Talking NHL playoffs, free agency, draft and trades with E.J. Hradek

Talking NHL playoffs, free agency, draft and trades with E.J. Hradek

hello everyone and welcome to episode 19 of Inside the Club a Utah Mammoth podcast by the Salt Lake Tribune i’m Belle Fraser your host and we have another special summer guest today NHL Network’s EJ Ratic ej thank you so much for being here you kind of do everything around the NHL around World Juniors so I’ll let you give a little bit of an intro but really appreciate you coming on today thank you Belle uh it’s a pleasure to be with you um full disclosure I’ve known you for a while i know your dad so uh you know so I’m really excited to do this with you today i think this is the first time we’ve done anything really like on professionally in this kind of format so this is great for me because you are like one of the kind of bright young people in the business and uh you know I’ve been around for a while so I’ve been able to take stock over the years of doing things and it’s always fun to watch new people come in and you’ve been you know I know you have such a passion for hockey and you’ve been following your dream so I’m really excited for you as for me I mean you’re right i do just about everything i I’ve been calling games i’ve been doing studio shows uh you name it I’ve done it over my career i’ve done print I’ve done television so I’ve been very very very fortunate and uh you know we’re just trying to keep it rolling as long as we can belle that’s about all I could do yeah well for context for those listening so EJ used to work with my technically godmother Anna who then introduced my parents who then got married obviously and EJ was always my dad’s friend who I thought had the coolest job growing up he was at MSG2 when we were Rangers fans you were a big part of getting me into the studio to see the MSG 150 that year which I’m forever grateful for but yeah it’s funny ej was always like my dad’s coolest friend and now I feel very lucky to have you on the podcast where I guess we can call ourselves colleagues now but um nonetheless yes we can yes we can well I’ I’ve made it i’m colleagues with EJ that’s amazing um EJ we were talking before recording but you’re just coming off the Stanley Cup final you were doing the international broadcast with Kevin Weekes for NHL Network what was that like um you know Florida goes back to back just what was your experience calling those games well uh you know it was exciting it was kind of a weird series Bell because I like we felt it was close because three of the games went to overtime mhm but in the end when you in the last two games in particular like Florida really was the better team and um you know they had the lead for most of the series and that was a big problem for the Oilers they were just chasing the game constantly and they could never settle in to play uh you know a defensive type game to protect a lead and to play with the lead and to be able to to play the type of game they want to play they were just chasing the game constantly in that series and you know it was a rematch which is rare to begin with we don’t have too many Stanley Cup final rematches and I think we looked at it in the context of last year but in the world we live in where players move off teams all the time these teams weren’t the same and as they were last year obviously there were a lot of core pieces that were the same but the Florida Panthers were a deeper better team than they were last year and I think in the end the Edmonton Oilers um weren’t as deep and then they suffered a pretty significant injury with with Zack Heyman being out of the lineup and I think that really impacted their chances to win so you know in the end this Florida team when you look at them Bell there are three centers really deep their fourth line plays with purpose they have ex excellent players on the wing their third line with Londell Marshand and Loser Rinan could probably be would be a first line probably on 10 to 12 teams in the league um you know they were deep on defense they added Seth Jones they already had Eklad on the right side gustaf Forsling is just a brilliant defender and then they have Sergey Babroski who will be a Hall of Famer when his career ends in goal uh and they’ve had the and they’ve done it before they did it the year before they’ve made it to three straight finals so they have built Bill Zitto and you know under the ownership of uh Yini and Teresa Viola they have built quite a a monster there in Florida and uh though it was very very impressive to watch them and as for the Oilers there’s still some pieces you know to get all the way through that they need to uh they need to address at some point speaking of Florida building that monster you know the playoffs I think everyone uses as a learning experience whether you’re in them or you’re a team on the bubble or you’re a fan or you’re a writer or you’re a GM what’s the biggest thing you think other teams learn from Florida’s success that might influence how people approach the off seasonason this year we’ve already seen trades signings happen but what is the Florida Panther influence on the rest of the league you think well I think they play a really simple game they get pucks in they get pucks out that’s what it is they stack up the neutral zone the you know Conor McDavid talked about it afterwards he said you know he was kind of frustrated he said you know we tried to do the same thing over and over and over banging our head against the wall and he was really right