Pre-season reviews! Cootes, Mancini impress

Pre-season reviews! Cootes, Mancini impress

[Music] Secars price for Monday, September 22nd. 2025 presentation of Bet 365. We’re coming to you from the Pacific Toyota dealer studio here at the historic wall center. Visit shop toyota.ca or visit your local Pacific Toyota dealer today. Matt Sakaris alongside Blake Price, fourtime Juno Award winner Mike Rogers, hitting switches, conducting things with intern Braden Goodman. We have a really big show for you today. What a jam. There’s so much going on. It is amazing and and really actually you know some profound victories for teams of note around these parts. Very profound victories. Our boys the summer white caps and lines with like their best I mean two of their most impressive victories of the season. Canada women’s rugby is on an absolute vibe right now. Yeah. Seahawks win. We’ll get to all of that later in the program. to first on the Vancouver Conucks who finished training camp in Pentictton have played their first pre-season game. Uh it was marvelous being up in Pentictton reconnecting with many friends, everybody at Yellow Dog. Thank you. Big big thank yous to Mike, Melinda, John, Gil, Laura, and the whole team up there that took such great care of us. How was your drive home? Uh it was good. Good. Look at split. You really got to watch your speed on that connector. It can get I mean it’s just such a big open road. Can sometimes creep up really high that speed. Lickickety split. Lots of cops. Speed traps. Lickickety split. Got home had a schedule even after a delay. Well, outside delay. Consider it an entrance fee. Consider it toll. It’s an expensive toll. Well, usually toll is a few bucks. Remember the old days you throw change into a basket at a toll booth. Mhm. Mhm. If there isn’t if there is change if there is a case to be made for an autobond in British Columbia. The connector is The connector is it for sure. There’s not a ton of up and down. It’s not there yet. Play. Well, it’s a big climb and then a big at the end. Yes. Yeah. Or vice versa. You’re coming the other way. Well, actually both both ways and uh everyone around Pentecost, huh? Yeah, that’s Mike. And they’re like, “Who has he worked with in the world of music?” And I’m like, “It’s really a shorter list of who he hasn’t worked with.” It’s uh in the world of music. It is strange that he carries them around. Like I I think that’s a little weird. Backpack wants to dress the set, right? Just sticking out of the backpack. You know, the Redwoods Golf Course poll question today. Do you want to see rookie first round pick Braden Coots make the team? You can vote yes, you can vote no, do so at the Sakaris Price X and YouTube channels. Our buddy David Cuadrelli, the editor-inchief of Kucks Army, of course, the host of Kucks Conversation. We had David on the show, what was that? Thursday, was really impressed with Braden Cutz’s game tonight. That was last night in Seattle. Continues to build on what’s been a strong first impression in his first NHL training camp. Answer me the poll. Um, no. Don’t want, he shouldn’t, don’t eat. Is that because you gave him a 0% chance of making this team late last week and are already um, no worried about that? It’s just, you know, he’s not going to play the se like I if you get a thrill out of the guy doing the the eightgame stint to start a season, I mean, fill your boots. He’s not making this team. He will not be a Vancouver kuck in December. So why not just let the kid develop appropriately. I wish it was in the AHL, but play a ton of minutes, dominate the the Western League, and be a leader in Seattle. That’s what he should do. And then next year, I will give him a half chance to make this squad. But even then, it probably should be the next run. They’re weak at center. They don’t have any right-handed centers. An 18-year-old kid is not your answer to that week is to that hole. Like it’s he’s just not. Can he be a bridge though till November, December when maybe some guys become available via trade at the at a possible expense of him being overmatched and you know and and and and maybe being frustrated you know like if he’s not good out there come NHL regular season which is very different than what we’re about to see from him in the preseason. No doubt. I I you know like I just think I I would nails a monet before I’d Braden coots it but you don’t even need come on like you you and Jeff all the time man there’s no bottom line ever. Why they ever play? You don’t need I’ve had to defend Neil Zan a little bit in terms of the penalty killing. I’m joking about you don’t need Neil Zone. You’ve got Atu. You got Teddy Blue. No no no no. You were one injury away like from Neil Zammon. Yeah. One injury away. Yeah. Yeah. Well, until we see that injury, I don’t need to consider that. Are you one training camp injury away from Braden Coots? Cross bridges when we get to them. I I I’m voting yes. There’s nothing to be fearful of here, everybody. It would be an outstanding achievement for this young man if he is undeniable and forces his way into this lineup. I mean, unless you think that losing someone like an Arch Deep Baines or a Vitali Crafts off on waiverss would be some massive wound to the organization, I can’t really see any negative byproducts of Braden Coots being so good that the Vancouver Conucks want to keep him amongst the group, the roster, if not the lineup for opening night and beyond. If he looks overmatched in his NHL sample size, no matter how many games that might be, you can always send him back down to junior, but they are weak at center ice. They do not have right-handed center options. I loved what I read and what I saw of this young man heading into the draft process. I loved what I heard from him after the Canucks took him. It seemed like they were singularly focused on taking him with the pick that they had. We talked about how they didn’t interview or explore many of the other candidates at the draft combine. It’s never a bad thing when you have a draft pro a drafted prospect who is already exceeding his draft slot and showing greater progress sooner than you might have expected. That sounds like a franchise that is desperate for any positivity and I don’t think that they want to go down that road just yet. That sounds like something the Seattle Kraken would do. Well, the Philadelphia Flyers did it last year with Jet Luchenko, who was a similar prospect to Coots in terms of where he was selected in terms of being a right shot, responsible two-way center. He did not hang the whole season with the Philadelphia Flyers. Of course, he was dispatched back to junior. Yeah. Uh which could be the same thing for Braden Coots. um you know to me and what is it a ninegame look typically is what NHL teams look at when they keep junior players that becomes an important threshold to them and then of course there is also the other option of having him with the National Hockey League team and okay he’s not playing as much or he’s not guaranteed to play each and every night you dispatch him to c to Canada for the world juniors over the course of December and you make the decision in January and of course coots would be a a younger player on a team Canada because it’s typically a new be a younger player on team Canada. That says everything you need to know about whether or not he should be on this team. If he’s young for the world juniors, he’s too young for the Vancouver. Well, he’d be an 18year-old on the world. Canada typically takes a number of 18 year olds, but yes, there are 19 year olds there. He turns 19 and I’m down 18. Let me be clear. I’m not down on the prospect. And it’s great that he’s having as good a camp as he has. It is great that he’s showing as well. That that puts a lot of faith in or uh gives me a lot of optimism for the years to come. So, I’m I’m glad he’s doing this rather than the alternative rather than Jonathan Lacroki to be honest. Um but it still doesn’t change my opinion on where he should be. The junior golf camps at the Redwoods Golf Course have already sold out. So, we’ll be telling you more about the winter lessons and camps available coming up soon. But for now, private, semi-private, junior lessons also available, flexible to your schedule for children ages 6 to 16. Set your kids up for the sport of a lifetime. Get to redwoods-golf.com/instruction. And Blake and I can attest, having done a couple of lessons now with their pro Craig, one on course, one in the fantastic practice facility, it will absolutely improve your game instantly. In fact, I saw results Friday when we played with the Yellow Dog guys. Yeah. Up in Pentech. Congratulations. This is the downside of him getting lessons. I don’t want him getting better. It’s coming. Our top story brought to you by Yellow Dog Brewing, Neighborhood Brewing, Foolish Winery. And boy, did we have a blast there on the weekend. The first of 88 scheduled games is in the books. Autumn is officially upon us. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s hockey season. Oh, he’s made it clear. Okay, if Matt says so. Well, we’ve had games played. Mhm. The calendar is officially turned. What more do you need? League scheduled game. Actually, you’re kind of in charge of your own preseason, actually. But Conucks lose 53 in Seattle. The first of six preseason games before of course the final 82game regular season slate. We’re moving to 84 next se next season. Their next one is Wednesday at Abbottzford Center. Braden Coots the aforementioned assists on a Victor Mancini goal. He gets hit with a high stick and carries on. He’s called smart, calm, reliable by his head foot by his head coach. Here’s Adam Foot on Braden Cuts’s debut. smart, he’s reliable. Um, for a young kid, his hockey uh IQ is very high and he’s able to adapt in these games and um, you know, he he’s I like the way he hung in there when things probably weren’t going our way. He played above pucks, made good decisions with the pucks and um, it’s nice to see his he’s he’s calm at such a young age. So, there was good things from him. You hear that, Blake? Adaptable, above the puck. He said on Saturday, he was talked to by reporters Saturday um when they scrimmaged in Pentictton at the South Okonogan Event Center and he said he still had to work on keeping up to NHL pace, but he didn’t look out of place. No. And against a pretty good lineup that the Kraken dressed like that was closer to their NHL team than it was their AHL team. I think most people that most of the media that have seen him all weekend would would probably disagree with Foot on that that he looked capable at the NHL pace. Now, making decisions at the like we’re just talking skating, he looked capable. Now, making decisions at that speed and playing the right way, that’s a different thing. Okay. So, I think it was Thursday last week, it might have been Wednesday. Yeah. Where we said chances that he makes the team, you said zero and I said two to three. I’m up to 10%. 10%. Wow. Well, it’s a one and 10. It’s still a long shot, but uh have you moved off zero? Uh we’re talking beyond the junior eligible. We’re talking opening night. We’re talking opening. Does he make the team out of camp? That’s what that’s the discussion we had last week. That’s the discussion I’m going to hold you to. 1%. Okay. Victor Mancini scores. Came into camp in great shape, we learned, and showed energy last night. Here’s the head coach, Adam Foot, on his big right shot defenseman. Powerful. He came and came in really good shape and you saw the power and and uh you know, he got excited once the one goal came and then sometimes you uh I wouldn’t say do too much, but you know, I like the way he had the juices going, the energy. Uh but uh a lot of good things, but like we’ll have to calm some of it down in the neutral zone, but uh the beauty is he’s just got the power and he’s pushing hard. Who does Who does that remind you of? The coach speak or the No, just the attributes that he talked about there. Wrong wrong shot. This is a left-handed former Kuck. Big body, can skate, a little rambunctious, a little excited at times, needed some reigns on him. Recent history. Oh, Nikita. Yeah, big Nikita. I think this kid has more puck skills. That and to me, that’s where Victor Mancini is at a little bit. It’s a little bit confounding. We’re going to talk about with Harm Dial later in the show. When we watched him in the National Hockey League last year, Blake, there were a number of nights where he treated the puck like a grenade. There were a number of nights where he was really fighting the puck in those 16 games he played. I have a Canucks. You watch him in the AHL and he’s astounding on the puck. He’s really comfortable. So much so that he’s rushing up ice. Theory? I I I think he was intimidated by Tet and the system uh whether it was too complicated or not explained well enough and I don’t know that he knew Tet was just wholly against him carrying the puck. Yeah. Yeah. Exactly. And so I don’t know that he knew what to do. I think when he got the puck he was like I forget what I’m supposed to do here. Um would be the first Philip Pedal too, right? Filipino when he came over from the Rangers was just carrying the puck in like okay this is what I do and and then down at the level he’s just better we’re at chip and chase at the age level he’s just better than everybody like I go back to Eric Brandstrom from last year Eric Bransom looks like Quinn Hughes when he plays in the AHL it’s just different for him up at the so you know Mancini is got he’s got the body and that Brans doesn’t um yes he’s got to find confidence now at this level and you can rein it in. You can find you can rein in the guy doing too much in the neutral zone that that you can work on. Uh, but you you actually do need him to feel good carrying the puck and you know, performances like this will help. And this opens the discussion and for a lot of us when we were sketching out this Vancouver Canucks opening night roster and of course beyond just the lineup, beyond the 18 skaters and the two goalies, but the three spares, 23, uh, a lot of us were sketching out 14 forwards and seven defensemen. And the reason doing that is Mancini Wheelander are both um in a ineligible waiver-wise. So you can just send them right