Kyle Connor signs eight-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets

Kyle Connor signs eight-year extension with the Winnipeg Jets

[Music] Hey, [Music] [Music] fly. [Music] This is Winnipeg Sports Talk Daily with Andrew Hustler Patterson and Michael Reis. What is going on Winnipeg and Manitoba? Welcome to Winnipeg Sports Talk Daily. Andrew Patterson, Michael Reis with here at with you. Packed show today as we countdown one more sleep before the Winnipeg Jets begin their season home opener tomorrow against the Dallas Stars. The WST section is sold out. We will look forward to seeing you tomorrow. And what a special night that is going to be. The hopeful return of Jonathan Taves tomorrow. Was back out at practice today. Um skating on that second line. No Cole Perfetti unfortunately. Nikita Chipperov in his spot. But uh all eyes will be on Jonathan Taves tomorrow. Of course, the return of Mark Schiffley for the first time in a regular season game in Winnipeg since his um gutsy performance for this club in the playoffs last year after the tragic passing of his father. But the big story today with one day to go before the season is that Kyle Connor is a Winnipeg Jet for life in all likelihood, inking an 8-year extension today. the richest contract in Winnipeg Jets history. So, uh, let’s go buckets on to start the show. KFC is a Jet for eight more years. We’re going to hear from Kyle Connor. He spoke this morning, had some, uh, great great stuff, which you’ll want to hear, uh, as well as his running mate and longtime linemate, Mark Schiffley, who’s also here in a long-term contract. And then we’ll dive into it. Brandon Rowiki uh will jump on the program. We’ll also have Marada Tesh of The Athletic. We will also welcome in the voice of the Winnipeg Jets on TSN, Dan Robertson, for his thoughts on the upcoming season and finish it off with the last day of live racing. Got to check in with our pal Darren Dunn at a Cinoa Downs big day coming up at the track tonight. As I mentioned, can’t wait to see you all tomorrow for our first game of the six WST games of the month at Canada Life Center. Thank you to everyone that jumped on tickets. Quick note, um, for everyone that’s wondering, the pregame parties this year are in the craft beer corner in section 310. So, it is the opposite corner, same end of the building. I think the Jets have an event in the whiskey hanger tomorrow. So, we’re just rolling with the 310 bar. Uh doors open at 5:30. For the other games, we’ll have the early access. I don’t think anyone’s going to be jumping in there at 5 tomorrow. But if you do have your tickets for the game, get there early. Any other WSTers that have seats if you want to come up and say hi to everybody, it’ll be the craft beer corner outside 310. And um we will have uh some early entry for other games later on this season, but the entire building’s open at 5:30 and everyone is encouraged to be in their seats by 6:30 as we get to see the banners unveiled, the president’s trophy, the Jets first ever Central Division banner, and then the full introduction of the 202526 Winnipeg Jets. So we’ll look forward to seeing you there tomorrow. Listen, just before we welcome in Michael Reis, do want to thank all the sponsors that make WST happen each and every day. Of course, our partners at Cool Bet Canada did do CFL 110 this morning with Jeff Hamilton. Check that out on the YouTube channel and our CFL 110 parlays live. We’ll hit that a little later on today. Of course, our friends at Princess Auto, uh the Winnipeg Jets, the HSC home lottery, Roly’s Transfer, St. Patel Dental Center in Canadian club Chud’s Powers Sports. We’ll have to crank out the NHL power poll going into the season officially started last night. Of course, Donnie and the gang at Manitoba Battery, Fansfirst.ca with fan feedback, Little Brown Jug, Boston Pizza, Royal Sports, a Cine Boy Downs, and we’ll get to a why not question of the day for not autocorp Waverly and McGilly. Remo, the buckets are on because KFC is staying in Winnipeg. Great day for the Jets and their fan base. Um maybe great for everyone other than us because if this did drag onto the season, it would certainly be a topic that would drive numbers, but as a Jets fan, I’m glad this one is put to bed. And uh we know that Kyle Connor, one of the great offensive players in Jet history, is sticking around looking to add to his goddy totals and uh help this team take the next step in the postseason. I guess we could have had some type of uh Kyle Connor drama discussing throughout the season. Sure, that could have been, you know, fun for views, but we know what’s more fun when a, you know, premier player in the NHL, guy who’s in among the scoring leaders, uh, you know, for the team, among among the league, signs 8-year deal, uh, richest contract in team history at 12 million AAV. I think very exciting. It’s exciting for, you know, the team, the people, exciting for the fans and knowing that player and I think it removes a cloud over the organization. He said he, you know, he said when he spoke to the media, he didn’t want it in the room. It changes the vibes a bit and I imagine the vibes are going to be very high even if they’re without Adam Lowry, Cole Perfetti, and Dylan Samber heading into game one. It’s a new season and uh this team believes that believes in themselves, believes they have what it takes to win a Stanley Cup and ownership has certainly given them the tools to do that. So, an exciting day for the franchise. Uh not quite up there with Halabuk Sha Flee just cuz it’s only one guy instead of two. And we kind of saw this headed this way. Wasn’t the out of the blue announcement of the dual signings that Elliot Freiedman leaking out lasting. You know, there have been reports throughout the week that they were moving in this direction. So, very exciting. It’s done. I imagine Hus tomorrow at the introductions, he’s going to get a very loud ove. I think Hallelu’s usually the loudest, but uh there’ll be extra for Connor tomorrow. You know, just before we get to um you know, the the audio from Connor um as well as uh you know, the why not question of the day for everybody, Rick Green, tomorrow. I mean, obviously the the home opener in 2011 is in a category of its own because that that was the return of the Jets, but I will make the argument that tomorrow’s opening game player introductions will be um the most significant and anticipated as we’ve maybe ever had outside of that first year where we were basically meeting our new team. Um, Connor Halabuk will be coming out to the chance of MVP as the first ever heart trophy winner in Winnipeg Jets history. Start off there. Mark Schiffley will be returning to the ice in Winnipeg in front of a full house in a regular season game for the first time since his incredibly gutsy performance in game six against the Dallas Stars. um just hours after the tragic passing of his father. And I we’ve been talking all summer about the the way that he’ll be welcomed back to the club uh to the city and to the ice by the fan base. Kyle Connor will be welcomed back in a very special way knowing that he’s committed his NHL future for likely the rest of his career to the city of Winnipeg and Winnipeg Jet fans. Um and that’ll be top of mind. And then Jonathan Taves and assuming Taves nothing happens and he’s good to go tomorrow. That will be another moment. I mean, and I’m not even talking about everybody else. That was a huge part of an dream season last year, dream regular season for the Winnipeg Jets where the team exceeded so many people’s expectations. So, um, a great reason to get there and get in your seat early because I really do think that, you know, just the way that the team and the fan base sort of have come back together after, you know, a little bit of rocky times 2, three years ago. Um, we’re going to see it on display tomorrow before the puck even drops. Returning Winnipeg Jets that deserve big time welcome backs and then of course the entire league welcoming Jonathan Taves back. Yeah, I think you hit the nail right on the head. You want to celebrate the banner for the president’s trophy. It’s going to be in the house, the Jennings as well. You can get your pictures taken with them. So certainly incentive uh to get to the game early and they always do a great job on the player intros and yeah, Mark Shaley going to get a huge ovation for the reasons you mentioned. Connor Halabuk always gets the MVP chance and he did end up winning the MVP. So now when they chanted it is, you know, for real and Kyle Connor for signing and you said Jonathan Taves coming back and I’m sure a number of other players, you know, Josh Morsy, uh, getting a mention, you know, he what he left, uh, you know, the playoffs with injury, uh, previously. So yeah, um, yeah, looking back at last season, it was so amazing, ready to turn the page. Going to be tough uh, to live up to it. I’m sure they’ll give it their best. and we are projecting the Winnipeg Jets to be a playoff team and so hopefully they can all stay healthy and take this into April. Yeah, no doubt. Um, as I mentioned, we’re going to hear from Kyle Connor in just a minute. Um, but you know, I want to start it off with the why not question of the day for not autocorp Waverly and McGillry. Uh, of course should mention um the folks if you want to beat the rush, get your vehicle ready for winter. Uh the guys down at Knot have winter tires, wheel storage alignments, and a winter tire program. Um financing through that winter tire program. So uh holler at Chris and the gang down at not for that. Uh very simply, how do you like the Kyle Connor deal? Eight years staying as a Winnipeg Jet. In all likelihood, a Jet for life. I mean, a big ticket. It’s the richest contract in NHL in Jets history. Uh that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone considering what Connor’s done, the cap going up, the deals that we’ve seen uh around the league. And of course, interesting to note that it also included a full no move contract, meaning that uh he’s not going anywhere. uh certainly um you know without his approval and um well we’ll hear from Connor in a minute but let us know what you think about that in the chat your reaction to the number the term and uh extending Kyle Connor the way the team has done earlier today. Um let’s hear from Kyle Connor because uh he had lots to say today and uh everyone was surrounding KFC. first up uh got to the microphone and uh no surprise was asked about a life-changing contract that was signed earlier today. It’s awesome. You know, both sides are working hard to get this done before the season. And um you know, couldn’t be more thrilled and, you know, excited to be part of this organization for, you know, the next 8 n years, including this year. And um you know, I think kind of the culture and identity of of this city and and this organization, you know, fits well in my values. And that’s something that was a big priority for me. And you know, just looking out the window and the pieces that uh this organization has uh has built over the years and just their willingness to win at all costs. You can see it top down starting with Mark Chipman and um you know, given us players ever since I’ve came into this organization a chance to succeed and all the tools that you need. And um you know, it’s continued throughout the career and it’s it’s getting better. So um from an organization standpoint, I you know, I love to see it and um couldn’t be more more excited. You know, I I I I you talk a lot about Chevel Day off and obviously Larry Simmons, but you know, he mentioned Mark Chipman right off the bat and listen, owners, you know, have huge roles to play. And I I I think that, you know, just not that we ever really talk about ownership, we’re talking about the games and who’s in the lineup. But, uh, today is one of those days, Ree, that it is a good, uh, point to maybe, you know, give some credit Mark’s way. um that certainly deserved um of helping establish an organization that really from day one strived to do everything they could to give the players everything that they could possibly want or need to perform at the highest level possible. And it is very clear that that’s resonated with so many of the Jets that despite what a lot of bozos around the league have been always telling us that guys don’t want to stay here in Winnipeg. These guys are going to be gone. They very very rarely do leave. And uh obviously it happened with Nikolai Eers. Eers signed a long-term extension and was here for 10 years. So, you know, that that leadership from above, especially with the focus on the hockey uh product and the hockey operation at making it big league and and giving players everything that they need. Uh it’s obviously resonated with players like Kyle Connor and we saw the uh the conclusion of that today with the signing of the long-term deal. Yeah, Kyle Connor giving full credit to Mark Chipman who Elliot Freiedman reported was involved in the negotiations with Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Shovel Day off and Connor’s agent Rich Evans. A lot of talk about bonuses. Darren Dreger reporting $55 million in salary for the $96 million contract and $41 million in bonuses. And again, this is the biggest contract in Winnipeg Jets history at 96 million. And this is the first time they have done a full new clause and uh those type of signing bonuses. So Winnipeg Jets, you talked with Morat last week about how if they wanted to get Kyle Connor signed to a long-term deal, they would have to change their philosophy. And you see the landscape changing around the NHL with uh the big deals handed out. And you saw other contracts like Capriovves where what was he getting? $1 million in salary each year and the rest in bonuses. The Winnipeg Jets certainly adapting. And you mentioned us about players uh you know coming to Winnipeg and staying longterm. You know just look at the players that they’ve brought in the last couple years through trade. Vlattis Lavnikov, Nino Nether Rider, Alex Ayafalo. I mean, all guys playing or slated to start on the third line tomorrow night. They were all acquired in a trade and all signed here. You know, New Mexico signed a couple contracts, but all signed, you know, multi-year contracts with the Winnipeg Jets. So, well, don’t forget Valardi just signed for six years as well. I mean, even a bigger deal on a more, you know, a more expensive player higher up in the lineup. So, um, anytime some bozo tells you, uh, that oh, guys don’t want to play in Winnipeg, just point to the actual facts, people, you don’t need to editorialize it at all. It’s BS. It’s been BS for a while. And today’s another example of why it is BS. And, uh, Jets move forward with their core intact, locked in as the cap goes up. And obviously Kyle Connor earned a big raise going forward, but he’ll still be here to in all likelihood lead the Jets in scoring for another season and uh hopefully to uh even more special things come Stanley Cup playoff time. We’ll get to those bonuses in a minute. Uh but the $12 million number, uh Kyle Connor was asked how they arrived at it. you know, a lot of it was, you know, the agent and and um you know, management going back and forth and um you know, whatever it worked out end up being. It’s um you know, both sides wanted a long-term deal and and u we knew the fit was great here. Um so that was ultimately our decision. Did how much did it ever cross your mind to maybe try free agency knowing that there’s probably a lot of money out there? Um, you know, at the end of the day, I’ve reflected it at the end of the year last year. And, um, you know, it gave us some thought, but there was there was never any scenario where I could see myself going somewhere else. This this team, these these guys here and this organization has been nothing but top-notch. And, um, like I said earlier, just giving you any every chance you can to succeed in all the tools and and, you know, I wouldn’t want to try to win a Stanley Cup with a another group of players in in an organization. So, it’s, you know, once you really start thinking about it and um there’s no other place, you know what, and that is just so awesome for Jet fans to hear. I mean, listen, there is maybe sometimes a bit of an inferiority complex with this city and and and the fan base. And listen, I get it. You know, we are the smallest market. You’re going up against some uh organizations that have greater history. Um maybe have nicer weather. There’s the taxes and all that, but make no mistake about it. I mean I