in that regard is too often you know the Florida Panthers they’re only they’re going to give you the opportunity to dump the puck in in the neutral zone that’s what they’re going to give you most of the time sometimes you can catch them on an oddman break you know when when they’re out of position which happens to all teams the game is a frenetic game it’s played you know there’s a lot of randomness in the game but for the most part I think when you want to win a Stanley Cup you have to take what someone gives you and I think the Oilers too often tried to carry the puck into the zone and I’m not talking about McDavid and Dryside i’m talking about Trent Frederick and and Evander Kane and and you know on the first goal uh or the second goal the other night i think it was Buchard got to the blue line and turned the puck over there so you know the Florida Panthers play a pretty simple game they they rim the puck in when they get over the red line they’ll they’ll re-errimm it the other way to kind of change the uh the angle of the attack and and and try to you know pull you out of position in different spots so it’s a simple game they got some some big strong players but at the end of the day you know for other teams to try to replicate what they do the problem is you know you have to have a guy like Barkoff as your 1C right then you have to have a Sam Bennett as your 2C and then you have to have an Anton Lindell as your 3C you know I mean and and then they were a able to get you know wingers like like Reinhardt who was I mean a fabulous player scored four goals in that game the other night in the clincher the last guy to score four goals in a Stanley Cup final game was Maurice Rashard i mean that was a long time ago uh so this is a team they’ve built uh just a they they have all the pieces in place I guess is what I’m saying Bill and I just think that they play a simple game and and they have some size and length on the blue line so those are the things I think teams will be looking for i do think I mean we’ve had different piece you know this this cap era and the rule change era back in the early 2000s the smaller player was able to kind of get a foothold in the league but I do think you know the bigger player now with such skill development the bigger players have great skill development now and have great skills so I think you know you’re looking for those bigger longer players especially on defense i think that’s really the biggest influence I would say is you know for this team and a couple of others that have won you know Vegas that has won recently the Blues that won back in 19 so I would say you know that’s probably the biggest thing that’s a familiar I think request for Utah Mammoth fans i think all we talk about is getting bigger in the top six getting bigger on the back end and like you said it’s not like the big stature guys are just meattheads and enforcers anymore they’re scoring 14 to 15 goals and winning the K Smith trophy as well in Sam Bennett um which kind of transitions us into the off season and free agency obviously he’s one of the biggest unrestricted free agents it seems like he will probably go back to Florida but EJ you are one of the first to report that teams would be willing to pay him $10 million plus which kind of seems fitting now with how the playoffs ended um yeah how has you know free agency that landscape kind of changed over the last month because at first Mitch Marner was the guy that everyone would want to you know put their name in the hat for but then you see a guy like Sam Bennett who’s a completely different player lead a team to a Stanley Cup how do you think that changes the way teams view free agency this year and also where Bennett could land well Bennett is a unique guy Bel just because you know he’s not he’s a good regular season player i mean he he’s I think he’s had over 50 points and 25 goals so he’s a good regular season player but he fits so good there because he slides in behind Bararkov as a second center and when the playoffs come he elevates his game and you know the playoffs to me are such a different challenge than the regular season so when you get to the you know they’re teams that are looking to win the Stanley Cup right they’re like “Well Sam Bennett would be great for us in the postseason but how much do we pay him for a guy that is is not going to be a dominant player in the regular season?” It’s just that’s what history has shown us now he may I think there’s still upside to that he may score more he may be 30 plus goal scorer he may end up scoring 75 points in the regular season hard to say depends on the situation but what do we pay for that the cap fortunately for the players is is going up and for some of the teams who wanted a little bit more room um I think it’s going to be interesting to watch i think Bennett I agree with you i think Bennett’s most likely to stay in Florida but if he did leave um you know I think for him he would have to go to a place you know to have the ultimate fit it would have to go to a place where they have a chance to be successful or where they have a first center you know that could you know that makes sense like let’s just say for Carolina for argument sake they have Aaho they don’t really have a two and I always see Aaho kind of as a 1A guy he’s not like the the the the dominant number one guy like Bararkov has been for Florida because Bararkov’s just bigger stronger and is one of the great 200 foot players probably in the history of the game but that would be a spot where like if