Erik Karlsson's return as an elite NHL defender

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2:13What up, what up, Seattle Athletic Hockey Show for Wednesday, March 18th, 2026. I am showing until I sound marginally less disgusting than I did last week, so congratulations to all of you. We're Sean met. Thank you, man. We're we set the bar low here. Sean McEnough, Frank Carrado, fellas, how are we doing? Pretty good. Just kind of coming down from that crazy game last night in Montreal. We called it Habs Bruins. We'll get to that later, I'm sure, but things are good, man. I don't know if you guys feel this maybe not you, Gentili, because you're just coming off being sick, but I feel like fresh. I feel pretty fresh for this time. Congratulations, man. It's a grind and it's like you're traveling a bunch and you're staying up watching all these games and it's late and you feel like garbage, but I don't know why March 18th, I feel okay. So I'm going to take it. No, I feel like I still just for the record.

3:13I feel like I would like to establish that. But I just I just want to point out, look at us three guys. The morning after St. Patrick's Day, we're all right. I didn't push you tilled. That's a good sign that we're a bunch. I tried on Saturday. I tried on Saturday during during parade day here in here in Pittsburgh, like my cousin had had some people over and I dipped over and was like, nope, not happening. Too old, too sick. I got to I got to get out of here ASAP. I did find myself though in a pharmacological haze on Tuesday night. I thought I was hallucinating. Turns out I was not. I was on the couch. It seemed like the Pittsburgh penguins were beating the Colorado avalanches ass. I thought maybe that was cold medicine talking or something. It wasn't. That was a wild game to see on Monday night. That's where we're going to start, fellas.

4:1672 win for Pittsburgh over Colorado. We're going to talk about what that means for potentially the abs and if that's any kind of insight on the way they've been planning in a couple minutes. But I wanted to start out by mentioning Eric Carlson specifically because we've talked a lot about the penguins. I feel like I individually have been wrong about them at a lot of different points. I thought they were going to be a bottom five team in the league at the start of all this. Fast start didn't sell me on anything. I was like, okay, let's see. Let's see. I think some time around Christmas, I accepted that this was a team that wasn't going to be awful. And now it's St. Patrick's Day. And I think we need to recalibrate. I'll speak individually. I need to recalibrate how I think about this team because right now they look like a group that can win a playoff series. And that had not crossed my mind as a legitimate possibility until the last week or so. Well, the main reason for that, Frank, and I don't mean to interrupt you, but the main reason

5:20for that is Eric Carlson because he has been a legit number one defenseman this year. We thought he was past that point in his career. He certainly has not been 20th in net rating, which is impressive. 11th and offensive net rating. So, so of course, there's it's going to be a little bit lopsided, but he hasn't been brutal in his own zone overall in the season as a body of work. He scoring points at a 65 point pace. On the season, the penguins are outscoring opponents 57-40 with him on the ice. In most of all, and this is what has sold me on him, and it's what sold me on Pittsburgh, is that since the Olympic break, that is post Sydney Crosby injury, he's got 14 points in 11 and their winning is men at 7-4. They needed someone to step up, not just in Crosby's absence, but in any mall concept, since he was suspended for five of those games. And it was and it was Eric Carlson, and I and it has been Eric Carlson, and I think the game against Colorado

6:22was as good a proof of that as is you're going to find because he was out there against Nathan McKinnon. Pittsburgh won his minutes, he ended up with three points overall, and he was the engine for them with a fairly dominant win over a team that, you know, on balance, let's say, has been the best in the NHL this season, and I was not prepared for that. The narrative is shifting so quick for the Pittsburgh penguins because if you go back to the summer, they're the only team that are true sellers. How many times did you hear that about the penguins? They're open for business, and they got to strip things down, and they got to figure out what's going to work for them moving forward. And as the season starts, you know, they're getting really good goal tending. They're two big boys are playing well in Crosby and Malcolm, and they're scoring a bunch, but the team is playing well. And for the longest time now that Pittsburgh has been out of the playoffs, we haven't really talked about, you know, what it would look like if Pittsburgh ever got into the playoffs because no one really took them seriously. They're a team that was supposed to be rebuilding.

7:23And now we can sit here and have the conversation of, you don't want to play Pittsburgh in the playoffs because Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and Eric Carlson in the playoffs are going to be really good players, and that is going to be a struggle for some teams. And I'll throw a couple numbers that you guys real quick before I pass it over to DGB, but the Pittsburgh penguins right now, according to sport logic, like goals for per game ninth in the NHL, expected goals for per game fourth in the NHL eighth in shot attempts seventh in shots second in slot shots and inner slot shots and sixth in offensive zone possession time. Like this is not a team that's just like caught a little bit of a heater or they have like this unsustainable shooting percentage. They're generating what they're scoring. And now it's like we've been clamoring for oh Sydney Crosby has to be in the playoffs. Guess what? He's going to be in the playoffs and you probably don't want to play him in