listen there’s the McDavid the McDavid extension from Monday is it just in a category all its own. This is a guy that walked in and just said this is what I’m going to play for for the next two years. Let’s do it and move forward because they he really felt that that’s what his team needed to really truly give them a chance to win. Um, I mean the Capri soft deal is on the other end of things where he and his agent stuck the wild for every last scent, every bon signing bonus, everything they could do and got a record setting deal, which is totally his right. I’m going to tell you right now that with McDavid off the board, with Capri off the board, Jack Eel doesn’t want to go anywhere. He’s going to be staying in Vegas. They get that they get that done. Kyle Connor undoubtedly left some money on the table here. I mean, I I think the possibility of him getting 13 14 if there was a number of teams with a lot of cap space bidding, he definitely could have had more, but as we’ve just heard from Kyle Connor, committed here, loves the team, loves his teammates, the organization, and being a Winnipeg Jet. And uh that is great news for uh this fan base in this city moving forward. Now the one thing that we’d heard reported a number of times is they were sort of in the same ballpark for the deal. How was it going to be structured and sort of mentioned why it was important to the Jets not to not to put a deal together the way the Kappersoft one was done with it all in signing bonuses and just $1 million salary. They sort of met in the middle. Certainly did more of those bonuses than they’d done before. Um here’s Kyle Connor and why the signing bonus was important in the negotiation. Yeah, just kind of the way it worked out. It’s obviously protects you and and um you know the buy all years and and uh yeah, so we were we were able to get some and um yeah, just kind of worked out the structure that way. Was it important to get it done before the team started feel like you wanted to? Um, I think it’s good for for everybody, for for a team, for just kind of the direction of of, you know, the vibe in in the room. And, um, you know, I was kind of fine either way going into it. Um, you know, I’ve had it before where, you know, playing the last deal before before I signed this one, the extension, the seven-year one, I played throughout the whole year and had no problem. I feel like I do a good job of kind of putting that to the side. And, um, but at the same time, we realized that urgency that needed to be done here. and um you know super happy that we were able to get it before the season. All right, there is uh Kyle Connor. We got a lot more Kyle Connor coming up as well as Mark Schiffley. Uh but just the chat’s going so crazy. I want to get to fan feedback from Fans First. Uh right now, Fans First, of course, your number one spot for buying and selling Winnipeg tickets on the resale market where what you see is what you pay. No added fees at Fans First like so many of the other ticket resale sites. It is of course by fans and for fans no fees. Best spot if you’re looking for tickets to a soldout game or you’re a season ticket holder and you need to get them out. Fans versus quickly become the number one spot on the resale market to grab Winnipeg Jet tickets. Check it out at fansfver.ca if you haven’t already. Um lot of great ones here. Waiters, go win a cup. And I don’t care how much the contract is. By the way, waiters, yes, I know I was away yesterday. I will take my lumps for that Chiefs loss on Monday Night Football later on today on the program. I know you all didn’t forget. Um, Granny Bomber fan class organization our city has on the Winnipeg Jets and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Uh Vincent Toba, all this is so opposite of what all the naysayers said when the Jets rejoined the league. Uh Kevin K, Jets have 27 million in cap space next year. Just have to spend it on the right players. Um and Jeffrey Coat, I’m wondering why players to sign deals with signing bonuses in the NHL. Hey, they want their money sooner. Um you know, you can do a lot of things with 16 million on one date as opposed to getting it throughout the year. just a matter of uh matter of getting it in. Um so many other comments. I mean extremely happy uh with it all. And we do have a poll as well right now. Uh what do you think of Kyle Connor’s 8-year 96 million contract. 49% love it. Worth every dollar. 41% fair deal for both sides. Only 7% a little too pricey and only 2% massive overpay. So, the uh the results are in. Winnipeg Jet fans are fired up for eight more years of KFC with the Winnipeg Jets. Uh, keep your comments coming in the chat right now. We’ll continue to check it out throughout. And of course, fans fan feedback is brought to you by fans first, by fans for fans. No fees. All right, Roiki is going to come and join us in about 10 minutes right now. But let’s hear more from the man of the hour, Kyle Connor, after signing his new deal. You know, went through the deal, the money, the bonuses, uh now is asked if he’s had a chance to uh tell all the important people close to him about uh about the new new deal. You know, it kind of came together quick last night and um you know, news travels fast uh in this world. So, um it’s yeah, kind of coming in it’s it’s already out there grabbing guys and kind of one-on-one and you know, obviously had a team meeting and kind of announced it then, but um you know, everybody knew coming into the ring today. What was the stick tap moment like and what were some of the words said there? Yeah. No, I mean the guys are everybody um you know, respects each other and it’s it’s a family in this room. Um, you know, it was awesome to feel that love and, you know, appreciation from your teammates and, you know, these guys in the room couldn’t be couldn’t be happier for for anybody to see that. And, um, you know, it just means a lot to to be a teammate of those guys. You know, that is, you know, really cool to hear. And I I you know, we just we Remis and I were talking uh before the show and I just finished lock shop and he was just telling me, “Hey, we got all these Connor clips and they’re as good as we’ve never ever heard.” I mean Kyle Connor is not the most talkative guy. Um but you know Remis that answer um you know about that it is a family and feeling the love from all these guys like you know in some markets in some teams you know you think there might be some sort of you know resentment for a guy that’s had a lot of other guys help him get to where he is in his career maybe cash in like that. Uh it it seems like everyone is so on the same page. And now listen, I’ll still maintain that a couple Thanksgivings ago, the dual contracts for Shiffley and Hellabuk, the biggest offse day, the biggest day of business in Winnipeg Jet history, getting those two players signed long term. But this one is right up there in a lot of ways that you know there’s a lot of worry that you know as the cap starts exploding that the Jets might have a hard time continuing to do what they’ve done before with the likes of of Hela Buck and Shley and uh this certainly shows that the Jets are willing to reward excellence to pay market value and it also shows that there’s a real willingness for players like that to stay the course with the team that brought them up. And you know, you can just feel the good vibes coming out of this organization despite the worry about the injuries to start the season. And again, you know, we’ll be stressing out the games and the record starting tomorrow. But it goes to show the job between Chipman and Chevel Day off and everyone there of um of getting these to buy in guys to buy in and feel that the grass isn’t greener on other teams in the NHL. These guys have all grown up together. They’re all friends. They’re all starting to have uh kids together. Well, not together, but they’re all having kids, you know, growing up to get together together. And uh look, it’s hard to say, “Hey, I don’t want to be here anymore.” You know, they like where they’re at. Uh they’re comfortable. They’re treated well by the team, as Kyle Connor mentioned before. And they seem to and they believe that the you know, the organization is going to do whatever it takes to put them in position to win a Stanley Cup. We heard Mark Schaefley and Connor Hellabuk say that at their press conference and when they signed and heard Kyle Connor say the same thing, how much belief uh they have and Mark Chipman and ownership and Kevin Shovel off. But also again um the commitment that these teammates have to each other and how much they care and I thought it was great to hear Kyle Connor his his comments. You know, not the most talkative guy and of course would have a lot to say on such a monumental day uh in his life, but I thought it was he was very well spoken. uh conveying his emotions about the the deal and about the team. Uh as far as the practice went today, um the line rushes uh as they were yesterday, Connor Schiffley, Valardi, uh Jonathan Taves out there on the second line with Nikovist and Chibberov. Uh Vlad in between Fallow and Nether. And the fourth line looking like it will be Morgan Baron with Cole Keepy and Tanner Pearson. Uh, of course, uh, all eyes on Jonathan Taves, who will hopefully, uh, be green lit and good to go for tomorrow’s opener. Uh, outside of all the contract news, uh, the assembled media asked Connor, uh, what’s it been like uh, having Taves in the room and how he’s fit in with the group going into the home opener? I think he’s fit in great with this with this team. His personality fits in great. um you know, he’s he’s on the quieter side, but he’s he’s pretty intense when you get into conversations and he’s he’s very open. He he wants to share and he’s he’s uh you know, he’s passionate. He chose Winnipeg um to come here and um you know, this is not some kind of last little tour. He’s he wants to win. You can see the fire in him and it’s it’s contagious just like anybody in this room um with that kind of mentality and it’s it’s been awesome. So, I’ve just been soaking it in and learning from him and um you know, he’s he’s been great for the room. All right, a little bit more from Kyle Connor on Jonathan Taves. Now, uh, just back to, you know, the decision to stay in Winnipeg and to sign for as long as Kyle Connor did. Likely, you’ll certainly be the last long-term deal he signs. If he can push 40 like Sid, maybe there’s another couple years, but I mean, this is essentially the second half of what has already been a wonderful NHL career. Um, but you know, he’s a young father, married now. Kyle was asked about his family’s role in deciding to uh stay here right in Winnipeg for another eight years after this one. You know, it’s you got to start thinking about other people too in this scenario and um you know, I don’t I think Winnipeg’s a great place to to raise a family. You know, talking to guys over the years and people have done it before, you know, the Blake Wheelers and you know, even even Hellbuck having small kids and and everybody. So, it’s it’s a great community to raise a family and um that’s definitely part of the equation as well. Kyle, what would the 2015 version that was chosen 17th overall think of this moment? Yeah. Um you know, you you go out to the kid and I don’t think your dreams can really get as big as that, right? like um you know it’s just about making the NHL then you know obviously sticking and um you know obviously the ultimate goal is to win a Stanley Cup with this group and and you know you can never really picture where your career is going to go but I think it’s it’s um pretty special and something I don’t take for granted to be able to play for a single organization throughout my whole career and um just the trust that they have in me and the belief ever since they did draft me in 2015 is is awesome and it just gives me confidence to be the player that I am and and the person. So, um, you know, to be able to spend, you know, that much eight more years here is is is awesome. Very honored. You know, there a couple funny things on that one. I mean, first off, on the families, you know, you do make a great point. I mean, Dylan Dlo’s got young kids. Hellabuk’s got young kids. Um, Shley now. Uh, and I imagine there’ll be more to come in the future of some of these guys that have been with the team. Um, they’re going to be able to put together their own minor hockey team in a few years together. It’s just a bunch of the kid just the kids that have been ripping around on the ice at the arena after practice at some point. So, uh, the family in a role. But man, you know, hearing Ken ask Kyle about the young man that was drafted in 2015, what he would think of that, it got me thinking about that draft. And that was I want to say we it was maybe the third or fourth draft in a row that we’d been to um doing at the time H&L um on the draft floor. And I will always remember that draft um at for for one thing, the Boston Bruins making the trades that they did. And if you recall, Boston had 13, 14, and 15. And we knew that Matt Barzal was out there. And then of course, Kyle Connor as well. And the Bruins go back to backto back with Jacob Zoro bust. Jake De Brusk, legitimate NHLER, not with the team anymore. And Zachary Senician, also compared to where they were picked bust. Thank you Boston Bruins for passing on both Barzal and Kyle Connor. Barzal of course got snapped up at 16th by the New York Islanders and then Kyle Connor to the Winnipeg Jets and uh he’ll continue to apply his trade here for uh the next decade and I mean it’s 2025 right now. That was 10 years ago that he was drafted. He’s signed for nine more years. We’re basically going to be talking about two decades of Kyle Connor with the Winnipeg Jets organization. And uh pretty wild thinking back to that day. One more here from Kyle Connor and Brandon’s going to join us right away. Morat still to come. Dan Robertson. Um it’s time to play some hockey tomorrow. Kyle Connor talked about his excitement for the upcoming season. You know, we have we feel we have a lot of unfinished business as a group. Um we took a great step last year and um you know obviously the president’s trophy, but we realize that it’s it’s all about that next step in the playoffs and um you know getting to the next round and winning and having that consistence presence in the in the playoffs and and going as deep as we can and um you know a lot of cars need to align to make make a run like that and I think we have the pieces here and um the motivation another year maturity in the playoffs and um you know I think the hunger is is as big as ever here. On the topic of unfinished business, is it nice to start the season against the team that ended your season last year? Yeah, it’s always a, you know, great to play that team that knocked you out um anytime you whether it’s the first game of year towards the end down the stretch or in the playoffs. You know, we’re going to be seeing these guys. We’re going to have to go through them. We know what kind of team they are. Uh so, yeah, we’re we’re going to be excited for that one and it’s a great way to start the year. All right, there’s Kyle Connor, the uh man of the hour, $96 million richer uh in the future. He’ll finish out his current contract this year and get the big raise next season and uh eight more years KFC here in Winnipeg. We’ll hear from Mark Shley a little bit later on. Brandon Rouiki is going to join us. But uh again, thanks to everyone that jumped on seats with us for the home opener. We’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow. You’re coming 5:30. Doors open. We will meet up in section 310. And don’t forget uh the trophies are on display. Moose opener as well this weekend. And uh and then on Saturday afternoon, that 12:30 game against the LA Kings, you’ll also be able to check out the trophies. And uh should be a real fun one. I guess they’ve got a nice giveaway uh with I believe many banners for uh the fans at the game on opening weekend. And of course, if you’re watching right now, those are the other games of the month. Uh next game to join us in the WST section is the return of Nikolai Eers’s Carolina Hurricanes, Friday, November 21st. Um folks, tomorrow’s the home opener for the Jets. It’s also tomorrow at midnight the super bonus deadline for the HSC millionaire lottery. Now you want to get your t tickets to become Manitoba’s next millionaire and obviously support the health sciences center. The grand prize winner will have a choice of one of five dream home