Carolina wanted to pay him and if he wanted to go there um you know it would be a really good fit because they have a real need for a second center and that’s a team that’s been good but hasn’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs but yeah you know again that’s just one example i you know Winnipeg would be another place where they have Shley they don’t really have that that really like Sam Bennett coming in there as a number two center would be a terrific fit for them but I just don’t you know I I just seems like it makes the most sense for him to stay in Florida um the negatives are that you know you sign a long-term deal the guy’s 29 now you know the con you’re going to have some years on the back end that are going to be tough the way he plays he has had injuries Bell and I mean that’s another throw him on LTI at the end of the contract right well there’ll be there’ll be challenges i mean in in terms anytime you sign a long-term contract with guys that are into their late 20s you know you know you know you know that there’s going to be years on there that you’re going to have to deal with at some point that are not most likely there’s there’s the odd occasion where it works out but most likely there’s going to be challenges i mean it’s funny Sergey Babroski now he’s a goalie that’s different and goalies can extend their career longer like earlier in that contract people talked about what a bad contract it was and now he’s won back-to-back Stanley Cups and been in the final three years in a row and that was a great contract right so you know you’re you’re looking most of the owners most of the managers are looking to to see what can help them in the in the more immediate and they’re willing to pay and add term if they think someone can get them all the way to the end yeah I think a Sam Bennett type player you’re talking about 2C utah is another team that could desperately use someone with his type of edge and production at 2C but like you were saying 29 the type of money and term that he’s going to demand i don’t know if Bill Armstrong wants to tie all of that up into one player who like you said during the regular season might not be your number one driver when he also isn’t surrounded by the Florida Panthers i think they’ve been really lucky too where it seems anyone they acquire no matter how they were doing at their previous team comes to Florida and suddenly has you know a career year a career playoff so it it is interesting if he I doubt he leaves but if he does what not only a change of scenery but a change of teammates does to his game and and to his value um looking at other unrestricted free agents centers down the middle that were kind of cheaper prices Ryan Donado and Matt Duchain both already extended uh Ryan Donado has 16 million four-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks duchaine got a four-year contract $18 million aav is 4.5 million with the Dallas Stars so two reasonably priced centers who are off of the market and I want to look at Dallas because now the Stars have around $455,000 remaining to sign five players this off seasonason so they’re either going to have to buy out some guys or make some trades and Jason Robertson’s name has been in the headlines you know whether it’s true or not um about maybe he would be a trade piece for them could be a match for Utah this is all speculation but what have you heard about Jason Robertson and do you think there’s any merit to them moving him because he has one year left on his contract yeah I think that’s a it’s a very possible scenario because you know they went out and got Ranton in and signed him to the 8-year deal and and that kind of changed the whole dynamic of their group up front right so you said it they don’t have a ton of money to spend and uh I do think that they are talking to teams about Jason Robertson and I think teams are interested i you know I do think that and you know we’ll see Bell I mean they might you know he’s a really good player Jason Robertson they might be able to trade him tomorrow they could trade him while we’re we’re discussing this right I would think that maybe teams would want to wait until after July 1 just to see what they do with the money that they have to spend right like if the if the same teams are interested in Marner or Bennett or you know Marshand or whoever whoever it is right they may want to wait and see do we get that player where we don’t have to trade assets or do we trade assets and get Roberts i would suspect for the Dallas Stars because of their cap issue the assets that you trade are not are going to be a more along the line of picks and prospects because the Stars taking on a player that has a subse that has a you know a contract of of some significance is obviously something they they’re really not positioned to do right now as you pointed out so um you know I do think that he’ll likely get moved that just makes the most sense for the Dallas Stars they don’t have the cap room they have other guys to sign they’re trying to rework their team i was kind of surprised really that they were so they were quick to sign Matt Dusain to a four-year contract he’s an older player he’s a terrific guy Bell i mean just in terms of for our business being around and interviewing him the guys love him down there talking to him i mean he’s a he’s just a really uh I really enjoy my conversations with Matt Duchain over the years but you know they’ve committed now 4.5 million to him and uh you know he’s someone you know into his 30s now and you