Welcoming Ike Howard To Edmonton & More Oilers Offseason Talk

Welcoming Ike Howard To Edmonton & More Oilers Offseason Talk

This is Oilers Nation Radio, your one-stop shop for everything Oilers. One hour of straight hockey talk with bagged milk, Tyler, Liam, Rick, and Dan starts now. Welcome in Oilers Nation Radio. It is a well July 10th edition of the show. For all intents of purposes, we’re recording a little early because the Oilers gave us some news and also Liam, myself, and Bag Milk are all off on Thursday and Friday. So Dan, Rick, appreciate you guys coming in on Wednesday. No problem. Yeah, great to be here. Great to talk some Oilers actual news in the summer. The C on your sweater for a brief second, Dan, I was like, “Oh my god, you have blood on you. It’s just a sea. It’s all good. Don’t worry about it. You’re not bleeding.” Um, we got news to talk about, boys. It’s a very I’ll say easy edition of the show today. When the Oilers do something as big as they did, um, but it’s our delicious debate. It’s brought to you by Odd Company Brewing and Nation Beer Everyday Logger. A crisp, clean logger crafted not just for game day, but for everyday. Find one at your local liquor store by going to liquorconnect.com, punching in odd company beer n or odd company nation beer and uh finding one on the map. It’s that easy. Let’s start with this. The Oilers acquire Isaac Howard. He wants to go by Ike. So the Oilers acquire Ike Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Apparently Steven Ellis totally ami. This goes back to his days with the US national development team. Ike. He keeps wanting to be called Ike and no one will call him Ike. Kind of feel bad for him in that sense. Well, do we have to keep that tradition rolling then? Just not listen to him. Just keep calling him Isaac. Mhm. Yeah. I think we might have another uh ace on our on our hands here if we uh if we’re not careful. Old Ace here speaking, you know, letting everybody know. Call me Ike. It’d be great if like every medium member when they go to like Isaac, great to have you. He goes, “Call me Ike.” And it’s just like a whole a running stick. Yeah. But the Oilers acquire Isaac Howard. Ike Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Sam O’Reilly. So O’Reilly, the 32nd overall pick in the 2024 draft is out. Ike Howard, the 31st overall pick in the 2022 draft is in. He won the Hobie Baker Award last year as the top player in the NCAA. He had 26 goals and 26 assists in 37 games with Michigan State University. So, your easy delicious debate for today, Dan. I’ll start with you. Do you like the Ike Howard trade? Um, I have to I think I I got to stay in my congruent line here. uh going into this last week on the episode or on the podcast, I think I said uh don’t raise your your offer any more than that first round pick next year kind of mentality. Uh so I think that’s a little bit little bit we gave them a little bit more than than that first round pick is going to be. Um, but you got to give to get. And we’re in a situation now where uh like the like there’s no more like there’s no more of the like tropes of win or or bust or anything like that. Like it’s just we have to be allin pushing in to show Conor McDavid that we are trying to do something. And you’ve got a guy here that can come in and play topline talent for us in the at the NHL level. So you got to pay to get that. We hope he can walk in and play at NHL level in a top line. We don’t know that. He hasn’t played a game, played a second in AHL yet. Um, we assume I think what I I would just parrot pretty much what everyone else has said that you swap draft pick for draft pick, pretty much the same spot, but what you got is a guy with more offensive high uh potential and a guy who’s ready to go right now as opposed to a guy who’s ready to go maybe probably two years away at least in Sam O’Reilly. The only question I have is he a little bit too much of the type of player we have already in terms of games five and six against Florida. We could not get into a scoring area. Yeah, I don’t know if this dude’s going to be getting into a scoring area. It was not easy. They did not allow us to. We had to force our way in there. Is he going to force his way in there? I’m not saying Sam O’Reilly was ever going to, but in terms of bringing guys in the top six, I think we need guys who can force their way in and score those ugly goals. I don’t know if he does that. I’m not against this move. If he’s a guy who can score from the outside on whatever wing it is, cool. But I still think that even with this addition, we need guys who can get to the middle, get to the front of the net in order before we start to really improve our offense. I just before I let you guys answer, I did want to throw something back at you. Did the Trent Frederri 8-year signing signify something to a guy like Sam O’Reilly that perhaps he was going to have a glass ceiling that he was going to have to try and break through anyways? Well, so yeah, Liam and I talked about it like it’s pretty funny to see the people, you know, certain Oilers fans online who a week ago Sam O’Reilly was an underrated prospect who’s going to be an NHLer sooner rather than later. What a talent. And then today it’s like he’s a third line center. I mean, come on. And I get that like on the Oilers, any player who’s a centerman, their ceiling is a third line center because you’re never going to play above Connor and Leon, right? I mean, just to use to talk about it very generally. So, I understand I guess where that could come from of like, okay, O’Reilly will never be more than a third line center. And maybe the Oilers do really believe in Frederick as a guy who for the next eight seasons like they gave him that contract cuz they said, you know what, you weren’t healthy, but when you are 100%, we think you’re a centerman in the NHL. And then they sat there and said, “Okay, well, one, two, and three on our center depth chart is pretty lined up for the next number of years. We need wing depth more than we need help down the middle.” And I mean, you still have Nooj who can move wherever you kind of need him to. And you know, you can always go find or try to find bottom six centermen as well. That’s why I like the deal is like I think Howard’s the ceiling in terms of the impact he can have in this lineup. Like could O’Reilly have been a 50point centerman who’s a great penalty killer and good at both ends of the ice. Yeah, I think he actually probably will be that. Will O’Reilly ever score 30 goals in the NHL? Probably not. And Isaac Howard can score 30 goals on Conor McDavid’s wing at some point in the next three years, never mind, you know, two, three years from now, O’Reillyy’s probably still just trying to break into the league. Yeah, he’s probably a guy whose production will be even better because he’s on an ELC. I think that’s the thing. And and Rick, what you were saying like you need guys who get to the middle of the ice. He kind of does. Like a lot of his goals do come from like the center area of the game, which is a positive thing, but he can also rip the puck and be lethal. Like he’s quite a dynamic goal scorer, I guess you could say. I brought that up because I read a report last night. Obviously, it’s just one little report from whoever that that he has issues. If he has if he has downfalls, it is getting to the ugly place on the itis. It is getting to the middle. like you can keep him you can make him more of a perimeter player and I believe we have we’ve had too much of that. We need guys who can get in there and get dirty. Last season he scored 29 goals including the playoffs. 