packages, four in the greater Winnipeg area, one in BC on Vancouver Island, or $1.25 million cash. But this super bonus is on right now and you may as well get your tickets now because if you get them before midnight on Thursday, you’ll be eligible for prizes worth over $73,000. You can win a Toyota 4Erunner 2 2026 SR5 or a game suite for 12 guests at the Jets this year with the food and beverage credit valued at $11,000. a $1,000 Jet Gear gift card, $25,000 in indigeno travel vouchers, and $20,000 cash, or just take 55K in your jeans. And there’ll also be four more winners of gas and groceries at Red River Co-op gift cards. So, don’t wait. You’ll be in for the Gray Cup bonus. Uh, another early bird draw, but Thursday night is the deadline for the HSCire lottery. Uh, go to hssemillionaire.com to get your tickets or pop by your local London Drugs or Red River Co-op location. Um, no moving for Kyle Connor and that’s a good thing. Uh, if you do have a move though, folks, holler at our friends at Rolley’s Transfer, the most trusted name in moving and storage in Winnipeg for over 60 years, where their customer service knows no bounds, and the white glove treatment that they are famous for will be available to you and your family. Check out their website at rollies.com. Uh check out everything they’ve got going. Maybe even see that beautiful Winnipeg sports talk truck on the on the streets of Winnipeg. Click on request an estimate. Use the promo code WST for a special discount on moving services and moving supplies and let them know when you’re moving and where you’re moving. And uh they’ll turn it around quickly with a quick great quote and get you locked in for that white glove treatment that they’re famous for now into their seventh decade. for all your moving needs make at Roly’s transfer. Find out more or request an estimate today over at rolley.com. Um, love having St. Patel Dental Center on board with us. You know, our pal Dr. Terry, a great supporter of the show for a long time and uh has really been, you know, part of a dental center that’s been serving generations of Winnipeggers. Um, you know, people move, they’re in different spots. Listen, if you have been too long since you’ve been to the dentist or you need a great spot where your family can be taken care of by a wonderful staff, incredible dentist for a long term, St. Patel Dental Center is the spot. Got a beautiful new facility at 167 St. An’s Road with convenient free parking in the background. Of course, they’ll take care of everything from cleanings and checkups to things like dental implants. They really do it all. Satel dental.ca online. Check them out there and uh make you can make an appointment and tell Dr. Terry and the gang that the folks at Winnipeg Sports Talk sent you just before we bring in Brandon Wiki. Uh I have a feeling there’ll be a few Jet fans toasting the extension of Kyle Connor today or maybe just having fun tomorrow at the game. Of course, when we do that, you’re thinking Canadian whiskey. You’re thinking the original Canadian club since 1858. The official spirit of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Pick it up now at your local Manitoba liquor marts. Just in time for the Gay Cup, a limited edition special blue bomber bottle is available right now. Perfect for your Gay Cup parties. And uh everything going on in the fall. And while you’re at your local Manitoba liquor marts, uh keep your eyes out for that Canadian Club pack if you want to switch it up a little bit in the fridge. The CC and ginger, the citrus smash, the half and half. All incredible beverage. We loved all summer, but they can be enjoyed 12 months a year. Canadian club. Check out the display. The official spirit of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Grab it at your local Manitoba liquor marts. All right, let’s bring in Brandon Awiki, the host of Skates and Plates, who will have lot on his plate uh with the upcoming episode. Brandon, guys like you and me don’t have to stress about Kyle Connor forever basically. Um, what do you think? Eight years going to be a jet for life. We just heard from Kyle Connor. Really excited to stay the course with this team that has made such big strides over the last few years and uh try and finish the job and get the job done in June. Yeah, you know, it’s funny you mentioned big strides as a team because I think ultimately Kyle Connor is the one who’s taken big strides in his game to earn that extension. You know, if you would have asked me two years ago and then, you know, putting it into context, but whatever the percentage of the cap that 12 million is nowadays, if you would have asked me like, “Do you sign that deal if you’re Winnipeg?” would have been hell no. Right? Like it’s there there there wasn’t enough substance to his game. like there was obviously the point totals were there, but even then he wasn’t necessarily, you know, top five in points in the NHL, but he was given so much back defensively that it was like, I don’t know, is he ever going to be worth the big ticket that he he seemingly is going to demand. And he did a complete 180 last year. And I I think it’s kind of funny. I used to be one of his maybe not harshest critics, but just wanted to see so much more out of his game because he had it in him to now where I feel like I’m one of his biggest defenders. And it’s like look, he’s basically a net average defensively or was last year and at essentially 100 points over the course of 82 games, one of the not like top 20 all the one of the premier point producers in the entire NHL. and he wanted to sign for eight years in Winnipeg. So, I think it’s a massive, massive victory for the club. I think it’s the biggest news they’ve had this off seasonason, even more so than than the TA signing in terms of just what it means for for the future of this team. Um, I I yeah, I only view it as a positive here because I mean, look, and and you can’t always make every deal like this, but what were your options if he didn’t want to sign or if he didn’t want to pony up 12 mil? And you could say, well, that’s no reason to sign a deal. Well, Sometimes it is, especially when you take into account what this market is and its landscape across the NHL. Um, yeah, I I’m not going to nitpick it and and try to find any fault in this deal. To to me, it’s if you sell Kyle Connor for long term, yes. Was it well below Carrill Capri’s annual capit? Yes. All right, we’ll take that and we’ll move forward then. You know, I uh I echo what you say and I think this really started under Rick Bonis kind of between year one and year two. I mean, you think about the way that that season ended, how hot Bones was at the end of the year. And you know, I think there was a lot of soulsearching for a lot of guys after what was sort of an embarrassing way to go out. And you know, we saw Connor taking more responsibility, taking more of a leadership role and and certainly continuing to play and maybe even elevating what he can do offensively, but you know, realizing that if he truly wants to to see his potential, you need to have it both ways. I mean, one way players don’t cut it when it comes to winning consistently. And I think he and his teammates realized that there was a lot more they had to do if they wanted to truly be a team that could win consistently. Well, and the other part of it is did it come at a sacrifice of offense? No. He he put together his best offensive season. One would argue that it helped. And I think that was the lessons that Bone started that we saw in spades last year that, you know, being a better defensive player, having more attention to detail, being more aggressive on that for check, he’s good at it. You can get the puck. And guess what? When he has the puck, when Shifley and Valardi and Morrisy have the puck, he’s dangerous and can make things happen. And the result sort of followed, but it was part of that process. And you know, it it he has been an evolving player over the last couple years, but the bottom line, this is an offensive star, the number one scorer on the Winnipeg Jets. What uh what’s the ceiling for a Kyle Connor? Um you know, I was talking last week, they had an exclusive 17 to1 to score 50. We’ve seen him score 47. Nikolai Eers is not on the power play. You know, listen, that might dent the power play’s ability, but it is insane. Like, he did not score basically through the second half of the season on the power play. Like, knowing that it’s all now just about going out producing, playing as well as you can for the team. I’m not sure there might be even another level like a 100 point season and potentially beating that 47 that he’s had in the past. Yeah, that that’s 100% his potential is 5050 guy. um he’s got it in him and god forbid he goes on a bit of a percentage bender in one of the upcoming seasons here and you know you shoot 17% one year all of a sudden uh 50 becomes a little easier with his skill set. Um, but I mean like his ceiling, I mean what he did last year, if that’s what he delivers moving forward, what’s the issue, right? Like even if that is his ceiling, that’s awesome. That’s that means he’s going to be a high 90 to 100 point producer and spearhead one of the most dangerous potent power plays and top lines in the NHL. All right, that’s a good ceiling. We can stick with that moving forward here. Um, yeah, and he’s never going to be at the level of the Stones and the Reinhardts defensively, but again, it was never they never needed him to do that. It was just Kyle, you need to give us something there, right? Like, you need to give us just a little bit more and use your assets to your advantage defensively. Like, you may not have the awareness or the physicality of some of the other guys, but like use your speed to try to break up plays and passes, right? And I think he’s just done a lot better job. I think he’s just put a lot more effort into the defensive things and it paid off for him in a massive massive way here. So yeah, all all positives for me here. And I mean, you don’t even also have to necessarily worry about like what’s his motivation level going to be like because for both him and Mark Shiffley specifically, it’s like the Olympics are coming and and for Kyle Connor, I don’t think he’s forgotten um getting the healthy scratch for Chris Krider and a 15% Matthew Kachchuck in the uh gold medal game at Four Nations. So, I don’t think we’re going to see too much of a of a drop back in performance over the next couple of months of the season at least. And you know what? I I I’ll say this and I I assume that the Winnipeg Jets even before we dropped the puck in the playoffs last year were focused on especially knowing that presumably they weren’t having a lot of luck getting Eers to stick around that Kyle Connor was the priority for this team. Um, but when you look at his playoff performance last year through those two series, five goals, 12 points, 17 points in 13 games, like he’s also been a guy that’s basically been a point a game player in the playoffs and even took that to another level this year. So, um, you know, knowing where Shiffley and Halabuk are in their career, where Josh Morrisy is in their career, this was, and I mean, I know there were some people that said, “Well, you know, look what you could get back.” And for them, the timing of a lot of that stuff doesn’t work out. like could you have you know kind of start it over and get a bunch of picks and you know some young players maybe for sure but it’s very clear that with the prior commitments that the Winnipeg Jets had already made losing a Kyle Connor would have been so devastating to the present and the short term that it wouldn’t have made sense and uh now it’s very clear I mean you know we talk a lot about windows to win um they’re locked and loaded right now with their most important players in their prime, not going anywhere with nothing else to talk about than the next game and what they need to do when they get out on the ice. Yeah. And and now I mean, not that management hasn’t been doing anything, but that’s kind of the next shoe to drop here, isn’t it? Is a the core is here. You know, everybody knows who’s going to be here long term, but there’s also this, you know, I think thought in the back of everyone’s mind that like this group isn’t finished, though. like we’ve got the pieces in place here, but there’s a little bit we need we need a new front door. We need to switch up the windows a little bit. The foundation’s solid, but there’s there’s going to have to be another move or two to get them to where they ultimately want to be. And I think everybody knows that. Um it also kind of, you know, under the radar here, but it does shine the light on, you know, from from one contract to the next. The captain needs a new deal coming up. Um, I assume that’s going to be a much easier negotiation. Um, but even then, like there’s some there’s a little bit of intrigue and drama with that because you don’t know what Adam Lowry’s going to be like when he comes back from a a pretty significant surgery and how is he going to age, but then also it’s like, well, his value to the team, um, the intangibles and like the intrinsic value he brings, can that be matched, too? So, um, yeah, the contract talk never ends. So, so that’s the next one on the board here. Um, but I think at the same time, Chevy’s got one eye on, you know, basically how some teams are starting, who’s coming out of the gate fast, who’s coming out of the gate slow, and, you know, when do we ultimately make the move? Because, you know, Winnipeg’s not the only team that is looking to make a big splash in season here. I would say there’s probably 10 to 12 teams that are all looking to improve dramatically, and there’s only so many players to go around that can move the needle. So, it’s fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun fun times for sure that we go from Connor extension talk to uh trade bait board immediately. Yeah. And you know and just on Lowry for a minute I mean Lowry I believe it was a 5-year extension that he signed at like three and a quarter. Um so he’s through four years of that deal. I mean the last three years he’s basically upped his point production 50% from the rest of his career. I mean, he went from a guy that was in the low 20s to the mid30s and he’s done it three straight years. And that doesn’t even begin to talk about everything that he’s done for the organization, the respect that he has as the captain of this team. I have no doubt that Adam Lowry is going to be taken care of. I think the challenge of that right now is just getting him back on the ice and getting him back in and hopefully getting him back to where he was before. um you know the surgery in the in the off season. But yeah, that’ll be it. I mean, we’ll see what’s up with Perfetti at the end of this one. I mean, he of course signed the bridge deal. He’ll be up for one tough blow for him. Um missing what could be considerable time at the start of the year in a contract year, but just before we go, Brandon, I know you got to get out at the top of the hour. just thoughts on uh the opener tomorrow, the start of the season, and the adversity that the team’s going through with some pretty significant injuries right off the bat, but at the same time, some opportunity be given being given to others at the expense of the players that are on the shelf. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, massive opportunity um and also massive scheduling job to give the Dallas Stars um for Winnipeg on the season open. That’s awesome. Um, but you look at the games after that though, it’s a pretty woodable month of October for the team. I think ultimately I think especially the first 10 games or so and and after that they should start to get some bodies back in at that point that it’s incumbent on the Jets basically don’t don’t lose the season in the first 10 games. You know what I mean? Like I I think five and five would be outstanding where it’s just let’s let’s keep afloat. We know we’re behind the eightball a little bit. Um, but you don’t want to start three and seven and then chase the entire year. It’s just it’s a stressful spot to be in. And as we saw last year, you know, a hot start does make things a lot more enjoyable and you can potentially tinker, rest some guys, all that. But I just think with the way this team is is set up in their personnel that the the avoidance of a sub 500 record is pretty much paramount. So, they’re they’re going to have to in these next 10 pretty much just rely on their identity and they they’ve got one and it’s a good one now. It’s the stingiest defensive team in the NHL. They got to do that and the top line’s got to light it up. You know, might not be fair to rely on their top gun so much in the first handful of games, but that’s the reality. That’s the the hand they’ve been dealt here. And so it’s it’s basically on Helabuk, Moresy, Shifley, and company to carry the mail until a little bit of health and a little bit of reinforcements come in and and hopefully they’ll be they’ll be just fine from that point on. Hey, just uh before we go, um a player on the Winnipeg Jets that you’re looking to make a a big jump this year from what we’ve remembered them as maybe for the last couple years to a uh a you know, a much bigger role and potentially a bigger impact on the club. Is there a guy in that room that you’re looking at when I describe that? I mean, he’s not even in the room. Um, but Elias Salammonson, I think, has a legit shot to be one of the six defenseman if and when this team makes the playoffs. So, didn’t really answer your question well there, but I I think I think he I that would be a big jump. He’s on the loose right now. Yeah. Yeah, it would be the biggest jump possible really. Uh, but yeah, so I would say him and then on the big club, Morgan Baron. Um, like Baron’s my guy. Yeah, you talked about Adam Lowry kind of slowly increasing his point totals and I just think he’s a guy whose game will bode well better being down the middle. You know, he’s not going to be a distributor of the puck um coming down the middle of the ice, but he can be a bit of a bit of a bull in a china shop, right? And if he’s if he’s placed with wingers that can complement his game nicely, it it wouldn’t surprise me to see him deliver maybe 3C type numbers this year. And that would be a pretty a pretty massive find for the club if he was able to do that. So those would be the two guys that I’d be looking at to take significant steps from from where they were to start the season. Yeah, I will agree with you on that. He was my guy and eight and he was 87 for 15 last year. I think you know could we get 15 30 from you know playing with two guys that had um you know double digit goals last year playing in different spots. I guess we’ll see. Uh, you got lots to talk about on Skates and Plates this weekend. Looking forward to that, folks. Make sure you’re subscribing to Skates and Plates wherever you get the Winnipeg Sports Talk podcast on the daily. Brandon, enjoy the opener tomorrow. We’ll talk to you next week, pal. Yeah, enjoy the opener, guys. We’ll talk soon. See you. Should be fun. All right, there is Brandon Rowiki. Uh, listen, today is going to be a very Jetsheavy show. Uh, but we’re not forgetting about the Bombers. big big game on the weekend in Edmonton as the Bombers look to lock down their playoff spot and see where they finish up as the quest to Princess Auto Stadium begins. We did have a new episode of CFL 110 this morning. Check that out on the YouTube channel or on the podcast feed as well. Of course, Princess Auto is the uh proud sponsor of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and their home Princess Auto Stadium. two more home games uh Saskatchewan and Montreal to finish up the regular season and still the possibilities of a home playoff game depending on what happens over these final few weeks of the season. Princess Auto proudly Winnipeg headquartered in the Peg founded right here and now coast to coast but with three Winnipeg locations where you’ll find the best deals on the most unique assortment of tools and equipment around. Everything you need to complete the projects on your list or start something new is waiting for you at Princess Auto. So pop by and see him on Planet Road or Portage Avenue West out in Brandon or shop online 247365 over at princessauto.com. Um you know going to the home opener tomorrow we will have our start of season Chuds Powersports NHL Power Poll first one of the year. We’ll revisit the NFL on Friday. Of course it is so great to have Chud’s Powersports on board with us. You know, people that have been involved in powersports have probably known about Chuds for a long time because been in business for over 80 years in the Gimley area at the corner of Highway 8 and uh Primitial Road 231 with the best in a lot of fun stuff, everybody. ATVs, UTVs, boats, snowmobiles, RVs, iceous, tractors, the Argo and the Sasquatch, and of course, street bikes and dirt bikes. And uh our pal the Terminator fired me over a bit. They proudly sponsor the Manitoba Dirt Riders Association. They had the season finale in Fisher Branch on the weekend. They wanted to extend a huge congratulations to Chud sponsored racer Jackson Rashad for taking first place in the MBDR Fisher Branch Rocks and Log season finale and finishing first on Class B points for the entire se season. What an incredible achievement. Um, just another thing that Chuds is doing within the Powersports community. Um, but they’ve got an incredible staff and it’s not just new vehicles, incredible deals on gear, accessories. Check out true northparts.ca. Uh, but the uh it’s the touch of the people at Chuds that I think have made them such a success for so many years. Give them a hauler or pop down and see them in person. You can check out everything they’ve got going on as we get into snowmobile season at chudpowersports.com. All right. Um the uh our friend Marata Tesh is just about to come in. Um Chud’s Powersports also carries Manitoba Battery product and Manitoba Batteries, your local go-to spot for the best prices in town from a local dealer, beating the pants off the big box stores. And I’ll tell you what, it is Thanksgiving season and Donnie and the gang at Manitoba Battery are saying thank you Winnipeg. Thanks for keeping it local for trusting Manitoba battery to keep your vehicles running and helping them grow. It’s customer appreciation week next week from the 14th to the 18th. And to celebrate, get this, all automotive batteries are just 99 bucks. So, as you get ready for winter, if you need a new battery, you’re not getting any better prices anywhere than Manitoba Battery. They’ve got giveaways, prizes, and games all week long, including your chance to win a $500 gift card. So, come see the team at Manitoba Battery, North Horse South, uh Logan Avenue, Doc Court Drive, Manitoba Battery, where gratitude powers everything we do, empowering what matters the most. Um, again, pop by and see him next week. Customer appreciation coming out of Thanksgiving at Manitoba Battery. All right, let’s uh welcome in our pal Marada Tesh right now. Morat joins us on a big big day for the Winnipeg Jets. How are you, my man? What’s going on? Hey, so yeah, big day. Big day for sure. Um, basically it’s uh it’s going to help define, I guess, the next generation of jets in in some ways. Uh, the Kyle Connor news, I think we’ve talked about it. I don’t think we’re too shocked about the 12 million AV or the bonuses built into it, but it’s a big day. And Kyle Connor, probably the most striking thing about it was how um how open he was about just his love of Winnipeg and his talk about wanting to raise a family here. And there’s no other group of guys I’d want to compete for a Stanley Cup with. Uh, you know, it’s it’s a real good vibes day here in Winnipeg. Yeah, no doubt about it. And um, you know, there’s a a bunch of things that we heard from him that stood out and we can get to a few of them, but you know, I I did you know, we don’t talk a lot about ownership and management very often. Obviously, people are always on the GM for a move that they want them to make or that sort of thing. But, you know, on a day like this, I think it is important to recognize all the way to the top. Um, you know, Kyle mentioned Mark Chipman, who I’m sure was involved in some of the negotiations with Kevin Chevel Day off and the uh and the the representatives of Kyle, but you know, he spoke to the environment that they provide for these players. And and let’s face it, that’s probably a more difficult job here in Winnipeg than anywhere else. and between the culture that they’ve managed to put together in the locker room, but also what the organization has done really since day one, continuing to provide a first class environment so that these guys only need to worry about what they do on the ice. Um, I think it is important to note right now because none of this stuff happens, I believe, if they haven’t set a very high bar and high standard for the way players are treated the second they get here to Winnipeg as a Jet. Well, when teams win Stanley Cups, they often the players, they thank the owners, right? They’re the sort of unheralded and sometimes overheralded people depending on the day. Um, but at the end of the day with a contract negotiation like this, you’ve got, you know, management and their team working with Kyle Connor’s representatives towards a deal. Um, at some point they’ve got to pull the trigger on actually deciding that this is going to be a key piece of the future, unlocking all of the cash that comes with it, the enormous bonuses, that’s a part of it financially. Um, and Mark Chipman was 100% invested in Kyle Connor returning to the Winnipeg Jets. And make no mistake, that’s I think a huge part of why he is here. Um, you also do hear, to your point, there are Jets who arrive here from other cities and then reflect openly about how, wow, like they actually do things better here in some respects than than where we’ve come from before. This is the only NHL team Kyle Connor’s ever known. But when you get guys with the opportunity to compare a little bit, a lot of the talk, especially in the last two or three seasons, have been about how these guys feel like a family and treat each other like one. Well, we certainly heard that from Kyle today. Um, as far as the deal goes, um, it’s an 8-year extension. He’s basically going to be there for the remainder of his, uh, playing career in all likelihood. Um, it ain’t cheap. I mean, he’s it’s a record-breaking contract, but in the landscape of the rising salary cap and other deals, not including Conor McDavids, um albeit that was a two-year deal, what uh what do you make of where they ended up landing on between the two sides? Yeah, I think it’s ever so slightly too rich, but the bigger underlying concern is Winnipeg kept their guy and let’s use $12 million. That’s the AAV that puts him in Mitch Marner Miko Rantin uh territory. Also, two deals signed with the in this market where we know the cap is going up year over year over year. So, it does seem a little bit rich to me because Mitch Martner and Miko Ranson and I view as superior players to Kyle Connor. Do I think that it makes sense Winnipeg would retain him at that price? 100% I do because he is a special and sometimes outright spectacular player. He’s coming off of 97 points. He’s in the top 20 or so, I believe, in terms of goal scored in the last three years in that same type of range for points. This is a special offensive player. Um he’s also just catapulted up to tied for the sixth highest cap hit starting next year pending what Jack Eel and others do. So yeah, a little bit of an extra tax there. And I think the reason why that makes the most sense is that for Winnipeg $12 million the opportunity con uh opportunity cost to that is different than in other situations. When Steven Samos can walk from Tampa Bay, a franchise icon they let go, Tampa Bay can make that move knowing Jake Gensel is on the way. You can go to the UFA market and replace these players. In Vegas, you can give Mitch Marner 12 million and know that he’s going to keep an awfully big portion of that with the taxes. Winnipeg um paid slightly more than competitively I think for Kyle Connor and they did that because he is their guy and that is the most important thing at the end of the day. I you know what I guess I’m a little bit on the other side of this and it’s more because of where the market is and where the market’s going to be next summer. Like if I like I think Kyle Connor left money on the table on this one. Now whether that was from the Winnipeg Jets or someone else like let’s just say Kyle Connor has another 40 plus goal and 95 point season if he goes to market next year Morad you’ve got a bunch of teams with a lot of money um and a number of them competing with each other like if he just said no matter what I want to be a free agent next year and has a similar season I think we’re talking about you know now albeit it would be a sevenyear year deal. And that’s I think is an important caveat, but I think you’re probably starting in between 13 and 14 if there’s a number of other teams in the mix because that’s what elite scorers are going to cost from here moving forward. Yeah, I think that for me it’s about each individual player’s situation. Kill Capriovv made it clear, I think, that UFA was a distinct possibility and Minnesota made it clear that he would not like that they would not be outbid for his performance. It really seemed like he was going to get over that 16 and eventually 17 million or else he would walk. Um, you heard Kyle Connor today talk about eight years being a goal of his. He wants to be in a secure spot for his family long term. His connection to the city, the community, and all of that. Like, I don’t think this was Kyle Connor putting the Jets over a barrel and and saying like, listen, I am definitely going UFA, pay me like I’m going to be 100 point player again this year. Um, I’m just comparing it, I think, to what other players uh make. And there’s an argument that he could have made more as a pure UFA with with 31 teams bidding on him. I don’t think that was the number one plan for him. Um, it’s just tough for me to stack it up against like I don’t want to come off too negative on this either to to be clear. I think that Winnipeg paid a luxury tax to keep Kyle Connor, but that it was the right thing for them to do. Um, but I’m not putting him in the Mitch Mner Miko ranted in tier of players. Uh, I don’t think he has a track record of two impact to to mirror that. And I think that there are some aging aging concerns that go along with it as well. So I think the Jets did very well here and they got the most important thing done. But no, I’m I guess yeah, I guess I disagree with the premise that um that it was realistic that he was going for, you know, 1415 or what have you next year. Oh. Oh, listen. I mean I I just I mean listen I even think that the Rantinon deal and we can include the MNER deal if we want like in a post Caprosoft signing world and again that’s not going to be the standard but I’ll tell you what every single agent is going to be quoting that one when they’re meeting with teams moving forward. So, I uh I I I think in a short period of time, if there are players like this that come to market, and listen, it’s up to the teams to try to prevent that. And the Winnipeg Jets have taken care of their business today. I’m not sure that, you know, those those real elite stars aren’t going to still be getting a premium. And I know people are mentioning, well, it’s the same as Mitch Martner. I mean, part of the reason why I think Mitch signed for 12 was a lot of what you get by being in Vegas. And I’m not talking about the weather. I’m talking about keeping more of that check and all of that. And uh bottom line, Jets got their deal done and uh you know, we’ll have nine years to talk about cap efficiency and how it’s going, but you can count on number 81 being out there for cap efficiency from other places, right? To have Conor Halabuk and Mark Cipley at 8 and a half each right now is tremendous. Josh Morrisy tremendous. And a lot of these veterans elsewhere on the lineup, they’re doing well. Um, and so it doesn’t have to have the most cap efficient Kyle contract, sorry, Kyle Connor contract. What it does need to have is Kyle Connor in the lineup scoring goals because you’re not replacing those on the market. Um, knowing that Connor is here and those other guys that you mentioned, you know, with their current deals, what do you think that does to Kevin Shevel day off as he looks to give this team the best chance to uh make some big time noise in the Stanley Cup playoffs? I mean, will this accelerate or increase the aggressiveness, do you think, of the Winnipeg Jets when it comes to potential ads knowing that there’ll be other players that are going to need raises in the future years? Like, I mean, in particular for this season, and maybe we’ll say next, Morat. Um, do you think that this is something that, um, maybe