The Kevin Karius Show - Mar. 11th, 2026 - Steven Ellis

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2:15On the Connor Ingram collision with Nate McKinnon last night, Steven. I didn't hear what you guys had to say about it. It's not interested, but for me, I hate to see goalies get hurt, but that's what it kind of felt like because the goal you got hurt, that's why we saw the penalty that we did. I don't love it, but I also play goalie myself. I also am pretty sensitive to any contact, anything that gets anywhere near the head, anything that cuts or anything like that, but it didn't feel like a good penalty at all. Yeah. Well, we've had everything from no penalty to two to five. Five doesn't make much sense to you. I didn't get the full kick the guy out of the game. That's where I was at right off the hop, and I said, two I was fine with, and that's the way it goes. Other than that, I mean, it was a hell of a game, wasn't it, Steven? Yeah, you know, I first I watched the Montreal Toronto game, man, this is dull.

3:16I don't care which team you're cheering for, that was a tough game to watch, just not a lot going on, unless you love gold. I think again, that was pretty good then, and it turned on to see the chaos of what was going on there at Emton, Colorado. I know my fantasy hockey team, Luzon McKinnon, probably didn't help there. I'm not winning my match up this season. It's been, you know, for me, I was always wondering how the NHL was going to look after the Olympics. We just saw a great hockey for two weeks. Is it going to be worth getting excited about just another regular season game, but basically since the trade deadline, there's been so many fantastic games, that game in the weekend, Tampa, Buffalo. I'm glad to see that. We kind of needed that energy, because otherwise it's been kind of dumb. Yeah, go ahead, Schlimmer. Oh, I guess, speaking of the post-Olympic, I always think there's kind of like three seasons in the NHL season, you know, like the pre-Christmas, the post-Christmas, and the post-deadline. So I think the game really changes post-deadline. It's kind of big boy hockey. So I guess, who do you see kind of, you know, climbing through up the standings as the games get tighter here, and maybe a team or two

4:21that you see could maybe fall out of it? I think you're looking at the auto assemblers right now. They've been red-hot, 7-1-2 in the last 10 games. They've won the last three, and I know, when you look at this team earlier in the year when they were really struggling, I'd say gold-tening was a big thing. People were concerned about like, remember around Christmas, so I always see the Luselinas hallmark. It's like, are they going to make a trade? James Rimer really bringing him back? That's the guy you really think is going to make the difference there, but the fact is they've been able to shut teams down. They've been getting the gold-tening they've needed. They're they're a fun team to watch, especially in an Eastern conference where you look at it and Detroit, Boston, those two teams and those wildtards and bots, but either one of those teams could easily be number one in the Atlantic in a couple of days. That's just kind of how wild that division's been going. So looking at that, and then I think in terms of teams to watch fall out, like, I don't really trust the Pittsburgh penguins right now. They're getting points. They've been able to get points in eight in the last 10 games, but they've also only won four of those games.

5:22They've had to go to overtime a few of those, shoot out a couple of times. So I think they got to be a little bit nervous there, but at least with them in the metropolitan, they've kind of got a bit of a buffer compared to the Atlantic, where it's just cutthroat every single night. Yeah, Steven Ellis with us on the Kevin Carishow with David Schlimke going sports 1440. How cool is it to see what's going on in Buffalo here, Steven? It's awesome. That's a that's a market. I spend a lot of time in living in Toronto. It's easy for me to go and get to the Sabers games and like, that's a proud fan base. Like, one of my favorite events of the entire year is the Buffalo Prospects Challenge. It's right right before training camp, but you're still getting packed arenas in their small practice facility. And the fans are just such die-hards. It's such a fun time there. And also to any players that don't want to play there, man, Buffalo has got a good food seat like Golden Branco. You're missing out on some of the good chicken wings and all the stuff you get out there. But yeah, it's been really good to see that. I think with the Sabers, it's just remember the start of the season where they went a couple of games. They couldn't even score a goal. And then now, at this