14 of them came from right in front of the net. Nine of them came from the slot area. So that’s pretty good. How physical is the league though? Like I’m just I But you got to get there too. I think you do. You do, but if there’s nobody in your way, it’s easy to go there if there’s somebody in your way. I would like to know that he had to go past somebody in order to get there. They’d have to go through and watch them a bit more. We watched a few of them today. He definitely scores from distance quite a bit. He can score. He can rip the puck. And I think that’s one thing people really like is like Todd Coulson can shoot, but he doesn’t shoot enough. Yeah, he shoots. And I think that’s something the others haven’t had. I know Jeff Skinner was is a oneshot oneshot guy and has been throughout his career. But I think with a guy like Howard is just a bit more dynamic in that way. I think he skates a lot better than what a Jeff Skinner would have too. And I just think he fits the mold of what has wanted Skinner to be. Ironically, he also took Jeff Skinner’s number 53 which is very funny. So I’m excited for the deal. Well, I think it just moves the timeline a couple years ahead of what when you Sam O’Reilly would have been in the team and like we already mentioned like bit of a log gem for him to get into the lineup. Like he might have just been a fourthline center for a while or just kept him in Bakersfield. And I think also like we Stan Bowman said like we want to get younger and he talked about how he wanted to change the look of this forward group like going into next year with a top nine that has Seavoi and Howard in it that gets you considerably younger. Even just comparing it this year versus where we were 12 months ago, Frederick’s only 27 years old, 28 years old, whatever he is now. 27. Oh, he’s still 27. It’s like you have a 27y old, a 21-year-old, and a 22y old. And next year we might be able to add the Russian too. Beskin, which would be unbelievable. Yeah. And especially when you look at kind of the recent history of like Russians coming over and actually stepping into the lineups playing really well. I think about like Veronov in Columbus and how he just walked right into the NHL was like I see a bit of a younger lineup in front of him too. more enticing to bring them over. Like the Oilers need to win the the pressure is on to win a Stanley Cup every single year, but when everyone talked about, oh, management this summer needs to prove to Conor McDavid that they can build a contender and whatever. I maybe we’re seeing it taking that more as like he wants management to show him that they’re going to be good for the duration of the contract, not that they’re going to be good for the next two years and then the bottom’s going to fall out this team cuz Heyman and NG get a little bit too old and are past their primes and all of a sudden it’s like, oh [ __ ] who’s going to play with Connor and Leyon? Bowman, I think, can sit there and go to Conor McDavid at the end of July and go, Barzkin is legit. Here are the comparables for him. We went and got Isaac Howard. We think Matt Seavo is ready. You’re going to have three youngsters in your lineup who are going to be there for the next seven years contributing with you. Yeah. The McDavid the thoughts of that people have of McDavid having such a strangle hold on the organization that too is driving mental like he doesn’t call Bulma doesn’t call him for every single move. Like they they’ve shown him the plan and what like the goal is for everything and Connor doesn’t expect nor does he want the budget doesn’t run through Conor McDavid at this point. Okay. There’s no way. would think he’s Daryl Kates. Like it’s crazy. Somebody like I did some market analysis. Beers could be $21. They’re like, “Yes, Connor.” Okay. It just drives me a little nuts. Like someone asked it. It’s like, “Is McDavid happy with all the moves?” It’s like, I don’t know. He’s going to have to come play anyway next season cuz he’s under contract. Like they don’t have to make every decision. They do. Okay, we should reword it. They have to make every decision based off like this is our plan and we want him to stay. But like if he makes a move they don’t like, it’s not the also the end of the world because they’ve made three other great moves. You know what I mean? It’s just kind of a weird thing. Another thing to add to that, this is in no way meant to be disrespectful. Do you think Conor McDavid has watched more than maybe somehow one period of either Isaac Howard or Sam O’Reilly play hockey? He might have seen Howard or like a world juniors. Maybe I Christmas time he’s probably not even doing that. That’s the thing like he probably isn’t that they probably just told him be like this is what he does and oh it sounds like a great player. Although Connor is just so like he’s that extra level of just like study he’s studying his game and the game of the guys he’s got to play. I’m not so sure he’s worried about a dude who is drafted six years behind him. But if they go to him especially not not on your own team. Yeah. If they’re like hey this guy had seven goals on the World Juniors on a US team that won the gold medal. He won the Hobie Baker. Like he’s a really good shooter. They’re excited. Like man spoke about it being like I spoke to McDavid before I signed. Like he helped recruit him to come to Edmonton. Like McDavid, everything runs through Conor. He’s not just sat on the sidelines in one of these black chairs or wearing being like well what’s next? Yeah. Come on Stan do something like he’s actively part of this process too. It’s true. So the Oilers get like how nervous are you guys that Sam O’Reilly is going to blow up in our face? Not nervous at all. I think I think they’ll trade him. I don’t think you can really be that nervous just because we’re going to be the player that has the impact first. Yeah. Yeah. Like if you have two great years of Isaac Howard, then Sam O’Reilly comes in as a rookie and puts up 55 points. I don’t think you’re sitting there being like, “Shit.” But the impact O’Reilly can put up in a season probably isn’t going to be one that you sit there and go, “Man, I really wish we had cuz it’s not going to be very flashy.” He’s going to do a lot of things that the technical guys see and the real hockey watchers see. But in terms of flash and dash, he’s not going to do a lot of that, I don’t believe. Also too, and this is going to come across weird considering the organization, but like pretty sure Tampa haven’t developed like a strong player in a few years. I’m just trying to lock in this like re tangle they got from Chicago. Yeah. Like all the other guys are through like the last time they drafted a player and he played in the NHL was Dylan Duke from the 2021 draft. How things were for him? I have no idea who he is. He’s Was Darren Radish one of their picks or did they acquire him? They he was a free agent, I believe. Oh wow. like they the last first round pick that played games for them was Nolan Foot who they traded away. Like it’s just I they’re a great organization. I’m not saying it or not, but like they’re probably looking at O’Reilly being like, damn, we need some talent in this pool as well. He’s he’s probably their best prospect now, I would think, not knowing much about and that’s the other part of it for them is that that was a sunken it was a sunken cost in the sense that Howard was not going to be there at the end of the day. So yeah, and again I give actually give them credit for not just caving to the 2027 first round pick or whatever other offers might have been. The other side of this too is this deal doesn’t happen to Isaac Howard. Ike Howard doesn’t sit there and go I’m I want to go to Edmonton. He talked in his introductory press conference about how he’s watched every Oilers playoff game over the last two years and like how that had an influence on him. I mean, he’s a kid from Hudson, Wisconsin, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the at that time they’d been in three straight Cup finals, like premier organizations in the league. And I know things soured for like reasons that don’t really have anything to do with their on ice product, but it is kind of cool and it speaks to where the Oilers are at that an American-born prospect didn’t quite necessarily force his way to Edmonton, but he was forcing his way somewhere and he was all right with it being Edmonton. And he played Mark Messi in a movie. Yeah, he did. That was weird timing on that. And also I love the helmet by the way. Yeah. With how like you look at that US development team he was on. Rocky forced his way to to