going to be asking for over the summer and I just I don't know who's going to give it to him and I can't see the Sabres doing it and maybe they do but if those two are not back together, even though they were streaky this season. I don't know where most of the goals are going to come from. So for me there they're on the outside looking in assuming Skinner is not going to be there next year and I don't think he will be I think some team is going to pay him too much money and I think about Was now seen they want them I think but they've seen that you can be really hot and really cold and you want this much money, like if the you don't figure out a way to take less, I don't know how we make this work right? So maybe he stays but it all depends on on that and whether or not he's going to be there next year. So I'm saying no I could be wrong. They might be the one time we talked about this on the show that that could surprise me. What about New Jersey and other team of the he's too People thought they were going to be half decent. They were maybe a bubble team for a lot of people and they have wound up with their what it's 70 points right now in 80 games 15th in the East they did not have a good year. A lot of that was on the fact that Taylor Hall was injured and hurt and we talked about Taylor Hall a little bit when you talk about change of scenery in the Oilers. What do you see for the New Jersey Devils? I think the big question there is what are they going to do with that team? Taylor has got one more year and he's going to want to either know. The New Jersey Devils are going to compete or he's going to make a lot of money somewhere else. So what do you think that doubles do? Yeah, Taylor Halls making money one way or another right regardless of injury. There's no way that he's not gonna get paid Beast 27 years old and he's what top three left Wingers in the league. Yeah just for safety sake could be he's argument for number one or two. Obviously Ovechkin. You can't really take out of his perch. But yeah, they've got some good pieces there. They've got some not-so-good pieces that I guess you can say. Say but they they surprise people when they made the playoffs and now for some reason that surprising people now that they're not making the playoffs so it's kind of funny how like expectations changed from year in and year out where they were shocking postseason team. And now there are shocking playoff a mission quote unquote. Yeah. I don't think they are as good as they were last year. I don't think they're as bad as they were this year either. Yeah, I was gonna ask you what are they? Are they the team that made the playoffs or did the team that missed it by a bunch? They're like the quintessential, you know just misses the playoffs by a few points every year team right now as the currently built in my opinion. Yeah. What do you think they make massive changes? I mean, it sounds like they want to spend a crapload of money. Like they never were they are looking at you really going out and Landing a big fish. Partially, I think because they want to show Taylor Hall that you know there they want to add and that they want him to stay and here's who we think we can get you to work with but also also because I think that they just probably figure they've got the cap space they can make some noise and they could use the offense. So let's go get this guy this guy and this guy, you know, I don't know specifically there's any name that they might be after but I mean, I've heard a ton of names connected to the devil's and who they might be interested in. Do you think they might be the team this summer if they are able to spend the money that we look at next season and go well that didn't work. Well, there's obviously there's a lot of players. There's a good sign in free agency aren't going to work out to their contracts. Like I'm talking like day one big signings, right? John Tavares isn't one of those players obviously because that's the kind of General should generational player that never his free agency, but that well the jury's still out on that though buddy. Like I think that Tavares is a fantastic player, but the jury for me is too loud and in Toronto based on the fact that he might turn out to be the thing that started the problem. You know, what I'm I'm not arguing that he's gonna help the team in terms of launching success, especially the cost of the guy like Mitchell. Marner I'm just saying he's not going to be a bad play like he's gonna live up to the money individually. Yeah, he may never be worth eleven, but it all depends on where contracts go, right? Like if if in two years 11 doesn't look like much money then yeah, he'll absolutely produced based on dollars for offensive production ratios in the NHL. So yeah, he's not like that guy. He's not like a Lucic where you gave him 6 million bucks. And you know, well nice that was a nice six goals you got for that a million dollars or goal or Russell, for example, where you sign a player and you're like roof, that's a lot. For a guy that really isn't going to he might be more like harmed and good for your team. But yeah, I mean this year there are players that could be available that are definitely worth the money. Like we said just Skinner is a player that can change it to you in a hurry, right? He can score a lot of goals and you can put up a lot of points and he's very consistent. You said he's kind