The Canucks kids are alright? Cootes and Lekk still here

The Canucks kids are alright? Cootes and Lekk still here

Heat up [Music] here. [Music] secures some price for Monday, September 29th, 2025 in this show presentation of BET365. We’re coming to you from the Pacific Toyota dealer studio here at the historic wall center. Visit shop toyota.ca or your local Pacific Toyota dealer. Today, Mansis alongside Blake Price, four-time Juno Award winner Mike Rogers and hitting switches and conducting things. We had much different weekends. Blake was on his feet the entire time, tending to just about everything. I was on the couch all weekend watching all of the sports. What a glorious weekend of sports. I cannot remember a sports weekend where I had as much going on noon to tonight as I did this weekend. Well, truthfully, September has been I I for the first time in my career Mhm. intersecting with fatherhood. It’s the first time that my family has staged a sports intervention. Oh, they they maintain I have been watching too much. Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no. You have to you have to fix them on. And I and I said, “Guys, guys, the Jays have won the division for the first time in 11 years, 10 years.” Mhm. The White Caps might just be the best team in Major League Soccer. That’s right. The Lions have won three straight games and still have an outside chance of hosting a playoff game. The Vancouver Conucks are just getting started for heaven’s sakes. I I This was before I even put on a on a Conucks game. women’s rugby. Your Seahawks are three and one. Thankfully, they play Thursday night. Would you have even been able to fit them in yesterday afternoon? Well, that’s right. Like, I mean, it has been an absolute confluence. I know of big things happening. No, like if if you’re a Jay’s, Seahawks, Lions, Caps, Canucks guy or gal, it’s pretty heavy stuff, right? Like this not enough time in the day. Not enough time. Like I got home Friday to watch Ryder to catch up on Ryder Cup which drove me right into the Lions game. Yeah. Uh and the Blue Jays game. Yeah. And then I woke up in the morning and watched RDER Cup until the rugby was on. Wish I would have wish Canada would have kept me around on the rugby longer, but I was checking back in. And then more RDER Cup. And then lo and behold, here’s another huge Blue Jays game. It was a bridge too. Oh, I should say and it ran me into the Canucks on Friday night as well. You had all sorts of things going multi-creen. I have never been a multi-screen guy. I I sort of like to pay attention. I to one I don’t mind flicking around. This was the weekend that got me thinking, okay, where can I get another television in here? Well, what really pissed off my family was the out of town scoreboard games. So this is I remember this at the end of last year in hockey. This like I watched Orioles Yankees. I watched a little Orioles Yankees too on and my was like the Jays game’s over. What are we doing here? I’m like well I got to watch this. See what happens with that. And No, I know. Sorry. My dad yesterday’s like there’s football on golf. Why are you watching the baseball? I said well because they win and they win the division. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the weekend as much as we did. The Redwoods Golf Course poll question today. Very simply, who makes the team? Braden Coots, Jonathan Lerramaki. Both or neither. You can vote at the secarisome price X and YouTube channels. Let’s break this down for a minute. We ended Friday’s show with JPAT saying Carlson, we know what he can do. Braden Coots is really coming. Jonathan Lacramacki hadn’t been great. Got to show us something. He goes out. He gets an assist. He’s plus two, throws six hits, Blake. Three shots on goal, five attempts. And the one thing I think we got to consider on top of what we’ve been talking about for a Canucks team that looks to be a little light on offense and goalcoring personnel, particularly after the Hoglander injury. Do you have to make room for this kid? And he’s a right shot, Blake. And that power play looks like it could really use another right shot as opposed to one of the lefties Kane or De Brusk. So Lacramacki coming when he needed it. Right. Then there’s Braden Coots. And I see our old friend Grady Sass has done the math. Three preseason games so far. Three points, two goals and assist, five shots on goal. He’s only trailing Kef for Sherwood in time on ice. Five on five. The Corsy is splendid. The shots uh the scoring chances and high danger chances are excellent. He’s above 55% in the faceoff dot for heaven’s sake. I mean, you know, young players normally are easy meat in the faceoff dot for for veteran center iceman. And the youngster says he is getting more and more comfortable every night. Here’s Braden Coots after Sunday’s game in his hometown of Edmonton. Yeah, for sure. You feel more comfortable as you play with them. I mean, you get to know the guys more. It feels more normal than, you know, like, oh, I’m in the NHL kind of thing. It’s like feels more normal and uh yeah, gets more easier each game. Now, games one through four of the preseason is almost AHL level of hockey, though. Well, the road the road games for sure. Yes. And of course, there were kind of three because Abbottzford was a road game. And so the next two games, if he’s if he’s going to stick around, even more of an eagle eye on what he’s able to do in these two last preseason games, which should be very reminiscent of an Let me correct myself. I mean, the home games when the other team is sending their road outfit, right? Yeah. Uh bottom line is Vitalic Krazoff has to show something and something significant. Vitali Ksoff the KHL import top five top 10 scorer in the KHL last year. One time first round pick the New York Rangers uh connect property came back. Honest to God we talked a little about him going in. I have forgotten he is here. He’s probably out at this point but I think you do have to leave open the opportunity. The two games left maybe he gets on the radar. I think Max Sassin had the longest way to go to make a roster spot up against some of these guys. Maybe outside of Braden Coots, of course. So, I do think that Max Assassin would have to have uh a couple of stunners here to get back on. Have you officially answered the poll question? I I am in a second. I’m getting there. You still have We have We’re going through the other options here. Okay. Just don’t rush me. It’s not a five hour show, but okay. We’re having uh we’re marinating over a nice dinner. This isn’t grab and go. Um does Lenus Carlson feel any pressure here? Like we all believe that Lenus Carlson was not only on the team but in the opening night lineup as the 12th forward which and and the Hoglander injury I think gave him further grip on a roster spot and opening night lineup spot. But I think Kra, sorry. I think Carlson to me gets the KSOV logic, but more more actual uh in that I think he’s going to be given a decent line in these last two games. I think Carlson gets an opportunity probably um with a duo with a good duo and it’ll be the connect saying, “Show us.” I I think he’s probably on the team anyhow, but I think he better show pulse at the very least. I am I am for the moment answering the question neither. But I think if either of them have one more good preseason game, I think there’s room for one of them. You um I am willing and this is I I I’m deep down I’m a I’m a neither guy too. I can convince myself into electromaki vote. And here’s the thing. Uh I’m neither because they both can be sent well in Cutz’s case down to Junior. Yeah. And Electroaki’s case to the AHL without any kind of waiverss whereas that’s not the same with Lenus Carlson, Arsh Baines, Vitali Crafts off. Uh I think I will say the shot I think Coots is ahead of Leaki just because you do get the extended look before you have to send him down to junior, right? The eight or nine games that you can go without burning a year on the contract. and a and because of the center ice position and because atu ratu hasn’t looked great although he did score late last night. Yeah, I mean he he’s got points in two games ratu so he’s not flashy but he is ultimately showing up on the bottom line that you know I I I think he’s on the team anyway for sure he’s on the team leery doesn’t have the eight games but he doesn’t need the eight games as you said he’s it’s it’s non-punitive to send him down anyhow so um um I think Leer Macki’s shot is a separating skill that maybe two other guys on the team have like I’ll give De Brusk and Besser the benefit of the doubt that their shots are better than Leer Macki but they’re yeah so um the fact that he has separating skill and that’s not to say the brain CS won’t be a fine NHLer um the only problem with his separating skill Blake is it’s the hardest one to have to lean on to get NHL games with NHL coaches like if you have NHL speed there’s a bottom line there’s a baseline there that I I think a coach feels more comfortable with. If you have NHL size, it’s sort of the same thing. If you have NHL playmaking ability, stick handling ability. The problem with having an NHL shot and the rest of the traits, not necessarily being of NHL level or being just NHL level, is you’re reliant on other people to get you the puck. Yep. There’s a lot of standing around. There’s a lot of what are you bringing outside of those few moments in a game where you can get a chance to shoot the puck. So, we’re still learning Adam foot. Uh I’m not sure what his risk level is with young players. I’m not sure what his patience level is with young players. And I don’t know how willing he is to gift a roster spot to a guy who’s really not going to help you out outside of the shooting opportunities, maybe the power play utility. But that goal last night is exactly what Leer Mackey needed to show his coach at some point. And he also did at the outset of the weekend. It is also the loudest tool that gets the coaching staff going. We ain’t got anybody else who can shoot the puck like that and we may I think I said this going into the the Seattle game. U I don’t even care if you score. Show me shots. Show me that you are a shooter. And he got three shots in each game on goal. Yep. Uh six shots for the weekend. Like that’s that’s again and many more attempts too. Yeah. And and he was physical Friday, too. So good good on him. Golf lessons at the Redwoods Golf Course. Blake and I Blake and I can attest how fantastic they are. Set your children up for the sport of a lifetime. With private and semi-private lessons available, flexible to your schedule. This is for kids six to 16. There will be some winter lessons and camps coming up which we will tell you about when we get a little bit closer. The other thing about uh the Redwoods Golf Course, check out the restaurant. And if you have a well- behaved dog, leashed, well- behaved pups, bring them on course. Go to redwoods-golf.com/instruction and book those lessons today. Time now for our top story. It is brought to you by Yellow Dog Brewing, Neighborhood Brewing, Foolish Winery Decision Week. The Canucks enter the final seven days before the NHL roster deadline with two preseason preseason games remaining. And now some difficult decisions thanks to that push from below. Monday 2:00 p.m. next week, everybody. That’s when rosters are due to the National Hockey League to begin season 25-26. You do have games, regular season games beginning next Tuesday. The Canucks of course not till next Thursday home to Calgary. And Braden Coots is coming. The Canuck rookie firstrounder starts again this weekend in preseason. He’s making a real push to be kept on that opening night roster. Goals in both games, including in his hometown of Edmonton. Uh there was a play last night, Blake Ree. He had the puck coming up the right wing. He squeezed between the boards and the defender, maintained possession, threw a pass, generated a scoring chance. He’s out there four on four against McDavid at dry sight of all people. So, it was uh quite an assignment, quite the heady time for a kid who grew up in suburban Edmonton in Sherwood Park. Here’s Coots about playing in his hometown. Yeah, it was cool. Watched a lot of games here growing up. um even getting able to play against some of their top guys that I watched a lot and obviously had a have a good bit of family and friends here. So, it was pretty cool to hear hear the cheer. What did you think of the team’s effort tonight, especially in that third period as you guys kind of fought back? I thought it was really good. They had, like I said, a lot of their lineup in there. Really good team. Um you know, we had a bit some younger guys and we fought really hard. Um thought we kind of took over that third period and almost, you know, got it to overtime, but uh yeah, it