Pittsburgh or out of Winnipeg I guess you could say like Kat Goce forcing himself out of Philadelphia. Like his buddies or at least guys he played with were doing what he kind of did in Tampa Bay but they were going to markets that like would benefit them in America. He did it to come to a Canadian team. Although forcing your way to Philly is kind of a weird choice. It was strange one, but more ice time in Anaheim, I guess. Do you buy anything? I mean, Nick Alber loves [ __ ] on the Em Oilers online. Um, he was like Howard’s cocky attitude will wear thin. I don’t think it will cuz I think the Oilers room is is strong enough. They withtood a Vander. I was going to say, do you think he’s cockier than Evander? There the internet on the Oilers subreddit, there was some user last night that was really trying to make him wholly unlikable throughout the entire evening. But uh also easy to be cocky when you’re winning the Hobie Baker and you’re the best player at Michigan State dressing room. A lot different when you walk in Connor and Leon. If you step out of line, you have Connor I maybe wouldn’t even be that scared of. If Leon were to look at you and be like [ __ ] figure it out, not here. Yeah. You probably like, “Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Mr. Dry Idol.” True. I asked Stephen Ellis about this too, but like he’s a guy that’s always been overshadowed. Like he led the American team in goals. Yep. like he’s he was the guy he was scoring all the points without being captain and he was not the captain of those teams. No, but like they had other great players and I know a few of them went off to play like World Junior’s games and stuff like that, but you don’t just stumble into 33 goals on a team like that. You know what I mean? Like he’s an he is an elite capable capable of being an elite player. I think I just want to see how that plays out like on the ice and what his character is like once he actually kind of fits into this team where he where it is if he is going to be this you know smug little cocky guy on the ice that’s going to piss off some people or if he’s going to be if he’s going to piss off the other team I’m all for it. Exactly. Also too like the Oilers have openly like there’s been open reports about it being like they miss having younger characters in the room like they miss the whole that energy. Yeah, the energy they bring. Evan Bard needs friends. Yeah, it does. They traded all his [ __ ] friends. I I think it’s a good move. And um whatever helps Nick Alber sleep at night is my final. Poor Nick. I can’t wait for McDavid to sign his extension and we just get to [ __ ] I hope that he sends it to Nick first. He’d be more worried about [ __ ] Austin staying there than anything else. He really should be. That’s why he is. That’s why that’s this is called projection. It’s a whole thing. Uh Bob Staer tweeted out his projected lines for next season. And at the bottom he puts subject subject to change with a little winky face. So part two of the delicious debate. Do you think Stan Bowman’s done? I think he’s done. I think this is the group. This is the team the Oilers are going to roll within next season. I still think that there’s a goalie change a foot at some point for the season. Yeah, I I a free agent like a backup even. Yep. I think that there’s something that’s going to change. I know that the name has been floated out a few times and I’m starting to kind of What name? the flurry Carter Hart. Oh. Oh. Oh, I’m hearing Mark Andre Flurry. And yeah, and I could see Flurry reached out for that. That was the That was the Franc account that put that out first and uh and had that. But yeah, I I still think that there’s just going to be a wild card in that position. Uh that we haven’t thought of even with maybe it isn’t a flurry, maybe it isn’t a nukal, maybe it’s something else, but I still think goalending. There was a legit report though before Frank got to it. Oh, that like flurry was available. Frank just put out that flow signed with just to start the fire. You’ve not been duped by Franc everyone. Um but no, yeah, that’s a legit thing. Colobby and I talked about it today on DFO Live that like the Oilers would be a team that could maybe have a shot at convincing Flurry to come out of retirement. And didn’t his agent come out and say like five teams contacted him on July 1. Alan Walsh had a tweet about it. Yeah, he didn’t he didn’t specify who. No, but I mean we do. I would be very I’d be very surprised if we didn’t I know everyone pick the phone up and just make a phone call and ask. I know everyone’s saying Siroken and Frank the real Frank said on the big program with Kevin Cerius the other day that like you know there’s been rumblings about Siroken and listen we’ll get to this in the news so we won’t go into this now. The only way to get someone with the capital of a Siroken is to trade someone making$8 to9 million. You just obviously aren’t going to be able to trade someone making$8 to$9 million. You’re not going to be able to trade two3 million dollar guys either. Just for the record here, NH EA EA Sports Traders. Yeah. So, I I just think they’re done because they’re capstrapped unless there’s a low end lowcost goalie, I should say. Not low end, lowc cost goalie that’s out there cuz like I know you mentioned UPPL and I know you’re just riffing names, but like people keep bringing him up. You need to clear out $5 million to get him. Okay. Pickard’s contract is one. Where’s where’s the rest of the money coming from? That’s that’s that’s the largest contract out there with a guy who might be movable. People keep saying him, but like two years ago. You’re not getting him. You’re not convincing him to wave to go to Buffalo. This is Yeah. I mean, you might have to dump somewhere GC’s on the side or something like I don’t know. Buffalo. Well, I don’t know. The Rexol is like a North American company, aren’t they? No, Canadian. Well, it’s pretty close to Toronto. It’s not far. Adam Henrique is an Ontario boy, but I don’t think you’re convincing a guy that late in his career to like, yeah, I’ll just I’ll rot away in Buffalo for a little bit. He already did that in Anaheim for years. Yeah. And he ch and he turned down Winnipeg. I think that we’re going to see PTO and a backup goalie. Oh, PTO. PTO. Everyone, there’s some good players still out there. Like I I know he’s whom? Well, for like PTO candidates. Well, the top guys still available. Matt Grizzlig, Jack Rosik, and Jeff Skinner. I would imagine those guys get contracts before it’s all out. Uh Luke Connan, someone the others have shown interest in before. Brett Leon, 26-year-old right winger, another name that Bob Staer has thrown out there quite a few times. The player everyone loved a couple years ago. Jacob Verana is currently a free agent. He’s so funny cuz whenever he plays he scores so much, but he just can’t play anywhere. Um Jacob Lao, 25year-old uh from the Bruins last season. Like there’s a few guys you could look at and be like, “Oh, he’s a pizzoga.” Noah Greger. You can offer, but do you think they would they would come here? Just when you look at the roster we have, you probably have 15 maybe 16 forwards in your way. I would I think it’s not always about signing for that team. I think it’s about showcasing. Ah, that is fair, too. And even that though, like if you were to come to a team like this, do you think you get the opportunity in camp in exhibition games to to show off when you have these other guys ahead of you that are trying to especially younger guys ahead of you trying to crack the lineup? I can see I can see our coaching staff go, why would you want to play a 27y old in in exhibition games when you have 22 and 23 year olds to play? But just for example, Noah Greor 26. Mhm. If he comes in and outplays Yanmar and Kappan and Thomas, like I think he’s that’s actually not as bad of a spot for a PTO guy to come in and do. I think it’ll take a lot to convince his coaching staff Yanmark’s not on the opening night roster. Yeah, I agree. But I just think that like it’s not out of the question. Like I think there’s a lot of spots available on New Orleans despite