of streaky but I mean every single season is going to put up these these goals and these points is like yeah, he's like this. He's like this tree is twenty goal 2025 goal guy in the NHL like he get hit. Castle Yeah, and back stretcher ready. He will give you a so much production in such a short amount of time and then he'll go so dry for long if he could just figure out a way to spread that out and consistently a man. I can't even imagine. How could he be? Yeah, so those I mean you have a guy like Panera who's available skin is available Duchesne could be available. I say they're available right now. They're not signed to extensions right? Eric. Carlson is an option. So there are definitely huge huge like fish. I'm not saying they're all generational to But they're all different definitely upper echelon interleague. Right? So Eric Carlson is probably the best defender the leak-tight open Aaron. I would put him as top three left Winger topless a top-five left Winger because for some reason I was creating Brad Marchand this whole discussion of top three. Sorry, how dare you how dare him Is going to produce Duchesne all these players are gonna do well goaltending could be an issue in New Jersey. You know, Schneider said injury issues. He's not really the player. He was either Mackenzie Blackwood. Is he the guy for the future for them? I think he's good. But he's you going to be the starter the long-term starter. I think we have to see that. Hey, they have a lot of goalies that that just aren't that that haven't worked out or that have been you know, not not as good as they thought they would be more Godlike Schneider who was too good at the wrong time for them because They just weren't content a competitive at the time. Yeah, so there are players this year if you're going to go digging for you to see this is the year, but as always it depends on who you're going to sign. Don't sign the Abacus to six years Thirty million dollars. Don't sign me all Lucchese to six years. What was it good to get a six year 36 million dollar contract. Is that what it was? You got a seven-year sick and that's the that's the show today guys. Where wow. Yeah, like 42 million. I think is realistic first-round picks and Sean Corelli for him and Colin Miller who we got nothing for the end. But so yeah, I think the Brewers worked out well betraying him. Yeah. Yeah. Well he I went ahead and they signed him. I'm leaving to go there but when they signed him I thought I knew exactly where they saw him. She really wanted his guy and they had to pay him to get him to come and he just is his game was declining but he's about to New Jersey if I'm New Jersey here and I'm going after a big fish the guy I'm going after his Eric Carlson. I don't I don't know like for me parents. Vulcan for New York to Shana spoken for in Nashville. These guys are probably have you know, there's like 70% they're going to this team and maybe 30% that go somewhere else Carlson had no idea like I don't know where he wants to go. I have no I don't know that he wants to stay in San Jose. I get the sense that he wants a lot of money and if there's a team that would give it to him and maybe a team that could use a really top tier defenseman because Andy green is getting a lot older and he's not even To that anymore the could use Carlson, right? So I would go after him if anybody because I think otherwise you're going after guys it probably won't come there. And then what does that mean? Right when you don't land it's it's the second worst thing to Landing a free agent that you shouldn't have overpaid for is to actively seek out one that you're willing to overpay and then not get him. Right? Let's something like being rejected. Right? Well, not only that but then you you don't make other moves because you're waiting and you're waiting and you're waiting and you're waiting and then then you don't get them. Sometimes it's good not to get them because then you're not the guy who threw it away. Like look at David Clarkson from Toronto or was raining or Laverne hard on him, right and they didn't get them and look how good that turned out right? So sometimes You Get Lucky by not getting but at the same time they went after him and didn't make other moves and that hurts too. So if you're going to be New Jersey and you're going after huge fish and you're not going to land any of them, you better have a back-up plan ready to go the second that it looks like it's not happening for you because They'll be exactly where they are now not any not any improvements and not you know, no players to come in and give Taylor Hall the idea that this is ever going anywhere. And that's the writing on the wall that says he's out. Yeah, that's where they got to kind of find the line of do you want to show call that you're serious? But then also potentially hurt your by of chances because you're hurting your salary cap. Do you want to try and keep Hall without making those moves and saying hey here's a promise of the future or do you want to just say hey We're going to keep Hall. Let's just go and find somebody else to kind of fill in the void. Yeah, that's a master massive overhaul at that point. If you're doing that, let's move back to the West. Let's talk about the Anaheim Ducks a team that was never in the playoff conversation. This season has been awful and I think what could be worse than the fact that they've been so bad is that if