On the Sheet: Stefen Rosner on Matthew Schaefer's Impact, Mathieu Darche's Deadline, and more

0:00What's up? It's Sean Lindner from Two Black Guys, a good credit. If managed supply runs is still on your to-do list, here's your science upgrade. Walmart Business has a tech, tools, and services that make it ridiculously easy to stock up for your office or team. Think scheduled deliveries, multi-user accounts, and even IT setup. Bonus. With a Walmart Business Plus membership, you get free shipping, spend analytics, and 2% rewards. Join the smart way to shop at business.warmart.com, Terms Apply. Hi, this is Pablo Torei from Pablo Torei finds out, and today I want to talk to you about Boost Mobile, because we spent a lot of time analyzing inefficiencies in sports, over value contracts, money tied up in the wrong places, and so on. But those inefficiencies aren't just on a roster. Sometimes they're in your own monthly expenses. Boost Mobile says switching to their $25 unlimited forever plan can unlock up to $600 in savings a year. That's $25 a month for unlimited data, talk, and text when you bring your own phone.

1:00If that money is trapped in a pricey phone bill, it might be worth a second look. Visit BoostMobile.com to learn more. After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience lower speeds. Customers pay $25 per month as long as they remain active on the Boost Mobile and Limited Plan. Savings claim based on a January 2026 Boost Mobile survey of 1,000 Americans with single line unlimited plans, comparing average annual payments of major carriers to 12 months on the Boost Mobile and Limited Plan. The full offer details visit BoostMobile.com. You can read them in a number of places. I recommend subscribing to the Almoncers. You can also read them at NHL.com, covering the New York Islanders, always looking fresh faced and dapper with a white-collared shirt, holy smokes. I should clean up the act here with this red deer rebels t-shirt from the Western Hockey League. Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, without a net, the great staff roster. How are you today, staff? How are you doing, pal? What's up, Jeff? I'm doing great. Zach, I'll pay your bail. So whatever it is, just let me know what it is, all right? Doesn't that look like he's in prison? I know him and his girlfriend just moved, and so he's just got to decorate the place.

2:00But holy smokes, incarcerated Zach. Okay, so homecoming time, always curious when a player comes back to his hometown. In this case, Matthew Schaefer, who grew up a little bit west of the city of Toronto, back in Toronto, was the Alenders face-off against the Toronto Maple Leafs. We always refer to it as playing for free, which means you've had to buy so many tickets that you're not making a dollar that day. Do you have any idea how many tickets that Schaefer's had to cobble together here? So I asked Schaefer that question yesterday, and he said it's close to a thousand. Now he said actually close to a thousand. That's a lot of people. I don't know a thousand people. I'm sure Schaefer has a ton of supporters there, but yeah, they have a box for close family and friends. But then he said that there's a lot of people hitting up his dad to just buy tickets and get there. Maybe it's not a thousand, but it's going to be a lot of people at this place. And I mean, well deserved, obviously, we've seen the support from other teams around the league for Schaefer. We've seen Maple Leafs fans supporting as well. So yes, I think Maple Leaf fans would love the Leafs to win, but I think a lot of them

3:04are rooting to see what Matthew Schaefer can do. Not so sure that a lot of Maple Leafs fans want to see the team win at this point. I'm not sure if you're familiar with what's happened to this team this year, stuff. If you're dropping the money on the tickets at the end of the day, people can talk to their talk. But like if you're going to your early fan, you're paying money. You want to see Schaefer? Well, we also want to see the Leafs win. For sure. Yeah. Well, we'll see. I mean, this one gets underway early. It's one of the seven o'clockers tonight. So we'll see what happens. Either way, we're going to get an indication early on this one. Always curious when he hits the ice and what the reaction is. So how is he talked about this game? I mean, thankfully for him, it comes a little bit later on in the season towards the end. But how is it in your conversations with him? How is Matthew Schaefer who's full stop going to win the call to trophy this year? How is the conversation about this game been with Matthew Schaefer? Yeah. He's always so even killed when he started his career, he played against Crosby and I know Vetchkin and Nick Davin and he said, just the game, it's just the game.