know how is that production going to continue for Dallas so uh you know we’ll see how that that one plays out for the Stars but I do think Jason Robertson will probably be moved before the end of uh you know this off season at some point just because the Stars you know I think with the signing of Ranton and the money they’re paying him that that changes the that changes the dynamic for them it’s interesting what you said about waiting until after July 1 just to see what happens with Robertson because Dallas can’t take on a big contract but they’re going to request a hall for him if that is picks and prospects for sure um which is something you know Utah has a lot of because unfortunately they’ve been stockpiling a lot of top picks and prospects over the past years that’s just the reality of a rebuild so I think that’s something they can think about but it’s definitely not like the Stars are just going to dump Robertson for cap space they’re going to need to get something in return he had 80 points this season I believe 35 goals is young in his 20s you know that’s a guy who can make a really big impact so definitely a name to watch um and that leads into the draft as well free agency dev camp the draft all happens within the same two to three weeks so it’s going to be a lot of news um but EJ earlier this season you cover world juniors basically every year and a lot of the guys in the first round especially in Utah’s range play for their respective countries in World Juniors and that’s kind of when scouts and general managers and teams are doing their final viewing of these guys so what did you take away from this year’s tournament and were there any guys in the top 10 of the draft that kind of stuck out and rose their stock through that time well you know we didn’t get to see Matthew Schaefer for a long time because he ended up breaking his collarbone and one of the stranger things I’ve ever seen i mean the kid could absolutely fly and he skated literally right into the net and uh I mean it was like a car crash and he broke his collar bone and it was really really unfortunate because uh he’s a talented talented young man and so much so that he has stayed at the top of most people’s rankings uh you know as a puck moving defenseman i mean some people have compared him to like you know a Jake Sanderson others have compared him to you know uh different different you know longer left shot play defenseman high-end defenseman in the league so um we’ll see what the Islanders do with the first overall pick if they take him uh Misa is a really Michael Mis is a really interesting guy for me because he is he did not play on Canada’s World Junior Team i have no idea why they didn’t take him to be honest with you and they didn’t do very well in that tournament so maybe they should have uh but he’s a guy that produces goals and he is he was uh granted exceptional status in the Canadian Hockey League which is to be allowed to play at 15 and now the Canadian Junior League for those who don’t know it’s usually 16 through 20 to play in that league as a 15y old you have to apply for the status and you have to get it and he applied and he did get it and so guys like that sometimes Bell get overcouted he’s been on the radar for a long time and so people pick apart their games and you know he did nothing but score goals and help lead his team this year and create offense and he’s uh he’s got you know good enough size i think he’s 61 61 and a half uh I really I’m curious about Michael Misa because I don’t get to see him a lot i haven’t got to see him play a lot so it’s hard for me to say exactly how I feel about him but uh he’s certainly an interesting guy and like the Islanders I mean maybe they go that route because you know you think about drafting defenseman first overall you know in the league in the history of it it hasn’t always worked out well for the teams that have done it that doesn’t mean that those those players haven’t been really good players it just means that you know we haven’t seen I think the the last you know Norris winner that was drafted with the first overall pick was Dennis Potman that was a long time ago that was in the early 70s now it does again it doesn’t mean like like Rosene in Buffalo is a really good player owen Power still has some upside there in Buffalo we’ll see where he goes he’s a very young player still um Eric Johnson was drafted first overall by the Blues ended up having a long career in Colorado was still kind of I don’t I’m not sure if he’s decided to retire at this point but I mean he won a Stanley Cup he was a good player for a long time but sometimes when you look back those guys that defenseman that drafted first overall some of the players drafted subsequently aren’t as good now on the flip side of Bay Lightning drafted Victor Hedmond second overall after the Islanders took out you could make the argu you could make the argument that maybe that the Islanders should have taken so yeah um you know we’ll see how it plays out but like Misa is a very interesting player to me um I think James Hagens is someone that’s usorn kid that is from Long Island there’s a lot of push here in this area about hey he’s an Islander fan growing up the Islanders should take him it doesn’t really work that way i’m sure there’s a lot of young Islander fans that that would love to play for the Islanders um we’ll see how that plays out out i mean maybe the Islanders drop back a few spots make a trade for someone and get a pick where they could acquire him if they like him i think he’s