you look at their team on paper outside of a couple players, they look like they're going to be bad for a while. They've got some really old. Guys getting older, you know, Corey Perry Ryan Getzlaf Ryan Kesler, when you look at Kessler who even knows if that guy's going to play again based on injuries and stuff that he's dealing with a shut die read today and wrote they shut down his workouts because he's like, it's not even worth it. You know, you're you're just not in the type of shape that this is really whatever so there's a real question marks about whether or not he's ever going to come back a man. I don't have all these teams I see and I'm being maybe the team that is farthest away from the playoffs. Yeah, they've got Perry who is not what he was 33 years old 8.65 and 2.21. Like that's a lot. So you got seven million dollars almost in those two guys Corey Perry and Ryan gets left for the next. Well, one two, three years after this year. Yeah, the you have Ryan Kesler who you said that's three seasons after this season and all of them have no mu Clauses Yet full number of classes and who will never never wave them that way whether you're Anaheim fight with you. Yeah, why would you want to leave Disneyland plus your fan your family's already like some of these guys are 33 34 years old. They have kids that are in families that are already established. And and I'm I mean Kessler specifically, I mean even won't go into the rivals with carrying guests laugh who hated he went into the going to Anaheim because it was so close to Vancouver and the money was right and everything's right signing into that extension shocked me. There's a contest so I mean it was an extension of the time I would say but Adam henrique, I think he's an OK player. I don't think he's worth almost six million dollars until 2023 24. It's way too much silverberg. I like a lot I think signing him to that deal you needed to do it. It's one of those things where he's a player. That's very good that does things that you don't really see on the statute sometimes even though he also produces on the stat sheet. I mean considering nobody else produced this year Anaheim he It's been very good record Raquel. He's got a very Team friendly contract at under 4 million dollars until twenty Twenty-One twenty-two. So it's another three seasons after this year, but outside of those four words. I mean Daniel strong hasn't been what you thought he was going to be but he still could be I know people that have played with that was wrong and they say that he's like an incredible player, but he hasn't really shown it in and roll over yet Sam Steele. I think they have high hopes for a Max Jones as well. Nick Richie isn't what they wanted to be. Or maybe he is and isn't what I thought. Thought he would be at the very least. It's my power for that hasn't really produced points to the level. You'd hoped for the guy who's been drafted that long ago defensively I think happens with home can Fowler. I don't think that they've done what they're supposed to do either and in terms of offensive production, they have some other players, but it's just not looking great for them. Goaltending John Gibson's good like really good. Yeah, but he's also kicking in a new contract next year, which is about just about tripling his current cap hit. You're not getting any better now in terms of cap hits and you're actually actively getting worse. Yeah, this is their cap hit it gets like worse. Like they they already have a high cap with some problems with some of these players that we talked about but it's only going to get worse like it's not it's not one of those things where you can look at it and go. Oh my gosh, look at all these players that are coming off the books right away here, like that's not happening in Anaheim, and there's only one UFA basically at the end of the season and it's Derek Grant like this, really I mean, I guess there's a couple guys on the defensive, you know, but that aren't difference makers but like none of these guys that are weighing you down and that our Albatross contracts are going anywhere like unless they want to and they don't want to unless they turn around and say yeah. Well, we really suck and I want to go to a team that doesn't really suck. But like we said these guys are old they're you know, like I'm way older than they are so I can't say old but they're older than has. Yeah, they're old by August. So they're those guys get set. Right like they they kind of go at least until the end of their deal. So not next year, but the season after where they've got a very little time left on their contract and they might still sort of be producing something and a team can you know get you know, they're what's the word? I'm looking for prorated salary at the end of the trade deadline then maybe but at that point these guys are so old like I can't even imagine any teams going to be like, yeah, let's go out and get Corey Perry like like right I guess laughs. I don't think should be moved but everyone else that's up there. Like I don't know why they're like they're committed to so much money for show me the next few players for such a long time. And and the issue there is the prospect will like I like Isaac Lindstrom. I like Maxine comptoir and I like Antoine Moran to a more distant extent outside of that. I don't know the name isn't a prospect that I'm like really high on in their pool and that's