makes the Jets bigger players when it comes to players that are available and be willing to maybe lean on and deal some of the picks that they’ve they have in the uh, and prospects even with the club? Well, it’s a huge swing from the scenario wherein Connor walks like the sea change in what Winnipeg is capable of with that player in the lineup versus a UFA departure is enormous. That is a that is a big swing. But I think Winnipeg’s been pretty clear that it’s in a win now mode. Kevin Shival sometimes bristles at that term. He says, “Every decision I ever make is is to try to get the Winnipeg Jets to win.” Um, but there’s a very clear window here, I think. And as as long as Connor Hleabuk is an elite goalender, as long as Mark Schiffley, also 32 years old, is playing at a high level. Adam Lowry is a key piece of this team. Josh Morrisy’s 30 now. Like there’s a large number of vital players on the wrong side of 30 as Connor himself will be. Not this December but next. Um so there’s there’s an impetus to win now. What signing Connor does is it proves that that’s actually happening. It’s not just the plan, but it’s what’s in motion. And I talked to some Jets about that today. Right. When a Josh Moresy signs a long-term deal, when a Mark Shifley signs a long-term deal, part of the hope, part of the belief is that, well, Winnipeg’s going to do everything it can to win while I’m on this on this contract. And, you know, Morrisy in particular, I I had him in a one-on-one and it was a really open conversation. Well, like, yes, absolutely. This is this is massive for us because it’s not just a plan. It’s we have this guy locked up and I cannot wait to keep fight feeding onetime passes to him on the power play. There is an enthusiasm that builds. You know, you just mentioned uh the the other Jets. I mean, what was it like around the ring today and uh speaking with the uh with the teammates of Kyle Connor? Yeah, I mean that that was cool. Um it’s like I think everybody expected Connor to resign, right? That’s been what you and me have been talking about. That’s what the insiders have been talking about. But that’s we’ve been assuming it was going this way, but to have it done clearly lifts that room’s spirits. Um it the stick taps at center ice was a really special a special moment. Scott Arneal joked to me in the scrum that you know his speech was Nikita Shibberov signed for two years and he took a discount so that Kyle Connor could stay. Like they’re having a great time. Um, I also I’m not going to name names, but I talked to some younger players too today and I just said kind of like what’s what’s it like watching this right now? What’s it like seeing where this could all go in a best case scenario as you try to make your own mark? And like I saw some wide eyes and I was told like, wow. I mean, it takes one day at a time. I’m not anticipating anything like that for me. But to live that dream someday, to see that it’s there for somebody. I think that there’s a lot of Jets inspired today. You know, it was funny listening. I believe it was Ken’s question uh about to Kyle, you know, can you imagine, you know, thinking back to that, you know, kid that was drafted 17th by the Jets in 2015 and imagining this day today. I wasn’t thinking about as much. His answer was excellent, but you know, we kind of went through Boston passing on Barzal and Connor three times and those three picks in a row and then Barzal going and and getting Kyle and, you know, he’s always been a quieter player. Like, we’ve thought about Heluck and and Shiffley and Morsy. Um, Kyle Connor, despite not saying a lot, has done all his speaking on the ice. And I mean, he’s now one of the best offensive players in team history. I mean, he’s working on a number of records and uh that’s one decade down and really the majority of another decade to go of Kyle right here in Winnipeg. I mean, if he plays it out and stays healthy, touchwood, I mean, we’re going to be talking about a guy that has an incredible amount of games played here in the city of Winnipeg and will just be another one of these players like of a of a star player that, you know, is synonymous with this hockey team. Yeah. I I talked to Zach Winsky who’s a good bud of Kyle Connor and they work out sometimes in the offseason. They worked out a whole bunch and I talked to him after Kyle Connor got engaged and that was coincidence. The story was just about how great of a goal scorer Kyle Connor was and what insights we could glean about him. And Zach Barensky said to me that I worked out with him like every day for weeks the summer he got engaged. And he just didn’t mention it at the rink. And like for me that stuck so much because it speaks to how understated of a person Kyle Connor is. Like he’s not bragging about this or that. He’s not like, you know, one thing Josh Morrisy told me today is like based on the goals he scores based on the 97 points. Hallel Connor has the ability to be a player who’s bragging sometimes, drawing attention to himself sometimes. There are worse players who do who work harder to put the spotlight on themselves than Kyle Connor does. But the defining element of him is has been just to be softspoken, say the right things at the key times, and then let his play talk on the ice. And you know, maybe that’s part of why he doesn’t get as much acclaim outside of this market. But to talk to you today, to talk to fans and see the online reactions in this market, the acclaim is enormous. And I think that’s why it’s such a positive story today is because Winnipeg’s seeing its guy get his duke. Well, we’ll have a lot of big games for Kyle Connor to be speaking about on this program and of course you’re writing about him in the Athletic for many years to come here in Winnipeg today. Uh, as far as the rest of business, um, how’s Taves looking? Are we expecting him tomorrow to be green lit for the home opener? I think Jonathan Taves will play it tomorrow. Um, I have no reason to doubt it. I have no inside information saying, you know, anything other than what Scott Arneal said, that he’s hopeful, that he looked good today, all that sort of stuff. Um, but I I believe that whatever is ailing Jonathan Taves is is not going to keep him out of game one. Uh that’s a good news um development because there’s been some tough ones so far. I mean compounding the Samberg injury and Lowry’s absence. Cole Perfetti out, huge opportunity for Nikita Chibberov and I guess you know with the misfortune of one player as an opportunity for others but um Morat um just from your perspective um talk about navigating these early season challenges um when the puck drops tomorrow night against a very good Dallas Stars team that the Jets know only all far too well. Yeah, the fantasy when you follow a hockey team, um, probably especially as a fan, but as a writer, too, is that you can write down the roster, you can project the lines, and you can say, “Okay, this is roughly what I expect from this team this year.” And the truth of the matter is, it’s more like gardening. The job is never done. Players are always getting hurt, getting in the lineup, out of the lineup, all that sort of stuff. Winnipeg has been hit by it in a bigger way this season than than in recent memory. And the whole year, to my way of thinking now, is going to feel like a work in progress. They’re going to have to get through the Perfetti and Samberg injuries. They’re going to have to get through that period of time where Adam Lowry is back from his hip surgery, but he’s still working to get his timing and conditioning back. They’re going to have to work their way through whatever ups and downs Jonathan Taves faces as he tries to get his timing and his conditioning back. And that’s just what we know that’s baked into today before any other surprises hit this team. So, there’s some nice things. Three of their first 12 games are against teams that made the playoffs last year. Great. You can point to stuff like that. But I think that anyone who looks at a single game or a single stretch of games for the Winnipeg Jets this season and says, “I know what they are.” I think they’re getting caught up in the moment or they’re lying to you because there’s a lot there’s a lot of growth that’s going to need to happen over the course of 82 games before we know what they’re capable of. Um Morat, the uh Perfetti um injury has opened up the door for Nikita Chibberov. You’re surprised that Chibberov like you know when Taves was injured, they just moved the centers up the depth chart. Perfetti goes out, they didn’t touch anything. We’re not getting Nino or Al. It’s Chibberov. talk to us a little bit uh with your thoughts on uh the opportunity for Chibberov who may very well have been with the Moose to start the season. Yeah, I remember talking to you and saying like I don’t think that there’s going to be a large number of games played for him. I don’t I I didn’t see the roots. Well, this injury creates opportunity for Nikita Chippov and the Jets didn’t have to do it this way. There’s a lot of times where they would just do exactly what you said, slideal up. He’s had good success at times in in the top six before. He works so hard, he cheats nothing. There’s there’s a way to get through it if that’s your goal. But instead, Winnipeg uses this as an opportunity to reward one of their hardest working players in camp. And I don’t think Chibberov got a ton of separation in the games. I don’t think he was an impact player in the preseason games. But if you watched him battle at camp day in and day out, you watched him go one versus two and come out of the corner and still be fighting for possession of the puck, you’d think to yourself, well, this is a player that it makes sense to reward a little bit. The extent of the reward, the top six minutes, the I mean, he’s worked in on the power play in the last couple of days. Doesn’t look like he’s a definite there. It’s it’s bigger than what is the Jets default, especially they could just assign him to the Moose whenever they want. So, that’s a unique Winnipeg Jets development. The fact that Park Parker Ford and Brad Lambert are still on the roster is that’s a unique Jets development. And um what whatever happens when Taves gets pulled off of this uh non-roster injured status, somebody’s got to go. Not sure what that’s going to be yet. It seems like the the the lay of the land has changed all of a sudden. I I guess my guess is that it’s Brad Lambert if um when Ta if you know if TA is good to go tomorrow that would go to the Moose. I mean um if if you had to had to bet if I told you, “Yeah, I just got off a call. He’s coming off at 10:00 a.m. What is the corresponding roster move?” What do you expect to see? Yeah, I think that’s the one that makes the most sense. Um to have Brad Lambert in a starring AHL role would be a step forward for him. it would be reclaiming kind of last year. Look, nobody scored for the Manitoba Moose, but Brad Lambert didn’t either, right? Like that’s kind of that was kind of the vibe. Um there’s there’s a real chance that that he needs to reestablish himself, but if that had been the plan all along, Winnipeg could have demoted him already. They could have let him practice with his future Manitoba Moose line mates as well. Um I’m not sure if we’re heading for any surprises on the waiver wire or any last minute transactions before this goes. Uh, but to your way to your point, the most sensible and historic Jets way of approaching this would be to take somebody who’s waivers exempt like Lambert is and assign him um and hope that he plays big minutes and that would be the play. Yeah. I mean, I guess that there is the other side that if Parker Ford isn’t going to be playing, you could put him there because I mean, listen, if Chibberov is struggling or something like that, I mean, Lambert is a guy that you could potentially put into that second line. certainly has the wheels um to to see what happens. But uh I’m pretty intrigued as to how things look tomorrow night. And man, what what what a opening to the season we’re going to have. I mean, Hellabach as the heart trophy winner. Mark Shley coming back after the last significant game of significance. He played for the Jets being that incredible performance, you know, hours after the loss of his father. Um you got Kyle Connor with the new contract and the return of Jonathan Taves. can’t think of a home opener with the exception of the return of the Jets in 2011 that really will compare to what’s awaiting Jet fans tomorrow night. Yeah, it’s it’s a unique confluence of an enormous stories, everything you just said. Um and there could be surprises in the lineup, too. All of a sudden, this is I’m I’m going backwards. I’m sorry, Hus, but like I’m not convinced that Parker Ford is outside the top 12 forwards if if TAZ is out. like I’m not sure it’s David Gustoson going into that lineup if if need be. I think it’s Parker Ford and and that’s a testament to him as well. I wanted to get out. But to what you’ve actually just said, Tate’s homecoming enormous. We have national media flying out to Winnipeg this week, right? We saw I mean certainly Kyle Connor’s news is that, but we’ve seen Elliot Friedman. We’ve seen Darren Dreger, Mark Antoine Goden came from Montreal to speak to Jonathan Taves in French today. There’s a lot going on because this is not just a Winnipeg story. like it’s a player missed two years and look at what he’s come back from and he gets to be a homecoming in in his attempt to to reestablish himself. This is if it were the playoffs it would be Gabriel Landisk and we saw how big of a story that was last year. That’s huge. and and in a way like Mark Shley like you mentioned that would be the number one story his first game back after that type of loss um in most years that would be number one with with like running away and yet we have tapes to talk about we have so many other Winnipeg Jets stories to talk about and that it’s against the team that eliminated them like let’s go competition ramped up game one day one oh man I cannot wait, can’t wait to read all about it in the athletic. I know you’ll have a lot cooking for uh the um your next piece, Morat. And uh here’s to uh a fun season and many great chats with you, my friend. Uh one of our absolute favorites and certainly I would say maybe number one on the power pole of our friends in the chat. Thanks so much for doing this and uh we’ll see you down at the rink. Should be a fun one tomorrow night. Thanks a lot, Hus. Enjoy those slurpies. Yeah, you bet. We we’ll deliver one up to the press box if you’re uh if you’re really uh fiending for one. Yes, please. All right. Um Dan Robertson coming up in just a second, folks. Tomorrow, of course, is the big game. The home opener. Our section is sold out. I expect the building to be full, which uh means that if you want to get festive and get out with your gang to watch the game, you’re going to have to pop by the next best spot than sitting in the building. And that is your local Boston Pizza. Another great year of Jets hockey for every Winnipeg Jets home game at your local BP lounge with the game on all the screens. The sound on ice cold schooners, world famous BP wings, gourmet pizzas, and of course those super fun pickup player contest at the Boston Pizza Lounges run where if your player scores a goal, you’ll be able to spin the wheel for great prizes from BP. Uh and of course, it’s not just the Jets right now. Tomorrow we got the Blue Jays tonight. We got a Thursday nighter in the NFL tomorrow. We got a big bomber game on the weekend and of course the opening weekend of the National Hockey League. So, uh, don’t bother staying at home in the basement. Get out, enjoy yourself with your friends at your local Boston Pizza, the best place to gather with your gang for the big game. But if you are staying at home, you can get it hot and fresh to your door by ordering online at boston pizza.com. Uh, I imagine in addition to the rush of Taves jerseys, Valardis, um, maybe some of the new players, anyone that was holding off on that Kyle Connor jersey can head on down to Royal Sports and get that sucker done up because KFC is back for an eight more years after this one. If you’re thinking about a new jersey or some new gear for the upcoming season, there’s only one place to go. Royal Sports, Winnipeg’s ultimate sports superstore for over 50 years. There’s nowhere on planet Earth where you’ll find more Winnipeg Jet merchandise and stock. Tons of new stuff in for the new uh the season. And while you’re there, you can check out your bomber gear for that push to the playoffs and the Gray Cup. All the amazing NFL merchandise. And for anybody playing hockey, everybody knows that Royal is the hockey supertore into their sixth decade right now. One trip to Royal and you can get everything taken care of for another great year on the ice at the original hockey supertore in town. Royal Sports 750 Pemina Highway. Check him out on Instagram and give him a follow at Royal Sports Winnipeg for the latest merchandise drops and sale information. Just before we bring in Dan Robertson, a big cheers to Kyle Connor and all of you from Winnipeg’s favorite local brewery, Little Brown Jug. You train day in and day out, learning new techniques, approaching new concepts, and living out the thrill of achieving your goals. Building a craft beer is no different. While you spend your hours on the ice, we spend ours here, brewing our trademark beer again, again, and again. Here’s the pushing the status quo and challenging ourselves to build something memorable. 