6:25point, that's all they're doing, they're all they're doing. It's just scoring goals at this point. They're so good at home, key banks, definitely a fun place to be. And the gaming against Tampa Bay was great. So for a group that couldn't seem to figure out their goal-tending at the start of the year. And it's like, oh, good. They've fallen short again. They're firing GM. I think I feel bad for Kevin Adams right now. I think everyone can have this point. This is team that's doing this. A lot of his decisions, but I think at some cases, you just need to make a change just to get the spark. And you see what this group right now, they're just nothing can stop them. So how about the other side of the coin you mentioned it at the start there? Can it get any worse for the Leafs? I mean, eight game win list skid here. Is it going to get back to the point where we're seeing Jersey's throwing on the ice? I know no one wants to get back to that, but it's looking pretty ugly right now. Yeah, you know, when the waffles start flying, that's when you know it's good. So let's see if that happens again. But you know, it's kind of wild where there's still enough time where they could just go on to this like four or five game heater kind of like they did right before the Olympics and everything could change, right? The issue is just

7:29nothing's showing up here like that. I think the one game against Ottawa a couple weeks ago where they had like, was it three shots with like five minutes to go in the second period? Like, you can't win games when you're doing that. Then he wants the game against Montreal last night where they never looked better at any point in that game. Montreal was just keeping them in their own zone. So it's hard to feel confident about that group. I know there's obviously some questions about like, what's the deal of Austin at these at this point? Like, the story goes that he's fully healthy. Well, it doesn't feel like he's playing like that, right? And it's been a while since we've seen a guy like him go out there and look like he could be a real difference maker with the puck consistently. It's shot isn't looking anywhere as good. So and then obviously losing Mitch Mariner and not really finding the offense anywhere else. I think that hurts. Like, when you look at what Toronto has failed to do year to year when it comes to the playoffs is getting that scoring depth, getting guys out there who can go there and make a difference. And you see the teams that win the Stanley Cup, like the Florida Panthers had Brad Martian on the third mile last year. The restaurant in was really good. Like, there's so many good players in that bottom six that made

8:29them so effective. Toronto just doesn't have that. So when they're big guns aren't scoring and there's nothing happening in the bottom six, you can't win games. So I got to give some credit that guys like Joseph Voles been playing well and Stolars can have his minutes, but that's it. This team just looks like it's just dreadful hockey to watch at this point. Steven Ellis with this from Daily Face Off just dreadful hockey. So I just want to sort of ask about the the top five picked that's protected. So they traded the pick to Boston. It's protected top five. So I mean, there's a very good chance here that there's no way that this ends up in Boston's hands, is there? It's every week. It's getting closer and closer. Like right now, they're still a bit of room. I think like St. Louis has still a decent and enough of an advantage here in terms of legal room here. But I think I think there's a five point difference between the two. And then right now, St. Louis has that the fifth best odds. So I think Toronto just keep losing.

9:31Keep falling apart. Keep having these rough games. Hey, you know, sit Austin Matthews. Let him get ready for next season. But I know what no one wants to watch their team tank, but like a team like Chicago or in previous years like San Jose, like they're used to it at this point. So if they start losing games, it's like it's whatever. But for Toronto, this is a fan base that's been restless, expecting more for a very long time and to kind of resort to the the pre-Austin Matthews games where everything's falling apart. You look at those lineups and I know obviously I'm into those a little bit about those dreadful years of just like what are these lineups? Toronto have the same thing kind of going on at the same time. I think if you're a leaf fan, you don't want to see that. But you have to finish in the bottom five this year because this is a team that does not have the prospects does not have the future assets to have a true rebuild. Like this has to be a retool where you're getting a player that could be in the NHL in the next two years. You can't be patient here with this group because they didn't sell enough to kind of suggest that they're going to be all in on the future here. So tough time for this team. I don't know, pick for Ottawa,

10:35either. Yeah, at least they're make they make the playoffs, right? Like if they make the playoffs, I don't think they care too much. It's something where if you're if you're in that 15, 16, 17th overall pick, you're probably like, okay, you know, it's not the world's strongest draft after the top 10, like we can live with that. But at the same time, you want to have your first Trump pick, like losing it the way they did that for that fan base. Well, random here, Steve, but Ryan Oof Cole from Nashville never heard of them until I was watching sports center last night. Probably the nicest first NHL goal I've ever seen. I'm not sure if you've seen it yet, but you know anything about this kid? Yeah, this is a guy that kind of you look at the small defense men are type and you're always like, okay, can one of these guys make it and for him, he's been kind of on that verge of being an impact NHL for a while. Okay. We've been in the NHL the last couple of years. At the world juniors in 2023, he had some like 10 points. Like he was on fire. You play a bit on the power play. He skates well. I think when you're when you are a smaller defenseman, someone like