not a good thing. Yeah. Yeah. They're they're in trouble playoff team or no. No, no. Yeah. No not even close. Did anybody we didn't cover yet? We did Allah we did Edmonton. We did Buffalo. We did New Jersey. We did Anaheim old Columbus. Let's talk about Columbus. Now. Look we said we were gonna still technically in it and they might make it but the reason I wanted to talk about them was because they did to me what I thought was crazy and other people are the exact opposite of me and they went out. And they mortgaged our future almost entirely to grab players. They thought could help them make a run at the Stanley Cup in the Eastern Conference that had teams like Tampa and Boston and Toronto in it just happen to be alone is a very it is not work. They are still barely hanging on but I mean, how can they even look at this playoffs and go? Okay. Yeah. I mean they say you make it then you never know. But yeah, you do. Yeah, you do click You make it Columbus you're screwed. Like there's just you're not going to win. There's no way that you're going to win and they had to know that when they did all this and now that they're barely getting in if they get in. It really must not look good in Columbus like to know that all these players that you grabbed and you traded all these graphics for and this is barely getting you in if it gets you in at all. What's that going to look like great like Columbus is are going to be one of the more interesting stories for the entire offseason for me to watch because I don't know that any of these guys they picked up her go. To stick around so they were big so they picked up Matthew shame. They picked up Ryan the single they didn't trade away or 10. Even Aaron they kept barosky. They actually added out of a quaint as well. I think that's pretty much all they did in terms of additions. But when I say all they did they added to the biggest fish and a Defender who people culture on a Michael after so that actually kind of helped Boston. Thanks Columbus. But yeah, I mean Riley Nash hasn't panned out for them. So they figured we need to make some more additions at Center. So they The biggest fish oil on the market pretty much in that to Shane. That's great. Also treating what they did for Ryan a single not-so-great not Trey I type in there and who you are 99% sure isn't going to be there right? I think I even 1% might be too much especially if they missed the playoffs. My biggest issue with Columbus is the fact that teams never really do what they did and what they did was fun. I might I thought it was stupid. But what they did was very fun and teams need to go out and make these big things more often just For the fun of it when you saw Columbus do this you thought wow this team. I mean, they're probably going to be the playoffs now like and a good standing there going to move up. They might compete with New York and Washington for one of those top two spots in the metropolitan and they went horribly wrong from the get-go of it as the trade deadline. They've only just kind of like right at the ship now and even then if they don't win out and much about does went out they don't make the playoffs. Can you imagine you're really a Carolina just too good of a GM and he's built this team too. Well, The draft and just with small moves, you know, you look at the team getting Panera with a good deal getting saw in the first place was a good deal fully knows worked out very well when Berg good pick bun good pick Portia and good pick Anderson. Great po2 ball with it obviously worked out better than put it already has right at least for the time being Seth Jones trade great trade. They've got some that was the exact mariinsky. I thought was the best all-around offensive coming out of that draft class. He's proving me right so far. They've made some immediate gain dabrowski again. There's so much that he's done on this team that you say. Wow. This guy's a good GM and by all accounts the guys also one of the gentlemen of the week like he's just respected by every person. No one looks at collided and says, hey I disrespect you and I don't think here, you know, we can't do business with you because of who you are the issue is he traded away his first-round pick Sacramento pick 4th 5th 6th this year. So he's a third in the seventh the seventh isn't even his own. It's going to be Calgary's which means going to be later in the draft which I mean at that point who cares that's not that's the least of their issues and neck. You don't have a second or third and they have I think their first is also this condition either they can lose it as well. So what are you gonna do? You can't fire the guy but what do you do to a guy like this? How do you talk to him and say Hey you messed up unless he spoke to the owner sooner. It's like hey, I'm going to go for this it may or may not work out but you gotta trust me towards the owner either said sure go for it or okay. Well, it's your neck. Yeah. That's the only way if they have that conversation in advance and the ownership is behind him and was behind him when he did all this then that's the only way I think he saves his job if they don't make the playoffs and I don't like to be that guy but in this situation, I'm kind of like hoping they don't make it because I want to I want to see one how it shakes up in the chaos that ensues because of it because I think that team is going to look drastically different