1919 by Little Brown Jug. All right, we had a great catch up with uh one half of TSN’s dynamic duo for Jets hockey, Kevin Sawyer, on Monday. Let’s get ready to drop the puck with Dan Robertson right now who joins us. Dan, what’s going on? It’s great to have you back on the program. How was your uh summer and time away from the peg before it’s back to the grind? Oh, it was great. Lots of lots of family time, lots of camping and and traveling around and uh not like Kevin. And I’m not on a golf course today. I’m in my apartment, but I’m I’m glad to be here because I’m just next door to Canada life and can’t wait for what goes on tomorrow night. Well, hey, you’re locked in. It’s a big day tomorrow. I mean, really a huge day tomorrow. We were just talking with Marad about the significance of this home opener. I mean, with a President’s Trophy banner going up and obviously a division title banner for the first time, so many storylines around this team and significant players going into tomorrow’s opener. But I’d remiss if we didn’t talk about the big news today. Kyle Connor extending with the Winnipeg Jets on a max term 8-year deal, keeping him likely as a Jet for life. And uh what this does to the vibe around the team heading into uh this upcoming season. It’s pretty remarkable. And I know in the world of sports that we’re all past the the point of of sticker shock, but he walked into the room today and I looked at him and I thought, how does it feel to know you have 96 million coming your way over the next 12 years in addition to what he’s what he has already? I mean, you have generations of your family said so. So, good on him. And I have so much respect for him as a hockey player, but as a person, too. I don’t know him that well. Uh, anytime I’ve spoken with him, he’s extremely articulate and bright. It’s like you and Morat were talking about, he’s kind of the the silent type and lets his play do his talking and and I’m a fan of his and and it seems to me that he he would have been the type of guy to want to get this out of the way. Uh one the type of guy who he’s always said anytime I’ve heard him asked he spoke glowingly about being a jet. So you you hope that he was being genuine and that he wanted to stay here and obviously he did and he had a lot of reasons why uh financially and and obviously he would have got pretty good offers elsewhere but he likes what’s going on here and he should. So it’s it’s exciting. It’s good news for a lot of reasons. Um obviously he’s part of a a terrific core that’s uh in winning age right now and uh yeah it’s it’s great and couldn’t happen to a better guy. Well, and you know, we talked about the, you know, a lot of people deserve credit for getting it to this point where the players of the stature of Kyle Connor are, you know, resigning. um you know knowing what could be available to them at the end of the season but I think it also speaks to a lot of the things that we heard starting with Rick Bonus a couple years ago how you know they’re building that culture are they a family that they are and you hear a lot of teams say that and honestly a lot of times it’s lip service but I think it’s very clear from the reaction of the other players the his teammates today and everything we heard from Kyle Connor that I mean that is a big part of what they’ve they’ve built. And a big reason why guys don’t look for greener pastures, but uh decide, you know what, despite what a lot of people that don’t know what they’re talking about in other markets will tell you, it’s a pretty good place to uh spend your professional career and right now part of a team that everyone inside that room believes has a real good chance to do some special things. Yeah, it it’s a pretty special time right now. I mean, I know they didn’t go as far as they wanted to in the playoffs, but you talk about a president’s trophy banner being unfurled, that’s nothing to sneeze at. I mean, you look at what they did, and just to go back to last year, the last couple of years, uh, it was pretty remarkable in a really tough central division where they played most of their games and they were excellent. Um, I know they’re they’re kind of changing gears a little bit or trying to to be a little tougher to uh play against in the playoffs when it um comes along, but just that that core of guys with Hellbuck and Shley and Morrisy and it’s it’s a big core and it’s a good core. They’re going through these things together and you think and you hope that they can learn enough along the way how to be able to muscle their way forward a little bit more in the postseason. But it’s funny you talk about maybe a a good dressing room. Mark Antoan God who Morat just alluded to. He’s here to do a piece on Jonathan Ta and he said, “What’s the room like?” Like who could I go to talk to to get a word about Kyle Connor? And I thought everybody. Like I can’t I can’t think of a dud in there who would, you know, certainly would spite Kyle for the money he’s making or somebody who’s not on board. And it’s you can say I’ve heard people laugh at uh when some people will say, “Well, Team X has a good room. Uh this team is uh they’re they’re tightknit.” Everyone’s going to say they are, but this team really is and I think it’s worth something. So uh and and you know, you’ve got all these guys in the prime of their lives and and seeing that there’s a I think an opportunity for something special. So that was just reinforced today. And you know what, good on Kevin Chevel off the job that he’s doing. uh you know, plus over his head the the money being allowed to be spent on Kyle Connor. But to have those cornerstone pieces in place now for a number of years, then you can turn your attention to other things. But that would have been your your biggest concern until you got those guys signed. You know, it’s funny you say that about the room. You know, remind me again, all these years just turned into one long now 15-year run. Um this is your h how many seasons have you been doing the Jets for TSN? Well, this will be my fourth year and my first year was uh you know things were different. That’s when they brought in Rick Bonus the start of Bones. I was just saying you know if we want to talk about you know what is a good room uh I will tell you this one right now if you want to say one that wasn’t really cohesive I will just rewind four years in this very same team with many of the same players. Um, you know, you’ve got kind of been around and seen from the start of the plan of Rick Bonis to change the culture to a team right now that is a star player like Kyle Connor saying, “No, no, I don’t want to go anywhere else. Count me in to be a Jet for life.” Yeah, I’m Look, I’m not saying there’s never probably a squabble in the room and not everybody probably loves everybody. That’s just not the way it works in in pro sports. But just with Kevin’s help my first year um going back three calendar years ago, he was saying, you know, there needs to be a little change. I’m not trying to put words into his mouth. He would say that. He’s probably said that on your program, but you could sort of see it evolve with with Adam Lowry being the captain and being the the type of person he is. And then just other players, and Rick Bonus would talk about this a lot, being allowed to be leaders in their own way. Uh, and it’s kind of slowly grown and it’s it’s pretty neat when you when you see it happen and when you see it kind of transform on the ice. So, uh, you know, even today like I was talking I had a good chat with Dylan Dlo. He just said come on over and have a have a chat here as he was um, you know, coming off the ice and that sort of thing and I thought there’s another guy like there’s there’s just so many quality people on the team. Um, and you know, you can’t necessarily win a Stanley Cup just with quality people, but there’s a lot of great players there and there there’s just a lot to like. I don’t know uh what uh the point total will be at the end of the regular season. If it’ll be close to last year’s, I don’t think it really matters, but I think they’ll be right in the middle of things when the smoke clears. Well, of course, and I mean, you know, we kind of heard from Kyle Connor. I mean, the goal is obviously to have another great regular season. You have to earn your way into the Stanley Cup playoff tournament. Um but we also did get a little bit of um you know we feel that we are as good a chance to win as anyone and you know the time is for a team that you know has learned some hard lessons against some very quality opponents to take another step next year. But uh it’s tough to think about that and worry about that because there’s a 5 and a half month grind that’s beginning tomorrow night with the team that eliminated them to start that journey. And uh just thoughts on where the team is right now. I mean, listen, it hasn’t been a a smooth sailing through the preseason, missing some significant players, but uh uh your opponents don’t care when you drop the puck and uh Dallas won’t be uh won’t be sitting anybody because the Jets don’t have Perfetti or Samberg. Um a pretty big test to get going right out of the gate. It is. And and both teams probably welcome that test because both teams are so strong. But you talk about a grind and and I when I spoke with Dylan Dlo today uh you know the last couple of years last year with the Four Nations face off it made the the schedule more condensed. It’s going to be even crazier this year. I mean you look at it and there’s not a lot of gaps other than of course uh from early February to late February for those guys who aren’t going to be uh playing in the All-Star game or playing the Olympics. You know, I just fully expect injuries across the board this year. We’re seeing it already and it it’s going to be a factor. So, they’re a little older this year. We know that they’re a little deeper and yes, there’s injuries right now. I mean, it’s obviously unfortunate with Samberg and Perfetti specifically, but you know, the way I look at it is you’re you’re going to get injuries through the course of the season anyway. It just happens to be these two key guys are out right now. So, it’s it’s um and this is a good mentality to have. They say next man up, but you look at a Nikita Chibberov, he’s got to be bursting at the seams to sort of prove, okay, I can stay there. I belong there. I there’s a role for me to fit. And even if it’s for a handful of games until Perfetti comes back, he can show that he can do more uh maybe if they need him for a full season next year. I mean, there’s always opportunity arising when guys get hurt. I I know they’re a little older and probably a little bit slower. So, do they do they look a lot like they did last year? I I think the core obviously is is still very good and and well intact. There’s so many questions to be answered. I’m interested to see how they’re going to be in the power play this year. U obviously Perfetti is not going to be there to take the the spot of dealers yet, but when he’s back, what’s it going to look like? Um and and that’s part of the fun of a season, but and I don’t want to downsell the importance of the regular season. You have to you have to build and you have to adopt good habits and you want to finish as high as you can. Um, but it obviously last year went to prove that, and we knew this, to win the President’s Trophy doesn’t guarantee you anything. So, I I want to see where they are uh the last month of the season. Are they really starting to to build and to to hit the playoffs with a I don’t know if a different mentality is is the right term, but um I’m just that’s what I’m looking for, what they’re going to look like in April. One thing that hasn’t changed is that they are in arguably the toughest neighborhood in the National Hockey League. Aster looked good last night in that first game against the Kings. You got Dallas coming in and some other teams that are looking to do what the Winnipeg Jets did last year and take that big step up and move amongst the real Stanley Cup contenders. Yeah. And you look at I mean St. Louis, they came in and and it’s easy to say and it’s true they were the the last seat in the West, but they certainly weren’t playing like that and they played a certain brand of hockey that took a chunk out of um Winnipeg. What’s Utah going to look like? I mean, I think they’re a team of interest for a lot of people because they have so many young players and you can see it coming on the rise and they’re led by a really good coach in my opinion in Andre Churnney. So, Minnesota’s always going to battle. I don’t know about Nashville. I I can’t tell you enough about them yet to see if they’re better or a little closer this coming season to where a lot of people thought they would be going into last year, but it is it’s a it’s a brutal central division again. And uh you know, maybe that as much as anything helps get you get you playoff ready if you can get into the postseason. Uh no guarantees, but uh yeah, it’s it’s going to be it’s going to be tough. I think the next couple of games against Dallas. The next one’s in I believe in not till December here and then there’s a couple in the new year in Dallas. And I always I always even before the playoff series between the two teams last this past year, I always like seeing them go headto-head. Um there’s uh I should ask the players actually if they would count them as their biggest rival. If not, I think it’s pretty close. Uh Dan, cannot wait to hear you and Kev do your thing all season long. Of course, for the 15,000, many WSDers included. They’ll be in the building. We’ll get to see you up in the press box. But uh just before we go, let uh Jet fans and TSN viewers uh know what’s to come on the station this year, beginning with the first broadcast. Yeah. 60 games and uh so we’ll have Thursday and Saturday. Obviously, we don’t usually do Saturdays um because prime time belongs to Sportsnet, but it’s a Saturday afternoon game with LA in town and I can’t even remember when our first day off is so uh it’s quite a while. I’m actually looking forward to getting on the road, too. I I really enjoy the road games. I know that a lot of people watch at home, but we we I think I can speak for Kevin, too. You kind of feel like you’re part of a link to help bring uh fans what’s going on with the Jets. So that’s that’ll be cool. They’ll be that kind of a weird stretch where they play in Long Island on Thanksgiving Monday and then a few days off and then they’ll play the Flyers. So we’ll be right in the thick of things and uh really can’t wait for it. It’s I was talking with Connor Rabchock today actually and I said it seems to me the start of camp was like two and a half months ago. Like let’s let’s get it going already. Let’s get Thursday night here as fast as we can. One more sleep. Get those pipes ready for some great broadcast this year. Hopefully, you’ll be horse from all the Jet goals tomorrow night at the home opener, Dan. Uh, but we really appreciate you jumping on. Can’t wait to talk with you throughout the season. Uh, all the best to you and Kevin and, uh, the entire team bringing us Jets hockey all season long. Oh, thanks so much. We’ll see you soon. Right on. There’s Dan Robertson. Tune in tomorrow if you’re not at the game for game one of 82 and again, 60 games. TSN 3, home of the Winnipeg Jets. brought to you with the call from Dan and color from our pal Kevin. And that is something funny that he just mentioned. I mean, we’re kind of all focused in on this opening weekend. The team does does then then hit the