down to the farm. They do not have to pass through waivers. Whereas you have a number of your forwards are Steve Baines, Vitalic Craftsoff come to mind who do require waiverss. Lus Carlson. So the idea being you want to protect the assets and keep the guys who require waivers up less you risk losing them. Now the flip side is best time to get a player through waiverss is usually when teams are opening or setting that opening night roster. So there is a calculation to be had. Is it possible Blake they keep eight defenseman because Mancini has become undeniable? Is it possible they keep seven defensemen and put the just signed this summer Pier Olivier Joseph who has a history with Rutherford Alvine in Pittsburgh on waiverss and try and send him down. I think everybody’s got a PO Joseph. I I I think if you do it strategically at the right time, this would be the right time. Yeah. you know, sooner rather than later. I I And that gives you a legitimate right shot, a third legitimate right because right now you’re looking at DPy, Derek Forbert, Pierre, Olivier Joseph, and some of them have played a fair amount on the right side, but they’re all lefties. You’d be looking at playing a lefty on the right side. Foot and were very hesitant to do that over the last two and a half years. I I think you owe it to yourself if you’re Adam Foot to give yourself that option. You know, as capable as those lefties might be on the right side, I think you owe it to yourself to scratch the itch the way you like to scratch it, which is to go left, right, and and see like this kid might have a longer leash than the other guys do on the left side because he’s the coveted right. So, I think you let this kid run himself out over the preeason and see how he responds. and, you know, see how he responds to the critiques and the tweaks that he’s that that are being asked of him about his behavior in the neutral zone and giving the puck away uh about when to pinch and get involved, all that sort of stuff. You don’t want to kill his moxy, but you know, um there is coaching beyond the junior rank. So, see how he responds. It was also a good night for winger Neils Hoglander uh coming off that dreadful season just the eight goals in 72 games after having three times that many 24 in his breakout campaign of 23-24. That is a good sign for the Vancouver Conucks because you absolutely need Nils Hoglander to be closer to that 24 goal guy than he was to the eightgoal guy of last year going forward. Not to mention there very well could be real estate available on the second line. We say that because as we flip the leaf and now look at some guys who perhaps didn’t do as great through the weekend training camp and the scrimmage and the first preseason game. Mhm. Jonathan Lramaki, we talked about it last week, the first round pick of a few years ago, was given some prime real estate alongside Evander Kane and Philip Heedle on on the second line in those early camp practices. Well, uh Hoglander was skating with Heedle and Lcramaki last night. So, basically in the Evander Kane spot. Uh, Leaki has not, according to all of those who watched all the sessions, the scrimmage, and the preseason, done the Carpey DM, sees the day, seize the opportunity you were given to play with other offensive players because it’s one of the things we wondered about Foot. Is he going to give a young guy who is top six or bust the opportunity to play with those better offensive players? The answer to that was yes. The answer to did Leaki do enough with it that you think him above some of these other candidates Carlson Baines Crafts off and of course an inate defenseman concoction. Has he done enough to separate himself from that group? The answer is no. And and Chase Stillman ends up stealing some ice time from him in the late going yesterday. And that’s not a good sign. I mean, this is a forgotten firstrounder in Chase Stillman, who hey, I hope he turns into a story and and and proves us all wrong here. But, you know, this is a guy that had singledigit points last season here in Chase Stillman. This is not a guy that should be, you know, taking away ice time from Jonathan Laceri, who at times looked so good. Yeah, he’s a jag, if you will, just a guy. Well, yeah, he’s flirting with it. He’s only 22 is so he’s got time. He’s got time to prove us wrong here. But um but yeah, it’s not looking good for him right now. He’s he’s going to have to prove people wrong. And that’s that should not be the competition for for Jonathan Lacramaki. Two things on Lacramaki that I think um have to get better and I suspect will be works in progress in mostly Abbottzford this year, particularly the first half of the season. now said last week and holy believe I do I do think the Vancouver Conucks at some point this season are going to need Jonathan Lucker Mackey’s offense. I just don’t see enough goals in the lineup that they have right now and this is probably I mean he’s if if he’s not number one he’s right there with Basser and De Brusk in terms of natural goal scorer. He’s on your podium in terms of skill set. Uh, we knew he was a slight guy. I’m still not sure he’s up to NHL size and strength to be able to play in those tighter quarters. And then number two, I know Thomas Dance has talked a lot and written about this in the Athletic. I he’s not slow, but he’s not NHL fast. And if you’re going to have that skill set and if you’re going to have to rely on getting into some open spaces to be able to release that awesome shot that he has, both from a velocity uh point of view, but also an accuracy in the way he he gets it off. Remember that one goal last year coming down the left wing where I’m not sure the goalender and the defense thought he could get a shot off like that on goal with that kind of release. If you’re going to be that sort of player, you are going to have to separate from time to time with foot speed and that but but that’s you know well it’s ironic the goals that he scored that are most impressive at the NHL level have actually been on the rush um despite that’s what I mean but despite the fact he doesn’t own that foot speed necessarily but what he’s going to need to do and and we saw this Brock Besser is not a fast skater uh but from day one night one in the National Hockey League for Brock Besser guess what he didn’t use his feet per se or his gifted feet to find space. He used the matter between his ears to do that. He was outstanding in terms of his hockey IQ. And for some Blake, that’s something you can coach and that’s something that just some have and others don’t. I’m not sure where Lacramacki fits in on that yet. Um, but I think it’s going to fall short of Besser because it was effortless for Besser. And so he’s but I I also think he’s a better skater than Besser and should be an even better skater going forward. We need to get him on the Boh horvat program. If you remember all those years ago, Willie Dejarde, I saw skating that first camp and I thought this is going to be a problem. Second camp, Bo Horvat was one of the better skaters amongst the Canucks hopefuls. Uh, also not a great night for Suri’s Archip Baines. It was a giveaway that led to a goal this after the Athletic tapped him as one of the players who helped their cause in camp. More on that later with Herman Dial who joins us. But if you’re our Steve Baines, you’re in a battle with Lenus Carlson, with Fatali Kraoff, with Jonathan Lacramaki, maybe now Braden Coots, perhaps even Max Sassen, and then again the eight defenseman concoction where if they keep eight, it’s going to be one less spare forward. So you’re got a lot of internal competition there if you’re our Steve base with the shorter preseason. Blake, he ain’t got much more time to bleed. Mhm. He’s got to show his wares off day today, tomorrow at practice, if he is one of the players selected to play at Abbottzford on Wednesday and then through the weekend when the Canucks are back at it with uh preseason games. Where where is it? Uh oh, sorry, Friday. That’s right. Friday. The Friday home game against the Seattle Kraken Sunday in Edmonton. You’re not sweating him on the waiver wire, though. No. Yeah. No. I I I This is not a player that has shown enough Yeah. of the top end, the top bar where I think he’s going to be that shiny object for other fish in the sea. I I I love the story here. A Punjabi kid from Suri who led the WHL in scoring, goes undrafted, gets signed by his hometown team, becomes an AHL Allstar. um gets into NHL games before uh before his home public. He’s got his first NHL goal. Smart two-way player. I I’ll say this, Matt. I love the story here, but yes, we do have to be fair. He is a year younger than Lus Carlson is. He’ll be 25 our steep in January in the new year. Um this is a big year. Even if he like if he goes down to the American Hockey League, he was 43 points in 50 games. If he’s going to do this, be a National Hockey League player, he’s got to be a better than a point per game player. Like he’s he’s got the AHL level. At the AHL level, well, it’s just he’s he’s not a power play NHL guy. He’s not a penalty killing thus far NHL guy. He’s a responsible two-way player, I think, at the NHL level. I think he’s a smart guy. I think he’s crafty. There’s part of me that wonders, is it just a case of inexperience? And as he plays more, will he figure more out? But he did play a fair number of games last year and there was not much of a bottom line in totality. 21 games. He’s got one over two season. He’s got 1.1 goal. Like, so it’s a bit of an awkward fit. Like he’s not big enough to think he brings the size element. He’s not sort of agitated enough to think he brings that pest shift disturber element. He basically has to find an NHL identity like and I’m and I’m honest I’m not sure what it is. And again like I don’t know that Max Sassin is an NHL player but Max Assassin’s got 29 NHL games. He’s got seven points. Not goddy by any stretch of the imagination but it’s it’s shown us something there. There’s something there. I I I I like Sassin’s wheels better. or at least I think he plays the game at a faster pace. I think he processes the game at a faster pace. I’m still not giving up on the fact that he can play center. So, and he’s older, too. He’s a year older than he’s 25. He just turned 20 25 a couple of weeks ago. So, um and Lis Carlson’s about to be 26. So, but Carl, I mean, with what he showed you in the NHL and then the AHL po postseason run last year, I mean, that’s got to count for something, right? Tai Young gives up three goals after coming in in the second period. He’s in a competition, of course, with Nikita Toapilo for starts at Abbottzford. So, this was an early gauge on that. Toilo drew some praise from head coach Adam Foot after the game. um something we’ll talk about if we have to talk about it and we sure hope we don’t have to talk about it because of everything that Demco has been through from an injury point of view. But if you did need a third goalender at some point is Yuri Peter because he has played in NHL games the leader in the clubhouse right now. What would it take for Nikita who did get some NHL games at the end of last season? What would it take for Tolo to bypass him and be the third organizational goalender in terms of NHL games? Not uh he has the prospect status that of course Yuri Peter does not, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be the first call up if you need a goal. Tola had a really nice year. Remember he uh had more starts than Sheila. So, you know, I I I think Tolip has got a very real possibility here of being the number three goalie in the Conucks organization in pretty short order. If he has a good start to the season, he’s got to hold off the the the guy with NHL games under his belt and Peter. Um, yep. I I I think there’s a really real like I would I would say betting odds are Nikita Toipo is the number He got into those games last year because of of course the season was lost everybody and they wanted to see him. It was two games he played 84 minutes was it 215 goals against he got a win say percentage of eight 85s and then of course Tai Young is the young guy who’s hungry and coming at but I was talking about the AHL level the AHL level he had 36 starts like that’s a lot he was taking starts away from loves from she loves Yep. Uh as mentioned we had an extraordinary time at Yellow Dog. I can only imagine what a football Sunday looks there given the banks of televisions they have encircling that bar. I think I think a football uh experience there too because that would be cool. Especially with Thomas Müller here with the white caps now and Yellow Dog has started Dogtoberfest. Mhm. German sausages. A full menu. I had the schnitle. Did you? It’s delicious. I love schnitle with sauerkraut. And do you know they have like 20 homemade mustards there? I kept hearing people say mustard bar, mustard bar. I’m like what is going mustard bar? Never heard of anything in my life. And then I saw the list. I was like, “Oh my gosh, someone has gotten very creative.” So you should go mustard. You should go check out Dogtoberfest. It’s available in Port Moody, of course, at their location there as well as in Pentictton. So you don’t have to, you know, be lickety split on the connector like I was to uh to go enjoy it. Sip your way through the German inspired brews. There will be Steinholding competitions. I don’t know what that means. Costume contests and more. Dogtoberfest is on at Yellow Dock. I I told you this Friday, the Stein carrying competitions are like what you see in the Munich beer halls with the servers. How many Steins can I actually carry? Plastic Steins? I’m hoping plastic steines. It’s a lot of cleanup. I think they just sort of resigned themselves to the fact there’s going to be spilt beer and broken steines. Kind of like the Greeks with the Opa. A lot of stuff. I think the Bavarians are just like, you know what, there’s going to be some broken glass on the ground. There’s going to be some beer spilled. It’s the cost of doing October Fest or Dogtoberfest as the case may be. Hoglander Bluger Garland. They were together as a line in training camp. We’ll talk uh we’ll talk to JPAD about this later in the show. Um I I saw quads and the Kucks army guys looking at this as well. It um well it suggests