4:06This one's a little different. You could send us the excitement and the anticipation of what it means to him to be back home. We all know about what he went through and the sport he's had around the league and from coaches and family members, all that stuff. So for him, you could tell this one's different. This one's going to be extra special and he just probably wants to make everybody proud. That's where he's at always is making him and family proud, his friends proud and everyone that helped him out proud. You know, it's very rare that one player, especially a young player like this, although you can make the argument with Alexander Ovechkin and Sydney Crosby specifically, who can completely turn around the vibe, like completely turn around the vibe of an NHL team. It's certainly hard to do, McLean Celebrini with the San Jose Sharks. There's a new sort of enthusiasm with the San Jose Sharks now around McLean Celebrini. But I mean, listen, you cover this team day in, day out, hour in, hour out, are you surprised at how quickly he's helped, it's not just him, but man, it's a big part, how quickly he's been able to turn the vibe around about the Islanders, like more people are watching

5:06the Islanders this year and they're on ramp to the Islanders, is this kid? Yeah, I'm not surprised. Nothing fades me in terms of what he's able to do. The fact that he's transcended this organization, we talk about vibes and that's been a huge thing for Patrick Wah. He went home this summer after the Islanders missed the playoffs last year and said, you know, I want to figure out a different way to kind of go at this and knowing that he had a cheaper coming in and knowing how important it was to keep things lively and fun and useful. He came in preaching, compassion, preaching fun, preaching swagger and that's all a shaper. You talk to a lot of players in that room and shaper is a leader, forget the 18, he's a leader, but also he keeps the room light. He comes in with the sense of everything is brand new to him, he's just playing hockey and for a lot of these guys, these veterans where, you know, it's bitter grind. You talk to bars on and he goes, you know, his shaper smiling is never in a bad mood, like that's contagious. The whole room feels it. So yeah, I think the vibe mentality is so, yeah, the swagger, it's shaper just nothing fizzed him. He's enjoying life every minute of every second he's in that ring and all the teammates

6:09feel and all the fans do as well. The Islanders weren't expecting to do anything this year, a lot of fans thought, okay, shaper's a bunch of watch and he develops like, they miss the playoffs and miss the playoffs long to get to see shaper. But now it's, it's like, this team can make the playoffs, shaper is going to win rookie of the year. He might get some heart votes, I mean, Sirokin's been good, but the vibes have been really changed. It helps going from Lou and how quiet he was and a secret he was and now darch comes in and opens it up to fans, but they're opening up to fans and then the fans are going to see shaper first and watch him grow. That's been amazing. So the vibes are as high as possible. Every practice is laughs and jokes and yet they take it seriously when they have to put in the work. But yeah, you can go one day without shaper cracking a joke in the room or chirping one of the teammates while waiting to top of them. One more shaper question. They don't want to talk more about the Islanders here. But like, any sort of sense of, and I'm asking for a specific number or decimal point here, how much he's meant to the bottom line for the New York Islanders this year, whether it's ticket sales, Jersey sales, I mean, listen, the brand value, all of that.

7:09That all goes in because I know I'll frame it this one very specific way. I think that Alexander Ovechkin and Sydney Crosby, these are the two that I use as examples, are the two most underpaid players in the history of the game. When you look at, first of all, there's, you know, this CBA triple salary cap given that there's only a max, you can pay them. When you look at the tickets and the jerseys and the brand value and all of it, that I don't know in the history of hockey that there are more players. And again, this is a CBA. So it was only so much you could do who left more money on the table who had to leave more money on the table. I don't know, any two players who did that more so than Ovechkin and Crosby. How much does this guy leave it on the table? Because this guy means a lot to the bottom line of the islanders already. Yeah, so we talked with a team president Kelly Cheezen who came over from the LA area and he said that the search so far to find more 48s to put on jerseys. I mean, they're selling at these jerseys left and right. The islanders have sold out their last 13 home games.

8:11They're going to start the rest of their home games and it's the sheet for effect. Yeah, so yeah, and there's plenty on the table frame for sure. I mean, he's spending all his money and have all the family and friends in the entire city coming to this game tonight, but yeah, no, he's meant everything from business standpoint, which is important. You do need someone to draw fans, especially younger fans in, especially after a year when you miss the playoffs. So yeah, they've run out of number 48s. They've had to get more because jerseys is the number on product and people are coming just to see him play. Okay. So here's the question. What is the second best story with the islanders? The second best story I would have to say would be, I think Sirokin coming off last year, what he went through. He wasn't great last year, and then the defense as a whole, we could talk about the sheet for for heart, but Sirokin's been that guy. He's that Vesna caliber guy. Well, he went and I know there's a debate between him and Veslafts, but when you pay a goalie as much as he can, I know 8.25 doesn't seem like a lot for goalies anymore when they paid him that. It's a high price. You expect him to be that guy every night, bailing you out.