8:27the playoffs because we don't know how many more cracks he's going to have at it, but he's going to have a crack at it this year. And don't forget you're talking about that that Colorado game. That's a game that's been circled on the schedule since last summer because this was supposed to be Sydney Crosby's first game against his former team. Remember when Sydney Crosby was going to the Colorado avalanche, that was, you know, we'd all connected the dots and figured out that was going to happen. I don't think I don't think it's happening. I'm grateful for grateful for Pittsburgh season for one reason only is that the way they've played has stopped me from getting asked on Canadian radio 15 times over the last three months. Like you think you think it might be anything. Deadline Crosby. Yeah. It's going on. Once you're all Colorado. All right, so we're ready headed. Let me ask this because you know, Frankie's right. We spent the summer looking at

9:27this team goal when they got to trade Brian Ross. They got to trade with Carcels. They got to move all these guys because they're going to stink. And then the legal rig the lottery and they'll get them again. So I have to do, you know, per the sports writer bylaws, I have to do the thing that we always do when we get a team wrong, especially when we think a team's bad and they turn out to be good. I have to say it's got to be the coach. So is Dan Mew's now in the Jack Adams front runner conversation with what he's done with this team? Is this is this the thing where we couldn't all possibly have been wrong about how good a team was. So therefore, the coach has to be a miracle worker, right? Well, yeah, I think there's a lot of validity to that. Like first time head coach takes a team with very low expectations and a team that would be difficult to coach. Like keep in mind, you have to try and satisfy Crosby, Malcolm, Latang, Carlson, while at the same time

10:32integrating new players into that group, like, I don't know, Brazil, Mantha, like you got Tommy Novak, like Ben Kindle, an 18 year old kid who just got drafted. Like he's kind of meshed these two worlds together now. And this is the product that they're throwing out there. And Dan Mew's was always kind of known for being this like really intelligent, kind of tactician, had run the penalty kill in his time as an assistant coach and done a really good job with that. And now we're kind of seeing what he's done as a head coach. I mean, yeah, he would have to be in your top two to three at least when it comes to coach of the year. I think he's, I think he's coaching players individually in a way that Sullivan wasn't at the end for sure. Like I and Carlson said it, he said it much. He said it early. It was easy to joke about the way Carl son was playing like early in the season. He'd be like, all right, he's just happy to be away from Mike Sullivan. But like, I don't know, maybe, I mean, and he's like alluded to as much where

11:32I think Dan Mew's, if you want to look at it through the cell, through the Carlson prism, I think he's okay with with Eric Carlson being Eric Carlson in a way that in a way that maybe Mike Sullivan wasn't. And he's also good at mitigating what Eric Carlson maybe isn't so great at in a way that Mike Sullivan wasn't. And I think that kind of individual allies, you know, contextual understanding of the guys that you're coaching is the sort of stuff that should make guy should make coaches Jack Adams can it's like, I don't know if he's going to win. I know there's a push for John Cooper just because of, you know, what he's done with Tampa and the fact that he's never won one and everyone's going to want to vote for Lindy Ruff and there are people who are going to want to vote for Joel Kwenville. Like that's all well and good. But I think Mew's has absolutely pushed his way, you know, to the to the front of the line here because he the things that the button that he's pushing are working. This is not a team that's winning games because of a goal tender heater or whatever else is in or you know, this is in a team that's

12:36that's coming off an unlucky season that has that had a bunch of talent in the mix. This is clearly, you know, the coach pulling levers and pushing buttons in a way that, you know, you don't often see from from from Jack Adams can it's yeah, I think I think he's got to be in the mix. Since since we're on the subject, I'm going to go I'm going to throw two names into the Jack Adams conversation and you tell me why they wouldn't be considered for that award. If their teams make the playoffs, Travis Green, Rick bonus. How can you argue with those as well? Because as far as I'm concerned, when you have bad goal tending, that syncs your season and Travis Green has had the worst goal tending in the NHL and they still have a very realistic chance of making the playoffs because of how they play as a team. Not just Stutz Legos hero or Kachak goes hero. They don't have Jake Sanderson. They're not going to have Nick Jensen. Now he's got a meniscus surgery coming up. Like Travis Green deserves a lot of credit and like Rick bonus, what changed in Columbus? Exact same team. I mean, you made a couple trades at the deadline, but it's the same team except

13:39new coach. And now all they do is win. If you go back to January 1st, so today the Buffalo Sabers are the best team in the NHL with 44 points. The Columbus Blue Jackets are second with 41. And wouldn't you know what the Pittsburgh Penguins are third with 40? Like, I don't know. Says a lot about what's going on with those three teams. I love the idea that and I try not to get out over my skis on this. But you talked about Columbus and Buffalo. That could be a first round matchup. Imagine those two teams, those two buildings, the fan bases. I don't even, I mean, who do you even bandwagon in that case? Plus it's Lindy Ruff versus Rick bonus. How many times do we sit here and talk about how this league is all about just bringing the same guys back over and over? Why don't we get a fresh set of eyes? Why don't we get a, why don't we bring some new voices in here and let them have a chance to set a recycling the same guys? Apparently, with the three