how full the roster Do you think there’s a there is a way to move the Henrik contract and then replace him with say one of the PTO’s that Liam just brought up at a much lower $1 million cost? Like there’s got to be somewhere that he’d be like, “All right, that’s not that’s not terrible.” But I think if there was somewhere where Henrique went like, “Yes, I’m I’m willing to go there.” And that team’s like, “We will take him at 3 million and give you a fourth round or whatever you’d want for him.” I feel like it’s get it’s it’s done already. You think done already? July 2, July 3. There’s no team out there who’s going like we’ll wait a couple days into UFA into UFA season. See if there’s Henrik might be our Henry Henry Henrik might be our best probably around camp time or do we have to wait we wait for a summer injury to pop up? Well yeah guys get injured all the time don’t they in training camp like someone gets injured it’s hey like we’ll take Frederick but also a vet like he’s good player a vet like Henrik I think wants to win. No, I and I don’t mean like he goes to Buffalo again. Sorry Buffalo, but like say I don’t know any other half decent team. Is that our third line center guy? Sure. Columbus was like Toronto. And I think if Henrik was was willing to wave at all. Oh, maybe Toronto. That’s what I mean. I mean, he’s a Toronto guy or I just think if he was willing to wave at all, he would have waved already to be like, I’m going to move there and like I’m not doing this whole song and dance in September where I’m trying to find a place to live. I agree. I also think too uh Henrik is a good player. He’s fine. Henry, I think him as your third, fourth line center when playoffs come around. I want him as a winger. I have him as a winger wherever. If he’s in your bottom six is not a bad thing to have cuz he can play center as well. You have a bunch of guys now who can play center and the wing. There’s other guys who make too much money that shouldn’t be on this team anyway. All right, save that for later. Okay, we got a couple other things to get to. Um, let’s get to Oh, we’ll call it the news for our friends at Swiss Donaire. Swiss Donire, home of the old school Donaire with options if you want some flare. Open for 25 years and now open 7 days a week. The pride of the north side. Swiss Donaire is great for your events at home or the office. Check out their location 8308 144th Northwest or order online at swissonire.com. A late night snack, a great hearty meal or perfect for catering as well. swiss donaire.com. Um, I need to I need to dip out of this one early. So, I’m dropping this in here like a grenade and then walking out. Darnell Nurse and the rumors about his no movement clause. Elliot Freriedman says the Oilers approached everybody who had a no movement clause and asked if they’d be willing to go somewhere. Arvdson was the only one willing to do it and then everyone from there went, “Well, Darnell Nurse wasn’t willing to do it.” He puts out the why the [ __ ] you lying guy, why you always lying on his Instagram story. So, he throws some cold water on it. Um, but what do you make? I guess Rick, you can go first. Who is he yelling at? Who is he saying you’re lying? The people that said they asked him, the people that said they asked him, he said no. Well, imagine if that was it. Like I just I just to be fair, I I believe most GMs probably do this every offseason with anybody who has no trades. They go to the agents. Is everybody happy here? Does anybody want out? Like we’re moving into this season right now where we can move contracts. Does anybody here that have no trades want to move out? You do? Cool. You guys are good here. All right. Just checking. Now we can move on with our summer. I don’t think they went out there and said, “Hey, we want to move you. Are you willing to?” I think he basically gets asked this question besides like McDavid dry probably. They’re not asking the player, are they? They’re asking the agent. Would your client like to move? Is your client happy in his contract right now? I think it’s probably both. I’m sure they’ve spoken to agents like in Arverton for example. I’m sure it was brought up a lot more before but like yeah he asked to leave he asked to be traded at the deadline. So they probably were just making sure being like hey would you go obviously Vander Kane would have said too I think. Oh no he No, he had a team he had a select team team. So they but there was reports that they helped they went to a team where he wanted to go a good thing too. Yep. This is so stupid because like like and I and I know and I hear what you’re saying, Rick, like and I I agree with it to a certain extent that like it’s probably just an exercise that they have to do every summer. What’s the point of having them if that’s the exercise that you’re going to do? What’s the point of having no movement clauses if you’re going to broach the subject every single time and and stir this up to the point where like to me it’s like for Elliot or any any insider to be reporting that specifically about a team, they have to be confident to be able to say that and they’re not confident enough to also say well the rest of the teams are probably also doing this too. So it is something that’s like kind of out of left field and it is kind of annoying that for me like like for the team to have to keep asking this but at the same time you have to accept the fact why would the player sign it then and that’s to be trade out. Well but based on what you’re saying about the team then why would the player ask to be trade out after knowing they signed one saying don’t trade me. Well, that’s I mean then that’s that’s the negotiation and that’s why I think you don’t give players you just don’t give them that control. But like the idea of that no movement clause is you’re handing the control of their transaction over to them, right? I just think that the league should put a max like in the end they have the finger of what I’m franchise tag like each team gets one. I know that’s probably not enough but like I’m all for bigger government in sports. We need this. You get five no movement clauses on your teams. Why does the NHL care? If you want to hang yourself and and set yourself up in the wrong spot, that’s up to you. Your own business. Probably wouldn’t. But I don’t want anybody telling me how to run my business. I think that would have been a good move. I think and they just made a new CBA and didn’t that I don’t even brought up. But that’s something I would have liked enough. Just like I would have loved to have seen them be able to renegotiate their contracts. Yeah, that would have been a good one for the players to No, cuz they didn’t get run into like the NBA. What do you Plus, the NBA or even even in the NFL, you have one good season as a rookie and all of a sudden, no, I should be making more. I should make you top. Well, no, that’s that’s But see, I I believe that hockey has the intrinsic, you know, kind of baked in uh team aspect to it that allows you to be able to say because I mean, you have that every time anyways. You got Mitch Barner holding out for contracts. You got He didn’t hold out for anything, didn’t he? Didn’t he sit out of camp? Sman or sorry, yeah, kneelander is who I was thinking of. uh Swayman holding out for camp for his for his contract numbers. Like I think that that’s just that’s that’s a time when they didn’t have a contract. But how about a guy like Darnell Nurse to be able to slow down some of the noise around him? He’d be able he’s able to go to the team and say, “Hey, I’d like to renegotiate. Spread out some more years. Give me some more years. Lower my think a player is going to walk up to the GM go making too much money.” I don’t know. No, because they would keep all that money still. It just spreads out. Spreads spread it further. Yeah. But now But now you’re making it over more time. But it depends how he’s getting paid too much money per year. I would like to get less now. But if he’s like say his signing bonus, I believe they just stay the same. And it’s his salary that would the average salary would Well, that’s all