a couple of things. It suggests that Teddy Bluger is the third line center because those are more third line wingers than fourthline wingers, right? And this was not the case with uh last night’s uh game lineup. Um Blue GL uh Bluger and Hoglander played in the game. Garland did not. So there were some changes there. Believe Okconor was in the Garland spot, but again that’s probably a fourth line winger elevating. So it it suggests that Bluger is going to start as your 3C. It suggests that Atuatu is going to start as your 4C and is going to have to show that he can outperform Teddy Bluger to be that 3C. It also suggests Blake that they would really like someone if it’s not Electra Mackey then maybe somebody else to win that second line job with Heedel and Evander Kane. There’s opportunity there. Mhm. I mean, I I I I think the bottom six is very much up for grabs. Like I I I think if Ratu comes out and shows well, you know, with Lenus Carlson, a guy that he knows all about from his Abbottzford days, if they create some chances, I think the Conucks are going to want to move him up the lineup and see what he does there. And Ratu did not play last night, so I suspect he will play Wednesday in Abbottzford. Get his opportunity. He’ll feel comfortable there. You wonder if he’s going to play with Connor Garland because Garland did not play yesterday. So, is he going to get sort of similar real estate linemates, if you will? I would love to see that. I would love to see what that looks like. I mean, he knows what’s up on the line. Like, I This is where do something sort of had his genesis with with JPAD all these years ago is players who know that they have something riding on it. Mhm. Show us that you are like the fact that Vitali Crafts first has not shown like how how do you come to this training camp and not show not do something do something do something and so for Ratu he’s got a variation of that you you have a dangling carrot you are front of line to grab the carrot go get it I can remember talking to Gillis one day and he said Matt I got to run I got a meeting with a player And I said, “Oh, which player?” He said, “Taylor Payatt.” I said, “Oh, what’s the meaning about?” He says, “I’m going to try to express to him in the cleanest terms possible the opportunity we are trying to give him with Hank and Danny and the opportunity that he is pissing away on a game-to-ame basis.” Remember that one? Hyatt was the guy. Absolutely. Yeah. For Hank and Danny, uh, was the genesis of Do Something. We’ll talk to Jeff about that. It was Victor Oreskovich if if memory serves. It wasn’t Brendan Gaunt in the 57 game zero goal season coming off the 20 games with one point. No, it was Victor. Remember at one point Brendan Gonce was at 77 career NHL games with one goal and six points. Yeah. No, I think it was Victor Res who all we were asking for was to was to hit somebody, make the glass rattle. That’s all that people wanted because he was big, he was fast. Um, he came with Ballard, right? Was it in the Yeah, maybe. Yeah. Did I get that wrong? Yeah, that’s probably right. And he didn’t Well, he didn’t do something. Didn’t do anything. Uh, Max Hassan has also skated as a center in training camp. This is noteworthy because last week when we were talking about what happens if you have an injury at center, well, Nils Aman and because we thought they viewed Sassin as a I thought it was Grants over the summer that said they view him as a winger. So perhaps a change of heart there or perhaps just you’re so light at center ice that you have to see if Sassin can stick there as an NHLer. He had Drew O’ Conor and Danilovic on his flanks during the game. Uh Ratu was with Crafts off and Carlson. So you can see that’s could very well be a fourth line, right? Ratu with Crafts off and Carlson. You’re one injury away, I think, on the wing from having that as a potential line. Yeah, maybe it’s Baines. Maybe it’s assassin, but that’s something I could very much see. Roser moves also made by the Vancouver Conucks yesterday. Andre Medvidev, the second round pick from this past June’s draft, the goalender of the London Knights. He got sent back down to junior. The OHL season is underway. I was kind of hoping we would see Medvidev in a period or so in a preseason game. So many goalies. There’s a lot of hype. That’s it. It’s a glut of goalenders. So much hype about this young man, so many anecdotes about he came off the board and a lot of teams their heart broke because he was going to be their guy in the second round or they were hoping that he fell to them or they were considering him with a late first round pick. So he gets sent back down. Look, he he’s going to be a marvelous goalender on one of the best teams in junior hockey. I think it’s going to be okay for Medvidev. Uh other forward sent down, Ben Sherat. He was doing great in OHL preseason. Riley Patterson, Kieran Dervin, USA. Those two guys, those first two guys played so well though, they got themselves an ELC. Like that’s that’s that’s their secondary goal. They Well, it’s actually no, that’s their primary goal from this training camp. They know they’re not making the team, but they want to make sure they get a contract and they played so well that the Conucks say, “Yeah, we’re going to invest in you. You’re you’re making the next step in your prospect, you know, journey.” Hey, so Sherro and Patterson signed on the dotted line today and they get their ALC going. Yeah. Uh and Dervin is their third round pick of this past year’s draft. He just basically dipped a toe in the OHL with Kingston last season. So this is a leftot centerman who’s got some tools and we’ll see if he can uh blossom in his second major junior campaign. Josh Bloom quickly reassigned to Abbottzford. Not a good sign for Josh Bloom. So, uh because I would have thought that Josh Bloom, who’s a bit of an older guy himself, 22, um would have had a little more run, maybe gotten into a preseason. When there’s only one guy assigned to the AHL directly and it’s you, that tells you that most of your contemporaries are staying put. And yeah, that’s not a good sign for you. We should mention, we talked about this with um Steve Ellis, the DFO. Uh Dervin chose an unusual route, St. Andrews College, the high school hockey program in Ontario that has produced some players. Uh he’s with Kingston now. He’ll be heading to Penn State University where he’ll miss Gavin McKenna because Gavin will be one and done. Right. Let’s get to uh let’s get to our menu today. It is brought to you by Greta. Fantastic spot to watch all the games to pregame or postgame. you were mere steps away from the arena or the stadium. So, if you’re going to the soccer match Wednesday, the hockey game, the football game Friday, the spot for you. It’s also a great venue for a team building event. Whether that’s at the workplace, whether that’s a ball team, whether that’s a family union reunion, great street food, the in arcade that encircles the bar, and a bottomless swings for $25. Greta 50 West Cordova let the games begin. Harmon Dial is going to join us from the athletic and of course Canucks conversation. Uh great takes Harmon has on Braden Coots on Archie Baines on Mancini on Krabsoff and a number of the camp battles or roster battles were through camp. So I guess they’re roster battles now that are taking place. JPAD as well on all things Vancouver Conucks. hang around to hear what he had to say about that Demco because I didn’t see a lot of um no discourse. I didn’t see a lot of discourse on it. Did I say Ben Sherat and I meant Gabe Sherat or did you say Yeah. Yeah, I did. Okay. Gabe Sherat. There is a Ben Sherro. Yeah, he’s he’s an NHL. He’s an NHL. Gabe Sherat trying to be an NHL with the Vancouver Conucks. And as mentioned, a uh beefy final segment with the White Caps doing what they’re doing, the Lions doing what they’re doing, the Mariners and Blue Jays doing what they are doing. It is going to be a fun September and month of October here with Secur. Ski goggles were out. Yeah, celebrations. Now they will celebrate again if they win the division. It’s too many celebrations for me. Bet 365 bets of the day. Blake, I was not very good on the weekend. Yeah. Didn’t believe in the Lions. Lost that one. Had the wrong NFL game. So, you fire away. One thing we didn’t touch on today, uh, by the way, is the Labor Cup. Did you stumble upon the Labor Cup at all? I saw it was going on. I I mean, there’s nothing there cuz there’s no Canadians involved. There’s no Canadians. Of course, it was in Vancouver last year, but No, no, I didn’t. But it’s a pretty good atmosphere. Like, it it looked fun. And uh, you know, Andre Agassy was uh was fairly into it. So, um, I don’t know. It’s there’s something there. But uh looking at the Monday nighter and Lions and Ravens doesn’t get me too excited. These are the kind Really? No, it doesn’t. And those are two Super Bowl contenders. No, but this is I got no connection. Um so these are the kind of games that you want to bet on. Manu from UBC Lions. Okay. Um maybe that’ll swing me in the right direction then. Well, if he has to play, I’m going to take the Detroit Lions. It’s a considering the You take him with the points or it went straight up? No, straight up. Money plus 80 plus 195. There you go. That’s a big number. Blake’s biting kneecaps with Dan Campbell. Um Quinn Hughes 84 and a half. Elias Patterson 76 and a half. Brock Besser 62. Those are your overunders from bet 365 for season point totals for those individuals. Hughes 84 and a half. Yep. PD 76 and A2. It’s actually the exact same number as JT Miller. Funny. Over. Besser 62 and A2. Over under. Under. We had heard so much from Brock on July 1st about coming back to the only NHL team that he has ever known after actually he hitting unrestricted free free agency status. Uh I played golf in front of him on Friday. he was in the group behind us. It to say he was in great spirits is an because you know he’s not the most demonstrative or loud guy. Mhm. But when you’re hearing Brock Besser over Connor Garland and Evander Kane as I was for most of the afternoon, that’s probably a really good sign. I think he shot a blistering 70 too. Well done, Brock. I’m going over 62 and a half. Really six. Okay. Yeah. Well, uh, I see more than 30 goals this year and so I only need a bar of what 28 or so assists. Something in that order. That would be a big boost to the Canucks if they got a 65.3 to your So this segment of presentation of bet 365. Whatever your bet, it’s never ordinary at bet 365. Download the app, get in on the game, use code nation when doing so. Must be 19 or older. Please play responsibly. Harmon dial. Coming up next. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] So, here’s some price from the historic toric wall center. This next segment brought to you by the daily faceoff and the brand new DFO. A fantasy draft kit. The one-stop shop you need for everything to build that perfect fantasy hockey team. We’re talking player projections, updated line combos, power play units, sleeper picks, bus warnings, team previews. Basically, it’s going to make you look like a genius while your competitors look like they’re drafting blindfolded. Whether you’re a season vet, fantasy rookie, this kid has everything you need to dominate your league. So before you make your first pick or panic in round five, head over to the dailyoff.com/draft-kit. Get your hands on the fantasy draft kit. Fantasy hockey domination. I’m skeptical, but it says domination starts domination at dailyfaceoff.com. Go now. Your bragging rights depend on it. As we welcome in the co-host of Kucks Conversation here on the Nation Network, the athletic staff writer covering the Vancouver Conucks. It’s Harman Dial back here on Sakarrison Price. Harm, good to see you this weekend. How are you? I’m doing amazing, guys. Hockey season’s back in full swing. I’m excited. I’m amped up, ready to go. Yeah, it really does change when you see them on the ice in competitive arena. So, uh, looking forward to this. We talked about that in the opening segment. First of 88 scheduled games. Of course, we’re hoping for more here. uh harm uh saw your story on training camp with the standouts and those who maybe gave a little bit back to the pack. Let’s start with the rookie is on the tips of everybody’s tongue, Braden Coots. What did you see from him in camp and then again last night in that preseason game? He’s exceeded all expectations for an 18-year-old rookie that was drafted in the middle of the first round this year. Within 5 to 10 minutes of day one of camp, just watching the whole group go through rushbased drills, you could immediately tell this is a player who skates and shoots the puck like an NHLer. Uh it was the way that he moves up and down the ice, the the pop that he has um off the rush with with his release, how deceptive it is, um how how much he’s able to lift the puck even from tight areas around the net. You could tell this guy looks comfortable and doesn’t look out of place at all among NHLers. And then the next question was going to be, all right, it’s one thing to shoot and skate like an NHL, but in more competitive environments like Saturday scrimmage and Sunday’s preseason game against Kraken, how is he going to hold up physically as more of an undersized uh centerman and and even with the reads, making decisions at at a quicker NHL pace as opposed to his WHL experience. And that’s where Saturday’s scrimmage you and during during uh Sunday’s preseason game, you can tell that defensively he’s already always in the right spots. He has good awareness of how to take slot passing lanes away. Uh he had a terrific sequence on the back check yesterday. He even on breakouts, his first touch defensively is very good. and he’s able to make those quick plays under pressure that mean the difference between advancing the puck up the ice or a dangerous turnover in the defensive zone that could immediately lead to a chance again. So already very mature and advanced in um in that area. Now, I think he’s still facing an uphill battle to actually make the Conucks out of um out of camp just because a lot of the other centers ahead of him haven’t necessarily done anything to to warrant not making the team. But the longer Coots continues to to do this