a talented young player or maybe a little bit along the lines of guys you have there like Clayton Keller in in Arizona or or Logan or excuse me in Utah or Logan Culie so you know u we’ll see how it plays out but those are the guys that are at the top you know and then there’s some interesting guys i think Roger McQueen is a big six foot five centerman’s had some injury issues where does he fall you know in that uh top group of players so it’ll be very interesting you know to watch and to see where that plays out you know one other quick thing Bel because we were talking about Robertson and talking about you know Utah and what they might do i’m sure you know you’ve heard this too because it’s it’s kind of one of those things that’s been out there but the ownership group is really looking to make a splash and looking to spend some money so I think they will try to be a player for the Marers and the and the Bennett the question will be will those players be interested in coming to Utah because it’s one thing to be willing to pay a lot of money to get guys it’s another thing to have those guys agree to come there and that will be the the challenge uh you know in in free agency is if they do want to do that if indeed those reports are true which I think they are uh will they be able to get those guys to make the decision to come and really you know make a commitment to be with the Utah team and I think the team is super aware of that and that’s another reason why they haven’t closed the door on trading the number four pick as well because I did a story on this but a lot of the way the Utah Jazz of the NBA have gotten their big players is through trades and through the draft because they know free agency isn’t as easy so Bill Armstrong has constantly said “We are looking at every option we could trade up we could trade back.” And you were kind of talking about the draft order where what it looks like now could be completely different on draft day if people decide to make deals and if we look a year ago EJ you were the guy who sat down with Bill Armstrong after they drafted Tee after they traded for Sergeev and he said “I woke up and I decided to shock the world or something like that and you kind of um got his first reaction to everything Utah did at their first draft.” But knowing Bill Armstrong and covering him with the Arizona Coyotes before do you see the Mammoth as kind of a wild card not only in the draft but what they could do beyond the pick yeah I think so because they have to your point Bell and you’ve seen it up close this year they they have stockpiled some really good young players and they have some young players in their system right uh Simv was somebody they just signed boot they signed a Ginlow was is someone that’s coming down the road um they’ve got other good young players in their minor league system some of them are playing already in the National Hockey League and playing very well so they have options to do things and you know it’s a different scene you know when Bill Armstrong was in Arizona they didn’t have the resources it was a different circumstance so you’re really you’re not going to get free agents so really the thing to do is just try to draft and develop and and stockpile young players now you’ve made the you move to Utah you’ve had a full season there uh the ownership is different they have resources to do things they want to do things they want to to make more of a splash and build the team up that way and and so you know I think that he is in a different position for sure than he was you know a couple of years ago i do think you know like it’s interesting Anaheim is in a similar similar boat in that they have a lot of good young players they’ve been rebuilding they just traded for Chris Krider and you know some people will say well you know Crider is at the back end of his career you know they have young players why would they do that right and take on the last two years of his contract but there’s no guarantee you’re going to get free agents to come to these places so to your point about the Utah Jazz trading right like like Anaheim’s penalty power play was terrible their special teams were terrible chris Ryder is very good on the power play he actually can kill penalties as well a player like that becomes available maybe they can’t get him in free agency so they make a trade to get a player to acquire a guy they have his rights they know he’ll be there anaheim like Utah will be a player in the marketplace but can they get guys to come there so that’s the thing so you know for me like you mentioned Jason Robertson if that’s someone that’s high on their list of players they would like to add or think that can help their team I mean trading form would be an easier path than trying to sign him as a free agent when you’re when you’re dealing with you know 31 other clubs that are maybe you know trying to get the same player the problem in the case of Robertson is he’s got a year left you got to make sure you can resign him because to trade assets to get him and have him leave is not ideal either yeah on the flip side of that too it’s almost nice that he only has one year because we’ve seen Bill Armstrong you know trade for Oie very different circumstances but trade for Ole partially because he only had one year left on his contract so they were off the hook if it didn’t work out but it was kind of a trial season and it’s a three-year extension after that so with Robertson you know the contract you know the AAV there’s no you know argument there or