Jeff Marek: Was this the start of a true Chytil breakout? Teams that may be looking to sell.

Jeff Marek: Was this the start of a true Chytil breakout? Teams that may be looking to sell.

Here’s Jeff Merrick of the sheet weekdays on the nation network. I I see you as being the uh after a couple of tipples maybe being the the oneman conga line the uh the first with the lampshade. Is that you Maddie? Is that your is that your uh Oh yeah. Grabbing I’m grabbing auntie by the hips and here we go. Hot hot hot dance floor buster. Grab a by the hips. Oh my god. Yeah. I’m the demir one in the corner wall flowering. Um, no that’s that’s that’s that’s me. That’s uh Yeah. Party of one. Merrick. Okay. Yeah. What’s up, boys? Yeah. Doing very well. Hockey season’s upon us. Yeah. Last night, by the way. What caught your eye? What caught your eye? What caught your eye? Philip Heedle. I mean, I think we’ve all had our eyes on on him. And you know, the going into the going into the regular season, uh I think we were saying this last time like everybody everyone that you had questions about looked good. Whether it was Heedle, whether it was Lacramaki, whether it was Mancini, whether like Braden Coots, like everybody looked good. So you say to yourself, okay, is this legitimate? Is this fool’s gold? Is this a mirage? Now, the thing about last night’s game is, and you never, what’s the old saying? Never critique a win, son. Never critique a win. It’s a game that they have to win, right? It’s the backto-back for the Calgary Flames. It’s early in the season. It is the game that you have to win, but all you can do is win the games they present you. And that’s the Vancouver Conucks. But who caught my eye? Uh, Philip Heedle. And right away, not that you want to see anyone get, you know, hit in the head with a puck. But I’m sure the irony wasn’t lost on anybody, that Heedle’s first goal of the season was off somebody else’s head. Hey, if you’re if you’re starting to rent out other people’s head trauma because instead of your own, I think Filipino will begrudgingly accept that. Uh, how about the goalender? He looked, you know what, he again, I don’t want to get carried away. I don’t want to carried away. So, to take this, take this with with a grain of salt. I’m going to bring up a goalie’s name here, and that’s Carrie Price. I always thought that Carrie Price was the most athletic goalender of his generation. We tend to think of athletic goalenders like big like windmill saves and jumping all over the net. To me, an athletic goalender is someone that gets to position quickly and efficiently and moves in the same manner. And that’s what we saw from Thatcher Demco yesterday. It was a really efficient play, made, you know, really good save, but it’s like nothing spectacular, but those saves where you’re like, “Yeah, he got the position fast. Yeah, he got there quickly. Yeah, there’s a couple of breakaways.” The Morgan Frost one comes to mind right away. Couple of breakaways where he looked really calm and there was I’m sure like internally he’s thinking like, “Okay, come on. that turnover can happen. But he didn’t let himself get distracted by it on either of those breakaways last night. I I liked it. Like I again first test passed. Um a lot of players passed first test last night for the Vancouver Conucks and you know front and center Heedle and of course that’s your Demco. I thought I thought Demco was really really strong last night. Jeff, are are you of the uh mind that if he stays with good health given the quality of defense core that’s in front of him that we could be looking at a vessel winner this year? Or do you think he’s going? Yeah. Always. Well, but be the the flip side is is that Lankin is probably going to play enough that I’m not sure Thatcher is going to have the raw totals of minutes and starts and all of that because there’s some other guys who play a whole lot and so are able to rack up some numbers. But you tell me, you’re you’re competing with Connor Halabuk’s games played, right? Like that’s probably what you’re thinking of here. But I think but haven’t we all sort of recalibrated how many games a goalender should play? Yeah. Once upon a time was 70 and then it was 60 and now we’re probably you know with the rise of Igor Shurken specifically we’re probably in the 50s here. Um and I’ve always said like he has the talent to win a Vzna trophy going away. If he can keep the hospital bracelet off uh with that blue line in front of him there’s no reason why. There are just some players you look at and you say if things go the right way for them they can win