and and not look out of place, I’d say it’s more more than anything for me impressive in terms of what it could mean for his long-term future. um more so than I think he’s going to be a driver in the NHL right away just because he’s still 18 years old and as as much as he held his own in that Seattle game and I thought wa that was great to see from an 18-year-old I still think there there are going to be moments especially as the pace ramps up closer to the end of the preseason and even if he somehow does play in a regular season game or or a few of them uh that he’ll he’ll he’ll there’s still room to to improve understandably uh as a play driver. So um we’re asking on our Redwoods Golfwood or Redwoods Golf Course poll question if you want to see him make the team will modify it for you. You do see a pathway then harm to him making this team and getting that junior hockey what nineame looks in the early going. Yeah, it’s not not out of the realm of possibility. They don’t have any right shot centers and I think the the thing that maybe hurts him is the fact that an atu ratu has still looked pretty good in camp and he it would require waiverss to get sent down. So to me he’s a lock to make the 23man roster. Heedel’s healthy. Bluger got the first look in the 3C spot to open camp with Garland and Hoglander. So the organization still seems to believe in him. So the the centers ahead of him are still in a pretty good position, but if he really forces the issue and and continues ramping things up, then he he has a bit of a long shot to do the Jet Lenko thing. And and that’s the example that I brought up on Kuck’s conversation uh last week was Lenenko, same position, same handedness, same sort of profile as more of a two-way centerman that was drafted in in the middle of the first round and and he got it into four games for the Flyers as an 18-year-old before he was ultimately sent down to the CHL. The other interesting guy to bring up in comparison is the path taken by Shane Wright, who we saw last night as well on the other side of the ledger. Shane Wright twice got the eightgame look from the Seattle Kraken and including in his now he was a fourth overall pick so a different pedigree to some degree but including in his draft fourth that some people thought might go first overall for a good part of that season and I think he was robbed not so much that year but certainly last year I thought he should have been a Seattle Kraken and they said no they sent him back down despite five points four goals in those eight games that it g that they gave him and it didn’t ruin him like he had a great year last year in his first full year. He he was he’s still looking like he’s going to be a very certified top six, you know, player uh in the National Hockey League. So, it’s not going to ruin Braden Coots to to wait another year, maybe even a couple. The question is, are you know, do the Conucks get value added by having this kid? And that’s really the to be the calculus here, Harm, is do they need this kid? because he doesn’t need this necessarily as as Shane Wright sort of showed. But do they need him? We’ll see as the competition ramps up and especially when I I mean Seattle had their veteran lad in NHL lineup anyway, but the closer you get to the sort of regular season, that’s when you see the vets around the league really start to to ramp up. and it’s going to be in that environment um in puck battles uh with with the pace of things. We’re going to see how much of an impact he can make. I I think the way I would frame it is this. Coots I feel can hold his own in an NHL environment based on what I’ve seen so far, but it’s how much can he move the needle and ultimately what’s best for his development. And I still think a full year in junior is going to be what um is optimal for his development especially because that’s the kind of environment where you’re able to play top line first unit power play. Um you’re able to just be in all situations stud up a ton of points and it’s different than you let’s say make the NHL. You’re maybe in and out of the lineup. You’re not seeing a lot of minutes. you maybe don’t get to grow your offensive game as much because you’re so focused on not making mistakes and your defensive details have to be on point just to survive in the NHL. And even with this organization, I think we saw going all the way back to even Jake Foran and Jared McCann and those were 19 year olds, not even 18-year-olds, that um sure they were fine, they were okay when they first made the NHL, but ultimately it would have been best for their development in hindsight if they had spent another year in junior or or just not being rushed to the NHL. So, if this was next year when you can store the junior player in the A, would he be a perfect candidate for that? Oh, yeah. I I think you would for sure um deserve an opportunity in the AHL. No doubt about it. Yeah. Yeah. Too bad. Uh we have to wait the one more year, unfortunately. Yeah. If if you’re not familiar in the new CBA, they do have a provision that allows every team to keep a 19-year-old in the American Hockey League. As we know now, if you come from major junior hockey, you got to be 20 to play in the AHL. Harm Arsh Baines sir Arsteep Baines he you had him listed as one of your camp standouts didn’t go as well for Arteep last night in Seattle against the Kraken. Tell me what you like from the weekend in Pentictton and uh how yesterday’s performance in the preseason game might have affected him. Yeah, he played really well uh during Saturday’s um scrimmage. She had a sick assist on on a neutral zone play that led to one of Kefir Sherwood’s goals. And there are a lot of traits that you look at and go this could this could play at the NHL level. He’s a really smart player. He sees the ice well. Uh he’s a he’s effective on the forche. He wins battles. But then look, none of what happens at camp or on Saturday scrimmage matters if he isn’t able to translate that to preseason games. and he needs to be a lot better than he was yesterday if he wants to to to crack this lineup. I think from what we’ve seen from Baines, not even during last night’s game, but in in general, the 16 games or so that he’s played at the NHL level, he’s played a little bit too safe, right? It’s almost like he’s so focused on trying to play the right way that he’s unable to make the kind of plays offensively that made him a standout at the AHL level. And for me with Baines, if he isn’t making enough of an impact offensively, well then he’s reliable defensively, he’s not and he’s not going to hurt you, but he doesn’t add value in that capacity either. And so why would a head coach keep you in the lineup when there are other guys who could fill more niche roles, whether it’s as more of an energetic big body that can lay hits on the forche or uh players who can play on the PK or or guys that actually do put up uh points in a bottom six role. So for Baines, yeah, liked his play uh on Saturday, but he’s got to be a lot better than he was against Seattle to make this Conucks team. Would you worry about losing him on waiverss harm? He does require waiverss. I think there’s a chance he could get claimed. Uh is it the end of end end of the world if he gets claimed? No. He’s ultimately got to prove that um he’s earned it. He’s not, let’s say, Atu Ratu where you look at Ratu and he’s had a good camp, but even if he didn’t have a good camp and had a quieter preseason, playing the premium uh position at center ice, uh how well he played down the stretch, even his overall pedigree as a prospect, you would look at and say he could have a nightmare training camp at preseason. You still got to keep him on the 20man roster, 23man roster, just because you don’t want to expose him to waiverss and potentially lose him. I don’t think Baines is uh is quite in that tier. Ideally, you’re able to keep him as organizational depth and you hope that he can make strides, but it’s not the end of the world if you have to expose him to waiverss because let’s say Alenus Carlson or even a Maxis on is is more NHL ready. On the defensive side of things, I think Victor Mancini might have been reading all the press clippings of all these other named defenseman that might be above him, including young players like Elias Patterson and others. Um he’s had a nice debut, hasn’t he, in the preseason? Um assertive and a big guy with that skating ability. I mean, it’s tough to turn away from that. Again, the question is going to be, do the Conucks need this player or can they store this player? Where are you on that for Mancini? If he keeps playing like that, he has to make this team. You could see the he’s he’s a little bit older, right, compared to DPD and um especially Tom Mander. He’s got more pro experience and that polish shows uh those reps, the way that he goes backs for pucks in the defensive zone. Contrast how dynamic he is as a puck rusher and on breakouts um between him and and Willander, right? And Willander also skates beautifully, but you can just tell the age and experience gap there where Mancini is just able to dictate when he goes back for a puck in the defensive zone. He can sense where the forchecking pressure is. He does the shoulder checks. he’s clean and confident and then when he picks up steam, I mean, he’s a one-man breakout machine in those scenarios. You also saw him the first period stepping up uh defensively and and kind of laying the the boom as well. I I will say there were still a couple of moments where he’s still a high vent player where because he’s trying to do so many things, couple moments where he’s out of position defensively or or he does, you know, make a mistake and and I think for him to really stick as a top six defenseman on this NHL team, he’s going to have to make sure that the coaching staff can trust that he’s not going to make the big mistake. But the physical tools are are are all there and and he clearly stood out and I thought was their best defenseman last night. It’s funny because like he he didn’t seem comfortable on the puck last year in his NHL work harm and yet he seems so comfortable on the puck in his AHL body of work and in this preseason game. Uh I I I I find myself not really knowing what to make of him, like whether there’s going to be puck skills, rush skills, uh puck transportation, offensive numbers in his game at the NHL level, or if he’s just going to have to be a safer guy in the NHL. Is he better off with 70 AHL games this year or 43 NHL games? I I think he’s better off spending some time in the NHL. Yeah. Uh he he’s at the age now where he’s not 20 years old anymore. Uh he’s getting closer to his uh his mid20s and I thought um I thought he’s shown some really promising things in the AHL. Now it’s just a matter for me with Mancini of showing that his IQ and ability to make reads is up to NHL standards. ads. I thought where where and why he maybe was up and down performance-wise when he saw when we saw him uh playing NHL games was especially when he got that opportunity with Quinn Hughes and it didn’t go well. Part of it was in defensive situations he was out of position. He he wasn’t um reading the play quite right. And then even with the puck, um, he didn’t have as many opportunities against regular season A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A N A NHL competition to single-handedly rush the puck up the ice. And so in those situations on breakouts, it was I’ve got to make quick decisions under pressure. And he didn’t look as comfortable. I thought it’s tough because I I thought he was a lot better in in those spots and with those reads in the AHL playoffs, but that’s the AHL, right? the the pace is is slower. It’s it’s a different game. So, um so we’ll ultimately see, but the physical tools alone definitely um definitely shine. It’s just a matter of can the can the brain keep up. We’ll uh stick with defense on Wheelander. He was listed as one of the guys who didn’t help himself in training camp harm. You’ve touched on it a little bit, but expand on Tom Wheelander and what we’ve seen of him thus far. Yeah, it’s it’s nothing concerning. He’s uh 20 years old and doesn’t have a single pro um game under his belt. He’s trying to make the transition from college and you can tell that there are some um kinks to iron out. Now, the positive is that last night I think you saw defensively a few sequences where especially defending the rush, he does a really good job of funneling puck carries to the outside and eliminating and killing plays. He had one of those sequences on Manny Paneer. There was another play I want to say in the first period where DPD was caught up the ice a little bit. Uh they sprung Shane Wright and Wheelander did a terrific job of just sticking to him playing a tight gap and not allowing right to generate a dangerous chance. But I think his puck play, you can see the the difference between him and Mancini. first shift of the game. Uh he went back for the puck and look it was a it was a tough spot because there was four checking pressure right on him. Puck was sort of rolling behind uh the net, but he was unable to settle it and make the quick little outlet to get the Canucks out of their zone, which it’s a tough play, but at the NHL level, all defenseman can make that play more often than not. And I and I just think his his puck skills and control in those kind of awkward spots isn’t quite there yet. It’s it’s not polished. Um even in D’s own um retrieval drills and in camp, you can see sometimes he’s having to look down at the puck. Um this is an observation that a couple of us made as opposed to head up all the way. And and because of that, I don’t think he’s able to as quickly shoulder check and understand where where are four checkers coming at me. and he isn’t um immediately aware of where are my outs, where are my options to relieve um pressure. So, he still looks a little bit uncomfortable on those Dzone retrievalss. And that’s why despite the skating ability, I don’t think his um his work on breakouts is quite up to big league standards yet. And and that’s okay. He just needs some time to work on that in the A, I think. Uh lastly, harm Lenus Carlson. We know he’s a bubble guy. He looked terrific late last year for the Canucks and then was extraordinary