14:43teams we're talking about, Dan Muse the rookie, Lindy Ruff and Rick bonus who's been doing this since the 80s. If we get, if we get Sabers, if we get Sabers Blue Jackets, this is pop quiz for you guys. What would be the combined age of the head coaches in that series? Just it's in that both what 70? So I don't know 140. 137. Wow. God bless, man. They're doing it. It's really doing it. And Rick bonus. I got time for Rick bonus. He could, that's a guy who could coach till he's 85 if he wants to. I think anyways, like he's got a lot of youthful energy. Let's call it. And if people are wondering, there's plenty of precedent for guys getting Jack Adams votes and even winning it based on less than a full season. I don't think there's a ton where it's as, as, as few games as it would be, but yeah, you know, I mean, if they make the playoffs by

15:45going like 35 and five under Rick bonus, you have to. I don't mean it. I don't mean this is a knock on broadcasters. I truly don't. The Jack Adams is a broadcaster award. Yeah. And I, Rick bonus has been particularly good to the media over the last, over the last however many years, right? And I don't, if we're talking about the Columbus Blue Jackets, whenever award ballots are due, which is when the puck drops on the during the first playoff game, if we're talking about them pushing their way in, God knows what their record would have to be because it's been out of control since bonus stuff over. There's still some work left to do on that end, but you know, the winds blown in the right direction for them. I, he's going to be a finalist at minimum. How's he not? How, like, what, what, what's your possible argument against it? Just did it's a deep field. I, I think I, I feel like there's probably, I feel like there's, you know, I would say five, five guys who could pretty credibly win at this year and sometimes there's not. There's other

16:47seasons, there's other seasons where Rick bonus would be doing a lap around the field when it comes to Jack Adams. I, I, I just don't think Joel Quinnville would be too. Like we're talking about it in the first half of the year. Quinnville Cooper, who's it going to be all the sudden now, we're talking about all these other guys because their teams have had such drastic upticks in the last few months. And, and this is like I, I said it half jokingly, but this really is an award for coach of the team that is the biggest surprise. Half the league is a surprise. Half the league is a good surprise and the other half have been miserable surprises. So, I mean, they're, they're it, it is a deep field because you look around and it's just none of us had any of this figured out. So it's got to be the coaches, I guess. Let's, let's talk about that now and, and we'll talk about the ease, the ease playoff field kind of, kind of through that one's you know, Frank, he wants to dump on the Colorado Avalanche. We'll save that for a second, too. How do you know that? I wasn't going to sceptive, I'm a very perceptive young man. I wasn't

17:51going to dump on them any more than what their star player dumped on them after that game against the penguins. Let's go. All right. Eastern Conference, this is this is very real producer Jeff said this and I, I very regrettably did not did not did not completely trust them. I had to go back and make sure. We are looking potentially, this would be tough. We're looking potentially at an eight team turnover in the playoffs from the season to last. Sabers, penguins, islanders, two of Bruins, wings, jackets would would would get it done. And then in the West, it would be ducks, mammoth, cracking. I think that speaks, you know, we're talking about the Jack Adams field and how there's a bunch of surprise teams. I think there's no better way to elucidate that than to say like we're a 50% playoff turnoff, playoff field turnover year over year. That doesn't happen. Like we can look at the last couple years for proof of that. And the Sabers are leading the way there. Obviously they win last night tied to top Eastern Conference. There are 1001 on the road

18:58in their last 11 games, which is wild. And there are two points from their best points total since I think 2011, 2012, which is something in that fairburn story coming out of that game against Vegas last night. Fellows, what do we think of the East East playoff field? I don't want to do this every, I don't want to do this continually for the next few weeks because because there's going to be change. But I think it's worth talking about today. Like where do we think of the East playoff field? Who who's who's looking good and who's and who's probably looking, you know, from the outside end at this point? My initial thought is this that because there was all these like new teams on the block. If you were Tampa or you were Carolina or you were like fans of those teams, you looked at this and said, this is our year. You kidding me. We're going to get the islanders. We're going to get the Red Wings. We're going to get the Sabers. Like we can get any of these teams that haven't really been here before. Like we're licking our chops. The Panthers aren't in our way. You know, Boston's not what they were a few years ago. You know, Toronto's I guess Toronto loses in the playoffs all the time. So what you really scared of. But they're good

20:02regular season team, right? And now because these teams are still playing at such a high clip and now the Buffalo Sabers are first in the Atlantic and it's not the Tampa Bay Lightning. Like, I don't know, you're you're if you're Tampa and Carolina, you're probably looking at that and saying, I don't feel the way I used to feel. Like these teams are really good. They're playing this way for a reason. And if we've learned anything over the years, it's that like if you're playing that like urgent, intense hockey for a couple months leading up to the playoffs, it helps you come playoff times rather than being in, you know, some kind of like the lethargic funk waiting around. So who looks good? Clearly Buffalo looks good. Pittsburgh looks good. And then the two teams that you don't want to see right now, I in my opinion are not in the playoffs today. It's Columbus and it's Ottawa. And I think if you see either of those teams in the first round, you're you're not exactly thrilled that those are the teams you have to play.