road and uh we’ve got a noon game on Monday afternoon Monday 12:00 game. That’s absolutely perfect. I’m looking forward to it. Um, you know what else I’m looking forward to? Sadly, is the final day of live racing tonight at Aino Downs. And of course, we have had so much fun working with our friends at ASD over the years. Had an amazing visit last uh Wednesday. Brought my folks. Try and do that each year. We weren’t able to do it earlier in the year, so we did it last Wednesday. Had a great time. Not the prime rib buffet. Can’t speak enough about it. But let’s face it, when people want to go to the track, they want to maybe have a chance to win big. And uh no bigger chance than the final night tonight. And we can’t finish up another successful season out at ASD without bringing back our good friend, the CEO of Ainoa Downs, Darren Dunn, as we move officially from horse racing season to hockey season between today and tomorrow. Double D, how are you? Fabulous. Fabulous. Fabulous. Uh loving every minute of it. You’re right. Uh we’re approaching the finish line very very quickly and we’ll hit it tonight. Um you know, it’s it’s been fascinating. It’s been fun. It’s been exciting. It’s everything and anything you get through the entire season. So, perfect segue into hockey and uh obviously NFL well underway and and uh hopefully our our Bombers can uh rally to host that Gay Cup. Yeah, no doubt. And you know, as I mentioned, you know, I made a point of getting out there last week and uh maybe one more tonight because there’s a very big reason why people should be paying attention to what’s going on over to Cineoa Downs. Uh but just before we get to tonight, um you know, I’ve probably been seven or eight times just with friends, popping in for a few races on the beautiful summer days. And I got to tell you, I mean, being a long time a Cinoa Downs attendee, um, every time I was there, it seemed like the crowds were great. Um, and obviously even paying attention to what some of these pools have been, business has been good. I mean, just from your perspective as the guy that runs the entire show, how has the 2025 racing season gone for those of you out at the track? You know, Hustler, uh, amazing. Uh, and you know that’s not just uh classic jump on a podium and uh you know shout from the rooftops we’re great, we’re this, we’re that. Don’t mean it that way at all. But back to your core points, the crowds were just stunning this year. And so in all the years I’ve been out here, this is year 44 and 15 as CEO. I have never had so many people say to me in one season that um this reminds me of the crowds of the 70s and 80s when you know there was a dramatic difference in competition both sporting and more particularly from a gambling standpoint where it was really just Kinsman jackpot bingo and Wednesday on Wednesday night with Don Whitman pulling out a number for 100k back in the day when I first started and started coming here in the late ‘7s but started working here in I think uh 81 won and uh so anyways the crowds were huge back then. So when I think of those comments this year and how amazing the crowds were and they were just so heartwarming and so appreciative from my standpoint then I factor in and I say well you know and then if you actually took into consideration that we have two channels on MTS television we have Canada’s largest online wagering platform bet on your phone bet on your laptop bet on your tablet. when you take into consideration all the folks who are doing just that let alone those on track if all of those folks were here and not using technology or the TV etc. Uh I don’t know it would be like stacked like cordwood. Nice problem to have. But let me just say this. Uh the horses by far and away got around there safely. Great jockey battle all year. Although now that’s been determined going into tonight. Uh a nice wire-to-wire victory in the trainer standings. So I’ll say Steve Keppelin Jr. who got it done literally from start to finish. He’s going to win his first uh trainer title. 11 I got to get this in because it’s such a big deal and and I’m so impressed. 11 consecutive years a First Nations trainer has won the leading trainer title out here. Now, God bless the jockeys in the saddle. It’s competitive. It’s very difficult to win that title, but it is much more difficult to win a trainer title. And so, uh it’s just it’s a it’s a first nation sport of excellence out here. and so proud that we will have 11 in a row. But a lot of lot of things have worked out well. Long-winded answer, but just checked a lot of boxes and dodged and I mean by nothing more than luck the smoke this year really. I mean I feel so bad about the folks in the north and we’ve all talked about this all year. It was terrible. I I just I can’t imagine being displaced like that and for that length of time and let alone your property, you know, quite possibly or likely destroyed. Um, so woe was us that we didn’t miss a live race night. We missed maybe 10 or 12 days of training in the morning, but just pure luck that the worst of the um, air quality uh, didn’t happen on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. So just an interesting year on so many facets. Well, um, one little tweak was the schedule this year. A few less Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesday all along. By the way, lots of ladies out on Wednesday. That was a nice promo. I hope you continue that next year. Just saying. Um I agree with an astr um but uh it was great to have uh you know and as I said a perfect we’re literally finishing up today the day before the Jets dropped the puck on the season. I mean couldn’t have scheduled it any better. Had some beautiful weather here in October and a pretty nice day out today to finish it off. Uh, but in addition to the nice weather, the free parking, the free admission, um, there’s some serious cash that’s going to be doowled out to somebody tonight. Fill us in on what everybody’s talking about in horse racing circles about what is happening tonight at a CineABO announce. You know, Hustler, and I’m going to say that’s a very, very valid comment because we send the signal all over North America, all over the world, continents, countries, Europe, Australia, Mexico. Uh we’re knocking on the door by the way for South America. I hope that we have some uh exciting news to bring forward next year. But to your core point is we have a wager that builds. It’s called the jackpot pick five. We’ve talked about this in past years. It can go if you are the single only ticket to predict five winners in a row. Nobody’s been able to do that since Manitoba Derby Monday, Monday of August long. So that pool carries over. A portions paid out each night and a portions carried over into the kitty, if you will. Well, we have to pay it out tonight. We’re wrapping up the season. $33,741 is the base amount, the base of the pyramid that will go like this uh by race three. It kicks off of race three, 3 to 7. And while it’s going to be difficult to be the only person who uniquely picks that tonight because this is the world wagering on us, I think that wagering pool instead of 303,000 is going to be somewhere in the range of 2 million. Um, so if you can pick five winners in a row, you might not be the unique person to do it. If you are, you’re going to win 2 million ballpark. Uh, but get a chunk of it. pick those five winners, spend a few dollars. And I know so many people who are partnering up and throwing in this, you know, x amount of dollars on the table and and let’s go for a group wager, etc. Bottom line is, uh, there’s no reason with a few decent price horses tonight if it’s not all favorites, it’s going to pay thousands, uh, for a typical wager. Well, um, again, it’s the, uh, it’s the jackpot high five. what you’re going to need to do, and again, if you want, get to the track early, get the program, uh, identify a few, and you can do as little as 20 cents uh, per bet. And I think that’s what a lot of people do. They get in with a 20 cent piece, pick a couple horses, the ones you like from the the final five races. And again, if you pick the winners, you will have a share of a jackpot that in all likelihood will exceed two million bucks. And this is the last the last couple of years we’ve had these record numbers on the final day of racing. And it’s a hell of a way to finish up another banner year for the folks out at ASD. And I imagine no rest for the weekend. You’re probably already planning next season as we speak. Oh, amen. You know, that’s true. And not that people would ever want to uh live in the weeds of what I have to deal with, but uh literally we wrap up the Manitoba Derby and we begin 2026. So, it’s challenging, but I’m used to it to do two meets concurrently, if you will, but marketing strategies, working on a calendar for next year. Uh, things we need to adjust and move along. Just like anything, it’s a fluid experience to do a live race me like it is to do a jet season, a bomber season. You make notes along the way and uh and make sure that you strategize maybe slightly differently or uh inject a little bit more love in certain areas. Uh, and that’s something that’s well underway as you mentioned. So, yeah, we wrap it up tonight. It is time to uh send some horses out to the pastor, which also, by the way, I got to send some of my team out to the pastor. There’s some some folks who have uh worked very, very hard, very, very dedicated out here, and they need a freshening as well. But uh uh congratulations to Steve Kaplan Jr. for winning his first trainer title. Deary Obino for winning his first jockey title. And it is the final girls night out tonight. So, the boots and hats uh will be in full display on what looks like just an amazing amazing October evening. and uh come out and grab a shovel and a wheelbarrow and stack some cash in there from that jackpot pick five. Well, and while you just uh doled out some awards for the season, I have one more day to get through to go back to back as the WSD champion in our daily pick contest. Remis I know is going to be swinging for the fences tonight. He’ll probably try and win the pick five to uh assure himself of a victory. But uh just from Michael and myself, a huge thank you to you, Sherry. I mean, it has been so great working with you guys over the years. We hope to continue doing it for many more. Uh but also to the staff out there. I mean, whether it’s the guys serving a beer on the main concourse, the people taking the tickets, the amazing staff in the dining room. Um it’s a great great team that makes I think everyone feel welcome and uh have a great time when they’re at the track whether that tuni pulls a winner or not. So uh congrats on a great season. Thank you from all of us and uh here’s to a great off season for you and another great year coming up uh once we get through this winter. Love it. Love the relationship hustler. Thanks my man. Appreciate it and uh we’ll see you soon. Take care. All the best. There’s Darren Dunn tonight, 7:30 post time, the final day of live racing this year. And you’re going to want to get a piece of that P five, the jackpot pick five. And again, if you can’t make it out, you can watch it on YouTube. Kirk and Stretch do a hell of a job. You’re getting the entire feed from there. And hpibet.com is where uh we do our picks for the show each and every day. and uh you as well as people from around the world will have their eyes focused on races 3 through 7 tonight at a Cinoid Downs. Huge thanks again to Darren and his team for uh everything this year. All right, uh let’s get Remo back in here. We have to get to the picks and we’ve also got to get to uh tonight in the National Hockey League because it’s night two. Uh Remo, did you catch any of the uh opening night last night? I watched a bit of Florida and Chicago. Florida really outplayed Chicago. Couldn’t uh you know, Chicago couldn’t get much going, but when they did, they’re able to put the puck in the back of the net. This uh Frank Nazar on line two with two Teran Terravine got two goals, but uh Florida too much for Chicago. I did watch the evening game. I don’t know if you saw the LA Kings. How about this? took warm-up in their regular jerseys, but then came out for the game in these new super secret third jerseys. Interesting reveal. Kept it under wraps. I thought my review, they were okay. They’re better than the Oilers thirds, which are garbage. So, but I’ll be honest, I watched the third period of the game. Yeah. And I noticed the silver helmets. Mhm. It didn’t even dawn upon me that they were wearing a new jersey. They had the uh it was the Crown logo. It’s like the 70s jersey but in the black and white color palette. Yeah, I like the purple and gold I think better. Better here. What it is? They do have the chrome dome on this which I like. Some people think it it looks dumb. Those are sharp. I just didn’t I guess I didn’t know that that was entirely new. This was Yeah, this was the new jerseys. A lot of penalties. One thing though, Kale Mar and Nathan McKinnon. These guys are good. We’re going to be seeing a lot of them. Marty Nas fits in really well with them. They have Gabe Landiskog back. Colorado’s a different team this year than the past. Brock Nelson’s there. Certainly more depth. And then the Ranger game, not a good start for the Rangers. big favorites against Pittsburgh and Sheilopovs with the shut out. Yeah, I didn’t see that one coming. So, uh nice first day uh in the NHL. Yeah, no doubt about it. Um back at it. Four games tonight. Um I guess we may as well start off there. Um let’s see. We’ve got the Halves and Leafs dropping the puck just after six o’clock. Funny enough, nobody in Toronto is going to be watching that game tonight because the Jays of course have game four. The uh ALDS after blowing that 6-1 lead last night. The Leafs are minus 163. The Habs with Samuel Montbo, who you recall, had a 50 safe shut out against the Leafs to open up the season last year. Habs with the higher expectations this year plus 138. The Bruins are in DC to take on the Caps who won the East last year. Boston plus 158, Washington minus 189. What’s the What’s the uh I was talking to Dusty today on the lock shop. How long do you think the standing ovation for McDavid’s going to be tonight after signing that deal at 125? Yeah, they were talking about that on uh 32 thoughts saying, “Well, he’s going to be the last guy announced number 97 and the captain.” Like I think you got to call it at some point, but like at least a minute. It’s going to be a long time. I said to Dusty, if if the after the first if the the puck drops, if the first couple minutes, like basically for the duration of McDavid’s first shift, the if there is not a thank you Connor chant in the building, the Oilers fans are doing it wrong because uh he did you the biggest solid ever. And um I’m sure that’ll be a fun night tonight in Edmonton. I do like the Oilers. I’ll be honest, I’m thinking about a monster McDavid night tonight. with the juice from the contract, the expectations of this year, like a big statement for McD McDavid right out the gate. Now, McDavid player props are always really, really juicy. I mean, he’s minus 766 to get a point. He’s minus 118 to get two. I I’ll be honest, I think I might touch the plus 240 for him to get three tonight. Um, they would love no other way to start off the season by smashing their Alberta rivals, the Calgary Flames. If you see there, McDavid and Dryidle, both less than three to one for three points in the game, just to show you how lethal those guys have been. Um, the final game, and it’s sort of weird. Teams like the Jets and Kings haven’t even played yet and won’t play until tomorrow. And the Kings are right back at it tonight after playing yesterday. They’re in Vegas as plus 175 dogs on the second end of backto backs. Our first backto back of the season. Yeah, I was talking with Matt Lark on yesterday’s show from Daily Face Off and he was telling saying to me that he thinks the Kings are going to disappoint this year. Uh they got a bit they’re bit older and slower. Uh certainly a rough one. The refs tried to give it to the Kings calling all these penalties at the end. They did score one power play goal. Um I Yeah, the Kings on a backto back here. on the Hon Copitar Farewell Tour. Uh they’ll be here on Saturday actually and then again for Appra Ski Night January 9, which was part of our ticket pack. I got my jackad ready for that one. But I like I would like Vegas. How about Mitch Mner uh and Jack Eel on the line? Uh very exciting time in Vegas for sure. Yeah. um just looking at these NHL futures and uh we did do I guess on Monday uh little special edition of WST winners within the program. Um so you can check that out. But uh opening up the season, Canes and Oilers 8 to1 to win the cup. Colorado and Vegas 9 to1. Panthers and Stars 10 to1. Tampa 12, Jersey 14, Leafs 17, Jets and Kings at 20 to1. I just made my annual Jets Cup pick at 20 to1. Popped in on that. Um, a couple other numbers that I did like, you know, as far as the heart trophy, I mean, it’s always the usual suspects. Um, Conor McDavid’s the favorite at 2:1, McKinnon and Coocherov. To me, Kale Mar is live for that award. He could absolutely win it. Even being on a team that has the Nate dog there. 