this trophy you know like Niko Heir with the Selki right always kind of around the conversation but it’s never really but it has the potential to to win that trophy but things just haven’t broke his way if things go right for that Demco the quality of net minder is in there I don’t see why not the FZNA trophy for Thatcher Demco I’m not first and foremost on his mind is is probably Team USA, I would say, even before VZ. Do you do you think he’s got his chance to to worm his way back into that combo? I do. I do. I think, you know, coming off of coming off of last year’s playoffs where we saw we saw a couple of things. We saw Jake outdooled by Stuart Skinner and, you know, we um you know, we saw the Winnipeg Net Minder freeze. Yeah. Yeah. in that St. Louis Blues series, right? Like we saw Hella Buck get like how many times did you did you look at goals that the St. Louis Blues were scoring and say to yourself, man, Hellabuck looks he looks locked. It’s not that he looks lost. He looks locked like he is locked in and he can’t move. And I’m no goalie guru or goalie expert. I don’t know where that comes from or how a guy can look so profoundly different in the postseason than he does in the regular season. The only thing I can come up with is maybe the Winnipeg blue line isn’t isn’t a playoff built blue line. They still don’t have the size that you want. That’s again like that’s just me like amateur observing goalenders and trying to figure out why we’re seeing two goalenders. So I think the opportunity is there because I legitimately think that there are questions about and there are questions about Hellabuk and just like I look at you know team Canon I say to myself things break the right way for Sam Montbo. Don’t be surprised if he ends up running with the whole thing for team Canada. I could see Demco. I could see Montbo. Interesting. Uh Lramaki, he makes the team because he has a terrific second half of preseason and training camp. Uh beautiful goal last night. Boy, kid can shoot the puck, Jeff. Like and and and this team needs goals and I think they’re going to have to play him. last night. You’ve already got Canucks fans on social saying he has got to replace Evander Kane on that top power play unit. The way he shoots it, it’s early. I always grain of salt veteran players early in the season. Did Evander Kane look great last night? No. Did Evander Kane look, you know, rusty and and probably a little bit slow? Yeah. I tend to not make up my mind about veterans until we’re getting a little deeper little bit deeper into the uh into the schedule, but um not the best game by Vander Kane, but as far as Lacramaki goes, you know, there are just some players where you want to say to them, look, when we get you the puck, that means we want you to shoot. So every single time you have the puck on your plate in the offensive zone, shoot. That’s when you’re going to get the puck. Like by the end, this is this is going to be a poor comparison. Another poor comparison out of me. Um the Edmonton Oilers had a line with uh Conor McDavid. I think it was Connor second here, maybe first. Conor McDavid, Benois Pulot, and Neil Yakapov. And I thought it was a really interesting line because Connor did the Connor things, oneman breakout, oneman injury. Pulat was everything along the walls and everything about, you know, when you need someone to fetch a puck, he was the guy. And Yakapov was in that position where it’s like the only time we’re giving you the puck is when we want you to shoot. And and Yakapov was just like, you know, train barking seal. Okay, boss. And whenever the puck was on his stick, that means they want me to shoot. I kind of have that not not that I’m saying he’s nailed Yakapov, but I’m saying the same idea. When Leaki has the puck, shoot. Because you can put up with all the other elements in his game, if he’s giving you that shot and those scoring chances. Uh that that’s the vibe that I that I get from from LCro Macki. When the puck is on my stick, that means they want me to shoot. And look, it’s the hardest thing to do in the NHL. It’s the hard hardest thing to do in the NHL. And this guy has that gift. And I get I I I saw the editorial last night, too. Get Kane off power play one. Where’s that? I saw all of that. Let’s pump the brakes. It was a really really good first game. Really good game. In terms of climbing the division, I I think these first two games, and again, it’s two of 82, we realize, but these two games have sort of given us a pretty good glimpse of what Calgary is, and they are kind of what we thought they were. I think I don’t know