was a good push. Here’s some counterintuitiveness here for you. Based on the lineup he just faced in Edmonton, based on the fact you could theoretically throw him into these two preseason games going forward because he’s had lots of rest. It wouldn’t be too much for him. Here’s the counter or two of thought. You don’t keep him around for the eight or nine games because you’ve already seen him against he’s already got that lesson. Like if you’ve got no inclination as the Vancouver Conucks to hold him past the eight or nine games generally you’d be saying we wanted him to get that taste of NHL action so he knows what to do. Yeah, he’s getting pretty close to that here in these three straight games. Edmonton, Calgary, Edmonton. These are going to be pretty reminiscent of actual NHL games. He’s already learned here as of today. Okay, this is what NHL hockey looks like. I hear your mouth. It’s not your worst counterintuitive take. Uh, of course, you would be keeping him for the eight or nine games because you think he can help you win. And if you think he can help you win for eight or nine games, then he should stay for throughout. Um, there’s a case for that. Now, uh, and of course also because you’re pretty thin at center. Now, I don’t think there’s any world where Teddy Bluger gets sat down to play Braden Coots. And I say that because of the penalty killing. I think Teddy Bluger will feature as their primary penalty killer and face off taker. Mhm. Uh on the PK. I could see a world, and we talked about this last week, Blake. The problem with not getting that second line center is that you gifted a roster spot to Atu Ratu and told him, “Kid, there’s not a lot of competition um pushing you. Could Coot serve as that competition if you keep him around for eight or nine games?” Does he keep Ratu honest? Because Oh, wow. They kept an 18-year-old and he’s a right shot center. Well, here’s I’m arguing against myself from last week here, but given how well he’s shown that you’re not looking for this to show up. Do you I think everybody’s You want to be pretty dress rehearsally for the last game, but for the next game here, Philip Peele need to play the next game. Philip Peele shown you a lot already. Absolutely not. Absolutely. You know how I feel about So, you said Philip Pedle and there you go. You got your four centers. Uh Kefir Sherwood called Coots a stud after Friday’s game. Adam Foot immediately announced he’s going to get another game. He played 1658 against the Oilers. Uh scored he went six uh won six of his 11 draws. Only Kefir Sherwood and Filipino played more amongst Canucks forwards. Ratu gets the goal last night. Well, Friday as well. It had been a struggle for Ratu Ratu previously. Um we like Drew O’ Conor speed last night. We know he can skate. Uh Filipedles looked terrific. um came down to the third period. Baratu and Leaki doing what they did in the third I think enhances their chances. Very quiet for Carlson, Sassin and Baines, I think. In fact, I I sort of I know Baines was viewed as one of the better players at camp and in the scrimmage. Other than that, I think Marie Baines is playing his way off this team. Yeah, don’t love that. you know, local kid. Siri, love the story. But I I I think it’s clear that there are either guys who are better than him or guys who could be better than him in reasonably short order, more talented than him. Uh, and then let’s get to the defense for a second. Um, Jeff didn’t seem to think that anybody set themselves apart. Mancini certainly did early u on the offensive side of the puck, although there was that ominous comment from Foot about calming him down in the neutral zone. We liked the one preseason game from Vlander. Pier Olivier Joseph struggled Friday. Is is the door wide open for Victor Mancini to make this team? Like do you think they sweat Pierre Olivier Joseph on waiverss if Mancini has certainly looked better? I don’t think he sweat Pier Olivier Joseph on waiverss. No. um given what the Vancouver Conucks have on defense right now in terms of almost ready to bloom prospects like if Carro Kudrats have was needed I think you can play him like like I don’t think you sweat the journeyman player on waiverss right now um from a defensive side of things so no uh and for Mancini yeah I think it is it’s there I mean he is He you don’t play in every game in the preseason, so you can’t make an impact necessarily every single time the Canucks play. But right now, I think Mancini’s in the driver’s seat. Yeah. To win a roster spot. Not necessarily lineup. One thing I’ll say is Mancini, of course, um does not require waivers, so you can send him down without worrying about the asset. Yeah. Yeah, I mean for the purposes of clearing on next Monday and then you can of course rejig after jig for sure. So I mean on the on paper he may not be here eight days from now but nine days from now maybe he is. Who knows? Okay so let me get you uh on record here. Is it going to be 14 forwards or eight defenseman? Um, well, we still don’t know what they’re going to say about Hoglander. Well, he’s week to week, right? So, but if they do, if they put him on LTI to start the season, that changes everything. I don’t think it’s going to be LTI to start the season. They’re going to hope he gets back by November 1st. They have some cap. Yeah. No, but it allows you the roster spot. No, no, I understand. But it also means he’s got to miss what 20ome days, nine games or Yeah, I I think you got to give I mean they said week to week. Um, of course they don’t always, you know, message accurately on on injuries, but I think you got to give yourself and him the chance that he’s going to play inside of those inside of those windows. Yeah. I’m not I’m I’m I mean, if you’re telling me there aren’t two more games, I’ve got to make a decision now. Um I think I probably go 14 forward to seven. I think so, too. But, um I I’ve got time. I’m going to use it. Yeah. No, for sure. No, I agree. So, let’s see how everybody, you know, moves up and down the power rankings before the end of the week. All right. What’s up with Yellow Dog Neighborhood Foolish Ducktoberfest? Well, they’ve got a lot of exciting things as usual because they are a brewery and everything that they do is super exciting. So, I could get into Doctoberfest if you’d like, but I’d also like to talk about Brew Loops. Brew Loops. Brew Loops. Come again. Yellow Dog Brewing. Yellow Dog Spirits and Neighborhood Brewing are slinging drinks this weekend at Brew Loops. Friday, October the 3 to Saturday, October the 4th at MacArthur Island Park in Cam Loops. Beer, music, community spirit. Grab your tickets now. You know how some names just roll off? Giving you a furoughed brow. Brew Loops. Yeah. Okay. Cereal. It’s not. Canada’s tournament capital. Brew Loops. Could be a cereal, though. Yeah. Mhm. Wouldn’t be the first person to put beer in cereal. No, it’s been done. We’ve been so fixated on the second line center as the biggest hole on this Vancouver Conucks team and rightfully so. And we got Darren Dreger on the program and he’s going to expand on all of this. First time with Dregs this season and he’s done some digging. Uh David Pinñota fourth period was saying last week, don’t discount an addition in the middle to the bottom six. And of course, Hoglander, right? Uh he said, uh I do think the Conucks are going to start just looking around for a mid6 bottom six type forward. They started poking around. I think they’ll escalate that a little bit. We know at one point there was some interest in Jack Rosik. The idea was still a free agent. The idea was they were gonna make him the bargain basement offer. They made Kevin Lankin and basically say, “If you’re willing to sign and play for that, then there you go. Giddy up. Let’s go.” Um, but to me, uh, middle to bottom six in a world where Hoglander misses the first month, let’s say Blake, um, do you think that’s wise? Are all your eggs in a 2C basket at some point this season? Or do you think another body who could factor into the middle six, particularly if they can play center ice gets you to at least the trade deadline, if not through the I’m not against it. I I have to take it by on a case-byase basis. Um and so yes, there is a world where you can find another heedel you’re talking about. Yeah. Maybe not even at level maybe a smidge below. I I’ll have to I’ll I’ll be honest. I saw Justin Dalling was on the waiver wire and I was like, how bad is Justin Tally? He’s too bad. But I I you know, it was that it was sort of that ilk. I was sort of like, huh? There were a few names on the waiver wire that caught my eye as well and I went, “Is there any chance?” I mean, it’s so early. In fact, I think some NHL teams put some guys on waiverss this early just to get them through. Yeah. Yeah. Who looked at it and went anyway I’m not They’re even lower profile now because people go, “Oh, they’re not even amongst the lowest cuts. You’re not really You’re not even really thinking to to shop yet on the way.” So, um, again, Justin Don is not, uh, I’m not, uh, advocating, but I’m saying, yeah, if there was a certain 3C that came across my vision that I, yeah, I I I could be convinced of that approach because, of course, one of the 2C candidates came off the board this weekend with Mason McTavish ressigning with the Anaheim Ducks. He was an RFA. We were wondering where that was going to go. Uh, insiders had wondered all summer whether Mason McTavish would prefer moving on from Anaheim, but he signed a six-year deal with a $7 million average annual value to stay with the Ducks. Now, that doesn’t mean he can’t get traded. That doesn’t mean he won’t be disappointed with his ice time. If, in fact, he is playing behind Michael Granland and Leo Carlson as this season goes along. having missed training camp and a bunch of preseason games, I think it’s pretty clear that he’s going to start behind the group. So, we’ll see where that scenario goes. But I like that contract, by the way. If you were Yeah. So do I. Yeah. Uh I think he’s a really good player. And $7 million is going to be Oh, it’s going to be middle class money very shortly. I mean, I almost wonder if if might be now. Pat Verbique just won the waiting game here and the kid just panicked two and a man. But years five and six of that deal like $7 million is that’s gonna be third line money. I mean that’s a big right shot two-way center or no he’s a left shot or right shot but that’s a big two-way centerman who’s already shored some scoring acumen early in his NHL career and was a top three pick. So like that is uh No, he’s a left shot. Uh I I thought that was an outstanding contract for the team. Um yeah, so we’ll see where that situation goes. But if if you were a Conucks fan who felt like that 2C hole needs to be filled sooner rather than later, and there’s a very compelling argument for that. Yeah. Uh you were hoping the McTavish thing lasted into the season, got really nasty, that Anaheim maybe looked at cutting their losses saying, “Okay, we got to move on here because we’re trying to make the playoffs and we’re playing without an important part or a part that could fetch us a lot in return.” Didn’t happen that way. um not too dissimilar from the Luke Hughes logic that you’re hoping that gets acrimonious and lasts into the season between Quinn’s brother and the Devils. Uh Kox making some roster moves over the weekend. Sawyer Mo was demoted to Abbottzford. He played the one AHL game last year uh after a splendid junior career with Seattle, Calgary, and of course Canada at the World Junior Championships, the third round pick, 89th overall in 2023. I’m looking forward to his year. He’s 20 years old and you’re hoping he looks like EPD. Yeah. And Kudra Adsf did last year in their first taste of pro and we can continue this assembly line of good-looking bliners for the Kucks. That’s right. Uh they’ve also waved Yuri Peter, the veteran goalender who was always ticketed for Abbottzford and may actually have another year where he’s doesn’t get to play a lot depending on how the younger guys, Nikita, Tai Young, they’ll vive for starts. And of course, if you’re the Canucks, you’re hoping to develop the next goalender Arty Sheilops and keep that assembly line going. Mackenzie McKern who was always going to be AHL depth for the Conucks. Joseph Lebates also waved by Vancouver team day off today. Tomorrow that they’re at UBC. We should go over some of the other guy guys that have been cut too because they just they just released all the other cuts uh from today as well. And there’s no shocks here, folks, but it’s just, you know, the the auditions are over for Kudraatzv, Alrixen, uh, Cleovich, uh, I didn’t even see this. This must have happened quite recently. Chase Stillman is done. Um, you know, after he made a little bit of noise. So, you know, all those dreams are