21:04Yeah, it it brings me no pleasure to report this. But I think the Ottawa Senators are the best team in that group. Oh my god, of maybe and and and Frankie touched on it. It's been disguised because this is a this is a very good team at pretty much everything that was getting terrible golden. And that's what was keeping them out of the just out of the playoff picture with, you know, they were hanging around with terrible golden. The golden is been better. All marks been better, you know, since the since the whole weird incident with, you know, with him leaving and then coming back and the the rumors and the letter and all of this, the the statement, the capital S statement. It's this team, they they get into the playoffs, right? There's going to be a lot of people, especially, you know, maybe fans in the western conference or whatever who go follow it as close who are going to be like, okay, so Ottawa up against

22:06Buffalo or especially if it's Carolina or Tampa, they're going to go, okay, Ottawa's happy to be there. But I mean, geez, they lost to the Leafs last year of all teams. So I mean, they're not and then they're going to be surprised when this senator's team gives some Stanley Cup contender absolutely everything they can handle because they've got everything lined up other than the goal tending and the goal tending is starting to show up now. All marks since the Olympic break, 8882 say a percentage, 1.7 goals have to love expected. I mean, it's it's only it's only six games. I know he'd been okay. It points before that. He doesn't get a lot of shots though. That's that's the thing that's going to skew his like save percentages. They give up nothing. So it's not like he has to make a ton of saves. But when there's a good chance in front of him, he just has to make that like that sharp save where maybe there's been like, it's been a lull in the game and you haven't been as busy as maybe you normally

23:07would if you were in a rhythm. That's that's his big challenge when when he's playing because they don't give up a ton. You just have to make like you're going to have to make like three or four big ones when when they do arise. You don't get the empty calorie freebies. So let me ask you guys this in the east. Let's flip their five they're five points out of the playoffs. But they've got games in hand on on on most of those teams a couple of games in a few cases. So we talk about Ottawa Columbus maybe getting in. Obviously that means somebody comes out. Who is I touched on this in my Monday column. Who's under the most pressure? Like who's the team that you look at? You go oh they can't they can't miss can they? And there may be a danger of it. It's Detroit. 100 percent right like it's 100 percent. I feel like Troy. You know Boston and the islanders are similar in that. Obviously you're holding down a playoff spot all year. You want to make the playoffs. It'll

24:09be crushing to lose out in the final weeks. But both of those teams are better than expected. Both of those teams are ahead of schedule on what they're trying to do. The red wings especially in the first half. I mean they were flirting with first place. I think that I mean they they were there they were there for yeah at a couple different points and I know I know because I that was my pick and I had some pushback from Detroit fans saying well look at all the injuries and having it's not even so much all the injuries but all the injuries in the same position like all the centers going down one at a time. But this was a very healthy team in the first half too. So I mean it's it does kind of even out a little bit. I can't imagine if we're looking at the end of the year and after all of the pieces that we all wrote about the the patient conservative eyes are planned. Oh get your apologies to Steve Iserman ready because you all said he wasn't

25:10doing enough and now here they are and especially after they finally go out and trade a first round pick to supplement the roster. They miss. I mean that's catastrophic. It's devastating. Yeah it's it's devastating and they have I believe they have the least man games lost in the NHL right now but it's larkin and it's cop and it's March and that's the issue is that you know March and April the last few seasons for Detroit has been awful like that's where they've been well below 500 and right now since the beginning of March there are 500 team. They're there three three and two they're 500 they've got eight points they cannot afford to dip below 500 because their next five games are against divisional opponents so we will know in the next week to 10 days what's what's up with the red wings like they this and last night they got no favors done for them Boston gets a point Montreal gets to Columbus wins it was the worst possible scenario on

26:15the scoreboard for them last night. Yeah they're they're four four and two since the Olympic break they've been a decent five on five team like they're they're top 10 in goal share and unexpected goal share since since Milan but you know things happen right so it's it's and they haven't had Dylan Markin for for for a huge chunk of that and we all know how how important he is of that team but yeah Montreal Boston Ottawa Buffalo in a row coming up between now and in the 27th March like that's that's not like an elimination stretch necessarily but it's as close as you're going to get with like 15 games left in the season when you're already in playoff position yeah like that's we're going to know a whole lot more about about Detroit after that after that run then we do today let's let's take a break we'll come back in the second segment we'll talk about Colorado some other stuff and then we'll get Frankie the hell out of here it's that time of year again for taxes we all know the stress of the old way of filing you send