that they deserve the two points. They scrapped for the two points versus Edmonton. And I think, you know, they look like a competent 80 point something team uh versus the Vancouver Conucks as well. Anything different out of Calgary as we surmise how this specific division might shake out? I don’t know that I’ve seen a in in recent time anyhow three flukier goals that I saw the Calgary Flames getting back into that game against the Edmonton Oilers. Now we’ll get to the San Jose Sharks in a moment. But yes, yeah, we have a lot and I I do want to talk about the Blake Coleman go and the Jack Ego goals. I’m glad you’re going to lead me there. Um, but like I looked at that game and there’s like, you know, like the Oilers are like painting Picassos with their with their passing in the offensive zone and scoring gorgeous goals. And then we’re reminded that this is still a game with a rubber puck uh played on frozen water and pucks bounce and weird things happen. We saw three weird ones from the Calgary Hills. I will say one thing about the Flames in in in the two games. Um, Nasam Cadry looks like he’s working his ass off. He’s he always really works hard, but especially that game against Edmonton two nights ago, he like I I wonder if Kadri knows or feels or senses or has requested I don’t know um that he’ll you know may have a different address at some point this year and and he and he doesn’t want to waste you know a chance. Look, I don’t think it would surprise anybody if he ended up in you know Dallas for example and I don’t think he wants to squander any opportunity. I think he’s going to I think he really wants this to be a good year for him on a Calgary Flames team that is, you know, very much going to be a rebuilding yet hardworking team. I think Morgan Frost has looked good um in the the two games that we’ve seen him like the the the one team that’s played two games that they look profoundly different, like 180 different are the Los Angeles Kings. Like that the the opener LA was awful. Now, mind you, Colorado played great, but LA was like they were they were terrible. You know, like they got nothing going any of the three periods. Colorado was doing whatever they wanted. And then they spin around and stick it to the Vegas Golden Knights and you’re like, this is two completely different teams. And all of a sudden, you know, you’re looking at LA and you’re really asking to your point like like I know it’s only two games, but what can we read read into them? The one team that’s, you know, jackal and hyde so far in two games are the LA Kings. We’ve seen both extremes out of them. We haven’t seen both extremes out of Calgary, but we’ve seen both extremes out of LA. Two games in. Two games in. Two games. I want to ask you about Rick Tockett’s team that scores one goal on 20 shots. Blake, sound familiar? Yep. Uh the good news for new coach talk is that there were some other happenings in Philadelphia sports yesterday that will steal the limelight from the Flyers loss. Uh but what’s your forecast for him? Because uh sounded like he wasn’t too impressed with training camp either. Yeah. No, this like we um I know it feels like the Flyers rebuild um has been on for a while and that’s because we’ve already, you know, seen a coaching change and every season with John Tordella seemed feels like three seasons. Um but I think we tend to forget that to be honest like this is this is still a rebuilding team. Yes. Right. Like and and and with Tortoella there are you know so many stories and so many sideshows and so many storylines to follow. the seasons don’t just feel like one season, but let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is still a very very young team and a developing team and there’s they have a a great pipeline. They have some really good players on the horizon. I think that Alex Bumpkit is going to be fantastic. I think we all think Porter Marone is going to be really good. You look at their draft last year, everybody is 6’5. Like they’re going back to old orange with this team. Um, you know, the I think the Trevor Ziggress edition is going to help specifically on the power play. You know, I was making a joke with someone uh towards the end of last year after Totoella and Rocky Thompson both lost their jobs and Rocky was in charge of the um was was in charge of the power play. And you know, what’s the first move they they they make after after getting rid of Rocky Thompson? They bring in the guy like literally the guy that John Tortoella and Rocky Thompson wanted in in Trevor Ziggers and they have the shooter on the power play all of a