all over. But, you know, most of these guys are are back without any waivers. All these young guys that I’m talking about, they’re all assigned without waivers. So, um I I do wonder, Matt, how many more camps for Denillovich? Well, the thing is he’s still young. Yep. Because he was in the AHL way younger than most guys in the AHL. Uh I hope he has a good AHL year. So do I. I would like to see him play an NHL game this year. Yeah. Mueller, of course, has been hurt. We knew that. Uh so has Ravinski’s the Latvian import. Yeah. We haven’t seen anything from him. Yeah. And he’s a fun player. So there are no surprises there. No, there are zero surprises. And there and honestly, Blake, there’s zero surprises on the timing there in a negative way, too. Like all those guys did well to last. You only got two games left. You only got two games left. You got to get rid of all those guys to to to last till this point. Did Do we have the graphic up, Mike? Did we get that to you? We may not have got Chase Waters, by the way, is gone from his PTO. And I only mentioned him because he’s been a a good soldier down at AB at the Abbey Connect. So, well, he’s been assigned Abby, so there No, I don’t think so. Has he? That’s what the release says. Oh, does it? Okay. Pardon me. Anyways, so there are He’s on an He’s on an A. He was on a PTO. That’s right. Uh team day off today. Tomorrow at UBC. Uh we’ll be looking for Connor Garland, who hasn’t played yet in this preseason. Uh, we’ll also be wondering about Tyler Meyers, who has been missing from the public skating sessions. They may very well have skated a group yesterday that didn’t make the trip to Edmonton. So, a couple of veterans there, but also like if that’s just pure maintenance for two vets, no troubles there either. There is big worry coming out of the New York Rangers camp. And Blake, think about how miserable a sports weekend it has been for New Yorkers. You saw Europe come into Beth Paige Black, one of the iconic courses in that state, and just dummy the US and team play. Hang on for the victory. You watch the Giants win a football game but lose star receiver Malik Neighbors to a ACL injury. You saw the New York Mets with an utter collapse over three plus months. They were the best team in baseball in June. Blake, they had the best record in the major league. Juan Sodto and all that money. Pete Alonzo and all that money. Francisco Lindor and all that money. And the Mets get shut out on the final day of the baseball regular season when Cincinnati gave them a window to the wild card and they weren’t able to carpay DM. And now JT Miller, the former Vancouver Kuck forward, is being evaluated for an apparent injury sustained at practice this morning. Not even a game. Not Not even a scrimmage either. Like they’re doing talking about practice. It’s like a power pate play drill. And he just he lunges and goes down on one knee and then on all fours and he’s down down gets himself up and on his own power is able to pump himself with one leg over to the bench and now he’s being evaluated. Pretty innocuous looking. But it’s one of those things that where players listen to their bodies. They’re like, “Nope, not good.” And off he goes. A and look, I don’t ever root for anyone to get hurt. So, I hope it’s not uh too too bad for JT Miller. Uh but really, if JT Miller were to miss 80 of 82 Rangers regular season games this year, I wouldn’t much care. I do care that he’s in the lineup on October 28th at Rogers Arena against the Vancouver Conucks. Right. That would take the sting out of that game a little bit. We’re less than a month from that game, Blake. Yeah, we need the marquee. We need Pey versus JT in that game. Yeah, for the most part I’m the Seinfeld popcorn meme, but um but you’re right. I would want a little more meaning for that game. Now, I can think of I’m visualizing the Seinfeld meme, Shane. That’s a shame. Yeah, shame. Yeah, kick your feet up. You were doing that earlier. It’s very at home today. I walk in, his feet are up on the desk. Oh, we’re doing feet on the desk here at the This is the desk. I mean, we only have one. It’s supposed to be kept clean. It’s nice countertop. I go, “Oh, feet on the on the broadcast desk today.” And he goes, “I was on my feet all weekend.” Yeah, I’ve earned it. It’s true. Despite the admonishment at home about too much sports watching, went for a big long hike. I I don’t get that anymore. No. No. When we were first together, she like, “Boy, you watch a lot of sports. Like, are there any sports you don’t watch?” But now it’s just she’s happy. You go in that room. I’ll be over here with the cats. Occasionally the cats visit me. Is he alive? Does he have any food? I bring popcorn. If I open the popcorn, then the cats come. Really? They like popcorn. The cats love the one in particular. It’s his favorite thing. Really? I I don’t know why, but Cat after my own heart. Yeah, they’re big uh big popcorn cats. Okay, let’s get to today’s menu. It’s brought to you by Greta. Fantastic spot to watch all the games home and away. A really great spot if you’re looking for a venue for a gathering. Like, let’s say it’s an office thing and you want to, you know, build that team inside the office. Let’s say it’s a sports team and you’re celebrating the end of a season. You want to kick off a season with a little shindig. Maybe you’ve got some family in town. It’s a big family. You’re looking for a big space so you can stay away from that annoying. Or let’s say you’re podcast/YouTube show and the Canucks are about to start a season. Maybe local people, the Vancouver team is about to start a season. So maybe, just maybe, keep your ear to the ground. Uh because I do think we will be doing some watch parties with our friends at Kox Army all one word at some point in October. Someone’s read the legal memos. So if you need that venue or you want to join these watch parties as we watch Vancouver hockey and only Vancouver hockey, check out Greta. For more info to book your event, gretar.com 50 West Cordova. at the games begin also steps from the arena and stadium. Uh Jeff Patterson is going to join us here. As you know, Jeff watches these games very intently. He picks up so so much and will take us through the two preseason games on the weekend and then the stakes at hand, how things shape up for this final decision week. We will also be joined by Darren Dreger. Uh Darren has done some digging uh both on the Canucks camp and of course in his duties around the National Hockey League being the insider and all but we’re going to talk about um we’re going to talk about Petey and Basser and Demco and Evander Kane from a Kucks perspective as well as well Luke Hughes and what’s going on there. Uh as well as some other matters around the National Hockey League. our first hit this year with Darren Dreger, our NHL insider. He’ll join us Mondays. Um it’ll be this Monday. We’ll have a Monday in October and then when we get closer to November, December insider season, Darren’s going to be with us weekly. You said Queen Hughes. I’m going ask about Luke Hughes. Did I not say Luke Hughes? Yeah, Luke. Oh, okay. Well, Luke Hughes is Yeah. Yeah. Blake and Dregs get conspiratorial on Luke Hughes. I’ll leave it at that. Time now for our bet 365 bets of the day. I I had Europe to win the RDER Cup plus 17 which was a which was a hot take at the moment that you made it. Well, the other thing though and um and I heard a lot of people relying on world ranking and the stats, but of course world ranking you can kind of throw out the window now with the live tour and not getting points. Blake, this just wasn’t a very good US team. No. By US RDER Cup standards. Like, I’m sorry, but Ben Griffin and Harrison English. Yeah. And Colin Morawa based on the form he was on and light hitting Russell Henley. Like, these are not guys who make an American Rder Cup team when the US has got a full field of of 12 players. Like you’ve like Russell Henley is officially the number three player in the world. Like if he’s the number three player in the world, I’m the king of England, your honor, your highness. No, but honestly, it’s a far cry from they put him with Sheffler and it was like that’s the highest rated US pair, Russell Henley. It’s a far cry from vintage Dustin Johnson, vintage Brooks Kepka, you know, all you know, they were imposing to look at. God were they ever. I mean, they were downright scary. There were a lot of guys on this. And then meanwhile, I thought the European team outside of Hoygard, who, let’s face it, is a young player who, you know, was the 12th best player, but and probably doesn’t make it if they’re taking a larger swath of the of the LIV guys. Uh, Raw Manhattan actually have a a legal appeal going on right now in European courts. that’s why they were allowed to to uh play in this tournament. I thought that was as good a European team as I’ve seen in an awfully long time. So, I felt quite comfortable in that. Uh I’m going to go Monday Night Football. Uh I think the Miami Dolphins are just dreadful. Uh I think they got serious problems on both lines of scrimmage. I I think they have coverage problems. I hate their culture right now. And other than that, well, no. And Blake, as you know, I am not a big judge books by covers. I’m more a substance of your words and thoughts. But the head coach in in Miami on the practice field in the um what do you call the short pants again, the stylish short pants? Uh like halfway down the calf. I What’s that? Plus fours. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Capri. Caprice. a head football coach in the NFL in Caprice on the practice field. I just I I think you’ve got some in your I mean you got like 70 guys on the field like they’re a soft team. They’re coach gives off a soft vibe. And the other thing is there are tons of New Yorkers in South Florida who snap up tickets. Give me the Jets. I don’t even need the two and a half points. Jets. JTS. Ch plus 125. I didn’t know that we were on bro project runway here. Um Raphael Nudal used to work in competition. That’s tennis. Oh, this is football. Oh, you’re asking some of the guys in your charge to put their good health and safety on the line in this. The least you could do is wear pants. Well, just not capri. You can wear shorts. I’m not following. Um, as you know, I also dislike hoodies on the golf course, particularly on uh the professional golf course. I have no comments other than this. Broncos minus 7 and 1/2. Broncos 7 and a half. Broncos. Broncos. Broncos. Again, I’m not normally that guy, but No, you’re not. It’s very Man Pre. I wouldn’t wear them, but clam diggers on the football field as the head coach. Like that’s a practice. Like you got some hard dudes on that field. Coach is up here in Capri. This segment of presentation of bet 365. Whatever your bet, it’s never ordinary at bet 365. Download the app, get in on the game, use code nation. When doing so, must be 19 or older. Please play responsible. Is Jeff or Darren up next? Jeff. Jeff. Sorry, Jeff’s up next. [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Second price from the historic wall center. This next segment brought to you by your Toyota Pacific dealer. The 2025 Prius plug-in hybrid SE is available for your test drive, folks. And you’ll want to get to your Pacific Toyota dealers fast to check out what this one is. And speaking of fast, whatever you think about when you think about Prius, redefine it in your brain. This is a sports car now. Like you walk up to test drive, 2 L. Absolutely. This is built for enthusiasts. This is a spirit vehicle. It looks spectacular. Uh you can plug into Recharge at home or at one of the over 2,000 public uh uh available uh stations. Charge this as you drive. And you can do that as well if you want to save save it, if you will. You you can drive gas and then arrive at a location and then drive electric when you get there. You don’t have to have that worry about am I going to make it or not. You’re going to make it. You’ve got gas just in case. You can lease one now from $99 weekly at 3.49% 49% APR for 60 months with 3,800 down and it includes a $3,000 discount. All this is to say, go take one for a test drive. Visit shoptoyota.ca or your local Pacific Toyota dealer today. Fold down those back seats. You got all that room for golf clubs, even goalie gear. Mhm. Here’s Jeff Patterson, our Conucks reporter, the host of Rinkwide Vancouver, which gets going postgame on Wednesday. And of course, Jeff took in the couple of preseason games over the weekend. How are you, sir? Uh, I’m good. I don’t know if I’m Braden Coot’s good. Uh, kid had a hell of a weekend, but uh, no, I’m doing all right. And look, it was fun to get back to Rogers Arena. See hockey in there with all those black seats. Some of them were covered uh, with the behinds, but uh, not packed obviously for a