for the AHL Calder Cup Trophy run. Uh listed as one of your camp standouts. What did you like from him? I’m high on him and I think he has the early edge or or he should have the early edge um for making this team compared to some of the let’s say Bane Assassin um Craftsoft kind of tier fringe um depth forwards. First of all, his skating looks a little bit quicker. It already did. I was going to ask you about that. Yeah, I I think he already made progress in that area towards the end of the season, but I I think he made more incremental progress in training camp. Within a few minutes, you could tell getting up and down the ice that, okay, he doesn’t look like a statue the way he did two or three training camps ago. Um, which is really important because I look at the other parts of his game. I like his size. I like his wall work. He’s a smart player. He’s got underrated hands, especially in tight areas. He goes to the front of the net. He’s a big body. There’s just a lot to like there uh in terms of what he could provide in a bottom six role. And he played on the line with um Atu Ratu on Saturday’s scrimmage and those two had a lot of good chemistry together. It’s not an easy change to make, but it is a game changer in terms of being noticed, isn’t it? Especially if you weren’t blessed. It goes back to the the Horvette, you know, summer as well where you come back, you weren’t a noted skater. Not slow, but not noted. And if you gain that extra gear, I mean, it’s like you’ve got balloons and a flag above uh, you know, revolutionary. Like, it it just changes everything. Mhm. 100%. I I remember the first time seeing him at Appent Young Stars, and you could already tell, all right, his size is intriguing in hightra areas. He’s got good puck skills, but man, it was I don’t know if this guy’s going to have the the foot speed to to ever dream of making the NHL, but he’s made so much progress in that area. And look, by NHL standards, is his skating still subpar? Yes. But I think it has gotten to the point where it’s sufficient enough to not singlehandedly hold him back, especially because, as I alluded to earlier, I like a lot of the other attributes in his game. Yeah. Well, we like the attributes in your game, buddy. Keep kicking ass at the athletic. Love reading your stuff and of course with David Cuadrelli on Kucks Conversation. Appreciate the time, harm. Thank you, guys. Sarah Price from the historic wall center in this show, a presentation of Simply Spiked. And I love the difference that you get with Simply Spiked. It’s not your ordinary drink. When you need a change, Simply Spiked is there for you. Even the change within the change. They have so many flavors. Three variety packs, your lemonade pack, your limeade pack, your peach pack, and three different flavors within all of those. So, it’s impossible to get bored by Simply Spike. 5% alcohol contains real fruit juice, refreshing drink, and is just good to have around for your next hangout. Again, surprise people, something new. Introduce them to Simply Spiked and how much fun it is, especially with the sun out. We’ve had so much of that lately. It is just uh it’s just the perfect drink to have around. It is. So, make sure I’ve really enjoyed the limeade at my house. Um although she likes the peach and lemonade as well. Just the straight limeade or you like the Yep. over ice. Very simple. Over ice on the balcony in the sunset. Natural ingredients all there for you. Pick up your Simply Spiked at your local liquor store for your next hangout. Must be legal drinking age. And please celebrate responsibly. Here’s Jeff Patterson, our Conucks reporter, the host of Rinkwide Vancouver. He took in training camp. He took in the preseason game, the first preseason game last night. He joins us now. Jeff, afternoon. Yeah. Hi guys. Last time I saw Matt was across a water hazard on the Pentictton Golf Club course on late on Friday afternoon finishing up in 81. Jeff, it was a good day on the golf course. As a matter of fact, I hope you had a nice time there at Pentictton as well. Uh Braden Coots, got to ask you about him off the top. The young man looked outstanding in camp, but you tell me what impressed. And then of course last night in the preseason game. Yeah, I mean I I I think all the things that we heard about him leading into the draft and then when the Conucks selected him 15th overall in June, uh we have seen unfold in these last few days in Pentictton where the hockey IQ is high, the motor’s always running, the shot looks NHL ready, but he’s slight. He’s 18 years old. he certainly has to fill out and so didn’t shy away. I mean, great opportunity for him to dip his toe into NHL waters in his first preseason game in his adopted hometown of Seattle. I don’t think there was ever any doubt that he was going to play that game uh for the Vancouver Conucks. I you know, I I I think that there’s every opportunity for him to continue to progress here and put his best foot forward. I love the fact that they attached him to Kefir Sherwood from day one of training camp and part of that Adam Foot explained after the game last night was to give him an uplose look at a guy who uh you know work rate is through the roof and then in game action the hope was that maybe Kefir Sherwood would draw a little attention from defenders and create some space for Braden Coots to to do his thing. So picks up an assist on the Mancini goal. He’s on the score sheet. Uh it was a a nice little pass. It wasn’t like he went end to end and skated through a bunch of players. You know, this isn’t a highlight reel type of guy. I think this is a guy that uh there’s a fair bit of comparison to a young Boh horvat. Just a guy that loves the game, shows up, competes hard, does just about everything well. And now it’s a question of how quickly can he develop and progress here. And is there a legitimate shot of him breaking camp with the Vancouver Conucks? because of course waiverss come into play. If he takes a roster spot, uh somebody else, they got to find room for them. Uh whether it’s in the organization or outside the organization. So, you know, some dominoes would have to fall and that probably works against him. But again, we’re just getting started here with preseason and so far uh very good for Braden Coots. I can’t decide if he’s if he’s better served on a on a team like this that needs a center or if he’s better served on a team that is flush with centers and he’s a nice additive that you can sort of sprinkle in and see if he’s ready. Like is this the perfect kind of team for him to make this debut or should it be with a team that’s flush at center and not desperate for him? Yeah, look, if he makes the Vancouver Conucks, it’s going to be because he has done enough and he’s impressed, but there is an element of desperation, and I think it will sort of back up everything that we’ve talked about through the offseason of how thin they are down the middle that this guy was able to uh, you know, push through and ultimately onto the roster. So, you know, I I know you’re asking here in the poll question, you know, should he play in the National Hockey? Should he be on the Vancouver Conucks roster? Uh, I’m still a believer in him going back to junior, playing a ton in every situation, dominating, using that world junior team as a carrot to try to get that opportunity. And then, you know, he’s going to qualify under the new rules of the CBA as a 19-year-old to play professional hockey either in the NHL or the AHL next year. And so, that’s an option that’s open to him uh 12 months from now, but isn’t right now. So, uh, again, if he does enough and he’s got that right shot, uh, that works in his favor when we talk about centerman, um, you know, I know the organization and most organizations are high on their first rounders obviously, so that kind of goes without saying, but, uh, the things that I just said certainly heard echoed from coaching staff and management in Pentictton, uh, they were really impressed with what they’ve seen through the prospect showcase the week before and now through a couple of uh on ice sessions in Pentictton and then the the preseason game in Seattle. So the calculus takes us down Jeff to Arste beans, Vitali Crafts off or Lenus Carlson and the question being would you risk losing one or two of those guys on waiverss to keep Braden Coots? What says you? Do you think there are takers on Carlson Baines crafts off on the waiver wire? Do you think the club would risk losing one or more of those guys to give Coots the uh look seeie early in the season? I don’t think they should be terribly worried about KSOF. Uh this is a little bit of a crapshoot, a guy that wants a second chance here. And it’s my understanding that there were teams around the National Hockey League inquiring with the Canucks through the summer months about what they were planning to do with him because remember he didn’t sign uh until August. So, you know, from that, uh, at least uh, some kicking of the tires. I I kind of feel like every organization has an Arch Deep Baines, and that’s not a knock on Earth Deep Baines. There’s just every team has a guy that’s right there knocking on the door, has uh, you know, a lot of skill set or a lot in the toolbox that intrigues but maybe hasn’t been able to to find that one thing that sets him apart in the National Hockey League. I I think coming off the playoff run that Lenus Carlson had that there probably would be a team out there that was willing to to give him a shot if he was to go on waivers. I don’t think he’s at risk of being placed on waiverss, but those other two, you know, I think it is fair to sort of boil it down. I think at this stage right now, Jonathan Leer Mack’s been relatively quiet through camp and even in the preseason, there have been a few flashes here and there with that big shot of his. Uh but it looks like he’s destined to start the season in the American Hockey League because he doesn’t require waiverss. So I think that’s a separate category. So the guys that you identify that those probably are the legitimate candidates that are here and battling and quite frankly Kraoff didn’t do much to catch my attention uh through the sessions in Pentictton and you know we’ll see what happens here through the preseason. Yeah, preseason is uh going to be important for those guys cuz as we know drills can only show you so much. game play presents something else and for a guy that you know did well in gameplay last season like crafts off I I am curious to see how that changes u are you disappointed that Leaky hasn’t forced that issue more because that would have complicated things even further but now it’s it’s made easy with him not looking ready yeah he still looks so slight to me and you know I remind myself that he’s relatively young and I I can’t imagine that uh he is fully filled out and this will be a finished product but uh you When you see guys that have been doing this for a decade at the highest levels and then he steps out of the ice, uh these are the guys that he has to battle against and find a way to win those battles. It’s not just about a shot. At this level, most guys can shoot the puck. Now, his shot uh you know, it is a bit of a separator for him. Uh but in order to get that shot away, he’s got to find ways to get time and space and all those types of things. And it’s not just about a shooting gallery. So, uh disappointed. No, I don’t want to go there. Um, but you know, there’s still work to be done. He I think he recognizes that. I’m sure the hockey club recognizes that as well. Uh, they continue to put him in positions like I mean, he skated with Philip Heedle and Aander Kane at training camp. Like that was a position to succeed. Those are two legitimate National Hockey Leaguers and I’m not sure that he took full advantage of the opportunity that was presented to him. So, uh, work to be done there. uh he’ll probably go and start the season in Abbottzford as a true, you know, finisher and a guy that’s going to be put in a position uh to really excel down there and hopefully he finds that mojo and and he’ll be a guy that gets called off. He’ll play NHL games, I think, for the Vancouver Cucks this season, but my sense is that he will start down on the farm. Yeah. uh staying with this group and and staying with the Coots storyline because of course all the domino it’s all interconnected here Jeeoff I I I caught what you were saying about that Teddy Bluger Neils Hoglander Connor Garland line in training camp that you expect them to be a thing when the regular season gets going. So I’d like to hear more about that. But also uh it sounds very much like they want Teddy Bluger at least to be the leader in the clubhouse here for the third line center spot. And that means Ratu in the fourth hole and that means Coots having to fight up against both of those guys. So uh talk to me about that line and talk to me how uh they’ve slotted the center iceman. Yeah. Um, you know, again, training camp’s one thing and then you get to the preseason and Teddy Bluger spent much of the night with Drew O’ Conor on his wing. And I think that’s a a duo that you could see play. And of course, those two killed penalties and that was something that I wanted to keep pretty close tabs on in the game in Seattle last night. And I think we got some answers there that yeah, uh, Drew O’ Connor is going to be given an opportunity to sort of fill that role of of PSA. The question is, can he kill penalties as effectively as as Sudtera did for the Canucks? a winger, not a a centerman. So, we’ll see how things go. Uh, look, I I I’m not a huge believer in Teddy Bluger as any sort of offensive finisher. And I know he had the nice run with Garland and Dakota Joshua a couple of seasons ago. Um, and you know, no sooner did I say this than he showed some nice hands in the scrimmage on Saturday and scored his team’s lone goal. So, uh, he’s an NHer, uh, but he’s never been a guy that you can count on to produce an awful lot of offense. not a gifted playmaker. And I think on a successful team, you’re going three lines deep where that third line center has to be more than just a a defensive conscience and a guy that treads water and gets off the ice with no damage done. Uh maybe where the Canucks are right now, uh in