next year and I think he'll get fired if they don't make the playoffs based on this and less like I said earlier you mentioned too that the ownership was behind them and they take a stance together. Yeah, this was our mistake together like we both screwed this up, but if he didn't have that, okay, and he did what he did and they're like, yeah, you're responsible for this. Yeah, you had some really good years and you made some really good choices, but we can't look past this you screwed this up for us in a massive way. Sorry, you got to go and people have been fired for Less. So I could see that and I just want the teams to pay for stuff like this like when you make such a stupid decision and I was even whatever on the fence about it. They were doing it thinking they were going to then move Perrin like I thought okay, the grab dechaine the grabbed a single. They grabbing these guys doing going after Mark Stone. They're moving Panera not like there was setting this up so that they can still yeah, so they still have an opportunity to make the playoffs if they don't they don't whatever but they can Brett like all the draft picks that gave way to get these guys they can get back and then some by moving paneer and then they didn't do it. So it's like, okay. What are you doing? Right like you kept the two guys, you know, an all-season are not staying like Panera Nebraska are probably not staying and you knew that you had to say, okay. Well, we think we might be a playoff team and it was never like Columbus was a for sure playoffs team. It was always a we think we're a playoff team. So we better keep these guys. I don't know for sure. Yeah, but I mean there was no there was no point. I don't think in the season where they were like crushing the Eastern Conference. Oh, no, I'm not a preseason stand this kind of yeah, but I mean it was in the in terms of where they were in the standings. It was never a situation where the leg They were in like there were confident that they would going to hold a spot forever. Like it. Just was it never existed right through Boston and Toronto or Tampa, right? So they always had questions like what are we are we going to be in are we going to be out? Like what do we do based on whether or not we can make it or not? So when you do what you do, which is just completely give away all your draft picks and you pick up these guys who probably aren't going to stay and you know it and you've got two guys on your team. The also know aren't staying and you keep them. Anyway, that's just dumb you know that That's the kind of dumb that deserves not to make it and I like keka whinin and I thought like you that he's done some really good things, but that was dumb and yeah, you know you have to pay for that and it should teach people. This is not a good plan. Like when you do what Columbus just did last year. It's probably going to backfire on you more times than not and this is what we'll wind up happening. Everyone will go and everyone will be fired and Chaos will ensue and I kind of like chaos, so that'll be fun. For me to watch I you know wouldn't it be awesome if they made it and then made a run that I was loved it man. I wanted to win the cup now. Yeah half discussion also, they picked up Keith Kincaid as well. Well, that's the deal either. I want them to not make the playoffs where I wanted to make it in win. Like it's one of the day I don't want the middle ground. I either don't want a minute all so that there's chaos from that and they pay for what they did or that it works and that they get in there in eighth place see the team and they just beat Everybody by shot. At that point, right? Yep, so will now be something that would be crazy. I mean, I'll take Boston vs. Tampa in the next round. Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure you'd like anybody take out Tampa would be helpful for you is gonna be hard enough in itself. So yeah you Carlos you guys are good, but you've got some you know one team that continually seems to want to you know gave you grief and then the other team is just the best team in the NHL that you're gonna have to get your entire lifetime. Yep. Well, I I think that's probably good. I mean we knew audible wasn't going to be in there. We need to try it wasn't going to be in there the Rangers were rebuilding team. So they weren't necessarily going to be in there. Chicago was a surprise as to how bad they were in there a lot like Anaheim in a way but they've got some really good young guys that you know could turn things around for them really quickly and to break it and strohm. So maybe this guy isn't falling in Chicago Phil. He's going to make some changes. But yeah, I did there weren't any other teams that He stood out as should have been in there and aren't and what happens now. Do you can you think of any well Chicago had issues with goaltending? There's an injury. So I think that's why they missed it. Really that was a big part of it. And also the defense is getting older. I don't know there's any of the teams that really shouldn't have made it or should have made that didn't I think Arizona being where they are still in contention despite all the injuries they had and considering where they're considered to be before the season very very impressive and Montreal could have been a bottom five team this year and they are still in the playoff hunt and they are I don't know if you've watched. I'm