preseason game, but uh, yeah, all things considered, I thought a couple of spirited efforts from the Canucks over the weekend. Okay, on the 18-year-old rookie Braden Coots, Jeff, is he undeniably one of their best four centers? Is he undeniably one of their best 12 to 14 forwards? Uh, he’s certainly been one of their best four centers to this point in camp. That’s without dispute. Now, Elias Patterson and Teddy Bluger have only played one preseason game, so that factors into it as well. But, uh, the kid has continued to put his best foot forward. And look, the goals, element of luck in both of them. One hits them, one banks in. But even if we subtract the goals from the equation here, uh there’s just a lot to like in his game. I think you’re seeing his headiness. I think you’re seeing a guy that skates pretty close if not at the NHL level already. Uh what an experience for him to, you know, in his hometown, a Sherwood Park guy to match up against McDavid and dry. There was a four-on- four situation late in the first period and it was those two guys for Edmonton and Bren Cooch was out for the Vancouver Conucks and I just thought like what a moment. Uh you probably saw the photo after the game the Conucks posted his crew on hand and quite a crew it was. So uh he’s making it really difficult and I think now uh you know a week out from roster decisions, final roster decisions like there’s absolutely this path forward now that uh he’s going to make the grade here. It’s going to force them to make some difficult decisions elsewhere. But as somebody said to me on social, like this organization has to get past this idea of the fear of losing a tweener 25year-old on waiverss if it means that this guy has pushed to the front of the pack here to make the hockey club better. And I wholeheartedly agree that uh again, he may not last the entire season, but as we sit a week out from like the roster deadline, I’m feeling stronger about this guy getting his opportunity to play in the National Hockey League here. If he’s 19, I’ve been consistent with if he’s 19, if it’s a year from now, I am I’m chugging the Kool-Aid. Um I I I just you know him earning it theoretically when in their heart of hearts the Canucks know we’re probably only going to give him eight games and then send him down then is it worth losing the 25-year-old on waiverss if you’re pretty convinced he’s not going to be with us in early December. Is it worth the exercise? Uh I would say yes that like I just don’t fear let’s use Arshy Baines as an example. Um I Arste’s been fine in camp. Like hear me when I say that part of it. I don’t think he’s done anything to truly elevate himself. And he’s not alone. Like I thought that line of the Abbottzford guys that all played together out in Abby on Wednesday night against Calgary, I thought they were flying. They did a lot of good things. I didn’t think last night in Edmonton they were anywhere close to that level. And I want like they all know the situation and now with Nils Hoplander out of the question for a little while like it just ups the ante. And I want to see somebody separate themselves. And right now it kind of feels like Braden Goods is the guy that’s doing that. Uh I thought Ler Mackey had a fairly strong weekend. Uh, you know, I I’ve been waiting for one of Carlson Bane’s assassin to really assert themselves and uh, you know, I don’t know if it comes with a little bit of experience of being veterans that, you know, maybe for some reason I it escapes me now, the idea that they would leave something in reserves here. But, uh, I just like they’ve all been okay and I don’t know that okay is gonna cut it at the end of the day when when this team has to get down to to those roster decisions. So, uh, you know, if they end up losing a guy on waiverss, like that’s the price of business in the National Hockey League. They’ve already, you know, forced a guy like Mules Oman down and if younger guys are forcing others out of the picture, then, you know, I think on a lot of levels, that’s progress for this organization. Uh, I started off at a few percent, moved my way up to 10 to 15% that he makes the team. I’d like to hear Blake’s two cents on this, but I’d like yours as well. Uh Jeff, as we sit here on Monday, what do you what percentage chance do you think Braden Coots is kept for the opening night roster? Boy, based on the evidence presented, like I’m putting it basically at a third, like 33 and a third at this stage. I think that uh you know it’s it’s well beyond a 10% chance. Um I would say it’s considerably more than 20. So yeah, I’ll peg it at uh one out of three. I’ll go quarter. I’ll go quarter. He’s up to a quarter. But he’s up from zero. That’s true. I am I am a month ago, you know, I said, “Hey, uh best place for a young guy is to go to dominate the Western League, push for the World Juniors.” and and I felt that at the time, but as I’ve watched this unfold, as I’ve seen others sort of stagnate here, and I’d put Atu Ratu uh goal aside last night, I don’t think it’s been a particularly good camp for for Atu Ratu. Uh my concern remains, and we saw, look, Braden Coots was tested physically last night. MatSh got him with the sneaky elbow there behind the net. Uh there was another play in the third period where it looked like he had to collect himself, dust himself off, but he gets right back up. But guys, we all remember Jel Brulee was absolutely dominant in junior hockey, right? And the Columbus Blue Jackets tried to turn him pro as an 18-year-old. Uh suffered a broken sternum, if I remember correctly. Like, it’s a man’s league and these guys are young. And that really set Jill Bear back and I’m not sure that he truly ever recovered. So, uh maybe Apple’s gorgeous, but I just think off top of my head, you know, an example that sort of cuts Clark Kits close to home here. Um, and Brule was a better player at this age than Braden Coots was, but it’s just a reminder that, uh, you’re running up against guys that are 10 and 15 year vets that, you know, are 40 and 50 pounds heavier than you are in some cases. And I think that’s the other thing. The first week of preseason, guys are still feeling their way, getting their feet wet. like, you know, it was good, a great experience for him to go up against McDavid and dry settle at times, but uh he has yet to feel the bright lights and the true intensity of National Hockey League action. And so he’s handled everything that’s been thrown his way to this point, but there are still a few levels here uh before that final cut. Jeff Braden Coots aside, who helped themselves the most over these two preseason games on the weekend? Oh, I think Leer Mackey uh I thought it had been a little bit of a slow start for him through Pentictton and uh early in the preseason, but we know that the shot is a separator and when you see him score the goal six on five, a hell of a pass by Philip Heedle, who has been dishing dimes here in the preseason, uh there aren’t a lot of guys that are putting that puck in the net as effortlessly as Jonathan Leer Mackey. like that was the big shot on full display taking it and you know into the wheelhouse into the back of the net. Steuart Skinner didn’t have a chance and there were other moments. So, you know, he’s a volume shooter. He ends up with six shots on goal. I thought his night went as it went along against Seattle on Friday. Uh if the puck doesn’t hit Coots, it probably goes in anyhow, but he gets an assist on that Braden Coots goal uh at Rogers Arena on Friday night. And you know, we’re all watching. Okay, the shot is undeniable. It’s great to see it on full display. It was great to see him cash in, but we know if he’s going to be an everyday NHer, it’s has he rounded out his game and he had the short off season. Uh I’ve been impressed with his battle level and some of his play away from the puck, shielding the puck when he has it. Uh I I do think that there have been some strides in that regard. So, you know, I always say you’re a firstrounder for a couple of reasons. One is you’ve been blessed with hockey skill, but generally you have the hockey IQ to go along with it. And I think Leer Mackey is a smart guy that processes the game well. And I think he gets that, you know, for him to be in the National Hockey League where he wants to be that, yeah, he can’t just rely on pucks being put into his wheelhouse that he’s going to have to go and make some things happen as well. And I’ve started to see that. So I I think his second week has been better than his first week. And I thought this weekend was a real step forward in the right direction for Jonathan Leer Macki who now is back in this same conversation of spots on the opening night roster especially with Hoglander a winger uh not expected to be ready to go and probably not for the first couple of weeks. Uh you know enter Jonathan Leraki back into the equation here and I think a weekend like this one uh was a good indication on his part that he recognizes that and is trying everything he can to put his best foot forward. Jeff, do do you think there’s a world where they would keep Lacrimacki, have him play fourth line, and basically use him as a power play specialist, especially to get another right shot there on that first power play? Do you think there’s like a specialist role available for Lacren Mackey now, especially given the Hoglander injury, or do you think it has to be the uh, you know, top six or bust that we have talked about before with this young man? Yeah, I I’d prefer to see him placed in an offensive role. And look, we’ve already done this sort of exercise of identifying the top five and then there’s this question about who is the other guy in the top six and was it Hoglander? Is it going to be Garland? Um, you know, Connor Garland’s interesting to me because it certainly looked like he was going to play, went through all the motions on Saturday of practice, including power play drills, and then didn’t play and hasn’t played yet in the preseason. So, uh, you know, if this is them just being cautious with him and dealing with something, that’s fine. There’s still time here. But, um, you know, if a guy like Garland can’t go, somebody else steps in there. And I thought, uh, Leer Mackey made the most there. So, uh, you know, I don’t love the idea. I know we go through this concept of a skilled guy playing lower in the lineup and then getting power play duty and all those types of things. Uh I think if there’s an opening and John Leaki can continue to play and I don’t know if he’s going to get both games here or if he gets one of them or if his preseason’s done uh only they know that at this stage but I think he is auditioning for a spot higher in the lineup. Are you believing what Philip Heedle is showing right now? Is this legit from Philip Heedle? The one wild card will always be his health, but there was questions just about whether or not he was skilled enough, ready for second line center assignments. Is this proving it to you? Uh for me, like the past Mackey was terrific. Uh we’ve seen breakways for him in each of the last two games that he’s played. Uh the speed is undeniable. Uh but I like the fact he played 19 minutes and 48 seconds. Like that’s a heavy workload. even in the preseason and the fact that he keeps getting through these games and passing those tests like those are all positives. But I think that’s going to be an ongoing question with him, right? That every game you get through is another opportunity to get back in there. But uh with the health history, uh we can’t just set that aside. But I am I I am buying what I’ve seen like I thought uh in Pentictton uh he was so invested. He was one of the guys I thought that really was setting the pace and the tone for training camp and he’s carried that into his preseason looks. Now the game in Abbottzford, Calgary didn’t set much of a lineup. So it wasn’t a surprise that a legitimate national hockey leager kind of rose above. Uh but he had that nice snap pass to Wheelander that resulted in the Hoglander goal after Vlander hit the post. Uh and then the cross team pass last night to recognize and then execute and put that puck onto the stick of Alcher Macki. Like those are big league plays. So yeah, I mean it’s all very positive around Filipedle right now and of course that can change. You know, the one caveat in all of this is he’s generating these chances and we saw this after the trade and down the stretch is uh you know attacks with speed, backs guys off but gets into that final third and there just isn’t the tangible takeaways that wind up on the score sheet. So uh you know I want to keep seeing that uh from him. That’s been encouraging to me that this time around in the preseason at least he is finding his way out of the score sheet. He’s making things happen offensively. Uh but it’s going to be an