30 to1 for Kale Mar. I don’t mind that one. Our guy Connor Halabuk, you want him to go back to back? He’s 20 to1 plus 2000. Connor is the favorite to win the Vzna Trophy for a third consecutive season, 3 to one. Um, futures are all still up. Uh totals for the teams are all up. Jets is 98 1/2. So uh if you want to jump on that, get it before the puck drops tonight for all the teams that are playing and again tomorrow for the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars. As far as football goes, let’s look at the CFL Lions. We had fun breaking these down and making our picks today on CFL 110. Check that out afterwards. Leave a comment if you don’t mind and a thumbs up always helps us grow the channel. Uh, Riders 10 and a half point favorites against the Argos. This is a weird one. I mean, Saskatchewan definitely better. We do wonder what Toronto’s going to have. To me, this is a bit of a stayaway game. 10 and a half points is the uh gun to my head. I think I’ll take the Riders, but this one did not make the parlay. We were a little unsure of this one. We do like Hamilton minus two and a half against the Stamps. uh the Bombers minus three and a half against Edmonton. I would prefer that that number was within a field goal, but um I’m looking to the Bombers to uh extend and continue what they were doing against the Hamilton Tiger Cats. So, we’ll take the Bombers at minus three and a half and then we’ll take Montreal. Montreal’s three and a 13 and a half point favorites against Ottawa. Um Ottawa, this is a a a pride game for them. um playing for their coaches, playing for each other, playing for jobs next year. Like, let’s see the Ottawa Red Blacks show up and be in this game. Um if you go to the exclusives, you can uh hit on the CFL 110 parlay in the exclusives. And this is a wild number that we’ve got, but Thaiats minus 2 and a half. Oh, this is supposed to be the Bombers. It says Elks minus three and a half. That’s supposed to be the Bombers. You know what? Hold off betting this. I’m going to get this changed, but later on it’s going to be Hamilton, Winnipeg, Ottawa plus 13 12 and the boost is up to plus 1275. Uh other exclusives, we’ve got the Super Boost, a Vlatty Homer tonight, 5 to one, and uh Leafs money line. Even money if you want to jump on the Leafs tonight. That’s all in the cool bet exclusives. Blue Jays tonight and all that was tough last night, Remo. You thought they were maybe just about ready to slay the dragon and then they weren’t. How about that homer that Judge hit off Louisie Varon? Well, I think the error by Barger giving me flashbacks that I was there to uh Ryan Goings in the ALCS dropping a pop fly which led to the Royals coming. You were a Royals guy. You remember Oh, yeah. remember that. But it was the defense which had been so good all year letting them down. Um IF with the misplay and you had Barger Santandere navigating the Ofield as well. You know, some people when the Blue Jays were up 6-1 were anointing them ALDS as champions. But hey, that’s why they play nine innings and the Yankees and Aaron Judge, he’s he’s like the Barry Bonds of this era. He’s that good. And he just crushed it. And yeah, Blue Jays, they’ve had bats of their own. And it’s going to be tough uh today with a bullpen game. I was really enjoying the post game like Ken Reed losing his mind. He’s like, I might be old, but the bullpen and a game four of the ALDS, this is crazy. What are we doing here? But that’s kind of what you do in baseball in in 2025. So, I’m curious how this is going to play out, but yeah, you thought the Blue Jays were going to have it, but and plus 140, you can still decent decent value, I think, hus tonight uh for the Jays to win. Yankees minus 175. Uh, you know, all the props are sort of weird because it is the bullpen game. Um, but again, if you’re if you want to jump on a Vlad homer tonight, we’ve gone in the first three games, five to one over in the cool bet exclusives. I do like the uh I do like the Jays in the series still to get it done. Connor Rapjack’s got some breaking news in chat that Darren Drager tweeting out the Vegas is extending Jack Eel. Oh, nice. any number. I want to see what the number is. Uh I think that was Yes. He he just says I’m hearing Vegas extended. That’s all we got. Nice. And that’ll be a uh that’ll be a longterm deal. You want to project You want to get What’s the AAV if Connor gets 12? Is he getting 14? I bet he’s getting 13 and a quarter. Or is he getting the the Florida discount because of state taxes? It’s Nevada, by the way. That’s Nevada. Sorry. Sorry. Similar to how Florida resigned all their guys to uh I know I know what state he’s not making less than Mner. He’ll be the highest paid player on the team for sure. Um but I think it’s probably a number that works a little bit better within their group. You’ll get eight years. So yeah, I’m going to say 13 and a quarter. So 108 million for eight years. That is my prediction for Jack Eel. What about you? I’ll go with the I was gonna say 14. I I was gonna say so. You’ll take the over on that. I’ll take I’ll take the but hey McDavid said it at whatever McDavid got. We’ll have to see. Anyway, uh um yeah, Connor will be uh Connor of course was down today. Check out the socials for the WST practice report. Um lots of talk about the big extension today. probably not as much about the uh practice. It was about what is to come for eight more years with Kyle Connor here in Winnipeg with the uh with the Jets. Um Friday morning, we’ll be back with another edition of WST Winners. All the NFL lines are up for the weekend. Chiefs two and three. I said that I would discuss the loss. I will. Uh Chiefs and Lions. Chiefs are two-point favorites. Interesting because they’ve been underdogs against both the Ravens and the Eagles so far this year. Um, that was a tough one. And the weird thing was that was such an unchief’s way to lose. Um, I still think that, you know, if um, McDuffy and what’s his name don’t bump into each other on that duck that was thrown up by Lawrence when they were up 14- nothing and just catch probably the easiest interception of the year. it was Nick Bolton. You know, the comeback isn’t even possible. But I’ll give Lawrence and the Jags a lot of credit. They showed a lot of metal. Um and then after the Chiefs went up with less than 2 minutes left for them to go down, it was very very frustrating for me. Um I didn’t miss getting abused for two hours yesterday in the chat, but I will remind you, count out the Chiefs at your own peril. Um, just wondering if anything happened to their Super Bowl number this week. No, it stayed it stayed the same. They’re still a 10 to1. Bills the favorite. Lions second at 7 to1. Eagles, Packers, and then the Chiefs. I don’t know how the Ravens are still 16 to1. I mean, are you kidding me? That team is done. If they lose, which they probably will to the Rams on the weekend, they go to one and five going into their bye-week. That’s going to be just tough to make the playoffs. Uh, but lots of crazy things happening in the NFL. Tomorrow’s Thursday nighters, the Giants and Eagles. We don’t care about that game. We got a hockey season to start down at Canada Life Center. But for those of you who observe, seven and a half is the spread for the Eagles in New York against the Giants to kick off week six in the NFL. All right, Ree, how are you feeling about tonight? Your last kick at the can to try to catch me. Uh, I actually had a good night last night. That winner uh that I had in race two had a $5 bet on it ended up paying 2725. Ended up uh ended up with a nice little plus sign beside the ledger yesterday in the uh in the final race in the second the penultimate race of the year. Yeah, I need to hit a big one. So, I do have much three trifectas in a real long shot. I think it’s possible. Well, I mean, you’ve hit a big one, so it it totally And it was right at the end of the season last year that changed the entire landscape of our uh of it all. Now, are you going to get in on the super high five, the jackpot five? Yeah, I’ll have to look into that. I think that I will. for the end of the season. We need to do our 20 and then I think we should also do another put some picks together and you know we’ll we’ll we’ll agree on a certain number based on the number of horses that we pick. Mhm. Um but uh as far as your actual picks for the race, we got some big slates tonight, too, which should be should be really good. What uh what are you thinking for uh for your selections today? Okay, I’m on race uh two four six. Oh, and I double I’m still putting them in. So, just run just run through. I took some big long shots here just cuz I’m trying to get a big payout to catch you. So, this isn’t my normal strategy, but you have to think what do you win when you win and I need to win big like like $100 winner or something. I think I’m down like 100 at least 150. Uh so on race two I have horse one to win blue tango. That’s just a tuni. And then my trifecta is 124. So that’s with turn loose and two left to load. So that’s the program selection and the smart pick. Hoping that longot blue tango gets in there. Um race four. I’m doing a trifecta 356 yellow birdie Shirley’s Sherman and explosive. So that’s, you know, again two of the selections with a longer shot. And then I have race six, 567, trifecta, Luca Grazy, Magic Tiger, and Brinsen. So again, similar similar strategy for me. And so you has you’ve hit a couple big winners, you know, with you know what, the two fav two of the three favorites and then a longer shot and you know, all you need is work one time and uh then I’ll catch you. Yeah, that I mean listen, it’s uh it’s it’s last call if you will for uh Oh, for the entire season here at uh at ASD. So here’s Darren Driger. We were pretty close with the EL us 8 years. People are saying 13.5 in the chat. Okay. Uh 13.5 from Trigger. There you go. 13.5 A AV for Darren uh for um Jack Eel. Jack Eel with the with the club. All right. I’m just settling in my final pick. Let’s go. Okay. Okay, we’re going to go race one, three, four, six for a triactor box. Uh my other selections for today, race number to race number three, we’re going Exact, Mr. Dazzle and Tis Lord. Two of my favorites throughout the year. Uh in race number six, we are just betting number one. It was this big to win. And then the final bet of the year, race seven, 349, Spike It Rich, Track Robber, and Flying Tex, uh for my final $20 wager of the year. And then yes, we will cook up a little super high five. But I would say if you if either of us got a piece of the jackpot high five, I would almost be able to handle not winning. But uh let’s just try and get a piece of it and we’ll do that 7:30 p.m. tonight. Live racing as Cineabo Downs. Uh man, tomorrow’s going to be a big one. Rick, I am so fired up for this game. We’ve had October 9th circled on the calendar for months. And uh you know, as much as it’s going to be disappointing to see Profetti and Lowry and Samberg in suits, uh I think everyone that’s going to be in the WST section, just fans that’ll, you know, be at the game again. Get there early, get into your seats. Let’s see that banner the team earned last year go up, both of them. Uh and then the intros tomorrow. I mean, whether we’re talking about the Connor contract, you know, Shley returning, you know, after everything that happened in the playoffs, um, Jonathan Taves, um, you know, there there’s so many storylines tomorrow. It’s going to be a heck of a lot of fun. And then we drop the puck and see how the team can match up against a very excellent Dallas Stars team. But, uh, I know there’s a lot of people that are worried about the first little part of the season. see what they can do this weekend and then get out on the road of course that looking forward to that noon game on Monday afternoon for the with against the Islanders. Yeah, Thanksgiving. So, we’ll be off and watching watching the Jets. So, exciting time for sure with the hockey returning Saturday afternoon. Jets Kings and then on the road next week and they do have what the West Coast trips pretty early this year. So, some late nights. So, we’ll have a good show tomorrow. Owen Newkerk covers the stars will give us the insight on there. I mean, a lot of turnover well at least behind the uh coaching staff there. Peter D’vor fired after losing to Edmonton and Mo Rand and running the bus over Jay Cotton. Maybe more more important than losing to Edmonton. It was the backing it up multiple times over his starting goalie that I still think he was trying to get fired. I he just knew he was done. I may as well just go out in ablaze and not say anything. But uh yeah, no more Pete Dbor. Um but of course, but we’ll still be dealing with Miko Rantin and the rest of the Stars. Uh but we’ll be all over it tomorrow. Uh the latest on the Jets. Uh we’ll have a morning skate report from Connor on the program tomorrow. Well, the latest from the rink. Um and we’re going to be talking to uh Renie Owen Newkerk. uh potentially might have uh a certain first round pick with the team with the Moose. Braden Joerger hoping to have him on. He’s good. He’s good. So Braden Jagger will join us tomorrow and uh we’ll talk some bombers too as the team’s on the practice field getting ready for the Edmonton Elks on Saturday looking to officially punch their ticket to the playoffs and uh see uh they can uh maybe get into second in the West and host a playoff game or does this team end up going through the East? All on the table right now. Um, and we’ll be all over it tomorrow. And then 5:30 p.m. when the doors open for everyone in the Winnipeg Sports Talk section, join us in the craft beer corner, section 310. So, just a little ways down the opposite corner from us. That’s where we will be. And, uh, don’t forget to get your tickets for Saturday’s game at 12:30 start. Some weird start times at the start of the year. Normal time tomorrow, but get there early because of the promo uh, the intros and all that. We’ve got a 12:30 p.m. game on Saturday as part of the full slate of everybody playing at different times. And then noon on Monday at uh the UBS Arena on Long Island as the Jets play their first road game of the year. But tomorrow, the focus is on the Jets and the Dallas Stars, game one of 82. Join us tomorrow, 1:00 p.m. live on YouTube. We’ll have that game day podcast in your feed just after 3 p.m. as soon as we’re finished the program live and then hope to see you down tomorrow for the first of 41 great home games for the Jets at Canada Life Center. That is going to do it for us. Thank you to Marata Tesh, Dan Robertson, Brandon Rowiki, Darren Dunn, everybody in the chat. Great stuff all day today. Um, go Blue Jays tonight. Enjoy the game and uh we’ll see you tomorrow to drop the puck on Jet Season right here on Winnipeg Sports Talk. Have a good one. Thanks to all the sponsors that make the show happen and we’ll see you tomorrow at one. Oh my god. Shut it down. Let’s go. Thanks for tuning in to Winnipeg Sports Talk Daily. Make sure to subscribe on YouTube and your favorite podcast feed at winnipegsportsalk.com. [Music]

Andrew “Hustler” Paterson hosts Winnipeg Sports Talk Daily with Michael Remis. They discuss Kyle Connor’s eight year contract extension with the Winnipeg Jets and look ahead to tomorrow’s home opener. Guests: Brandon Rewucki of Skates & Plates podcast, Murat Ates of The Athletic, TSN play-by-play voice Dan Robertson and Darren Dunn of Assiniboia Downs.

Topics:
Countdown (0:00)
Intro, Kyle Connor extension reaction (0:40)
Kyle Connor comments to the media (16:46)
Brandon Rewucki of Skates & Plates (35:43)
Murat Ates of The Athletic (55:28)
TSN Jets play-by-play voice Dan Robertson (1:25:00)
Darren Dunn of Assiniboia Downs (1:42:17)
Coolbet Lines, Assiniboia Downs & Wrap up (1:58:22)

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