their competitive arc, maybe those expectations are a little high on a on a third line center. Uh on my depth chart, I all summer long. Like I I guess I’ve wanted to believe that maybe I could manifest it into happening, that Atu Ratu would rise up and become that third line center and take full advantage of the opportunity that’s presented for him. I thought he had moments at training camp. Again, he’s not a flashy guy. Uh and we’re all watching the skating closely and it uh it’s no question he’s a guy that has to work to get from point A to point B where a lot of those guys at that level uh make it look so effortless. You cannot put atuh in that category. Uh, will the skating improve? We’ll see. I mean, he’s still only 22. Like, it feels like time has stood still around Atu Ratu. Like, how is he not 24 or 25? That’s right. For a few more months, he will be 22 years of age. That’s the good news here. Yeah. Yep. Um, yeah. It’s not quite the 18-year-old Sam Bennett, but it does sort of feel like uh we’ve just locked in on him uh never reaching that 23rd birthday, which I I think happened some point in November. So, um you know, you know what you’ve got in Teddy Bluger, right? Uh pro through and through and and he’s going to give you what he can. Uh but boy, if he is the third line center, I think you’re leaning an awful lot on Connor Garland truly being the motor and the engine on that line and Teddy Bluger sort of uh drafting off whatever Connor Garland can do to make some things happen in the offensive zone. Well, it really muddles who the heck is the third line. I guess any line that has Connor Garland on it becomes the third line, but it really I mean the other five guys in the bottom six are it’s it’s pretty muddled as to who’s the skilled guy that’s going to bring home the points there other than Garland. Should also know that was a line when Lacramacki was skating with Heat and Kane Jeff and if we’re saying that Lacramacki hasn’t shown enough then he’s not going to keep that second line station. I would suspect that Connor Garland might be the guy that moves up. I think it’s an open spot. Like I I think Neils Hoglander would love to claim a spot there, too. Fair enough. He’s a candidate. Yeah. And look, Hoglander skated miles at training camp as he always does. He drew a couple penalties in the preseason game against Seattle. Like there were moments there from him. But ultimately, it’s all about a bottom line for him. And it cannot be anything close to another eightgoal season like it was last year. Like it just can’t. And even at that, you kind of got a pass because of what he was making. His new contract kicks in. He’s a $3 million guy. And so there is some new pressure on Neils Hoglander to perform that maybe hasn’t been there to this point in his National Hockey League career. And so baby steps through camp and the preseason, but a week from now, 10 days from now, we can’t be pointing at penalties drawn as sort of the high water mark for Neils Hoglander. There has to be some sort of tangible takeaway. But you’re right, if John Leer is not the answer, then that becomes a big question. Who rounds out the top six for the Vancouver Conucks? We saw Kefir Sherwood in spot duty was able to slide in there and again another guy that you’re never going to question the effort but on a really good team Kefir Sherwood uh probably not a a top six forward uh but in a pinch could slide in there but Connor Garland would seem like the obvious answer uh but then it’s the trickle down. Does Kefir Sherwood slide into a third line role? I I think that’s palatable uh given what we saw with 19 goals and all the hits last year uh for Kefir Sherwood. But you know, Teddy Bluger, Kef for Sherwood, Dro Connor, does that rev your engine if that’s a a third line for the Vancouver Conucks? And then it asks or begs the question uh ultimately who was rounding out uh you know your your fourth line and Kefir Sherwood is still Kefir Sherwood. Like if so you told me Kefir 19 goal Kefir Sherwood. Okay. If you told me he gets 15 goals this year, I s I want that signed and sealed. Like I I I don’t think people should have the expectation it’s another 19 goal season. Isn’t that unfair, do you think? Yeah. Uh, this guy had never scored more than 10 in the NHL and almost doubled. Uh, and so, you know, it kind of comes back to where this club was two years ago when everybody had career highs and we said, “How are they going to get there and backed it up and we saw what happened and collectively the group fell flat on its face last year.” Uh, Kefir Sherwood’s going to hustle. He’s going to hit. Uh, if he doesn’t get to 462 hits again, I don’t think anybody needs to be alarmed. um you know he’s going to take on more of a penalty killing role. I had a great chat with him in Pentictton about that and how much he had learned on the job uh in one year because at this time last year Rick Tocket was I like the motor. I like how tenacious he is. Hey, maybe there’s a penalty killer there, but he really hadn’t killed penalties at the NHL level uh until last year. And so there was a lot of on the job learning. Uh I like the line where he said, “I I I learned to love penalty killing.” um you know and and I think it allows him to sort of spread his wings and do all the things that have made him effective uh in the National Hockey League. It’s a contract year for him. I know there was some suggestion that the two sides had been talking. Uh I do wonder if the Conucks are going to take a wait and see and and you know how do you back up the kind of year that he had last year and ultimately um if all those numbers across the board fall, you know, what are acceptable levels? And I’m with you Blake. I mean, if you could sign up for 15 goals and all the physical presence from Kefir Sherwood plus some penalty killing, uh, I think you’d sign up for that. Uh, but then begs the question, you know, are you looking at a any sort of long-term contract? Uh, at what price point? This is a guy that’s 30 now. How many 30-year-olds uh, do you want locked up long term? Uh, if you’re the Vancouver Conucks, and of course, the end of it is this courtroom really hasn’t shown anything in the big picture. And so uh I think uh you know they they management wants to see this group perform individually and collectively before they’re handing out any more contracts. Sherwood’s the opposite of Ratu. He should be younger than he is. I think if we could make Ratu 25, Sherwood 27. That would feel better. What’s the movie where the guy ages backwards? Uh Benjamin Button. Button. Yes. Yeah. Mhm. Uh, is there a world where Victor Mancini could make this team and knock Pier Olivier Joseph to the waiver wire? Is there a world where they keep eight defenseman, Jeff, with Mancini and Joseph and just the 13 forwards, which of course would expose a couple of the aforementioned forwards to the waiver wire? What’s your forecast? Yeah, I mean, no, the number I I mean, as I sit there right now, I guess I kind of thought they would go 14 and seven until the dust settled. uh because they got all these young guys on the back end that they can send down to the miners. But um you know based on the weekend, I I would say that Victor Mancini has really put his best foot forward. I I thought he was good in the scrimmage. Uh looking a lot more like the American Hockey League Victor Mancini. And I say that meaning the guy that was confident and you know carried the puck and made things happen. Uh and obviously the goal last night, I liked the play where first time, you know, he doesn’t have a shooting lane and instead of panicking or just blasting it in shin pads, he peels off uh regroups back to Coots and then he found the lane again and the second time was able to to score the goal. So I thought uh you know some poised patience on the part of Victor Mancini as well. I know Adam foot after the game said uh yeah there’s some times we got to calm him down a little bit. That’s fine. and he’s young and he’s learning and all those types of things, but the uh the raw tools, I mean, they’re there. He checks off a lot of boxes. And so, I didn’t think it was a particularly strong uh outing for PO Joseph in his first game in a Vancouver Conucks uniform, but uh it’s one preseason game in which the Canucks were certainly overmatched and outmanned. And I thought they were game. Uh didn’t go quietly. Looked like the game might get away from them at four to one. and and then you know they pushed back and I thought maybe we were the better team in the third period to uh make it a hockey game again. So uh Pio Joseph’s a beautiful skater. Uh I’ve watched him out at UBC, watched him at training camp. Uh the skating is certainly NHL level. This is a guy that has close to 200 games uh at the NHL level under his belt as well. So he’s got some experience that that other group of Mancini and Vander and and DPD uh don’t have yet. Uh but ultimately it’s what have you done for me lately and and how do you perform and I think he knows uh the situation that there’s this collection of young talent that’s pushing from below. Uh he’s kind of got to fend them off and so he went into camp with a little bit of a buffer I think just because of that experience. But you know as a guy like Mancini narrowed the gap uh I would say yes. And so I think it’s going to be interesting. You know there’s always a couple of guys through the preseason that the team rolls out. But I remember they did it to Jack Wthbone a couple of years ago, Adam Goddet as well. Uh where they keep playing them, right? And it’s like, all right, you had a decent game. Let’s see it again and again. And I’m really curious to see, you know, who’s going to be that guy this year. And I’m a big believer in the preseason that if you’re asked to play, like that’s a great opportunity to put your best foot forward. I would rather play every game than be in the press box watching other guys take a step forward. Uh, and so, you know, yes, it’s a test, but I think at this point all these guys are looking for opportunities. Uh, and we’ll see. And I’m not suggesting that they’re going to play P. Joseph game after game after game, but I do wonder if somebody in this battle uh for one of these defenseman spots is that guy this year that gets repeatedly asked to step up and perform. Well, three of these next three of these next four are on the road and we know that they don’t like to send over too many veterans to the road game. So I would suspect a lot of these bubble players are still going to play three of these four games, right? It’s going to be fun to see that battle play. Well, once in Abbottzford. Yeah. Yeah. And the game in Abbottzford on Wednesday, we saw the Conucks put out the infographic with that Demco. Uh Tyler Myers and Marcus Patterson, Philip Heedle, uh Connor Garland. Now I take you back 12 months when remember JT Miller was the poster boy for the first home preseason game and then he didn’t play and that seemed to cause a firestorm. And then we found out that yeah, he was battling through something uh in the preseason and and that just kind of set the ball rolling for a forgettable year. Uh so take that with a grain of salt, but those were the guys that were used in the advertising to sell tickets out in Abbottzford. And so just to touch on that Demco guys quickly. Um and we’ve talked about, you know, I said how healing it was just to see him looking free and healthy out in the summer skates. Then the next level was training camp. And you know, if you ask me who had a good weekend in Pentiken, I thought Thatcher Demco like looked really, really good. Again, I get it was a weekend of training camp. That’s all it was. But in the scrimmage, didn’t give up a goal. You can’t ask for a whole lot more from your goalie. His job is to stop pucks that come his way. He did that. Uh took a knock when Max Assassin was pushed into him by Derek former. Dusted himself up, popped back up. I mean, for a guy that was moving at half speed at this time last year, I just think all of these are really encouraging signs for Thatcher Demco. And so, if he gets tapped to play, whether it’s the full game or even just a part of the game in Abbottzford, you know, that’s going to be the next level. Uh game action, loose pucks in and around the blue paint, like you can face shots from distance all you want uh in some of those situational uh moments within games that are the real challenge for a goalender to track pucks and to sort of get the speed of the uh pro game again. So, you know, the scrimmage was Thatchenko’s first game action in six months. Uh, he came through that with flying colors and so on to the next challenge. But I I just think he he has the potential to be such a difference maker and a guy that can single-handedly change the conversation around the Vancouver Conucks if he’s able to regain that VZNA caliber form. And so, uh, through the first couple of checkpoints here in September, uh, it’s been nothing but good news in and around Thatcher Demco. Please don’t use popped with regards to Demco. It’s too close to pop. It’s too close to popped. Yes, it’s it hurts. Uh Jeff often ask you this on Monday, but the week ahead for the Vancouver Conucks, things you’ll be looking at and uh what should they be aware of as we move into the full preseason? Yeah, full team day off on Monday. And so they’ll be back at it. Uh I think they’re at UBC on Tuesday skating in two groups. They’ve still got enough bodies in camp that uh uh now they may get it down to a game group or primarily an NHL group and then the rest we’ll see how Adam Foot conducts his business. But Wednesday they’re out in Abbottzford for the first home uh with an asterisk preseason game and then Seattle comes calling on Friday for the first game of the preseason at Rogers Arena and then yeah they wrap things up with uh the final or two of the final three next week uh out on the road. So, you know, we’re we’re not getting much in the way of messaging in terms of uh the lineup for Wednesday just yet. I think we’ll have a better idea of uh that on uh Tuesday. And then I would expect that uh you know, we might be looking at Thursday as the next round of cuts, get through the next game. Uh maybe get some of the young guys one game in uh connect colors here in the preseason. Uh but because it’s only a sixgame preseason like uh you get through these first two and you know all of a sudden time starts ticking down towards uh uh those really difficult decisions. So uh I would think that they would slim things down in terms of the numbers that they’ve got and uh maybe I don’t know this but I’m just suggesting maybe Thursday will be the the next round of cuts for the Vancouver Conucks. Marvelous stuff. Thank you Jeff. We’ll catch up Friday. Thank you for this. Sounds good guys. Thanks. Secure some price from the historic wall center built by Arbor Lee and cheer louder when you’re rested. Book your station here at the wall just minutes from the stadium and arena and lock the secure some price rate. Call 6043311000. Some blackout dates apply based on availability. Well, what can you say about the good ship Vancouver White Caps FC? They just roll along. It’s a two-nil win over Kansas City minus all of their top players. Eddie Okmpo scores a minute into this game. Kenji Cabrera impresses in his first MLS start. He gets the second goal. They move into second place in the MLS West. They gain ground on conference leading San Diego and they can clinch a top four finish and home pitch advantage for the best of three first round series with a win Wednesday at BC Place against the Cascadia rival Portland Timbers. They’ve also got fate in their hands with regards to the supporter shield, which is first overall in the league, regular season title, if you will, which a lot of people will consider sort of the Euro championship because that’s what they do in in Europe. It’s it’s it’s worth a lot when you think about, you know, how much how many months and weeks you put into that. Um they’re the only team that, you know, has fate in their hands, but they’ve also got the most games left. So that’s that opens up to a little bit more of a variety of results obviously, but um pretty cool to see them in the final five matches of the season have fate in their own hands for a supporter shield. Their 55 points are a club record already again with five games remaining. 