ongoing evaluation with this guy. But the short sample that we’ve seen since he hit the ground in Pentictton and I think it’s all been very promising uh in and around Philip Heedle. I’m looking forward to the last two preseason games in that uh they’ll be more reminiscent of NHL lineups for the most part and that goes both ways. a little little tougher defensively perhaps in some sense because more likely to be faced off against NHL players, but at the same time, you can do get protection like if he’s actually the second line center for these next two games with Elias Patterson in the lineup ahead of him. Um you you’re going to get, you know, second defensive pairings more likely than not and non the non-matchup pairings. So you could read it both ways, but I I you know, more reminiscent NHL game, that’s where we’re going to be able to decide on Philip Heedle, isn’t it? Yeah. And look, just based on the way that the Conucks have elected to go here in the preseason, like Alias Patterson, Brock Basser, Aander Kane, Jake De Brass, Queen Hughes, they all played at home on Friday, but that’s their only preseason appearance so far. I have to think that they all play both of these games. Send them to Calgary and Ice a much better lineup. Um, you know, Quinn Hughes maybe is the exception there that he doesn’t he looked like he was in mid-season form. He was dealing on Friday night. Now they were down and I know it’s preseason, but competitive juices kicked in there and uh but he just I thought Quinn looked exceptional. So, he looks ready to go. Um, but all those other guys play them Wednesday and then basically I would imagine that Friday will be something close to a dress rehearsal. Although, you know, we’ve seen coaches in the past use that as that one last audition to get a final look at uh some guys that are on the bubble. But the other thing too, guys, is that Friday night, uh it’s the Oilers final preseason game. And so, as good a lineup as they iced at home for their final home preseason game, I would think that most of their big boys will be in that lineup as well. And that’s great for the evaluation process. So, I think it’s good for all of us that these final two games should be much closer to the Canucks uh opening night lineup uh with some evaluation still going on, but uh I would think that the competitive nature and hopefully the entertainment value uh will both rise as this week uh moves to the end. What’s up with Tyler Myers? Yeah, that’s a good question because he played in Abbottzford and then was given a maintenance day off on Thursday and that’s fine. veteran guy doesn’t need to be right back on the ice 12 hours after they had played out in Abbottzford. But Thursday bled into Friday and then into Saturday and I saw him around the rink. I was having a good chat with uh Tyson Barry on Friday before Tyson Barry’s debut on the television broadcast. Uh Meyers in sweats just outside the locker room. So he’s around the hockey club, but he hasn’t been on the ice uh with the group for three straight days now. I don’t know what the non-game group did on Sunday. They may have had escape, but uh wasn’t there in attendance and now Monday is a full team day off. So, uh that’s certainly one of the things to keep an eye on because uh it’s gone from maintenance day to clearly something more than that, but still 10 days from opening night. They can be patient with anybody uh that’s dealing with any sort of neg injury, but uh without a doubt on my list of things that I’ll be monitoring closely when they get back to uh full practice on Tuesday. All right. So you and I got rinkwide Vancouver, the uh season debut of the postgame on Wednesday after the game in Calgary and then again on Friday after the game versus Edmonton here at Rogers Arena. Do I have that right, Jeeoff? You do. And looking forward to knocking a little rust off and just getting back into the swing of doing what we do. Uh and then that all leads up to obviously opening night on October the 9th against the Calgary Flames. They’re in this run of games against either Edmonton or Calgary right now. So, they’re going to see a lot of their Alberta rivals and maybe that fuels the rivalry for opening night and then the first road game of the season which is in Edmonton. And we should point out as well that we are one week away uh next Monday 2:00 p.m. Pacific time is uh the time that the rosters have to be into the National Hockey League. So, it’s that close now. There’s a week to go. But uh yeah, next uh Monday uh National Hockey League games start on Tuesday the 7th. Conucks don’t open until the 9th, but there are games, three of them on the 7th, so rosters in to the headquarters uh by 2 pm Pacific next Monday. Look forward to all of it. Jeeoff, thanks for this catch up Friday. Sounds good, guys. Carson Price from the Historic Wall Center and this segment of presentation of Simply Spiked. And despite what Darren Dreger’s shirt is going to tell you, summer is over. And yet sometimes I feel the need to drink something that doesn’t make me feel so full. And that’s why I love Simply Spiked. No bloated feeling, just crisp, great tastes, and it’s perfect for your next hangout because once people get a load of this, they’ll be clamoring for Simply Spike. Three different variety boxes to choose from. uh the three different types of lemonade, three different types of lime aid for a little extra tartness, and then the peach box as well with three different varietals there as well. 5% natural juices. There’s nothing got to keep up with those real fruit juices even though the season has changed, right? Yes. Yes. Oh, and by the way, the uh peach at this time of year, it it’s ripened in the can just perfectly, right? This harvest time. I’m sure it’s real world applicable. Mhm. Go get your Simply Spikes at the next government or private liquor store that you drive past and enjoy it with your friends. Here he is, TSN Hockey Insider, one half of the Ray and Drags Hockey podcast. He’s back with us again this season as our NHL Insider on Mondays in his summery shirt. It’s Mr. Derek Greger. How are you? I’m doing well. It’s very summery here in Ontario, at least southern Ontario, where we’re pushing the high of 24 degrees C. Uh, I don’t have the luxury. My my my golf game has been borderline lousy all year anyway. Um, but as soon as training camps get underway, I I stop kind of thinking about golf, which is either good or bad. In my case, it’s bad. Um, but you can still kind of, you know, even though I’m not out on the golf course, I can look out my window. I can see how beautiful it is outside, the blue sky and all of that, and at least play the role like a wannabe. And that’s what I’m doing here today. You see, we finish up with drags every uh like March, April when the golf season has really taken off here and they’re still waiting. So, you know, payback here. Yeah. In late September. Thanks, drags. Uh you’ve done some digging on Canucks camp. What are you hearing? Well, just positive stuff. Um and I I that’s not breaking news and I think that most clubs would give you their spin on positivity, but you know, there’s there’s a lot of new around the Vancouver Conucks. There’s some interesting storylines. um you know what is Evander Kane as an example, you know, going to be to the Vancouver Canucks? Can he be as good as he was in Edmonton? And I think the short-term return is that’s a yes. Yeah. I mean, he adds a uniqueness to the lineup, a physicality. Um you know, he’s he’s got good secondary scoring and sometimes primary scoring depending on how Adam Foot is is going to employ him. But, uh I think so far they’ve liked what they’ve seen there. uh the players that that you needed to come back to training camp and into the preseason ready for the regular season faster stronger appear to be that talked about Elias Patterson Brock Besser is another and now it’s it’s it’s clear that we would identify those two players because they’ve got a magnifying glass on them right I mean fans they want to see it they want to see it in the regular season I mean what do you learn when you’re watching in a training camp drill or even in preseason hockey but for the most part. Um, I know the coaching staff and management like what they see in in those two guys. So, that matters. And then you also want to see the development of your younger players, the guys who maybe aren’t NHL ready yet, but they’re pushing. Um, and I I think that Vancouver loves the look of their defensive core, both what they have in-house ready, you know, veteran experienced guys and all that, but also players that maybe need a little bit more seasoning, but are real close at this stage. And that’s before they even trade for Luke Hughes, which we will get to. Drags Blake has a theory here. Blake has a theory here. Uh, just back on Kane. Um, we we were a little surprised it cost a draft pick and taking the full salary on Kane, but we were told that there were several interested party, I think two other teams outside of the Canucks. Agreed. Who were really hard in on Kane. Can you tell bring us back to that? Who was Vancouver vying against there? And, uh, how did it all shake out? Yeah, to be honest, I’m not entirely sure who the specific two teams were. Um, in dealing with Dan Milstein, who represents Evander Kane, you know, uh, he just acknowledged that there were actually a group of teams that had explored, you know, a high level of interest and, you know, the idea of going back to Vancouver, essentially Vander’s home, um, was one that, you know, fit his eye, the player’s eye, and he wanted that to to to work. He wanted to make that happen. And I look, I want to revisit what I said. Um, you know, I I could appreciate how a team might be somewhat reluctant to take on Evander Kane on a longer term, but how can there possibly be any risk? This guy can still play at a high level. He absolutely can. You know, he’s got an an injury resume. Uh, but part of that is is also based on on how hard he plays, but when you look at the remainder of the contract here, come on. I mean, he is still a valuable player and, you know, he’s he’s gonna want to contribute, you know, on, you know, in front of his hometown fans. Um, maybe stick it to the Oilers a little bit. Why wouldn’t you? I mean, they need to create cap space and he was part of the the way that they did that. Um, but I’m not surprised and I wasn’t surprised at the time, but to say that there were two or three teams specifically, that that’s more challenging. But I do know that Vancouver wasn’t alone in the pursuit. Philip Heedles had a nice start to the preseason, but um I I don’t think that that should preclude the Vancouver Conucks from still shopping for that second line center. The problem is that there are others pursuing that profile of player, aren’t there? Yeah. You know what? Uh I managers literally laugh at guys like me when we ask them about a second line center or a top four defenseman. And normally it’s, you know, a top four right shot defense. I mean, everybody in the league is looking for those players, right? So there’s always an eye roll, but in Vancouver’s case, legitimately, they are looking for a number two center. And now, Philip Pedal, as we talked about before we we went on offseason hiatus, um, was going to be the internal option that they hoped they would be able to lean on. And by all accounts, that’s the way it’s going to be. In a perfect world, sure, Patrick Alvine is able to snag that two-way center. However he does it, where is that guy coming from? Can’t tell you because, you know, as Doug Armstrong from the St. Louis Blues joked about a while back, 27 teams in the league are looking for that number two center. But if you’re able to find that legit number two, then Heedle, if he can stay healthy, you know, turns into a 2B or a real solid number three center. So, I I I think that’s the direction that Alvine is continuing to push. Um, but I’d say the same thing to Ken Hughes and the Montreal Canadians. I had the same conversation with Hughes last week about their second line and specifically a number two center and he goes, “Man, I tried.” And and when I look at Vancouver and I look at Montreal, you know, there are teams certainly in this country that don’t have the trade assets that those two clubs have. You know, Vancouver’s got a deep upand cominging blue line. Montreal has a deep upand cominging young core, particularly on defense. So, there are attractive commodities available in Montreal and Vancouver, but apparently not attractive enough or or those guys are just shopping in too high a rent district and the players that they’re targeting just aren’t available. All caps if but if they pull off a trade for a second center this season, it’s probably a guy that we haven’t talked about yet. Is that is that right? It’s going to be