sudden. Um, so that that’s going to help. Um, but I I try not to lose sight of the fact that they’re not the the Pittsburgh Penguins are not the only even though they’re 2 and 0, the only um redeveloping team in Pennsylvania right now. This is this is still a young young Flyer squad. And and we were talking before the uh before we hit record here, Jeff, but look, it’s one game or it’s first week, so plenty of time to go. But yeah, you know, Buffalo gets shut out, loses by four goals in their home opener. Booted off the ice. Detroit loses by four goals uh in their home opener. San Jose somehow finds a way to lose that game against Vegas even though they got a guy going for the open. Like, oh, I mean, it was like the biggest open net miscue since Patrick Stefen. you know, you you you just look around on a very small sample, I will acknowledge, and you just say, “Yep, the uh drags of the NHL are still the dregs of the NHL.” The misery continues in all these markets. Although Chicago’s played really hard and been in both of their games, and Nashville won last night. I will say that, but should say that, too. Nashville won last night. How about Brady Martin, first line center? Holy. This time last year, we didn’t think he was going to go in the first round of the draft. Now he’s a firstline center in the NHL flanked what they have with Philip Forsber and Ryan O’Reilly. No pressure. No, no pressure, Farmboy. No pressure, Farmboy. Um, and yeah, you’re right. Nashville Nashville wins. Um, here’s And Josh Norris is injured. The Buffalo S. We don’t know. We don’t know how. Set your watch to it almost. I feel bad for him. It can I know you you feel awful for the player. Um but you know we all know the hospital bracelet’s an issue. Um and of course this is Quinn Hugh’s best friend. Only one game. This is only one game. This is it’s it’s the proverbial only one game, but we all know the history with the with the Buffalo Sabres. My my question with them right now, and I’m not sure how this is going to play itself out. Rochester has their home opener tonight. Um, Alexander Gurgev gets signed by Kevin Adams. Okay. Plays a lot in the preseason. Deon Levi plays, I think it was two third periods in in in all of the preseason and he goes to to Rochester. Um, doesn’t really play at all with the with the with the big boys, the Buffalo Sabres. Um, he gets put on waiverss and he clears. Why was that a contract and not a PTO? Mhm. There’s obviously no market. Why would you Why would you? And you know, you end up waving them and sending him down to to to Rochester. Why Why was that a contract spot? Why was that not a PTO? I don’t know how the thing is going to is going to is going to end is going to end up, but something that really doesn’t sit right. That was panic about UPPL being injured, I guess. Is that what the that was? It it must have been, but obviously like he clears waiverss. There’s no market for him, right? So why why are you using why are you using one one of your 50? So is that because we even had the discussion this week. We hadn’t had this discussion in several weeks if not months to be fair. But when we talked about uh inseason additions where you’re going to get your second line center or at least some degree of um um forward if you’re the Vancouver Conucks or one of these teams looking for a forward like could Buffalo be an early seller? Yes. Yes. Yes. Before you even finish with the question. Yes. And I I mean I think we’re at the point now with the Buffalo Sabres like by the time American Thanksgiving rolls around uh how many players are going to be asking out. Like Alex Tuck isn’t hasn’t signed. Alex Tuck hasn’t signed. His wife is from BC. I think she’s actually from Vancouver. I could wrong. Yep. Yep. So, I mean, does that one make some sense? Does that satisfy what Vancouver is looking? I know it’s it’s I know it’s the the race for a second line center, but or I mean there’s a lot of talk about, you know, talk around the Edmonton Oilers. That would probably make some sense with their newfound Conor McDavid cap space. Um, you know, and I just mentioned, you know, Devin Levi a second ago, like they’re ride or die right now with Alex Lion and Colton Ellis. What? Yeah. With UPPL out, what? What? Like it like things once again are just feel really And I hate to just do this all based on vibes, but man, don’t things once again really feel off with the Buffalo Sabres with way more questions than answers. There were people in that market that thought the Alex Tuck thing was coming to a head this summer that either he resigned longterm or they were going