changing in the next CBA anyways. I believe the largest salar signing bonus you can have going forward is 6 million, but it also might be a percentage of what your uh it might be 60% of what your cap of what your cap hit is. So if you’re making 12, it could it has to be six and six at best, right? Well, maybe that’s them. I I don’t know. I just think that a good way to do it would be you can only have so many players and it basically makes it more exciting for the fan perspective. Like players get traded a little bit more. I was going to say that would that would help your trade deadline problems. But what’s wrong with the deadline? Well, they actually just totally screwed it up. Did you see what happened in the new CBA where So, do you know why everyone would do three team trades to reduce everything? Sure. You cannot so you cannot be traded and then traded again immediately. You have to stay on that one team for 75 days. So when the trade deadline comes around, you can’t just make three team trades. So it makes me wonder is like okay so you can make a three team trade, you just can’t make that retention. You can’t make the retention and the retention. I mean technically that’s one and one along those lines but like most three teams don’t really make three teams very rarely. Now, now you see a lot more retention. I make a similar with retention on this guy already. So, I wonder if like when the draft is around or like the summer, like how often now we’ll see 50% retention on contracts outside of the season. So, then when the season comes around and team B has a player, for example, let’s just say once you can only have two, you can have four four retentions on your on your box. Yeah, that includes buyouts too, I believe. Maybe it’s six in total with buyouts. whatever it is, there’s limited. If you have Montreal trade a player to Chicago in the offseason, it doesn’t work, but they’ve already tamed 50% of him. Why would they not just flip him at the deadline or closer to and then they get more assets for it? So, I think we’ll actually the trade deadline itself might not be as fun, but we’ll see a lot more trades throughout the season. And see, you know what? When I come like I know we’ve talked about you want more trades, you want more trade, but then you turn to the NBA and I lose my mind if I was in the NBA. all the transactions. Yeah. Guys forcing their way out because whatever. No, no, no, no. You, trust me, you don’t want that. Yeah. You want a guy like you’ve got two of the greatest players in the world right now who if this is the NBA, they’ve asked to be traded. They’ve been traded twice already. That’s not what you want. And like that’s absolutely insanity in my mind. I agree with what you’re saying, but I think that that’s also like that’s been something that’s built up. Like it hasn’t just it wasn’t like they put in those rules to be able to renegotiate the contracts and then nobody was wanting to do that when the the Jordan era. No, that’s true. Yeah. So, it did kind of pop up as soon as they’re allowed. But then when But it’s not like that your egos take over and but it’s not like that like it’s not like the LeBron the super teams just happened right after that that was uh made available to No, the super teams started like 15 years ago yesterday or something. Yeah. But yeah, it’s LeBron. Those are things that you have to obviously foresee for your organization and for your sport going forward. But super teams were before that. You had you had the Celtics with those big three. Yeah. But that almost came to like it was that was probably the first one, but then you had like a super team cuz the two guys joined in the offse kind of I guess in that way of like free agency. Yeah. They just created a team. They added the two biggest names and then they introduc introduced them as one, two, and three. Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six or whatever the hell you said. Oh, yeah. One, two. Well, and now we’re doing that with college kids. I just saw you splashed up on your screen there. The college I don’t know about that either. The announcement there of Penn State. Well, this is actually um the Hobby Baker winners, but um I just got reminded of the college. I’m coming back. And it was Logan [ __ ] Rock McGraard, and Isaac Howard. And then all three of them signed in the NHL the next season. But I guess we can talk about that really quickly. Gavin McKenna made his decision yesterday on ESPN, funnily enough, like LeBron um that he would go to Penn State next season. The NIL money looks like it’ll be extremely high, but also some of the players like Jackson Smith, who was also going to Penn State, was a first round pick this year being like the numbers that were thrown around for my deal were like outrageous. They weren’t even close to what the actual deal ended up being. So like we I don’t think he’s actually going to get paid 700,000. I think it’s a lot less than that. I think he’s getting paid a lot of money, but I don’t think it’s anything close to that. But what do you guys make of uh Gavin McKenna, who’s from the Medicine Hut at Tigers going to the Penn State Niti Lions, I think. Nitney Lions. Yeah. Great program. Dan, you clearly feel passionate about this. My well, you know, there is that’s a program that’s been in the news uh in the past, unfortunately, uh for some things that I was I was covering football back in that day, so that’s why that’s why I know Nitney Lions uh so well. Uh but um yeah, for for this it’s a it’s a weird like first of all ESPN like we’ve we’ve done this before. Like we’ve talked about how awful that was for LeBron’s brand to have him do a decision. Like can we not do that? It was so cringy and awkward where he was in football. McKenna was doing it in his room and I don’t I don’t know. I guess maybe I’m just old and old school and I can I just don’t think we see it as often because uh football players do it. I think the baseball players do it. I think basketball players do it. And they do something silly where there’s like six hats in front of them. Yeah. And he goes puts this one on. Just kidding. That one. No, no, no. That one. No, no, no. Okay, we get it. You’re going to go through all the six. No. And then I have one on the table and that’s Oh, Jesus. Come on. It’s Miji State. Congratulations. I I think it’s Sorry, Dan. Go. Yeah. No, I was just That was That was my first thought is get rid of that announcement nonsense. Uh but I’m I am really just fascinated to see how this kind of all settles. You know, we just talked about in our previous segment with Rick there about like the the renegotiative contracts and how that’s changed a sport. This is going to change so much in our sport when it comes to junior hockey and then the college hockey level of of of skill. Uh money talks and these players are not, you know, like it’s not just good enough that the CHL will cover your education after you’re done kind of thing. These guys are now getting cash and rightfully so. I also think too the college lifestyle is significantly better than what a junior hockey player would have to go through. Yeah. Like are we talking like the parties or what are we talking season is shorter strictly hockey which I don’t think is a good thing. No, I think it’s an amazing thing. You think an amazing thing that there that they play half the amount of games? Yeah, I think it’s way better because you have more time to develop yourself off the ice, which I think is what limits a lot of players when they get to the NHL. What do you mean? Uh what do you mean? What do you mean off practice? Like they get to they practice a lot more. They’re in the gym a lot more outside of games. They’re in the gym a lot more. They’re only playing a couple games a week. It’s a lot less stress on the body in game. I think when they come to the NHL, they’re they’re better suited in the strength department in that way of things. Like obviously, I think the games will gradually increase in college hockey as more and more teams come about because there’s going to be way more players wanting to go to the NCAA. Um I think in junior hockey, I think