56 goals this season. That’s a club record in the MLS as well. They’ve outscored their opponents 15-nil in the last 281 minutes and their plus 25 goal differential is the best in MLS by five. Yohay Takoka his 13th clean sheet of the season. That leads regular season play in MLS. And between Taco and Isaac Bulmer of a Okonogan Falls, BC, they have not conceded a goal in 287 minutes across all competitions. Blake, if you missed this one, they played it without the German superstar Thomas Müller, who did not make the trip with an adductor injury. Is there anything to fear there, or was that simply just a DP, we don’t need to travel him to Middle America in a game we should win? Anyways, I I hope it’s that. I don’t have confirmation that it’s that. Um I also saw I saw the hope he’s good to go Wednesday. I saw the adductor uh report as well. Then I saw another report that had ankle. So I don’t know what it is and the fact that there’s confusion over leads me to believe that they were just picking injuries out of the hat maybe. Wow. Uh I hope that’s the case. Now it does sound like Brian White’s playing one of these two matches going forward. So they they’ll get him back at the very least. Uh I yeah I hope he’s not injured. Müller G White, Tristan Blackman, Ranco Vesselinovich, Sam Adakub, Yodric Pipa, and Sebastian Shonlau all missed this game. That’s six starters out of the 11. How about replacement center back Bal Halbuni with an incredible tackle in the box to save a breakaway and a certain goal. Yesper Sorenson has gotten so much out of this entire roster. It is truly one of the great coaching jobs I’ve seen in Vancouver sports over my 18 years here. Frankly, it’s even better than the job Rick Taka did two years ago in his jacket. Not winning matches with the B team. Like dominantly winning matches on the road with your B team. Yeah, that’s something else. Now, here’s the bad news. Okmpo and Andres Kubess will both be suspended versus Portland due to yellow card accumulation. So, going to have to do it again with not your full roster. On the plus side though, they get that out of the way. You know, you prior to the playoffs or prior to prior to the playoff, prior to even more const, I forget the rules on that. Um, if they clear the decks for the playoffs or not, okay, but still for the last two games, you know, at home, you’d hate for those two games at home to be mired by No Kubas. And hey, Okmpo has had a wonderful season as well. So, uh, good to see those guys, you know, get that out of the, uh, out of the way. You hope that they’ve got reinforcements and and I would guess that Pupa or I, I’m almost 100% that Pupa is available on Wednesday. And he actually he can play for he and Sha Lao have played a little bit more forward, both of them. So, if they’re both available, maybe one of them could be the number six. Who knows? That’s in the defensive midfield with Okay. Seattle lost to Austin at the death yesterday. So that allows for this clinching scenario on Wednesday against Portland because the pursuers there, LAFC and Seattle, if Vancouver were to win on Wednesday, could not get to the Caps total of points and thus that clinches that top four first round home field. Minnesota got dummyed at home 3-0 by Chicago Saturday. That allowed Vancouver to move one point past them and into second place with two games in hand on the loons. And San Diego only managed a 1-1 draw with Atlanta, which gained Vancouver two points in the standings and put them two back of the conference leaders again with two games in hand. You can see it there for those watching on for those on visual platforms. And of course, they have this Canadian championship series coming up on October 1st at BC Place. the all Vancouver derby against Vancouver FC of the CPL. And guess what? They also won 2-1 over York United. Just their third win of the CPL schedule and their first home win at Willoughby in Langley in more than a year now. The the like they have not been a good team this year, Vancouver FC. The last thing the White Caps want them to be suddenly finding themselves here leading up until the final. Well, this is their Super Bowl right on October 1st. And yes, they are in much better form than they have been for most of this season. Massive win for the British Columbia Lions Friday over Calgary. Missing all of those players as well since the theme here. Yeah, they walk into McMahon. They open a 283 lead on the Stamps and they do not look back in a 5223 romp that quarterback Nathan Ror called their best game of the season. Backup tailback Xander Horvath in for the injured James Butler. He luggs it 12 times for 152 yards and a score. Ror throws for T two TDs. He runs for three more. He breaks Russ Jackson’s single season record for passing yards by a Canadian. That mark goes back to the 60s. And he’s still got games left, runway left himself. Lots of runway. Keon Hatcher extends his league lead with 147 receiving yards on eight catches. Match you bets two sacks. He’s up to 10. First player to hit double digits this year. He also leads the league. BC was missing its two starting offensive tackles. Butler slot back Javon Couty. They made seven roster changes and still won going away. Their first meeting against Calgary this year. And let’s check the standings there. Blake Lions now back to 500 at 7-7. That Ottawa game is going to stick in my Sure is. Still tied with Winnipeg for third in the West, but losing a tiebreaker. They can’t meet up. The Bombers won the headto-head this year. Now the other thing they’re just one and a half back of Calgary with one more head-to-head to play and the Calgary Stampeders lose Vernon Adams in the game. They lose PJ Walker as well as it turns out they had to sign a quarterback today. Now you wish that’s the the return match was this week where you can almost guarantee that you you’re not facing Vernon Adams. Um, it’s 2 weeks away, October the 4th. But you do wonder like what’s the status going to be of their quarterbacking in two weeks time. Are they going to be better off than they are in this moment, which is they’re pretty damn desperate. Calgary is into Montreal Friday, too. Uh BC two full games ahead of Edmonton who lost in Hamilton and a game ahead of Toronto for the final playoff spot in the cross the crossover playoff spot in the East. That’s where they’d go right now. They play host to the Argos Friday. It’s the annual orange shirt day game, Truth and Reconciliation holiday. Uh, and that’s their final game against the East Division this year. Before, as Blake mentioned, hosting Calgary October 4th. They’ve announced the Upper Bowl is open for that game, aka the Gravy Bowl Thanksgiving weekend with a 4pm kickoff. It just made me really hungry. Just saying gravy made me hungry. Uh, sorry. going into Thanksgiving weekend, they have a buy. Uh, and big news from the CFL today and new commissioner Stuart Johnson, who puts his stamp on the league. Six significant rule changes taking place over the next two seasons with three each in 2026 and 2027. For 2026, an automatic 35 second play clock. One of the huge differences between the CFL and the American game, and I’m not sure fans would recognize this as much as players. I think of particularly the big defensive linemen, this is a massive change for them. In the NFL, you got a 40 second play clock. So, the play ends, you’ve got 40 seconds until the next snap has to take place. In the CFL, it was a blow the play dead, blow the play dead, have the officials spot the ball for play, set the chains, and then 20 seconds. So, it typically went a little faster snap to snap, and that’s still going to be the case. It’s just an automatic 35 second play clock, and that’ll be running Blake. There’s no variable. Yeah, it’s just it’s in stone. The one thing I will say is that could cut off some comebacks at the pass when the clock is a big factor late in a game because you now have the possibility of the clock running out before you can get the snap off. Whereas in the previous world, so long as there was a second left on the clock when the play was blown dead, you got that next play regardless of whether the clock hit triple0 or not. Uh next year they’re moving the team benches on opposite sides of the field. Briefly had an era where they were trying to get them on the same side, but uh it was it was silly. It promoted um interaction in hotly contested games. Um it’s just cumbersome, too. The the only person that it it was good for was the sideline reporter who didn’t have to walk back and forth. But other than that, it it’s it’s reared its head at BC Place and at TD Bank Stadium in Ottawa have been the uh two hot spots hot spots for two benches on one sideline. And no rouge for missing a field goal wide in 2026. Then in 2027, the big ones, yeah, the goalposts are being moved from the goal line to the back of the end zone. Now, uh there’s probably a good safety reason for that. Uh the CFL also thinks that will allow for more touchdowns because the goalpost can’t while sometimes you will see some tricky offenses use the goal post almost like a pick for the defensive backs. Often times you will also see quarterbacks and receivers not want to operate in that territory. Risk the ball hitting the post, risk having to run into the goal post. I saw Derek Taylor saying there isn’t a lot of forensic evidence that the posts dissuade or or have knocked down a lot of passes. They have, but what we do know, I think, is it does dissuade activity in that middle part. Yeah. Unless you think you can be really precise and again use the goal post almost like a pick. Um, that said, the end zones are now going from 20 yards to 15. And to me, that’s going to result in fewer touchdowns because you have fewer room, you have less room to operate. And of course, these will be extending the field goals as well. So, every time I hear of huge, and I did not see Stuart’s presentation, Commissioner Johnston’s uh presentation today, we’ll check in on that for tomorrow and beyond. But um every time I see huge changes made to the actual game play, I do wonder about unintended consequences. Field goals are going to be longer. You’re taking away some of that room at the back of the end zone. Whatever you may gain by moving the goal post, I do wonder if you lose in touchdowns and points. Still a jumbo. Still a jumbo um end zone compared to the NFL. So bigger. Still 50% bigger than the NFL. And in terms of the field goal, you’ve reduced the size of the field from 110 yards to 100 yards. So offensive thrusts are going to put you in a deeper position. Now it’s just the field goal is going to be longer. So for example, if you’re on the 20 yardd line, it’s usually about seven yards back to the point where the kick is going to be attempted and then you’re adding 15 on that because the end zone. So, it’s a 42 yard field goal from the 20 yard line, right? But let’s say your drive began on the your own 40. Fair. Now, a 40yard drive takes you deeper into their territory than Mhm. than before, right? So, you’re getting 10 yards back there. Yeah. First blush. I don’t love the 20 to 15 yard end zones. That’s just my first blush. But I think I think they did that because of what you just talked about, the field goals, right? Yeah. Because when a ball on the 20 yard with a 20-yard endzone is a 47yd field goal, Wow. You’re going to have a lot fewer made field goals. Yes. Yeah. Um overall, I like it. I I I I see the logic behind all of it. I think it’s cleaner, I was open to change. Uh I adapter die. I I have found myself losing some interest in the CFL regular season over the last number of years, particularly when we get to the fall and the busy sports calendar begins. Like I watch a lot of Thursday night and Friday night football in the summer. Mh. Uh and then I don’t find myself watching as much CFL once we get past Labor Day until we get down to the stretch run, of course, and playoffs. Uh so we’ll see. We’ll see. I’m not against these changes, but I I do sort of wonder, okay, have we completely thought these out? Have we sketched these out and tried to come ac across all the intended uh unintended consequences? I know there were a lot of rumors flying around