a bunch of old games, but they are there as fast as you think they are if not faster and they're actually they they deserve to be in just based on how they played with the roster they have and no one could expect them to do what they do in this year. I don't think this is what they are moving forward. I think they're lucky that they have some good prospects. I think Mark bird survey did some very good roster management terms of getting prospects considering his pool with empty before this season, so he's kind of replenished that very quickly and he's now me to play off to Somehow in the process so much Ellen, Arizona, I think are two teams that just close to them and that's coming from a Boston guy again so much love deserves the credit. Yeah. I know them in Arizona. You're right. There are two teams that pleasantly surprised a lot of people and I don't think they're going to have a whole lot of success should they make the playoffs but it'll be nice to see them in there if they do. Yeah, I well that I think that pretty much covers it and it was in the teams that we wanted to focus on. Those are the teams that we could were there any of them that we thought It might be and nobody was in. Hey, they're all bubble teams. They were all either, you know, not going to make it for sure or they were bubble teams at best. But nobody that we saw on the outside looking in there were like, yeah, they're going to be a next season a I mean Minnesota was they always are always kind of contenders, especially with uncertainty with Dallas and San Luis. You don't know who they are, but they had injuries as well and they made some changes. But yeah, Chicago in Minnesota. I thought were two teams that could have made it and I think On this I have fought was definitely going to make it so it's actually there still might like there on the bubble and they might not make it but really the stand is kind of played out how you expect them to for the most part other than La. Yeah and Anaheim being as bad as they were. Well, there's nobody in the playoff picture right now the way that they're seated in the west. Anyway that shocks me, you know, when you've got Winnipeg Nashville st. Louis Calgary San Jose Vegas Dallas, maybe Colorado that I would have said. Yeah those guys Aren't playoff teams in the East maybe Carolina. I didn't think would necessarily be in there but they are the Islanders. I did not expect to have the season that they're having. No. No, that's true. I didn't affect the outage to do what they're doing. But it's out of that Washington Pittsburgh Tampa Boston Toronto. It could even Columbus, you know are there in right now? That's not a huge shocker. So yeah, the standings didn't really play out what I think that I think the seasons that these teams that have missed and how Missed I think that's been the real story here. Like the fact that Buffalo was so hot. And then I was so cool. The fact that Los Angeles in Anaheim were never good and they were two powerhouses in the West for the longest time then just terrible. But yeah, it'll be interesting to see what they do this offseason how they turn it around and where to go from there. But buddy I'll we'll call it for this one and thank you for coming on and talking maybe what we'll do is when the finals are at finals of the playoffs with the final roster spots of the standings are the guys that are in and out. Maybe we'll do the opposite will talk about the teams that made it and how they made it and what we think may be some predictions on the teams that are in sure cool man. All right. Thank you guys. That's another edition of the hockey writers podcast. This was episode Seventeen Seventeen eighteen. I think we're on now man. You can check us out on hold. Yeah. I know and it's still young in the world of podcast anchored out of him is where you can find a site. Is Ron there where I like 11 other platforms check us out download it, right it subscribe to it. Just make sure you listen to it and until next week. This has been another edition of the hockey artists podcast. So that's good one-on-one against Barrel. Well that can accelerate in told Rex guard.
On the 18th episode of The Hockey Writers Podcast, Brandon and I take a good long look at the NHL franchises that either missed or will probably miss the 2018-19 NHL postseason. We focus on the teams that probably were expected to do more, but for some reason just couldn't pull it all together. It's just the two of us this week, talking back and forth and chatting hockey. It's one of the least formal episodes we've done but one of the most fun as well. We hope you enjoy. On This Week’s THW Podcast:  Brandon and I look specifically at the LA Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Buffalo Sabres, Anaheim Ducks and New Jersey Devils. We also take a quick look at the Columbus Blue Jackets and ask out loud, what happens if this team doesn't make it? Considering all they did to try and get in this season, that could be devastating. We look at record-breaking individual efforts by players with the Oilers, what might happen to someone like Taylor Hall if the Devils can't pull it together and if teams like Anaheim and Los Angeles will ever be contenders considering the massive contracts they have on the books and how neither team appears to be getting any younger. Finally, what happens with free agents like Jeff Skinner or a host of players in Columbus? 