the guys are on the bus way too much. The travel is brutal for some teams. Like you look at the teams that especially in Western Canada, that’s why I’m no more about like the Victoria Royals lose their best two players. Like yeah, cuz they have to travel so far sometimes for games where like you might not see it as much in the OHL because the travel’s a lot easier on guys and stuff like that. Like you sleep in your own bed a lot. It’s similar to what the how the W uh the WH the NHL is is like well look at the travel in the east compared to the West. And I think that does play a factor in it. And also too, like one thing that just doesn’t seem to be thrown out there about this at all is like these players will sign NHL deals before and stay in the CHL. We saw it yesterday with Ben Kindle who’s a Calgary Hitman player and a Pittsburgh Penguin prospect. Like he signed his contract. He’s staying. Jake O’Brien did the same thing with a Kraken. Like for Gavin McKenna, he had nothing to prove anymore in the CHL. He needed to go up there to continue his development and take that next step. And like what is an elite program in Penn State? Well, there’s there’s two sides to this, right? Because you’re right. There is the Gavin McKenna out there who’ve played what two years in medicine absolutely destroyed it and next year was up was going to just be that much better than everybody else. Now he can go to college, play against guys who are older, larger, and kind of find like a halfway point between the CHL and the NHL cuz that’s kind of so it’s kind of more along the lines of what Austin Matthews did by going a year and and Celabbrini did. Yeah. So, but that’s such a small fraction of of of the guys. Do you not see that the CHL is going to take a hit to this because of dollars like this to me outside of the G mechanza and maybe there’s three or four guys per year out of the whole CHL that can say you know what I need the better competition next year cuz everything here has just been too easy for me for the last year or two. I get that. But aren’t there going to be guys who are like mid-level players or even top end players, but not the Gavin McKenna who are who are going to be challenged next year in the CHL, you know, at a point per game player or, you know, you want to go from a point to a point and a quarter per game player who going to go to the the the the uh the uh college, the CHL is going to lose players because of it. Yep. And it’s really only chasing the dollars. But I think this also and I mean this is a this is I’m interested in your answers because you come from these CHL teams. This is actually affecting you in a way that you I would assume that you don’t like as much being that you are directly attached to a team. Well, sorry, Liam. I want to interrupt you just because I want to add to that because I think you are the expert here. Like, um, does this not does it not siphon off just the the the 18, 19, 20 year olds kind of mentality so that the CHL can then focus on a younger talent pool and a younger group of players that they perhaps have not they’ve been they’ve been stymied because they focus on that 19 and then the 20 year olds where they’ve had to put in a rule to keep them. That’s how I’m kind of looking at it from two perspectives. One, the NCAA is better than the CHL. Oh, so is it just a better league just because they’re older and larger human beings? Pretty much. So, but the CHL produces more draft picks and NHL players per year than NCAA. No. Yeah, but a lot of players wouldn’t go to the NCAA who are in a draft eligible year because they’re older. So, they would come from the USA. But you don’t think they’re going to go now because they can go make money? I think that we all see players who like I think a really good example of somebody who would have benefited from this is Andrew Crystalall who I believe he was a second round pick by the Capitals maybe first whatever it was he had already put up like 100 points in the C in with the Colona Rockets uh but couldn’t play in the American League cuz he was too young like that’s a player who deserves to go and play at the next level. I agree but do you think like 17 year olds are going to go very few will go? I don’t think it’ll be You don’t think they’re going to go chase the dollar? No, I don’t think they all will. Like I think you look at guys like like Katon Verhoff went this year and Gavin Mckennis like those are two top five picks. I also think but this year was the first time. Yeah. But I think these college programs too are going to be like well why would I want this 17year-old when I can just get a guy who went in the first round. Like I know these these guys might be top five picks whatever and those two are like certain things but I don’t think we’re just going to see like a random 17y old. It might be like a late first early second round pick go because they do need mature replacements. But you’ll you you’ll I think you’ll see bottom level NCAA teams throw the money at the younger guys. They won’t be able to afford them. Why? Those programs won’t have the dollars. Like if you look at the teams that were in on McKenna, it was Denver, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, like Minnesota, the top team. Yeah, but you’re going after the de you’re going after the McKenna who are obviously going to cost you more. But what about guys who are like two rungs down from McKenna? It’ll really depend on what the program has to offer. Like that’s the thing. But I don’t you think that when talking to 17 year olds dollar signs are going to do it? But if you look at like let’s just say Colona Rockets. Mhm. Okay. You have the Colona Rockets. You’re a 17-year-old kid who plays on that team. Why would you go and play in like Baiji State for example? But it’s also based off like lifestyle a little bit too for these players. And I think that will matter because you can commit to Baiji State just example again and just go a year out. These guys are getting to thrown under their bus by I think that’s what we’ll see is like a lot of kids will commit young. Like there’s a kid called Koopa Will Williams. He’s from Calgary. Plays for the Blades, Saskatoon Blades. He’s committed to go to North Dakota in two uh not this season, but the one after. I think that’s what we’ll see is like a lot of these kids will start getting claimed when they’re 16, 17, but they won’t go until they’re 18. So, I think that’s what’ll happen. So, they’ll get claimed. You’ll kind of own their rights and they’ll So, now the CHL is going to become the AHL to the NCLA being the NHL. Uh, in a way I think that will happen like become like a theater league. But also too, like what Dan said, like I think this just actually allows a larger talent pool for the CHL in the way of like, oh, we’re actually going to bring up our 16-year-old this season. He’s Are we still going to be able to bring over American kids? Oh, yeah. And European kids. Yep. They actually just expanded the CHL draft import draft to three rounds, too. Yeah. And all the American kids are coming to the CHL. like they want to play in in Canada. They want, but what happens when NCAA starts to get that much better because they’re taking like the Gavin Mckennon, all these top end guys are going there. There’ll just be too many. There’s not enough spots. A lot of that stuff won’t happen until they expand so much. Yeah. Like I’m not talking things are going to happen tomorrow, but I’m talking like five, six, seven years down the road. But I think that’s fine. I think it’s about the development of the game itself. And like of course like we all want to see these CHL teams. They’ve known for so long that they are like the best level that these kids can play at before they go pro. I think they need to adapt their mindset of like we actually need to get our players to drafted. The goal should be drafted because then you get the money and that’s important for these programs. Of course, but from there if Gavin McKenna, Cole Rashny are like hey like thanks for your time but I’m leaving. Those teams need to be ready for that and have to accept it. Yeah. But you’re