27:22your documents off and then absolute radio silence you're stuck refreshing your inbox and sending awkward just checking in texts wondering if they've even started but with TurboTax expert full service I know my TurboTax expert takes taxes fully off my plate and updates me every step of the way so I don't have to worry that way I can get back to the things that matter to me by going on vacation in the spring or enjoying the NFL off season so stop chasing updates it's time to switch to the modern tax filing solution with into a TurboTax the best part you can get experts progress right on your phone while you go about your day so go for a run or grab a coffee you'll know your dedicated expert is handling it looking for every last deduction to get you the best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve file with confidence visit TurboTax.com only available with TurboTax full service experts real-time updates only an iOS mobile app with almost half a million customers and over a trillion dollars of secure payments bill isn't new to intelligent finance

28:25it's the proven way to simplify bill pay and maximize cash flow want to learn more visit bill.com slash proven for a special offer security and compliance done wrong is a giant headache security and compliance done right that's vanta vanta helps you earn trust and speed up growth no spreadsheets required for startups low on time and resources vanta becomes your first security hire using AI and automation to get you compliant fast and unblock big deals for enterprises vanta is your AI powered hub for compliance and risk bringing together data from across your businesses and automating workflows so you can prove trust at any moment vanta scales with you at every stage that's why top companies from startups like cursor to enterprises like snowflake choose vanta do security and compliance right get started today at vanta dot com slash ted audio all right we're back that's enough eastern conference talk uh we're heading west we're

29:27going to talk to frankies least favorite team in the NHL car out of average what do you do what you hate him you hate about me you said you said he said he has to remember one day before we start recording frankie you're saying all that stuff both of them and sackic you've seen some interesting remarks about you want you want just facts you want just facts give me some facts and by the way like going into trade center i had the abs as my fourth most likely team to win the Stanley Cup and everyone else had them first and then they go out and they make the trade for cadre and i'm sitting on the desk and i'm like well they kind of won the day they got cadre they got nick wah they got brec kulak i'm like they addressed every possible need that they could possibly need to address i'm moving them up to number one and i put them ahead of Dallas and Tampa and Carolina and i sat there and i'm like did i truly believe it no i didn't truly believe it but i went with it anyways because you're swayed swayed by canadian media man it happens it sounds

30:30like somebody's ready to start writing a power ranking call it i was swayed and now if let's just let's just this is cold hard facts okay keep in mind i will preface this by saying Colorado very good team but since January 1st they're the 19th best team in the NHL they're scoring 3.26 goals per game and they're giving up three three goals per game 14 11 into in that stretch so they're playing like a 91 point pace since since since gentlemen if you go back to the range from October 7th when the regular season started to December 31st that's 39 games they were 32 in 7 they were scoring 4.05 goals per game and giving up check this out 2.15 goals per game so will the real Colorado avalanche please stand up who are they are they a bad team or are they a good team are they some are like are they a wagon they're somewhere in the middle as far

31:33as i'm concerned and their captain is even saying as much right now because he's kind of talking about how new guys don't know what they're doing and we're making silly mistakes it's like it's not two weeks now like we're we're two and a half months that they have not been playing quality hockey so where are they and and for a big chunk of that second half slump you could say look these guys were so good in the first half they are so far ahead in the central of course they're going to take their foot off the gas nobody cares if you break the single season points record for a team because we've seen how that's gone for for some teams in the recent past course they're taking their foot off the gas well guess what check the rear view mirror Dallas stars are right there now and this isn't just you know yeah you want to finish first at Tampa wants to finish first over Buffalo you know i'm sure in the Pacific yeah it matters

32:35it it is absolutely crucial that you finish first in the central because that means you get to skip the Minnesota wild and instead you're going to be playing some you know L.A. kings or the cracker or something that you will never see a bigger drop off in uh in as far as the threat level of your first ground opponent the stars are right there behind them now and and sometimes you know sometimes the team does take its foot off the gas and then when you go to put that foot back down the gas pedal isn't where you thought it was and you can't find it and and that seems to be where they are and oh by the way coming off that loss with all the criticism and everything uh guess who they got tonight the Dallas stars this is it this is the game that the regular season game of the year potentially because this is Colorado's chance to kind of slam that door and go all right you know what we got our problems where you know we obviously have some things to figure out but we're not giving up first in the central forget it it's ours if Dallas wins

33:37this one especially in regulation uh oh look out maybe Colorado Minnesota is on the radar now yeah could it's just the sheer amount of time that they've been mid right like this is in the two-week thing this isn't a possible I mean I call it a slump but it's how many you know a slump is weeks it's not months yeah it's been it we're it's been weeks but unfortunately it's been all those seven weeks for them pretty much it's like post post holiday calendar flips you know they're they're playing at a Utah man with pace then since then basically so let me do this okay because Sean you and I both do power rankings yes but we we come at it from kind of different angles right you and Dom do the Friday rankings and it's sort of like in the moment a little bit versus you know my rankings when I do here's my top I'm saying here's who I think is going to win the Stanley Cup just like like Frank Yan on Deadline day I've had Colorado number one since I think