from a team that has fallen off, etc., etc. I think so. I that makes a lot of sense and I you know that’s also part of an intriguing storyline for me as we you know encroach the start of the regular season. Who is going to be that team or those teams like the Nashville Predators a year ago that were just no good? And is that team, you know, maybe they’re a team that didn’t embrace the idea of a renovation or even a rebuild, you know, leading up to the trade deadline or through the off season because there was ownership pressure, whatever. No, no, we’re a better team than that. We can insulate certain pieces. We can try and claw into that that playoff equation. Well, all of a sudden, you’re 15 games into the regular season and things haven’t gone your way even a little bit. And maybe maybe the the anxiety is amplified because you’ve got the Olympic break. That might condense the year and get some of these managers trading a little bit earlier than they normally would as well. Mason McTavish’s sign. Now, we saw this with Trevor Ziggress and he never quite got back in favor in Anaheim and was ultimately moved out. But as you understand it, is McTavish now off the block? I would think so. Uh, you know, they see I don’t I like Patique isn’t paying lip service when he talks about how important Ma McDavish is as as a corner piece of the Anaheim Ducks moving forward. Um, I I believe him when he says that. You know, the player I think preferred a shorter term. Why wouldn’t he? because then you’re getting into, you know, again, a higher annual average salary value when you come out of that bridge. Uh, but I think that this is a real fair deal for both. It’s it’s too bad that it it had to go the way that it did. Um, but you can appreciate why McTavish dug in supported by Pat Morris and Newport. I mean, talk about sharks, man. Pat Morris lives for this kind of stuff. Uh, Suie ended up getting a sweet deal for his player and some term and security. But I I also feel fellas that this was also a bit of message sending by Verbique and the Ducks to Leo Car Carlson and their younger guys that they’ve got coming up in the very near future on contract. And now for me that message is, hey, we’re here to make deals. You know, we’re trying to build the Ducks into a contending team again. And that’s hard to do when you’re backed up by the restricted free agents on these short-term contracts or then you go with the bridge and you get hit over the head with a deal that you have to pay because that player has evolved into that type of player. So I I think it’s a win-win and the message definitely would have been delivered to those other young players that look, we’re here to make deals, but you’ve got to prove that the investment we just made in Mason McTavish you’re worthy of. So I I like this deal from a Ducks perspective. The getting back on Canucks and the Conucks camp. Uh Darren, Brock Besser and That Thatcher Demco are the two longest serving players in the organization. Demco under club control the longest. Besser on the NHL team the longest. You’re hearing good things about maybe Brock having gained a step or two of speed and Thatcher really asserting himself as a leader in that room. Pray tell like a hungry attitude. You’re right. A hungry attitude for Thatcher Demco. what I’m hearing there and and I’m curious how that manifests. Um I don’t think that maybe leadership gets enough credit in Vancouver. And when you’ve got um you know a number one goalender in Thatcher Demco who got a strong and positive attitude that just bolsters that leadership group and of course you know he he’s got to stay healthy too. Knock on wood and and he’s got to apply all of that physically, you know, into uh to giving the starts the Vancouver Cucks are are going to need. But I I think we can expect that. Brock Besser is curious for sure. Uh, I think we were all surprised at, you know, him circling back to the Conucks and getting the deal that he ended up getting. Um, but, you know, he committed to his offseason regimen and and by all accounts, he does look a step faster. How’s that going to look when the regular season starts? I don’t know. U, but he’s impressed the coaching staff to this point, as has Elias Patterson. And I don’t know if you guys caught Adam foot on the Rain Dregs podcast. Um but he took us through and this was interesting how he explained how players, you know, focus on getting stronger and heavier and faster and all those great things in the off season, but it doesn’t always it doesn’t always work. And especially when you’re a lighter player, a thinner player, and you get heavy, can you carry that weight? and the explanation on foot provided with this guy doing close to what 20 pull-ups and proving to to everyone, hey, I I can carry my weight. Again, it’s got to translate in game action, but he’s a bigger man. And so to be able to do that sort of uh fitness testing, I I think that just applies credence to the fact that he’s invested and if he could stay that way, we’ve seen enough evidence in his game that he can be a superstar in the NHL, but they need him to be that. biggest muscles for Quinn Hughes might be between his ears. Uh and Conucks don’t want to lose that. Obviously, Jim Rutherford’s comments in the spring have uh permeated throughout the course of the summer here, Drake. So, here we are months later and it is still the chief worry for this team very clearly. Um and yet there’s nothing they can do. They can’t even sign the guy right now. They’ve got to wait another year. Um, you’ve had a summer to sort of percolate and and and hear about how it is being disseminated throughout the league. Where are we right now with this Quinn Hughes situation as as you see it? Well, I I can appreciate how it’s going to be headline grabbing and it’s going to be a main focus around the Vancouver Conucks, not just in in the market, but literally internationally. Why wouldn’t it be? I mean, the captain, this guy is a superstar and and you’re literally looking at a limited time frame here, but I think we’re going to have to deal with craziness, you know, moving forward. You know, there’s going to be those who say he’s already told them that he’s never he’s not signing. He’s just going to let this thing roll out. Well, that could be. But what we know is that Quinn um he’s dedicated and he’s committed to the Vancouver Canucks. You know, he he just is. and he doesn’t know how to do anything other than play his very best when he when he dons the jersey and steps onto the ice. So, yeah, I mean I I think Kucks fans in general have to relax a little bit uh at least for the first half of the season, but you know that it’s going to be a major talking point in the second half, especially as you as you claw closer, you know, to to the trade deadline. Vancouver is going to do anything with Quinn Hughes, provided that they’re in it. And there’s no reason to think that the Vancouver Conucks aren’t going to be in it this season. Maybe we’re having a different conversation as we drift into, you know, the the playoffs or late in the playoffs, early June. I don’t I I don’t know. But right now, I I think it’s much to do about nothing to be honest. So Tom Fitzgerald on July 1st says Luke Hughes is our offseason priority and nearly 90 days later Luke Hughes is uh still unsigned drags it. It has this guy over here saying why not call Jersey and make a Godfather offer for Luke Hughes. What is the hold up on baby bro getting his extension in New Jersey? Oh you know nothing really. Just term and money. That’s all. Just those two ingredients. Yeah, just those two things. But, you know, I checked in with Pat Rosan yesterday on this. He represents the Hughes brothers as we know and you know, it’s very amicable. Um, you know, there’s nothing nasty about it, but you’re right. I mean, Fitzy did say that it was a priority to get this guy done and we’re on the cusp of the opening of of regular season and and it’s not done. Um, and as of last night, it seems like there’s not a whole lot going on in those negotiations. And um, Fitzy didn’t even respond to me when I asked him about it and and Pat just simply said, “Nah, we’re not really anywhere at this point.” So, very quickly, right? Why would Why would Fitzgerald play hard ball with the Hughes when like he could have all the Hueses if things go well here? That’s what I don’t get. Managing. I get it. I get it. Like like there are certain guys to put a stake in the ground with, but when it’s the brother of the best defenseman or one of the two best defenseman of the world and you have the third brother who’s one of the top center like I would be doing everything in my power to facilitate a Hughes reunion. I did I look at I I was provided with a conspiracy theory earlier today. Not from anyone close. just and let’s let’s be mindful of the relationship between the Hughes family and the Brissson family, right? And the fact that Tom Fitzgerald is a dealmaker. He is. And he’s trying to be fair to Luke, right? I’m sure he thought he was being fair to Jack. Um maybe the family sees it differently. I don’t know. I haven’t talked to to Jim or Ellen. Um, but if you’re being mindful of this and and the idea, the dreamland of the three brothers playing together, well, you better make sure Luke is looked after right now long term, right? And what does that look like? It obviously doesn’t fit the model or the eye of the New Jersey Devils and Tom Fitzgerald or that deal would have been done by now. Are are are you saying that um it might in retrospect have been too sweetheart a deal for Jack and thus better pay Luke? Like No, I is there any buyer’s remorse on behalf of Jack signing that long-term deal for what could very well be a I don’t know that for sure. But I wouldn’t every young player, every player that signed a contract a couple of years back now that you look at the salary cap, the cap that’s climbing and it’s climbing and it’s climbing. I mean, you know, as soon as you put ink to paper, you know, you’re you’re losing future income. So, I mean, I could appreciate if if if I had that level of swagger and this kid is going to be, again, we’re talking about all three of them are superstars and Luke just has to prove it a little bit more because he’s the youngest, but I can appreciate why he he would he would want to dig in and that must be where they’re at. Greg’s truth is often stranger than fiction. So, just just humor me here. Okay. Elias Patterson. Yeah. Connor Garland. Yeah. And a first round pick. Or Leaki. or both for God’s sakes. He means the defenseman, not the senator. He says no. Well, just like what does Fitzgerald even take the call? Because he knows what’s at what’s up. He knows what’s at risk for himself in terms of the the Hueses. Um like is there a price or like are we literally having a GM hang up the phone on another GM for a guy who right now is still a third pairing guy? I think you know um at this point he’s second. You you asked me to humor you, so I am going to and I’m going to fuel it a little bit more. Um I love you for it. And I don’t look at this is not insider information, so I don’t want to get radio. No, we’re we’re role playing here. Yes. Yeah. What I’m saying is if we’re having this conversation here and now, like you’re a smart dude, Blake. I I mean, you really are. But you woke up this morning with that theory. Do you not think that Jim Rutherford and Patrick Calvine probably have had the same thought at varying stages of this? Of course. And whether you’d get anybody ever to admit that there’s been a conversation, I’d be surprised if there hasn’t been both ways, right? Why wouldn’t there be? Why wouldn’t there be? Because inevitably, I think we all expect at some point that’s what’s going to happen one way or another. So, I just don’t know what that package would look like. It would be a beauty for sure. Lastly, Drags, you mentioned Adam Foot’s appearance on your show. And I I got to tell you, back in the spring, brother, u you know, he had been two and a half years here as an assistant, had barely spoken, was very non-committal at that introductory press conference, although there were a couple answers that quite stood out. I was real worried. We were talking about a rookie NHL head coach who didn’t want to have to do the communication and messaging thing and wasn’t going to be very good at it through preseason and training camp. I am astounded at how this guy has addressed every matter with any every matter with the team with honesty and forthrightness and clear messaging. Um I’ve been really really impressed with his communication skills today. Well, yeah. I, you know, I’ve had the per uh the privilege and the pleasure of getting to know Adam personally over the years. He’s from the Whitby area. Um, you know, he’s super close with u a guy used to work with Bob Torren. So, I