11:35Lane Hudson, you need to be out there and provide other things away from the puck, but you also need to be really good skater. And we've seen that from Oof Cole. It's that's always been his thing. He's quick. He's fluent. Doesn't make a ton of mistakes with the puck. I'd say he's just a really smart player overall. And physically, that's where things kind of fall in the part for him in the past. But I'm really happy to see him get that opportunity and show that skill that if you watch the Milwaukee admirals, I don't know if you guys do a lot of that, but he's been really skilled and really fun to watch the last couple of years. So it was a nice reward for that. Yeah, beautiful. 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

12:36data, 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. After 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 a thousand 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. The hustle doesn't have to hurt. If performance pressure is making it hard to breathe, growth therapy helps you navigate stress, set boundaries, and actually feel like yourself again. Whether it's your first time in therapy or your 50th, grow makes it easier to find a therapist who fits you, not the other way around. You can search by what matters, like insurance, specialty identity, or availability, and get started in as little as two days. There are no subscriptions, no long-term commitments, you just pay per session. Grow helps you find therapy on your time. Whatever challenges you're

13:39facing, grow therapy is here to help. Grow accepts over 100 insurance plans, including Medicaid in some states. Sessions average about $21 with insurance and some pay as little as $0, depending on their plan. Visit growththerapy.com slash start now to get started. That's growtherapy.com slash start now. Growtherapy.com slash start now. Availability and coverage vary by state and insurance plan. Yeah, and it's having a pretty good season in Milwaukee. As you said, he's an undersized guy. And you never know. I mean, they thought they had a guy, their undersized guy, and Ryan Ellis for a long time. Don't you think those Steven? I don't know if this is good player. Yeah, I mean, I'm not saying that this guy is any close to Ryan Ellis, but maybe there's something there. It's funny how Nashville finds success either with a really small guy. It's kind of like a Ryan Ellis or the massive goal tenders. Like, you know, it's like the one time you have Peca Rene has one goalie and UC Saro says the other is like, you get one of the biggest goalies in the

14:41league and really the smallest goal in the league. It's kind of funny how that works for Nashville, but you know, like for the Preds, this is a tough time for the team. I'd say their trade deadline was other than getting a second rounder for McCarran. I'd say it was not a great trade deadline for them. They needed to sell a lot more, but I still feel like they've got enough players in the pipeline right now. It's like, well, they're not at the spot they want to be. They definitely aren't in the spot where they were expected to be when they got March or so and ready Shay and Steven Stamcoast, but they still have some young guys in the system to get excited about Ryan. Who's one of them? Yeah, totally off NHL topic. I was reading the article you had about that team from Sarnia not winning a game this year on that junior side here. Steven, because I mean, we always talked about that tournament you covered. It was over the holidays and there was absolutely nothing going on and you're watching Vietnam play Afghanistan. Only you would be watching those games, Steven. But what did you make of this Sarnia squad that went? What is it? Oh, and 50?

15:42Yeah, Oh, and 50. First team in junior B history. And I believe any high level former junior hockey to not win a single game. Despite playing every single game. So a little bit tough there. There was one guy that was an alumni of the team who I was reading his backstory on Wikipedia and he was traded for like a steak dinner. It's got to be one of the weird trades of that time. But I can't remember his name. Yeah, it's crazy. But I think in general, it's tough for the players, right? I remember when I used to cover the OJHL, I was a team, the Milton Ice Hawks, where the coach's son was the goalie in over two seasons. He went as a goalie. Like his goals against average was like nine something and I felt so bad for him. Like that can't be good for them. Like they can't be good for any of these players. But they've they've the GOHL, the junior B league, they did make a statement yesterday saying the old ownership of the team, whether the team was a bit more competitive, is going to be taking over

16:43for next year. And it was that they were removed as owners. I don't know the full context right before the season. And then it felt like everything kind of got put together at the last minute and you see kind of the result where the team goes out in 50. But like I felt bad for other teams going there knowing like this is a waste of time, things like that. Like this isn't a good situation for anybody. So that's tough. But on the same day that happened, I watched a junior A game where a team had 17 power plays scored on one of them, but still won a game seven nothing. Time I've ever heard a stat like that. Like that's a weird power play. Well, it's funny when Colorado was here in November, the avalanche 1-9-1, but the orders killed off seven to seven power plays at the Ab's had that night. So it's funny game, funny game. What else is cooking, shaking on DFO here in the next little bit, Steven? Well, you know, it's college free agent signing time. So we've been seeing a lot of those guys out there. You know, it's you're never looking for a big name player. You're not going to get a ton