34:43like the second referred week of the season every single week they have been number one of my rankings and there have been a couple times I came close there there were a couple times almost put Tampa ahead of them we had Tampa ahead of them at a time or two that looks a little bit smarter because Tampa's backed off a bit now and I but I'm starting to feel like I don't know how much longer I can keep this up because I mean looking at that I mean certainly if they give up top spot in central forget it then then they they plummet down well what if they lose would if they lose the Dallas tonight like to is does that make Dallas number one and in the weekend rankings like you got it I mean Dallas is is because that's the thing right I okay so if I'm going to drop them at a number one who goes who goes in you know and you look around at the other division leaders it's not going to be anyone from the Pacific no it's not going to be Buffalo I mean Buffalo to be the Stanley Cup favorite feels like like a little over top Carolina you know Carolina is kind of a boring choice but maybe that that that should be I know Dom's model loves the the lightning still

35:47and you know that that's an option Dom's model likes the lightning more than Dom does Dom's model had the Leafs as a hundred point team also this year but that's besides the point you guys had whereas whereas you two had you two had the Leafs as a 110 point team at the start I think I said I had them down at 81 and a lot of people complain but I just I mean it's it kind of comes back to whoever comes out of the central is the cup favorite yeah and that's going to be you would assume like I mean you you definitely would pick whoever finishes first because I mean somebody's going to win that Minnesota series but they're going to be be pretty beat up coming out of it I don't know I mean help me out give me give me the argument to not have Colorado at number one for the 20th week or whatever their power place terrible the power place really bad it's it's been better in March like I think in March it's it's over 20 percent but regardless like it's still been bad all season long and I think it really just comes down to like anecdotally because they're still

36:49like they're still an analytical darling they still number one and expected and goals and and you know right across the board offensively defensively it really just comes down to like an anecdotal do they defend the right way at the right times do they get too frustrated with things do they force plays like I almost feel like with the abs like it's going to come down to a little bit of an eye test thing here when we kind of assess what's their likelihood of winning a Stanley Cup because their their stats are going to be so skewed from going 32 and 7 to start the season power play counts man and since even since JN1 which is what we're using that as our you know line or using that as our delineation for when they started playing you know pretty mediocre hockey they are 30th in the NHL and power play goals for per 60 that's just a good way of you know that's a nice sub in for for for percentage of effectiveness and it's not just because

37:49they're not it's not just because of cold shooting or bad luck either they're they're 20th in in chance generation on the power play to us so you know if it's not hard to it's not hard to pick I don't I don't even say that it's nitpicking it's not hard to find you know bits around the margins that that make you think that maybe there's some some enough going on there to take them out of the number one spot I think I think Frank let's do a quick spin with it at the bottom of of the West because we got we got Utah we got I shouldn't even say bottom of the West that's obviously not correct the other Western teams we got Anaheim we got Seattle we got Utah in it various points of the playoff picture who who are we feeling for in that in that space right now Utah I I kind of like Utah man like I feel like they've made the the right moves to address their team like they're for goal tenning's been pretty good for for this season they play

38:50with a lot of speed and I just think if you're kind of looking at okay Utah Seattle Los Angeles I mean San Jose is right there as well I think the Celebrini factor of course is a huge thing but as far as like putting it all together as a group that's like ready to be on the precipice of pushing like these established good teams I feel like it's Utah Utah's in and in fact Utah could do something we've never seen before which is they'll be a wildcard because the big three in the central are so far ahead so Utah's gonna be a wildcard they're gonna cross over to the pacific and they could do that with more points than any team in the pacific division they could have the best record of any of the four teams in the pacific division which they're not in but they they would be temporarily which which does a whole lot of interesting things first of all for those who are wondering they're still the four seed as a wildcard they don't get home

39:53might sir anything like that so I mean even if they've got a better record than Anaheim or Vegas or whoever they still are the road team but we have net we've seen teams cross over we have never seen a team win a division that they're not in and I would love to see I'm I'm rooting for this okay I'm paying the banner hang a banner that says pacific division champions 2025 I think that would be fantastic but yeah no I mean Utah's into me it's it's three teams for one spot and it's it's fascinating because it's you know it's LA who are all sick of because they always make it make me it makes me it makes me sick that they're still in this race no it's it's it's it's it's it's it's Seattle who are who are not just a team that nobody's paid any attention to all year like we've all just kind of been waiting for them to drop out of the race um you know even now