I I’ve had so many deep hockey conversations historically with with Footer. Um, not of late. I mean, he’s being very respectful and he’s busy. He’s trying to get his team together here. Um, but he’s been coaching for a long, long time. I remember just being in awe of of some of the stories that he would tell of the days in Colorado when he and Patrick Juan Josak would sit around and they just formulate all these plans. They’d dissect their power play. They’d make tweaks. They’d go to to Bob Hartley, hey, we got to try this. You know, those guys were coaching well before their time. That’s just how his brain works. So, and he’s got two young sons. So, I mean, I think, you know, for those who don’t know him well, he is an excellent communicator, but there’s a different standard and different level when you’re the head of an organization, head of a coaching staff. So, I I’m not surprised. I I think he’s going to be excellent and he’s got tough shoes to fill um in in a Rick pocket, but he’s going to bring a different spin to that bench, a different philosophy, but as as far as being direct and holding people accountable, he will be every bit of that as Rick Tawan was. That’s fantastic. Uh as are you, sir. Look, not really insider season here. So, we’re going to catch up at some point in October and then we’ll get going for real once we got a chunk of the NHL season under our belts. Appreciate this, Darren. Welcome back. Thanks. Thanks, FS. Sakar some price from the historic wall center built by Arbor Lee. The best plays aren’t just on the ice or on the field. Stay downtown at the wall. Enjoy an exclusive Sakar some price raid perks. Call 6043311000. Tell them we sent you some blackout date supply based on availability. It’s like a share concert. We’ve done a wardrobe change. Yes. And uh to remind as well, tomorrow is the day of national truth and reconciliation. We will have no scheduled show tomorrow. If there is big Canucks news, as always, we will break in with the emergency pot. White Cap’s beat goes on not with a win, but with a two-2 draw in Seattle, extends their unbeaten streak to eight games across all competitions. Brian White scores on a nifty feed from Thomas Müller before leaving the match. He had just gotten in, by the way. He was a second half substitute, aggravating that hamstring injury. Matias Labortis scores late to equalize. Another patchwork lineup for Yesper Sordson who just keeps getting the most out of this extended roster. Ralph Po fills in at center back a position decimated by injury for the first time as a pro, right? Like we had not seen that and he wasn’t terrible. He he was fine but what it was a really loose and wild game by the way back and forth. Yeah. And what it told me was in that lineup with Po there, young Tate Johnson back in at left back, uh played for most of the game, started like with this team if they can get healthy and it is an if at this point like they are so much better than the than the competition than twothirds of the league. The question is, can they get healthy? Time is running out in that regard. Um, Brian White did celebrate. They won the Cascadia Cup. We’ll get to that a second here. But he was out there hoisting the trophy, smiling. So, he’s he’s hurt. Good sign. Good sign. He said he felt something and I think they were Yeah. You know, the lion’s share of precaution here. The result clinches home pitch advantage in the first round of the MLS playoffs for Vancouver. puts the Caps even on points with San Diego for first place in the MLS, but with a game in hand. So, mathematically, they are back in first place. And it wins Vancouver its record eighth Cascadia Cup over the Sounders and Timbers, both of whom could feature as postseason opponents. Blake, if the Caps drop to second place, that could be a first round matchup with Portland. And if you win the first round out of first place, that could very easily be a second round matchup against Seattle. Philadelphia won big. So they’re up six points on the Caps now for the Supporter Shield. Vancouver, just the one game in hand. So they would need Philadelphia to to lose here a couple of times. What what you might want to do if you’re a White Caps fan, obviously you want the White Caps to finish first in the conference. You also want LAFC to get really hot and if they can catch San Diego and finish second. LFC looks unstoppable right now. And now San Diego has too Sunny has scored in every game. Sunny and crazy. So the further on into the playoffs you have to face LFC the better. But uh yeah it’s not easy at the top of those. How about this though from Hard Joe Hall of the Daily Hive. We had her on the show last week. Yesper Sorenson is undefeated against White Caps rivals 40 and4 against Seattle, Portland, LAFC, Toronto, and Montreal. That’s just amazing. The big ones uh note off the pitch, well, internationally for them, the 17-year-old striker Rayanne Alumi, who featured and scored earlier this month in that blowout win over Philadelphia. We mentioned he’s from Edmonton, but he is a dual national. He has chosen to play for Tunisia. I guess he did not have a lot of time with the Canadian junior UAs. Yeah. programs. Uh and we should also mention the Vancouver Rise. They draw 1-1 with Halifax. It’s enough to clinch a playoff spot in the inaugural season of the Northern Super League. The Rise have two games remaining, both on the road. They can finish as high as second place in the league. BC Lions get an ugly but important 2722 win Friday at BC place over the Toronto Argonauts. Nathan Ror throws for a touchdown, runs for two more to help offset three interceptions. Matcha Betts with three sacks to extend his CFL lead to 13 and gets a force fumble as well. And we mentioned this kid subbing for injured starter Kristoff Bolia. North Vancouver’s Jackson Finley of Vancouver College with an interception in his first professional start. Congratulations to Jackson and the Finley family. A bit of a he’s a bit of a legacy guy. Lots of professional football players in his ancestry. Defense is coming around. Very pleased for Mike Benvdas and Ryan Phillips who have been two long-standing guys for us on this program. They’re looking a lot better. And you got to love the tough determined running down the stretch of Ror and backup running back Xander Horvath late to ice the game. I freaking love Xander Horvath. They may have found something here, Blake with He’s a beast. James Butler, Horvath, Ror, one, two, three punch on the ground. Thunder and lightning. I know it’s the CFL and you’re more often winning by throwing the pill all over the yard, but wow, that BC ground game looks really good right now. I mean, Horvath is just a load. He’s a He can almost be used as a tight end, too, out of the back. Like he he’s he can receive the ball. Uh I He’s just a handful. Love it. He is the hammer, not the nail. As we mentioned last week, a win and a Calgary loss could really make things interesting. And the Stampeders did in fact lose in Montreal on FR Friday. Now, sadly for BC, both Winnipeg and Edmonton won. Yeah. So the eight-7 Lions remain in fourth place in the West. But as we also said last week, a win here was like effectively clinching a playoff birth. BC is three games up on Edmonton due to winning the head-to-head tiebreaker. They do have a game remaining, but BC’s won the first two, so that tiebreaker ain’t changing. They’re three games up on Toronto for the final crossover playoff birth. A win Saturday against Calgary at BC Place puts them into the playoffs in some capacity. I think they have to win out to host. Well, that’s it. They trail the Stamps by a half game. They trail the Bombers by a head-to-head tiebreaker. That is also not changing. No. So, they got to finish ahead of Winnipeg in the standings. Both clubs are eight and seven. Bombers and Elks have a a buy this week. Still a chance at a home playoff game after a third straight win here for Buck Pierce’s squad. We should also mention, this is the big news. They announced their first two home games of the 2026 season will be held at an expanded Apple Bowl in Colona. capacity will be increased to 17,500 will know the dates and the opponents when the CFL releases its schedule later this year or early next year. The club also returning to Langford Starlight Stadium for its home preseason game in May. Training camp going back to Cam Loops Thompson Rivers University. I I think when we were discussing potentially two different sites for these games, Blake, we fa to consider the logistical lift this takes from the club, like I I just know when they did the game, the touchdown Pacific game last year, just how busy everybody with the club was and getting that game up. So, it it makes sense that if you’re going to do that, get two games out of it in one stadium. Don’t go somewhere else across the province looking to Yeah. put another one together. The Victoria thing is plugand play like that stadium is ready to roll so they don’t have to touch that and then uh you know cologne at the start of a summer the population swells a little bit you know so you’ve actually got more people to uh like if you if you had to do it if if it was for some other reason renovations or something you had to do it in October it’d be kind of annoying because you go to Colona um you know it’s a different city in October than it is in June July so it’s uh best case scenario here for the Lions now I know everyone’s thinking of Tickets, tickets, tickets. How I get tickets to this game. If you’re in the Okonogan, um, easiest way is become a BC Line season ticket holder. Uh, if you’re a season ticket holder, you’re going to get priority to claim your seeds for both the Colona games and the game in Langford. NFL or the Cowboys and Packers, a tie, Blake. A 404 tie on Sunday Night Football. If not for that Baltimore Buffalo thriller in week one, maybe the game of the year. We we started week four with six unbeaten teams, now down to two. Philadelphia and Buffalo, who seem like they’re on a collision course for the Super Bowl, Super Bowl 60 in San Francisco. Indianapolis loses for the first time this season. The Chargers lose. The Chargers lose to Jackson Dart and the New York Giants on the strength of the young quarterback throwing for 111 yards. Here’s the thing. Joe Alt, the terrific left tackle for the Chargers, out their terrific right tackle, Rashan Slater, has been hurt all year. When you’re missing your starting offensive tackles, especially against a Giants team that has really good edge rushers, that becomes a problem for you. Uh Tampa loses as uh well, so do the San Francisco 49ers at home to Jacksonville in the upset. So, because of that and the LA Rams win, of course, the Seahawks winning Thursday night, you’ve got a three-way tie at 3 and one at top the NFC West. Looking like a fantastic division. Tennessee, New Orleans are your two winless teams. The Miami New York Jets loser will join them today at 0 and4 if there is a loser. We just had a talk, right? Exactly. And this from Ian Rapaort of NFL Network. Uh we mentioned it uh Devin Witherspoon returned on Thursday from injury for the Seahawks. He also notes Rapaort does the emergence of Josh Job and Darien Kendrick at corner and says teams are monitoring Pro Bowl corner Reek Woolen as a possible trade target at the deadline. His playing time is diminished. He’s gotten on the wrong side of head coach Mike McDonald. Of course, he had those awful sequences in week one when the 49ers were coming back and taking advantage of him of all people in their game-winning drives. So, I don’t know. Oh, late versus the Cards. He didn’t look great either. No, but you’ve got 13 games left plus you’re thinking you’re hoping to play three or four more playoff games. Like, that’s a lot of football. I I just I wouldn’t go willy-nilly into, oh, he’s in the doghouse. Let’s start trading out corners because unless unless if those ranks thin out later in the year, you could very well regret not having Reek Woolen available. Now, this is a narrow path. I’d have to go down the rosters of 31 other teams here. But, um, is there somebody heavy at the wide receiving position that is thin there and you go recall and for or for center, which continues to be one of their weaker spots. We’ll see. Jays get it done. They destroy Tampa 13 to4 on the final day of the regular season. Clinch the East, the top seed in the American League. They join the Mariners on the buy. Get to watch the wildard round which begins tomorrow with a couple of delicious matchups in the AL. I mean Red Sox Yankees crazy. And then Cleveland and Detroit went right down to the wire in the AL Central Tigers with an epic collapse. They’ll get going in the other wild card round victorious Nick Paveta to start game one for the San Diego Padres’s tomorrow at Wrigley against the Cubs. You’re