17:44of star talent, but you're looking for someone who could be a depth player. Like if you could find a four-flying style player, you're pretty happy. TJ Hughes at a University of Michigan's getting a ton of love. He's been very productive the last couple years. Tyson Gross seems like he's probably going to the Calgary flames. He might be that best college player this year. Looking for a goalie, Max Lundgren's a pretty good goalie and Mary Mack. He's based something like 35 shots in 23 of his 34 games this year. So he's a busy guy. So yeah, not a ton of high-end talent, but if you could find someone like a Quinn Hudson or a calling graph, you're probably really proud. I just punched up calling graph right now. Just punched him up because 16 goals, 19 assists and San Jose. How much do you think that these younger guys that are coming out of college, Steven, go, I need that opportunity more because for the Oilers, let's just use the Oilers as an example. This is a route they got to find guys because they just don't have the picks. Do players go and they see the usage on maybe the fourth line or whatever here in Edmonton and go and they look at Quinn Hudson and they go, I'm not going

18:48to get the opportunity. So I'm going to go elsewhere. Yeah, I think it's something where you see often it's a lot of teams that are kind of not in the playoff hunt that are looking for these type of guys, but then you're going out there in teams like Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, they seem to always be involved, Buffalo, same thing. So you're always still looking for some depth. A lot of these players that are 23, 24, turning pro probably know that they're their best odds of playing pro hockey are going to be through the AHL and trying to force their way up, but you'll look at a guy like Bobby McNann. It was kind of a similar situation for him in Toronto last couple of years where he was a really good college player, but he had to go play like two years in the ECHL before becoming a full-time AHLer and then we just saw the return Toronto got from Seattle. So when you're one of these guys, you're still trying to find those opportunities. Sometimes you want to be on a team that's a little lower in the standing because you have a better chance of making the NHL, but in other situations you want to be a guy where Quinn Hudson, if he gets called up to play in a more consistent

19:48pace, is probably going to play with higher caliber players and get a bit more visibility and that can be better for him and the longer on. So it kind of really depends on the type of player and the type of role you can play, but I think the good thing about something with these college guys is they are much further along in their development. You're not having to kind of wait years to see what type of player they are. It's like when they're 23 or 24, you kind of know what type of guy they are, you kind of know if they're going to be an NHL player or not, but then you still get guys who are trying to develop and become an impact guy at 27-28. So it's kind of a mixed bag there, but it's still a valuable route for a team like the Oilers who don't have a lot of pros. And especially now that the CHL free agent route is not going to be much of a thing with most of those guys deciding to go to college instead. Steven, do you think, I mean with the state of the game and the NCAA, it's probably the best it's ever been? Do you guys, do you think these guys are a little better suited to kind of jump in and make an immediate impact at the NHL level? I think so. Like you're looking at a lot of the guys that are coming out this year as potential top prospects like Western Michigan

20:51University, Merrimack, College of the Holy Cross, not teams that we typically see a ton of NHL players come from. So we'll see if those guys can make the jump there in their respective teams, but I think in general going like I went to, I'm trying to blank, I want to say, oh, Niagara University earlier this year, I'm like that's not a high end program, but they got a lot of guys that are playing in the CHL the last couple years to kind of make them a stronger program. You're still seeing the best players going to the top programs, but for this to really kind of become the best possible NCAA hockey that we're looking for, we still need those smaller schools, like the Colorado colleges and the Northeastern, not typically a small school there, but still need those teams that are not producing a ton of high end talent to go out there and still get that, those players to be very competitive. So you'll get a lot of those guys that are coming in for one year, two year, like you have a mechanic, probably not going back to college next year, but at the same time you got to find those guys that could be impactful for a few years to make those teams very exciting, because we saw a bunch from Michigan last year, we kind of become

21:54the shocking team going in the NCAA title. That's something that when you think of the best schools out of Michigan, that's typically number three, but as long as those programs continue to improve, that's when college hockey is going to be getting stronger. Steven has always incredible insight. Thanks for coming on. I really appreciate it. Enjoy this stretch running the playoffs here. It's going to be an exciting time leading up to your specialty, the draft and everything else. Thanks for coming on as always. 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

22:55phone 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 unlimited plan. Savings claim based on 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 offer details, visit boostmobile.com.