going to lose you’re going to lose like I don’t know how much these teams rely on ticket sales or butts in the seats but you’re going to lose them when you don’t all of a sudden don’t have a bard hanging out in Reginaina for sure but like the exciting part is especially in Western Canada the programs have got so much better that these stars are coming way more regular and you’re getting better and better players through and now that the C western league is the best example is you’re getting such a big pool of Minnesota players they want to come play in your league. So, you’re actually able to, we haven’t seen this yet, but I think this is my perspect on it. You’re going to see more players, better players in these leagues now because of the US and the eligibility to play in the NCAA. Yeah, I think that that’s it’s a really good point and in listening to all that, it’s kind of unlocked two things for me. One thing is is it really addresses the whole AHL tweeners issue that’s happened. Yeah, Jonathan Drew was another guy that in Halifax wins the Memorial Cup with that super team, but then he’s kind of stuck there after McKinnon graduates to the NHL and he’s just his development was just stagnated and frankly you can see it now in his NHL play versus a guy like Nathan McKinnon. So yeah, that’s interesting to me. And then the other part of it is to your point, Rick, good. If the NCAA gets better and we get more programs and they’re pulling in they’re pulling in more players, that’s a good thing because then that forces first first of all it forces players to get better. It has players getting better with which is a great unintended consequence. The second thing is how does it get players to be better if they lose their better talent? because their because their development trajectory is allowed to continue. Excuse me. In a in a more developed You’re not playing against You’re not playing against better players though. No, but you’re in a in a system where where they are developing players, not like the AHL where it’s you’re playing games to sell tickets in the AHL market and maybe catch the eye of the NHL and all these different things. You are just in the NCAA to go to school and develop your skills as an NHL school. No, I know. But that’s those are the two reasons that you’re there, right? is the ex existence. You don’t have anything else under you and you’re getting paid to do it. I still think money is going to win and you’re going to see guys chase money instead of Yep. And I think and I don’t think that’s a good thing for the CHL. Like a team at the the Edmonton Oral Kings. The second part I was going to say is that No, I think that that’s going to help those teams then kind of light a fire under them where their ownership has to say we have to become somewhat of a a destination again. And you have to do that in the in the CHL anyways because you do you go through through such roller coasters where you’re at the top of the top then all your guys get drafted now you’re at the bottom again and then you that’s where you’re out there trying to do all that stuff. But for the league as a whole it’s just been really comfortable living for them for a long time because they’re the development league of the National Hockey League and that’s it. And now that’s not the way it is. And so it’s I I think it is going to light a fire. I do think that there is going to be other negative unintended consequences. I’m not just I’m not just being like I’m not just being roying it’s bad it’s not great but you’re going to I think this I don’t think this is the greatest thing I think you need to cap the amount of people I can go or something like that but I think just opening the doors the CHL is going to take a massive hit. Yeah. I guess last thing I think the NA NA NC NCAA will just fix NIL stuff once they do that and be like hey you have 500,000 to spend on your hockey program right and maybe they already do have that in certain programs that’s why some have some some there might be internal budgets but there’s definitely no external budgets right now but I think that’s the way they will fix because you’ve se you’ve actually seen how NIL money has affected NF or sorry NCAA football and it’s probably not for the best. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Good one. I love that. That went way longer than I thought it would. It was 25 minutes. There you go. Okay. Back to the good stuff. Betting talk brought to you by Bet365. Whatever the bet is, it’s never ordinary. Bet 3665. Download the app today and get in on the game. Use the code nation at bet365. Must be 19 or older. Please play responsibly. Rick the Elks won and they were the underdogs on the weekend. Did I Is that not what I told you? You did tell me. I didn’t do it. And for the record, plus 7,000 down to plus 3,000. Well, who do they play this week? They’re BC Lions, right? And I think we’re three and a half point dogs to them playing at home. Mhm. This is another It’s going to be a tough game, but I think our defense is getting better and better. And I would look at this team as another underdog moneyline win. Plus 135 on the money line. They are plus three on the spread over under is 51. And like you said, what did you say? They’re now still Did you get a good cash out on it yet? No, no, no. There’s definitely no cash outs. Uh plus 3,000 on the uh futures there. Let me get to hockey here and we’ll tell you what. Isaac Howard’s Cery odds are they up yet? Yeah, they must be right here. C. There we go. Called Isaac Howard. Well, Matthew Seavo is first of all, it’s Ike. Ikeard. My apologies. Matthew Seavoy though. plus 2800 to win Nicole the trophy next season and Ike Ike and he just keeps screw Ike plus 2500 so he’s edgy more they just haven’t updated the list yet but he was second last a good option I would look sprinkling at both of those guys speaking of not updating yet uh the game one starting goalie still has uh odds still have Jake Allen at plus 400 to be the Oilers uh starting goalie 365 gets summer vacations, too, I guess. Yes. Yeah, that’s You know what, and I was thinking about it as I’m thinking, it doesn’t really hurt them if somebody’s not paying attention. So, whatever. It’s h it is what it is. There just there’s been no movement whatsoever as to a name popping up the line there. Any other bets? Have we now that we have brought in perhaps the our best rookie, have we moved up at all in terms of Stanley Cup odds? Plus 750. We lost. I think we were 700 last show. Oh no. Florida is plus 600. Oh yeah, that’s right. Cuz we were It was us in Carolina and Florida was third, which never made sense to me at all. I’ll give you I’ll give you you guys some overunders here to do. I’ve uh brought up the player regular season points. Uh seats as well cuz I have to do buttons. Okay, perfect. So this is a perfect segue to give you an opportunity and I will make sure I stretch it out a little bit. Uh but the first thing and again we’re looking for players regular season points. Uh the first player listed is Brad Marshand Liam over under 56 and a half points. Un over. Okay. Rick, you think it’s even right now? It’s minus 105. Yeah, I think that’s under. Okay. 56. Yeah. What about one Mitchell Marner at 92 and a half points? Ova. Oh, hey Tyler’s back. You’re taking the over on that one. Man, that feels really high to me. But I guess Vegas is going to be a an offensive juggernaut. We’re doing over under quickly here, Tyler. Over under Mitch Martner 92 and a half points this season. Over. He’s 102 last year. I said over. Yeah. Okay. Margie. Oh yeah, the Mar was 56. Under. Smash that under. I love that under. I said, I said under. Speaking of 56 and a half, they also have Noah Dobson, newest Montreal Canadian listed at 56 and a half points under. He’s not going to get PP1 time. Yeah. And doesn’t matter. Okay. Now, I don’t know where he is playing, but I saw a little blur. He Well, I don’t know where he is playing in terms of the power play. Dude has two power play goals in two years. Dobson. No, really. Can someone double check this? I saw a tweet. I don’t know. Um, obviously I just take the uh tweets or