9:12And I know maybe that's unfair, especially when you're behind the islanders defensive times, but he's lived up to what you're paying him for. And he's been great, obviously without Barlamov, it's been his show, Ridic's been in and out as well. But like, this is the only Sirokin's team, if he's going well, the team has a chance to win every single night. The other story too is, Tony D'Angelo has been a fantastic story. This is a guy that comes over from the KHL after you know, losing the perforated deal, gets an extension. And you know, he's got some flaws in his game to put alongside Adam Pellock, Adam Pellock like the shutdown guy that he used to be up along the Jacob Slamens of the world. Like, he's been so dynamic and a large part of it has been Tony D'Angelo by his side. So, you know, Shaper's been a great story, Sirokin's been a great story, but you've got to be in front of Tony D'Angelo because he's been fantastic for the team. The Brady and Shen trade, I want to ask you about that, but do you think that there were other deals that were close to the finish line, but they just couldn't get them there? I'm curious, like, from your experience around deadline with the islanders, were there some other things that D'Arsh was trying to do that just couldn't make happen?

10:17Yeah, I'm critical of saying 100%. I think D'Arsh was, when you have the two first round picks that you have before the deal, the process pool that you do have and the cap space, you in theory aren't, couldn't be involved with everybody. And D'Arsh made it clear to us that, you know, there were a lot of things that didn't get done. And I think I was fair to say for a lot of teams around the NHL. So I think, yeah, you know, was it Garland where their, their for sure were talks about Garland, was their talk to maybe about, tip it on Philly or other teams like that? I think, I think D'Arsh was involved, we know St. Louis, but I think D'Arsh was involved in a ton of conversation. I think the goal was to get that top six score. They told me, don't get that, you know, that was a hard, it was a selfish market, getting that guy was going to be really, really tough. But yeah, I think the islanders were involved in a lot of deals that didn't come to fruition, like other teams, but I think D'Arsh was comfortable, at least getting guy like Shen and, you know, to be the return, whatever, the fact that they had to send back, but he wants to make the playoffs. And he wants to give the islanders the best chance, but if you make the playoffs, you're going to run. You look at Palai, you look at Suzie, stabilizers, Shen, a veteran leader who is one of a cop, like that's where dark value is, hey, how can he help or leave some pressure off

11:20of town Richie, be that center guy and go forward and make the playoffs and go on a run? So the, the, the one thing that, that I was told around deadline with D'Arsh was, there were a lot of teams to your point, engaged in talking to the islanders, but a big, no fly zone was Cushion H.S.N. Defensemen with the Berry Colts. And I think we're all, anyone that knows Cushion H.S.N. looking at this player and saying, oh man, you have a chance at having Schaeffer and H.S.N. who hits like a freight train. They're going to love him. They are going to, islanders fans are going to adore Cushion H.S.N. That is probably that, as I mentioned, no fly zone for Matthew D'Arsh, is that accurate? 100%. And I, Victor Ecklin was another guy that was a no touch that they picked, picked before H.S.N. I don't know about Coliseum exactly how untouchable he is, but D'Arsh doesn't really, didn't really want to move anybody that could potentially turn pro next year. He values those guys and go make the team better using the first round picks.

12:22Some of the prospects like attaching Gidloth, their golden, their second best golden prospect again, and he's been unreal in the K.H.L. like that was his plan. Now, again, if the Robert Thomas was truly available or someone, you know, could chuck, for example throwing names all like that, are one of those guys, Ecklin and H.S.N. potentially move, sure, but not for the guys I think that D'Arsh was, but were possible reality options at this deadline. But yeah, for sure, I know that teams wanted H.S.N. as the same blue, blue, one of H.S.N's game. They love Dany Nelson's game as well. We'll see if he turns pro over the next week or so. But yeah, there was no touchy for Ecklin and H.S.N. That was what I'm glad you mentioned Dany Nelson. That was one of the names that's like, okay, if this is going to happen, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, and Dany Nelson, it was almost like Dany Nelson needed to change his first name to And because of what he says, I heard And Dany Nelson, did you hear same? Yeah, yeah, Dany Nelson. I know the blues for sure were someone that were really high. And then again, Nelson, listen, is he going to be a top six center? No, but he's one of those third line, fourth line centers that you 100% need to win a cup.

13:26Remember with Dany Nelson playing a Notre Dame, his older brother is there right now and his younger brother committed. So I think that's the issue right now with the elders. They love to sign them. But if you want to go play with his two brothers, you know, it's hard to say notes. You write if you're Dany Nelson. But yeah, he was a player that a lot of teams definitely wanted for sure. Hi, this is Pablo Tore from Pablo Tore finds out. And today I want to talk to you about boost mobile because we spent a lot of time analyzing inefficiencies in sports, overvalued contracts, money tied up in the wrong places and so on. But those inefficiencies aren't just on a roster. Sometimes they're in your own monthly expenses. Boost mobile says switching to their $25 unlimited forever plan can unlock up to $600 in savings a year. That's $25 a month for unlimited data, talk and text when you bring your own phone. If that money is trapped in a pricey phone bill, it might be worth a second look. Visit boostmobile.com to learn more.