to trade him in the final year of his contract. And of course there was a lot of optimism that he would resign cuz he’s from Western New York like Buffalo would be his home market and that didn’t happen. Okay, we’ve got Let me go counter let me go counterintuitive before we go before we leave that. Uh Josh Norris gone with another injury. Um he’s got a modified no trade clause that kicks in next year. He becomes tougher to trade next year and he’s on $8 million year. Have they already se seen, oh my god, this guy’s made of glass? Do would they be willing to eat some money on that and move on Josh Norris? If you get Josh Norris at half price, this this is this is going to sound really harsh. And again, we’re early in the season. If Josh Norris is getting traded, it’s not going to be Kevin Adams that trades them. Yeah. Don’t Don’t you get that feeling? I mean, that is a that that they got in there by Kevin Adams, right? And everybody and listen when I say people feel it, people feel it in in Buffalo with Kekalion right there. Yeah. Absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. He looks like the GM and waiting. Okay. Easter egg time. This uh this is a hold over from last week when we had that technical snafu. Uh Blake is aware. So he You don’t have a tag team partner on this one this week. And in fact, do I get Mike? You don’t get You don’t get Mike either. You don’t get Mike either. And uh I sense you may have seen this and so you might know, but should uh Braden Coots score a goal for the Vancouver Conucks before his 19th birthday in February? He would be the fifth 18-year-old in franchise history to score a goal for the Vancouver Conucks. And he’s a four Four names, too. Four pretty big names. Some of them big names across hockey. Uh, three of them for sure big names for the Vancouver Conucks. And then plus one, the fourth guy’s a little more obscure, but he’s like right up the Jeff Merrick alley. Yeah. So, uh, four 18year-olds have scored goals for the Vancouver Conucks. Think of baby faces at the NHL draft. Yeah. Yeah. One of them’s a Hall of Fame. Is is is Bo Horvat one of them? No. Bo got here at 19, so he missed 18. One of them is a Hall of Famer. One of them has his number retired by the Vancouver Conucks. Trevor Lindon. Trevor Lindon is correct. is the Hall of Famer is sort of Henrik Henrik Sadine. No, not at 18. 18 as well. Yeah. Did they get here at 18? No, I think he was 19. 19. What the Hall of Famer is the guy who got away here? Yeah. The famous guy that got away in Vancouver. Cam Ney. Correct. Yep. One of them is the last 18-year-old to play for the Kucks more than three decades ago. European and loved him Wayne Gretzky and loved him Wayne Gretzky. He loved himself some Wayne Gretzky. He he wanted to be Wayne Gretzky so badly. Arrived looking like Wayne Gretzky. Peter and Edv. Very good. And now the obscure one, Jeff, but I’ll give you the uh I’ll give you more hints here. Okay. Uh a fourth overall pick. Big big boy. Big boy out of out of Kitner, Ontario. Played for the London Knights, mid 80s. Jim Sandlac. Boy, Jeff Merrick. Oh, how did they You know, there were a lot of people that I would go to and say, I think he can get the fourth on this list, but I was like, Merrick, mid80s OHL. I think Merrick might get this one. So, out a boy, Jeff, well done. Yeah, Jim Sandler, whose son Carter is officiating in the NHL. Oh, you feel old. Good for him. I should I should probably double check that. Hang on. Jim Sandlac was a monster. Like 6’4 220 in the mid80s with hands like wow. He had a fine career. Wasn’t a superstar, but he darn good player. Yeah. Really, really solid guy. Great along great along the boards. Real tough. So Carter Sandlac, age 32, Vancouver, BC. Yep. Carter Sand first game March 22nd, 2022, Seattle and Arizona. Carter Sandler. Just so you just so we all feel a little I always love playing that game like he got prime billing early in his career. Seattle, Arizona. They gave him the good stuff in Arizona. Yeah, right. Awesome stuff, Jeff. Thanks, boys. Have a great week, buddy. We’ll catch up. Redeem myself. Redeem myself. You certainly have. That was amazing. Thank you, Jim Sandlac.

Jeff Marek of The Sheet stops by to offer his first impressions of the Canucks and whether Chytil is ready for a breakout season. Jeff also talks about the early performances elsewhere in the Pacific division and what it might say about the Canucks competition. He also takes a look at some struggling teams that may continue to do so, and may be ready to sell their talent quick.

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