negotiations there with management you know what you’re getting you know how it’ll affect the cap and then you kind of deal with it a year later but it is what’s the line is that good for organization or is it bad because like you said the resigning aspect um lastly for you EJ just for time you’re obviously on the national stage national view what has been the impression the Utah Mammoth has made to the league to you know NHL Network in their first season as someone um who’s watching it from outside of Utah because locally you know people love the team they’re excited to have it here but what’s kind of the impression you get um on a broader view well I think that uh you know the ownership group there has has you know has saved that franchise because it could not move forward in Arizona um it I mean they just did not have the facilities they didn’t have the uh the the financial muscle to make it happen and the fact that uh you know they were able to come in and purchase the team in that circumstance and in such a short period of time turn it around and have the kind of season they had where you know I was reading your reports Bell I mean they were selling jerseys and selling you know concessions and doing all and they were having really it was a great season for that you know on such a short notice for that team I mean so you know I think that uh the league is really really fortunate to have found you know people to come in there and uh you know to to to purchase the team and to bring it to a place which is really exciting i mean some you know when you look at the big map of the National Hockey League I mean that’s an area that you know there’s a there’s a hole in the map there and to put a franchise there is I think terrific so it’s interesting times because I’ve always been of the mind really Bel there’s there’s too many teams because the talent gets spread out right but you know there’s only going to be more teams in this league i mean that’s just the way it is i mean they’re talking about maybe getting to 34 and if they get to 34 maybe they’ll get to 36 because you know you still want to have like even numbers for all this um and I do think they’ll there could be a team down in Arizona again if they could ever get their act together with with ownership and and get a building done i know they’re talking about one in Atlanta there’s other places but I think uh you know the league has got to be thrilled that this has worked out the way it has in Utah and uh you know it’s been fun to watch from the outside they do have a lot of really good young players i’ll be curious to see what happens at the draft and what happens is to your point in free agency i do think ownership wants to spend um it’s an interesting place to set up shop for a player i’ll be curious of how they can make their pitch and make their sale to guys and if they can you know get some of those guys to come there so these next several weeks are going to be really really fascinating I think for everybody in the league but it’s been quite impressive from a national standpoint to see you know what they’ve been able to do there because I’ve been covering this game a long time i’ve seen different things happen in different cities and these days it takes quite a bit to own a professional sports team and a team in this league and they have the wherewithal to make it work so I’ll be fascinated to see the new practice facility there that’s eventually coming to see you know what they do with the improvements to the Delta Center over time but uh this is this this franchise is on firm footing for the first time in a long time for sure and buckle up Utah Mammoth fans for the next month or two it’s going to be you know a lot of new fun experiences you got first first season first NHL playoffs and now first off season so it should be good and EJ thank you so much for you know shedding some light on a lot of different avenues that could happen this summer really appreciate it um for people who want to follow your work watch you what does the next you know couple months look like for you and where can people find you well um I’ll be getting ready to go out to the draft in Los Angeles it’s a different draft this year right because it’s a decentralized draft so it might be the only time they do it this way but it’ll be fascinating for me to see how it actually works i’m hoping that second day doesn’t turn into a marathon type situation like we had a couple of years during the the drafts that were uh done during the co era there so um got that coming up free agency coming up get a little bit of a break hopefully be back at it next year i do my NHL uh tonight first shift show which is uh Monday through Friday during the season from uh you know 4:00 to 5 Eastern time and then I’ll be calling hopefully be calling games again you know for the NHL networks the World Juniors and uh you know our NHL’s network showcase games so trying to keep busy we’ll see how it goes bel it’s always year to year in this life you know we’ll see how it goes yeah well awesome EJ thank you so much for doing this and thank you everyone for listening we will talk to you in the next episode which will probably be about the draft so thanks again and have a great week everyone

On episode 19 of Inside the Club, Belle Fraser is joined by the NHL Network’s E.J. Hradek. The two talk about what was learned from this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs, and the biggest storylines heading into the 2025 NHL Draft, free agency, possible trade targets and more.