yesterday. They’re going to go to a for dance. They are not going to four downs. I uh I just texted Farhan, too. I was like, how does this automatically force the hand of Canadian university football? because there’s three stadiums that schools use in the league. And his initial reaction was they’re going to have different sleeves for the goal post and they’ll just keep the goal post where they are for now if they need to. But but maybe eventually McIll plays at Pival Molson Stamps. Uh oh, Calgary. The Dinos play at McMahon and and Alberta. No. Uh I don’t know where the Golden Bears play or um where do the Huskies play? Oh, they’re in Saskatoon. Regina. No, they don’t. Yes. I will have to figure that out. McMaster. McMaster has their own. Yeah. Um, Seahawks blowout 4413 win at home versus New Orleans. They get a club record 95 punt return from Tory Horton as well as a blocked punt that led to a score. This was a very weird game because the score was completely out of hand early and yet you look at the box score and forgive me Blake at 21 nothing I uh moved over to my Bears versus the Cowboys full time. You look at the box score and it was hardly like the sort of imbalance that you would typically see in a score that that was that that was that was uh that defense will do that. Look, look at this tweet from a Seahawks uh Seahawks haven’t converted to third down. They’re losing the time of possession by a 3 to1 margin with less than half as many plays. They don’t have a sack or a takeaway. They have fewer yards and first downs. They have eight rushing yards averaging less than a yard per run. They were up 38-3 at that stage in the ball game. Yeah. I mean, what do you what do you do when you’ve when you’ve everything works early on? You just go to prevent. You’ve got you got a three four score lead super early. You don’t care if they get and they were missing Witherspoon and Love and Eman Warary from the defensive secondary. They were missing Charbanet uh running the football. So that was exactly the tonic that they needed in this week. A really bad team coming into town and that really bad team is going to Buffalo next week. I can only imagine what Josh Allen Seahawks offense would do. 44 points. Buffalo by minus 15 and a half early. I don’t think I take Buffalo. I think so. Seattle goes to Arizona for Thursday night football. Cards lose a heartbreaker to San Francisco to fall 2 and one. 49ers undefeated, 3-0. M. Jones got another win. Uh Seattle catches a big break when the Rams game-winning field goal is blocked by Philadelphia on the final play. LA two and one. Fun weekend of finishes with the block kicks in the Rams Eagles. Cleveland over Green Bay with a block field goal. The Jets think they win a game with a block field goal return for a TD, but they can’t hold on in Tampa. There’s a universe close to this one where Seattle is still in dead last in the division. Like those are two close calls at the end of those other games where they’re going to be three three and 0 teams in the NFC West for sure. My goodness. Well, no, because Arizona and San Francisco are playing are playing each other, pardon me. right there. Uh 63 and 0 team, 60 and three teams heading into week four. And of course, you got a appetizing Monday nighter tonight with Detroit and Baltimore. Blue Jays snap a four-ame skid with a win in Kansas City Sunday and punched their ticket to the postseason. They have not yet clinched the AL East, but they’re the first American League team to 90 wins. They remain in top spot, the first seed, getting a buy in the American League as it stands now. Trey Yusavage makes his second start. He lasts just four, but the Bats finally wake up. They had been rather ghoulish earlier in the week. It’s a two-game lead over the Yankees. The number to clinch the division is four. Mariners sweep the Astros in what is the single biggest regular season series this franchise has played. Wow. in nearly a quarter century. They have a three-game lead and the headto-head tiebreaker over Houston heading into the final week of the season. They can actually clinch a playoff spot tomorrow with a win against Colorado and a Yankees win. And when I first looked at that, I was like, what in the heck? It’s complicated. It gets down to tiebreers, but a Seattle win and a New York win tomorrow. M’s are going dancing. Their magic number to clinch the division is three. Well, another world has opened up for them, too, because Detroit is so bad right now. They are the number two seed, and they right now the number two seed and not a playoff buy like the Jays. They went from are we making the playoffs to we might not have to play the first round. That’s right. Crazy. This will be their first division title since 2001. They made the playoffs of course in 2022, beat the Jays in the wildard, lost to Houston and the DS. It’s their only postseason appearance since that outstanding 2001 team fell short. Did you see Saturday night Victor Robless with an alltime franchise highlight and out of nowhere Superman style diving catch in right center. I mean that’s Julio Rodriguez’s ball normally but Victor was like no I got this. He throws to second base. It’s a gameending double play. just an out and for Robas who missed all that time after trying to make a acrobatic catch in April. A great clip a great clip out there of that play of the Houston call of that play. Mhm. Uh very monotone. You know, they couldn’t believe the catch was made. But you can hear Put some mustard on that call. No, but you can hear the Seattle call in the booth next door on the Houston mic. That’s how crazy the Seattle calls going. That’s great. the Astros hitter, I forget who it was, said, you know, like, I did not even see or consider Robas as being involved in that play and then he appeared out of nowhere to make the catch. As Blake mentioned, things are getting very interesting in the American League where Cleveland goes on a 10-game winning streak to close within one game of Detroit who gets slept by swept by Atlanta uh for the AL Central. Cleveland has overtaken Houston for the final wild card spot. So, the Astros would not be in the playoffs. Holy cow. If it started today. And Blake, this is why I can’t quit Twitter. This is Anthony Castro Vince covering baseball. They should make a movie about a Cleveland baseball team that wins a lot of games late in the major league season. Yeah, it’d be good. Yeah. A bunch of misfits. Yeah. Maybe a pitcher named Wild Thing. If you don’t get what we’re talking about, you’re too young. Oh, yeah. I hope intern Braden knows the reference there. I hope so, too. Does he know it, Mike? Does he know it? Headphones on. Uh oh. Okay. Uh how about this? We talked about this a couple of weeks back when it got going. And and Blake, this has turned into a Canadian sport run and potentially a Canadian sport moment for the ages. Women’s World Cup of Rugby where Canada wins 3419 over New Zealand Friday in their semifinal match. The Black Ferns had won 18 straight matches and five of the last six World Cups, but the score was flattering to them. I heard from our friend Ambassador Paul down in New Zealand, who thought was just astounded at how good the Canadian ladies played. Russell Crowe, noted New Zealander Kiwi, says he is pulling for Canada now after watching the match. They play England in the final at 82,000 seats. Twickenham, the English Cathedral of the Sport for the trophy, 8:00 a.m. Saturday our time. Blake, the game is already sold out. It will mark a new record crowd for women’s rugby. And England, the number one ranked red roses, as they are called, have won 32 consecutive matches. What I’m what I’m heartened by here, and again, if you haven’t watched any of these matches, folks, you have to. It is so exciting. It is so much better than the men’s 15th. It it has been for sure. Um, and here’s the other encouraging thing. England was tested by France and England has run rough shot in this tournament. Like really nobody has been so is Canada but yes New Zealand were the total points England was way past Canada for total points you know scoring. England and New Zealand were number one and number two of the world going into this but France tested them like it showed that this is doable. Like Canada can’t go into this thinking that they they are a long shot here. I think it’s going to be a hell of a match. I can’t wait. And I’m glad it’s on Saturday morning, not Friday morning. They uh had to crowdfund to get to this tournament, the Canadian women. And think of it, on Saturday, they’re going to play in front of 82,000 people. I mean, there are few Canadian athletes anywhere in any sport that have played before 82,000 people. It’s pretty cool. Like you’re talking about the Canadians who metriculate to the huge cathedrals of NCAA football, maybe a few soccer stadiums around the world that would see more than that. I mean, this is just astounding stuff from the Canadian ladies. Uh so looking forward to getting my Saturday going with this match. Pentictton V’s. Well, they took their lumps Friday in Victoria. They lost 5-0 to the Royals in their inaugural WHL game. and they rebounded Saturday here at the LEC. A 51 victory over the Vancouver Giants in their home opener, season opener. Uh Brady Bernie, congratulations. You are the trivia question. The first goal in the V’s Western Hockey League history. Their home opener is Friday against Colona. We talked about it uh last week from Yellow Dog and Pentictton. Very nice touch to have the geographic rival there. And World Athletic Championships end on a high for Canada as well. The men’s 4×100 team wins silver. Finished behind the USA in the pouring rain. But they were the only two teams that like they were two teams on their on an island and the pack was way behind them. It was very cool. Colona’s Jerome Blake runs the fastest split of any of the eight runners on Canada and the United States with an 8.75. And Andre Degrasse actually outran Noah Li Li in the anchor leg. It was a slow start. Bit of a slow start from Aaron Brown and a bit of a slower third leg that cost Canada. But what a legendary Canadian team. As Ben Steiner points out, their sixth medal in the last 10 years. They won bronze at the 2015 Worlds in Beijing. They won bronze at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. They won silver at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. They won gold at the World Championships in 2022. They won gold in Paris at last year’s Olympics. They took the silver this past year uh this past weekend in Tokyo. Uh and uh Aaron Brown actually said, “Don’t forget about our bronze at the World Championships in 2013 in Moscow.” So, a full suite of both Olympic and World Championship medals for this relay team. Congratulations to all of them. That was fantastic to watch. Marco Ara with a bronze on his birthday in the 800 meters for Canada. And he was I think he was battling an injury, too. So, that was good to see him get out of a podium. Lastly, the results of the Redwoods Golf Course poll question from Friday. We asked you, are you confident in the Elas Patterson revenge tour? Yes. No. People said um people said no. They said yes. 72%. Come on. The comments though said no. VJ. No. He’s Missouri. Show me. State Assan. Absolutely. Guys that good just don’t fall off a cliff. Obviously, we don’t know exactly what happened to him, but there were multiple factors working against him which seems to be solved now. No cups ever. I think it’s inevitable that he improves from last year. Whether he justifies his pay remains to be seen. That’s fair. Rod, revenge tour. Where the hell does the media come up with this garbage? Revenge for what? He’s been in this league for eight years and the team is still at the point of wondering why they pissed away millions on his underperforming player. WTF? His words. Rod, most Rod, most fans are optimistic in preseason and and the you don’t have to be, but the Swedish translation was that he used the word revenge. Errors and omissions from Friday’s program and beyond said the Canucks don’t have a quad A center. I suppose you could call Neil Zman a quad A center though he played more on the wing last year. Uh I said the Vancouver Canadians had four members uh past members on the Blue Jays. Mason Flu Hardy was actually in Buffalo when I said that. He has since been recalled. He has been a part of that Blue Jays bullpen uh particularly in the second half this season. He’s been very good. And then uh Blake drops a flirtsy and PJ drops a freely wheelie. I don’t believe those are English words. Well, thanks for joining to look harder. Thanks for joining us everybody. Appreciate you spending some time and connecting with the show. Please do subscribe to all our assorted channels, YouTube and wherever you get your podcast. Follow on social, Insta, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, Blue Sky Live on May, those platforms noon Pacific time weekdays. And of course, support the community sponsors you hear us talking about. And keep it local.

A huge weekend of sports as the Canucks open up their preseason and the Whitecaps, Lions and Seahawks all look dominant! Matt and Blake tackle some of the early performers for the Canucks, including two youngsters, in Braeden Cootes and Victor Mancini. The guys get into the roster machinations and how those 2 players alone could change the equation for opening night. Harman Dayal of the The Athletic stops by to discuss who has stepped forward, and who has stepped back, in these early days of Canucks camp and pre-season. Harm looks at Cootes and Mancini, but also the improved skating of Linus Karlsson and his chances of making the team. Then it’s RinkWide’s Jeff Paterson with a look at Thatcher Demko’s comfort level in the crease, Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s quiet opening weekend, and the reasonable expectations on Räty and Sherwood’s seasons. The guys wrap the show with a look at those other local victories from the shorthanded Whitecaps to the offensioves explosions on the gridiron for the Lions and Seahawks. Plus, the CFL is making huge rule and field changes and the Canadian women are the darlings of the Rugby World Cup as they get set for Saturday’s final!

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