going to make a playoff start at Wrigley against the Cubs. Not announced yet, but I think you’re going to see the Jays host the early game Saturday when the ALDS playoffs begin. I say that because Toronto is the market that matters the least to the American networks and so typically the market that matters the least gets the early billing. Oh, they got the West Coast host in the American League in Seattle. Seattle is likely to be the late game because they’re the only Pacific Division team with homefield advantage for the AL DS. Philadelphia and Milwaukee will be involved there as well. I I mean I say that about the early but it could be Yankees right and if it’s Yankees Blue Jays maybe they look at it and say okay the Yankees on their own are a big enough draw. It’s just that no Canadian viewers rate for US Network television. Although and this is a uh pleasant uh site for Blue Jays fans. Sports will be doing the games too. So you’ll get Dan Schulman and Buck Martinez on the call. By the way, full credit to the Jays because I did not see them sweeping the race. I I didn’t the way Well, they’ve struggled so much with Tampa over the years and Gossman himself has struggled with Tampa. So, they got the sweep and most importantly, if you’re a Jays fan, the bats finally came alive and you can say, “Oh, it’s just one game.” Hey, they just remembered what it’s like to put bat to the ball, you know, like that that could now they’re they could forget in the next five days, of course, but um the other thing we should know, Rays were very much uh giving some young players opportunities. Yeah, they they benched three regulars, but they also were playing very aggressively like the like they were like, “Hey, we got nothing to lose here.” So, they were on the base paths and stuff. They were playing very aggressive. Uh I did not anticipate sweating out a European victory yesterday at the W at the RDER Cup. But that’s exactly what it was. An exciting conclusion after the Euros dominate in the team play then nearly blow it in Sunday singles winning just the one match event marred by distasteful behavior from the US fans who crossed several lines uh especially with Rory Mroy and his wife Erica. Um Terrell Hatton called it abuse all week long, all weekend long cuz he was there for three days with Rory and said it was worse than anything he’s ever seen in the sport. Yeah. Uh this from Irish columnist Roy Curtis. American Rder Cup fans along with a fair number of their players are a perfect emblem of Trump’s ugly, aggressive, condescending USA. witless, borish, jingoistic, loud, entitled, clueless, rich, compelling proof that Ape is a descendant from man. Uh Tom Watson, who is maybe just about the classiest person in the game of golf, I’d like to congratulate Europe on their victory. Your team play the first few days was sensational. More importantly, I’d like to apologize for the rude and mean-spirited behavior from our American crowd at Beth Page. As a former player, captain, and as an American, Watson said, uh, I am ashamed of what happened. Look, the New York crowd was surprisingly quiet early Friday. I I think the American side expected a more boisterous and supportive environment. And then all then came all those European birdies and leads, right, which really took some of the passion. As it got worse and worse, they got worse and worse. But the strange part of it, as Rory noted in the postmatch yesterday, is that he heard more shouts against him than he heard support for Scotty Sheffller in yesterday’s single match. That’s number one versus number two. The comeback was on to a degree already. So I I do think there were people who attended this event who went there with the purpose to be burish towards Europeans more than supportive of their own players. Uh if I can use a Trump word sad. Really really sad. They had hired a professional cheerleader at the first te that they had to quickly fire after they were promoting. Well, one of the MC’s on the mic for the first te uh joined in the you Rory chat. She resigned. Needless to say, yeah, like when you have microphone responsibilities, there are certain no-fly zones. One is cursing. Like, who would who would even think one is cursing at one of the players, the competitors? Yeah, I mean remember this is golf the concession famously Nicholas and Jacqueline uh where Jack said, you know, I didn’t want to see you miss it. Sportsmanship is supposed to be front and center in this event. It was lost uh this time around. US continues to be plagued by poor team play and leadership. How about Keegan Bradley? We wondered why he was the qualified captain at age 39 only having played in two RDER Cups, but his kick their ass comment from that Netflix full swing reality series looks mighty stupid now. So did his preamble there. I’ve been doubted my whole life. Note to Katon, this is a team event. It was not about you individually or your doubters. Europe just seems to get everything about this event and America seems to get nothing about this event. And incidentally, there are some good American players who were god awful in the first included. Uh Sheffler couldn’t make a putt. Schoffley was abysmal. You saw Xander Schoffley before he won yesterday in singles missing putts the likes of which I’ve never seen Xander Schoffley miss putts 3 feet wide 5T short. Colin Morawa is a dreadful putter to begin. He was awful. Harrison English was awful. Russell Henley was awful until yesterday. My only regret from the weekend was that Bryson Dashambo down five came back. Well down five. It looks so good on him to be down five. Yeah. Yeah, like he him losing six and five would have been chef’s kiss really. The only misstep for the for the Europeans, I mean outside of the singles probably where they nearly blew it, but uh and Justin Rose acknowledged he said I was probably not polite enough or as polite as I could have been when I said to Bryson Dashambo and his caddy, it’s it’s my pot. Please get out of the way on that scene that took was there also a scene I I read something but I didn’t flesh it out. Sheffller and Dashambo, were they paired together at some point? Soler drains a birdie, deeming dashambo’s putt useless and he putted it out anyway to make sure that he matched. So they have tried to stop them from putting out and not taking practice or unnecessary putts, but I saw a little bit of it. Yes. But others thought that it was a bit of hubris from Duchambo of I’m going to make my birdie two. Oh well, it could very well be and that could be exactly the symbol I’m talking about. American individualism. How about the little Barb from Little Tommy Fleetwood, though? It’s harder than YouTube, isn’t it? On their way to the 16th T as his 6’10 Caddy is getting into it with Bryson and his caddy. Uh, it did not go Canada’s way Saturday in a 3313 loss to England in the Rugby World Cup final. A record crowd of nearly 82,000 at Twickham, the spiritual home of the sport, included our prime minister and his British wife and some amazing scenes pregame with our anthem and postgame with that English. Second half yellow card gave them a window of hope. Um if they had scored two or three tries there, they had a chance. They only got one try on the yellow card and it was they were so close a couple of times they couldn’t get the ball over the line. I don’t understand rugby like you do, especially the penalties, Blake. But it seemed like when England got the ball down towards the scoring, they were moving the ball so well. Canada did not. Uh the Red Roses win their 33rd consecutive game, their third World Cup. Uh Victoria Sophie Doodi named the World Rugby 15’s player of the year. Congratulations to her. She was a sensation throughout the tournament as Canada rolled the opposition up to the final. Results of the Redwoods Golf Course poll question from Friday. Is it important for Elias Patterson, and we do mean Elias, not Elias Patterson, the forward, to have a good preseason? Yes or no? People said uh people said no. They’re going to give more time. They said yes. They were with you. 65% although the comments were mostly no fishing guy. Don’t care how his preseason goes. I care about the first 10 regular season games. If he’s below a point per game average when it matters. Canucks will have issues this year. Hassan, yes. If he had a quiet preseason without the past 18 months of sample size, it would be no big deal. But he needs to show many signs of being the old EP 40. So agreeing with you, Sultan Paprika, regular commenter. He can’t win it in the preseason, but having a bad one will put a lot of pressure on him once the season actually starts. Hugh staying is dependent on a Person revival and EP40 might not want to get run out of town if Hughes leaves. Yeah, angle we haven’t actually explored all that much. But things don’t go well this year and Aaliyah struggles throughout. Oh boy. Stakes awfully. I don’t want to cover that story. So, I’m going to cover that story when I need to cover that story. Errors and omissions from Friday’s program and beyond. Now, Mike Rogers tells me I did not screw up the question, the Easter egg question to Jeff Merrick and Blake Price, even though they interpret it incorrectly. I will try to be clearer next time. Uh, but Jeremy has found a a captain that we missed. The question was Vancouver Canucks players to go on to captain other NHL clubs. Didn’t mean that they were Vancouver Canucks captains, just players. Yes. Who went on to captain other clubs. The total is 13. Jeremy puts Darby Hendrickson on the list. He captained his home state Minnesota Wild for a couple of months towards the end of a season after a uh a trade of a captain at the deadline. I suppose the number would be bigger than 13 if we’re talking about partial seasons guys wearing the C for other clubs. Sorry, but was the question Vancouver Conucks who went on to captain other NHL teams? Oh, just singular, right? It wasn’t the double captain. Jeremy also mentions Jeremy Mian. He captained the Sabres, then became a Vancouver Canuck. That was not the exercise. That was not the exercise. Thanks for joining us everybody. Appreciate you spending some time connecting with the program. Please do subscribe to all our assorted channels, YouTube, and wherever you get your podcast. Follow on social. That’s X, In, Insta, Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, Blue Sky. Live on many of those platforms noon Pacific time. Again, tomorrow no show for the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. back with you Wednesday barring an emergency pod. And of course, please do support the community sponsors you hear us talking about and keep it local.

After 2 more Canucks preaseason games over the weekend, and just 2 games left, Matt and Blake break down the frontrunners for jobs and roster spots. The guys debate the performances of the 2 young stars in Braeden Cootes and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and the many roster ramnifications of them making the team. They also look at veterans like Thatcher Demko and Filip Chytil who are looking to prove themselves in different ways. RinkWide’s Jeff Paterson stops in give his reviews of the weekend games, including Chytil’s bid to be a real world 2C, Cootes withstanding the attention of NHL stars, and the importance of these final two dress rehearsals against better opposition lineups. Then it’s TSN insider Darren Dreger making his season debut and giving us the lowdown on the Canucks optimism at camp. Dregs talks about the level of Canucks interest in still making a trade for a centre, and how much Chytil has changed that. Darren also takes us back to the Evander Kane acquisition, he looks at all the noise around Quinn Hughes’ future and he addresses Blake’s pet project of blowing the Devils away with a crazy trade offer for Luke Hughes. The guys finish up with a look at some nervy results for the Whitecaps and the Lions, a fine finish to the season for Jays and Mariners, plus all the drama from the Ryder Cup!

Thank you to our great sponsors:

@bet365: It’s never ordinary! Download the app today and use promo code: NATION | http://www.bet365.ca/
Pacific Toyota Dealers l https://www.shoptoyota.ca/british-columbia/en?utm_source=TNN&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=pacific-influencer&utm_content=TheNationNetwork
GRETA Bar Vancouver | https://lnk.to/GRETAYVR
Yellow Dog Brewing | https://lnk.to/YDBrewing
Simply Spiked: https://www.simplyspiked.ca/en-CA
The Redwoods Golf Course: https://www.redwoods-golf.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SekeresandPrice

@sekeresandprice

https://www.youtube.com/sekeresprice
https://www.instagram.com/sekeresandprice

📧 live@sekeresandprice.com
📲 778-402-9680

https://www.sekeresandprice.com/
https://www.rinkwidevancouver.com

#Canucks #VancouverCanucks #NHL #Hockey