40:54it might be happening right now to the different models all have them at you know like 10% and they they've been holding down a playoff spot for the vast majority of the season and yet nobody really like nobody nobody wants to see that Seattle Colorado remade first there's no veteran indicator of how badly how bad things have gone for the Kings like that they they can't beat out the crack and for this like they're like despite their best efforts they and they're and then and then and then you've got the San Jose sharks and that's what everybody wants to see so you know we're not getting that because that never happens in the hockey world where the the team that everyone's rooting for but yeah like uh and and here's the craziest thing of all and and to me this is even crazier than the Utah thing you look at these three teams okay you know what we've we've taken our shots of them but they're in the mix right San Jose is a great store great young team LA you know have been up and down but they are fighting for it and Seattle a team nobody gave any credit to thought they were gonna be bottom five and they're fighting and holding on to this

41:58spot hey it's three pretty good stories right and then you look at the standings and they're all sitting there at 70 71 points right now you know welts has 70 points the total tire fires in Toronto and New Jersey where both of whom have to fire everybody because it's been the biggest disaster in history and if you took the Devils or the Leafs and just dropped them in the western conference oh guess what you're sitting right in a playoff spot today it's absolutely ridiculous it's bizarre division entrance it it is bizarre man yeah it's crazy but frankly we we got to let you go but I I know you wanted to talk cold coffee all these scores is 40th goal of the season last night for the Canadians the first time it's happening like a gazillion years you guys said you guys said before they're a court that's the fun reshay was the last guy to do it which was a new man than 40 yeah reshay reshay was the the he had more than 40 Vinny Dom Fouce was the last one to have 40 that was 93 94 and Caulfield got 40 last night and that building was berserk like it was crazy it was a nightmare

43:05for every other team that's in that playoff race because Boston gets a loser point against Jersey get the loser point against Montreal and Montreal collects both but like that that's that city that building was going nuts and crazy to think that a team like once y'all has not had a 40 goal score like 40 they haven't had 40 goal score in over 30 years that is crazy crazy stuff I wrote about this earlier in the season and it was like you know I pulled how many other teams and how many guys they've had scored 40 goals I mean score 40 goals isn't nothing especially when we were deadpock era for most of that 30 plus years when you're this great legendary franchise they just they didn't have anybody that's already had 39 one year that was the closest they got he must have been close that's that's the closest they had but no it was fun and they got Detroit Montreal on Thursday that is going to be and nerve-wracking game for a lot of people watching what else you got

44:10there has to wait but I'll be in Ottawa tomorrow for a little panel work we got the SENS and the Islanders the Schaefer Show continues in the province of Ontario you're boy you get to talk your favorite player Matthew Schaefer thanks bud talking next week it's that time of year again for Texas we all know the stress of the old way of filing you send your documents off and then absolute radio silence you're stuck refreshing your inbox and sending awkward just checking in text wondering if they've even started but with TurboTax expert full service I know my TurboTax expert takes taxes fully off my plate and updates me every step of the way so I don't have to worry that way I can get back to the things that matter to me by going on vacation in the spring or enjoying the NFL off season so stop chasing updates it's time to switch to the modern tax filing solution with into a TurboTax the best part you can get experts progress

45:11right on your phone while you go about your day so go for a run or grab a coffee you'll know your dedicated expert is handling it looking for every last deduction to get you the best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve file with confidence visit TurboTax.com only available with TurboTax full service experts real-time updates only an iOS mobile app when it comes to managing money forget the hype and look at the results bill has a trillion dollars of secure payments powering our bill pay tools instead of just moving money bill is powering the financial operations of nearly half a million customers so stop the guesswork and start scaling with the proven choice ready to talk with an expert visit bill.com slash proven to get started and grab a $250 gift card as a thank you terms and conditions apply see offer page for details when you manage procurement for multiple facilities every order matters but when it's for a hospital system they matter even more Granger gets it and knows there's no time for managing multiple suppliers and no room for

46:16shipping delays that's why Granger offers millions of products and fast dependable delivery so you can keep your facilities stocked safe and running smoothly call 1-800-granger-click-ranger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done all right they're going to strike you we're back Sean Mac and you guess what I learned what what have we learned Sean I learned that the feel good positive vibes of the US men's Olympic team didn't quite cross over to team USA for the world baseball classic saw the baseball boys game worn jerseys from the from the Olympic team yesterday ahead of their gaming it's been as well Venezuela they got and promptly lose 3-2 in the in the final of the world baseball classic I really thought I really thought that some of that goodwill and positivity that the US Olympic team engendered in Milan what it carried over the baseball squad it just didn't

47:20happen I was shocked by this it's a shame I mean I think I think some of the vibes carried over I just didn't yeah which was quite in the winning way here here's my question speaking of speaking a great positive vibes now does does this mean that the ball from the from that baseball game does that go to the baseball Hall of Fame or or does that not happen because I know you know Jack Hughes is pretty bad the Venezuelan team is going to is going to be is going to be pissed about this is going to be upset why would this famous hockey puck be in the hockey Hall of Fame I can't figure it out I'm trying to use I'm trying to get it that's bullshit that the hockey Hall of Fame has it in my opinion why would I have that luck that's that's used that's used to that's not you do a quote of like pretending to be a dumb guy not understanding how Hall of Fame's work that is the actual Jack Hughes quote so yeah great great day I got it I got a Jack Hughes impression