14:28After 30 gigabytes, customers may experience lower speeds, customers pay $25 per month as long as they remain active on the boost mobile unlimited plan, savings claim based on a January 2026 boost mobile survey of 1,000 Americans with single line unlimited plans comparing average annual payments of major carriers to 12 months on the boost mobile unlimited plan for full offered details visit boostmobile.com. Do you want your soccer analysis more direct than an asshole set piece? Just join me, Max Rushden and the Guardian's expert soccer journalist for the latest action and news from the Premier League to the Champions League and all the way to the World Cup. We'll have chat more out of the box than a Dominic Sober's live free kick, more panelists than Chelsea have players and unlike the AR, we know where to draw the line. For fine margins, fund debates and pool blooded tackles football weekly. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full episodes on YouTube. Okay, one last question for you. It's a busy day for you. Why braiding Shen? Why braiding Shen? Yeah, so we know for a fact that they want to go, I know as much as I owners have center-wise,

15:31center depth, darks made it clear that I think he wanted to take the pressure off of calibration. Now, calibration is, Ricky, he's making his home and home day dudes tonight as well. He's from Oakville, but he was struggling playing as the number two center. I think the owners knew that Matthew Barsall fits best with BoHorvette and they don't want to put him back at center and Ricky was struggling with the defensive responsibilities being a number two C. So I think darks is gold here and this is what he said was wanting to leave you some pressure off of Richie, get a guy in here who was really good in the face off dot, who's won a cup, has that better in leadership and mentality. So that's why I think the owners all to me settled with, and settled as maybe a harsh word, but they weren't got braiding Shen because given the assets that it would teach to get him and also to remember the owners did get to move Jonathan Drew in the deal. So I'm sure that helped, but the blues are willing to take down, obviously, pigs were involved. But I think darks, look at the palatial, same thing, proven winner, someone performs in the playoffs and someone who brings that veteran leadership, yes, the owners have a ton of that. But I think ways for, you know, the blues and the owners, honestly, we're talking about

16:33a lot of things. Shen wins his face off, Shen takes the pressure off Richie and the owners thought we get another center to take that pressure off. We have a better chance of making the playoffs and then the playoffs having guys that have been there and done that, obviously, giving them a much better chance. Okay. Last one I promise. How has Patrick Wabin, both for players and for media? Fantastic. He's, he's very honest, which we appreciate. Oh, yeah. He breaks things down and, you know, he's firing, I think he was firing the first year with the owners and then he kind of cooled down and he's kind of changing his mojo completely. But he's, he's relishing the opportunity to coach this team. He loves this group. He loves Matthew Schaefer. He loves, not him and dark. I think it worked really well together, which plays a part and I'm sure him not latching out in the media and things like that. But no, I think Patrick Wabin really went home this summer and matured as a coach. You know, he wanted to be that fiery guy, but then he looked at a lot of areas and said, I got a lot of young guys coming in here. I got a group that wants to feel rejuvenated. We got to have fun. Again, it's so cliche, but the owners, you've seen the way they play. It's fun hockey.

17:34It's no longer the boring one, nothing, two and a big wins like it's ironic, but Patrick Waza, Paul Fengoli wants to win the five, four, four, three games. Lew wanted to win, two, one, one, nothing games. But yeah, I think Wab really understood, hey, this is how we have to play a win. We have the talent to play that fast style hockey and break out with these and have the gold tending. That's how fun with it because we want to put the show on for the crowd and they've done that. You know, it's going to be an exciting night tonight as Matthew Schaefer plays in front of his hometown crowd. I think one of the reasons why people just love the story is it's kind of like if you believe in hockey karma, like the owners got good luck because they didn't throw the season and they still got the first overall pick. Does that resonate with Alan's fans? Oh, they all, I mean, I mean, I think Alan or fans say is if the Rangers just love the owners when one's last year, then Schaefer's a ranger. So they're blaming the Rangers for why they got Schaefer, so no one's complaining too much. The math works out that it would have been the Rangers with the first pick if the Rangers had lost just once to them last year. Sliding door moment.

18:34Was it Rangers? You know what it was? It was that Columbus game. That was the one. That's the sliding door moment for the Islanders. That's the one. That was it. That was a tough one. But Schaefer, I mean, again, too, just go back to Schaefer closes out here. He talks so well about the organization, the way they freedom from day one. His dad talks about how he wanted to make sure he would be safe and be happy in Matt Martin's family. And Matt Martin took him in like, he joined a perfect situation where there was an opening on the defense. He's moved up the depth charts, but it could be a more perfect situation for Schaefer and the Islanders. Who knew a great news story for for a young kid in the NHL? It's been it's been fantastic. Looking forward to tonight's stuff continued successful. We'll check back regularly. Thanks so much. Have a good one.

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