the headlines and run with it. I don’t really do the uh that’s how any good conversation starts. Well, I think they were That’s absolutely correct. He has 10 power play goals in 388 career games. Damn. Pound the over of 56 and a2. He only had 39 points last season. That’s crazy. Getting PP1. Yeah. Now he’s not getting PP1. No, he is. No. Take the under on Noah Dobson is what we’re saying. And finally, Trevor Ziggress at 50 and a half points on the season with the Philadelphia Flyers. over over it cuz he’ll be talking. They’ll play I have to play him. There you go. I would say over as well. Is those the only ones that are up right now? Uh they also have JJ Purka. Purka. Yeah, he’s at 72 and a half right now. It’s actually probably a pretty decent line. Didn’t he get moved or he signed? He’s in Utah now. Yeah, he got moved. He’s playing on the line with Barrett Hayden and Nick Schmoltz. So says someone in front of a crystal ball. Dylan Gunther is right ahead of him. Yeah, but someone with a crystal ball trying to predict the lines in July. It’s Brock. Okay. Um, we’re up to Hong Ko performers on a Wednesday, which feels weird. Rick, you want to go first? You’re co-performer of the of the midweek. Yeah, I’m I’m a guy who likes it at the grocery store quite often, and I’m always a selfch checkout guy. Some people can’t use the selfch checkout line. Yeah, you just have to get a license pretty. Uh, you got to Yeah, you got to be I don’t know. There’s some sort of test. You need to Some people should not be using the selfch check line. We’ll leave it at that. I’m set. You really do got to You should have to do a self assessment before you go to the selfch check. Yeah, something like that. Go ahead, Dan. Your cold performer of the week. Uh, my cold perform of the week is just my luck uh with my car this week. Uh, woke up on Saturday morning to go out and do a couple errands to a flat tire. Uh, had a metal chunk in it. uh which was what it was described to me as by the people at the fine folks at the tire center that helped me out. Uh, and then yesterday driving home from work, uh, I got final destination and I saw a big pebble come off of a dump truck and I watched it fly up in the air and I watched it carry right into the windshield right above my eye. And like I’m I’m telling you, there is only one little thin layer of glass left on the thing. But it is a it is a decentsized chunk of my windshield uh that’s going to get replaced on Monday. Uh, tons of cracks within that windshield up until now, but this one was super scary. So, my luck has been my cold before of the week. Are you thrilled? I’m not. Ty, apologies if you talked about it, but it’s the dude that tried to fight Nick Tarnaski. No, he didn’t. We haven’t talked about that. If you get thrown in the If first off, if you’re playing so slow that the guy behind you wants to fight you and then you look at him and he looks like how Nick Tarnaski looks, don’t fight him. Secondly, if you get thrown in the lake, you’ve lost the fight. If the guy’s punching you the first time, yelling bang every time he punches you, he’s out of your league. If he does it again, you’re [ __ ] He did finally give up after he got yeated 8 feet in the air by another grown man. That guy, terrible fighter, presumably terrible golfer, all-around loser, cold performer. Worst, worst, worst. Uh my c perform of the week, I went to the Calgary Stampede uh Monday afternoon into the evening. Place kind of sucks if you’re not watching the rodeo. Boy. Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh boy. Even worse if you’re one of the animals. Okay. Tie your performer of the week. 10 in a row for the Toronto Blue Jays. They’re do losing right now. Knock on wood. Comeback time. But 10 in a row for the Blue Jays. Baseball is back in this country. It’s great to see people getting on the bandwagon again. Shout out to Whit Maryfield’s new podcast, Six Inning Stretch. Part of the Nation Network. It’s awesome. He had Matt Chapman on this week as well. had some really interesting things to say about Ross Atkins, too. So, go download that podcast. Go watch the Blue Jays. That’s all. We the best, Dan. Uh, well, thank you to Tyler for reminding me of this viral video that’s gone out. I was going to originally give it to my favorite band, AJR, who dropped a new single this morning, Betty, which is just phenomenal. Fun fun song to listen to, but it’s all the jokes and memes that went around that Nick Tarnaski golf fight. I just was roaring, laughing all day yesterday. And it continues into this morning when uh one I’m just trying to pull it up and then I forgot to pull it up. Uh the guy is on Instagram. You can follow him. It’s Travis Chapman artist and that’s an underscore in between Travis Chapman and artist. Uh he made a painting of the final yeet of the golfer and it’s unbelievable. You have to go check it out on hockey social media. But uh Travis Chapman, artist gets my hot performer of the week. Y’all having a good time out there? [Music] [Applause] Everybody except for that one guy was having a great time. Yeah, Rick. This being a hockey podcast and us being old enough to have sat through more than one stoppage before. I have to give it to the NHL and the HLPA for getting the CBA done, dealt with. There was no public pressure on a team on on one side or the other. There was no taking this to the last minute. I don’t think the CBA ends till next year and they got it done a year in advance. It’s just for the older guys. It’s it’s nice to see this get done without having to do all the whole hoopla of like them and us and us and them and using the public as to try and use them to waiver. It’s nice to see done out of the way. Move on. My hot performer of the week. I went to the zoo on Sunday. The Calgary Zoo. Calgary Zoo. Okay. It was amazing. I’ve been there before, but this time was just better. They have a polar bear there. That guy was digging around. The penguins are epic. Great penguins exhibit. Uh yeah, just my full visit to the zoo. It was awesome. Here you go. One second. Massage. Liam’s entire hot and cold performers brought to you by Explore Calgary. Explore Calgary. Yeah. There you go. Thanks for listening to this Thursday edition of Oilers Nation Radio. We will be back next Friday. Yes. Okay, maybe. See you then. What’s up, nation citizens? If you like that video, then you need to be subscribed to the Oilers Nation YouTube podcast, live shows, exclusive interviews and analysis, everything you need from your favorite voices at Oilers Nation. And you don’t want to miss any of it. So, hammer that subscribe button.

Tyler, Liam, Rick and Dan sat down for a fresh episode of Oilersnation Radio. The group had some fresh news to talk about as well as on Tuesday, the Oilers acquired Ike Howard from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for Sam O’Reilly.

They discussed their initial reactions to the deal, where The 2025 Hobey Baker award winner was the top player could fit in the lineup next season, and which centre he could fit best next to. They also talked about the mini youth movement that could be happening next season in Edmonton and what the expectations should be for young players like Howard and Matt Savoie.

From there, they talked about whether or not they think Oilers GM Stan Bowman is done for the summer. There are rumblings that they still might be looking to upgrade their goaltending tandem. They also touched on the recent rumours that Darnell Nurse was asked to waive his no-movement clause but refused. Nurse himself threw cold water on it, but the guys still talked about the idea that he could be traded at some point.

To wrap up the pod, they hit on the Calder Trophy odds and a few over/unders for some players who are joining new teams next season on Bet365. They also gave out their hot performers for the week which included the Blue Jays, a viral fight involving a former NHLer, the new CBA, and the zoo.

0:00 Intro
2:14 Do you like the Ike Howard trade?
11:30 Are you nervous about Sam O’reilly leaving?
16:29 Is Stan Bowman done?
22:50 News around the league
46:22 Betting Talk
51:14 Hot and Cold Performers