48:20that I'm workshopping I don't think it's quite ready for the light of day yet but I think I think maybe it's something are you are you taking it to like the wish with the Wisinski impersonating camp and getting some tips and yeah I'm just it's a variation on my two other impressions just like just like the case with wish you have to knock your front teeth out for the workers actually I actually did that already we can we can talk we can talk about that off my it was a dark day in 2004 okay all right well yeah great great week for a team USA across across sports real real cool cool vibes speak to cool vibes here's what I learned and I I wouldn't say I learned it because I knew this already don't don't wear a haves jersey to just in general is a good is is is kind of a good life rule I think but don't wear a haves jersey to a game involving other teams because last night the least played the Islanders in a game that was attended by 18,000 Matthew Schaefer

49:27friends and family and one guy wearing a haves jersey uh do in the old you know wear in the wear in the jersey of a team that's not playing representing the crest in the hostile territory hockey gods apparently didn't like it because he got drilled in the head with a hot fuck million to one shot duck yeah yeah I mean they uh they they got him and uh he uh uh you know we we wish of all the best in his recovery but uh little life lesson you know the hockey gods don't don't appreciate it's uh so uh if you ever done that have you where you in night you remember we're in a Doug Gilmore jersey to you know it's a sends game that he was involved with I can't promise that I haven't done it I would actually bet money that you have well I mean the reason I'm hesitant is because it's not like I'm at that many senators games that the Leafs aren't playing uh and you know and I don't

50:31I should say I don't wear the leaf jersey in the press box I congratulate you know or if I do I I keep my coat on at least so that uh you know because I'm a professional and that's that's that's just that's just how I roll Leafs long johns no no promise there you can hide those under anything my man that's that's between me and uh and and myself so um yeah so the tough break for this fan not I I would say not quite up there with the uh immortal Steve Sullivan fan in my god as far as fan karma but pretty still pretty good and if you don't know what I'm talking about just go go on YouTube type Steve Sullivan fan and sit back and enjoy because it is maybe the greatest thing that ever happened I'm not even gonna I I was gonna do like a quick a quick synopsis of that whole thing I I don't I don't even want to I think people if you haven't seen that I think you need to see it with completely fresh eyes it's that that clip is like the old quote about watching Gretzky play like somebody seeing it for the first

51:31time and somebody seen it for the last time and neither one will be disappointed because it's it's so good do you got a post of that I always ask that you always do it's a dumb it's a dumb it's a dumb way to get into the post we are bringing back a cap court salary cap court and in which I ask the question does anyone have a bad contract anymore because I don't know if you've heard this shunt the cap is going up I I saw a tweet by Alan Wall she's going up to $11 billion I think in the next few years so is anyone have a bad contract anymore and I I think I found a couple of guys but it was it was tough sledding I got to be honest with you is Wade Redden still in the book somewhere I mean if she she Weber is still out there so you know who has control has come on track right now is it is it is it Utah you know what it's Chicago I believe black ox legend shit yeah Vegas and carry prices still out there on the books of the San Jose

52:34sharks so you know if the sharks can make a bit of a run no check in and see how is how is where you have s working yeah thanks buddy thank you thank you Frankie wherever you are and thank you producer Jeff we talked about this earlier Dallas versus Colorado is is the big game tonight but we're also getting Pittsburgh Carolina that's a fun one two two pretty two pretty solid games on a six game night I'm back Thursday with Dom and Russo Russo shock you is it the GM meetings another plum assignment to the cold and Minnesota shocking they didn't call you for that like you do a lot of traveling you didn't get the uh I did the I did the I did the GM meetings once Pierre was sick or something so it was me it was me and Russo it was the weirdest experience in my life you'll never guess which GM I'm I'm pretty sure escaped through the window of a conference room in in Florida that year wow you'll never guess right out the wind well I know it was it they'll never tell you

53:36try to hide behind the plant and nobody could tell it was him it was just it was just a random guy with uh 36 cars yeah it's a real jack guy wearing multiple scarves high behind a plant be anybody there we go all right folks enjoy the games like I said I'll be back with Tom and Russo tomorrow and we'll see you again real soon oh could this vintage store be any cuter right and the best part they accept discover except discover in a little place like this I don't think so Jennifer oh yeah huh discovers accepted where I'd like to shop come on baby get with the times right so we shouldn't get the parachute pants these are making a comeback I think discoverers accepted at 99 percent of places that take credit cards nationwide based on the February 2025 Nilsen report after winter stillness spring invites you to open things up with pure spring collection you can

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