The guys break down the Devils shut out loss in Tampa. Time to throw out some reckless trade ideas (Meier for Crosby??) A look around the NHL. How serious are the troubles in Boston?
Tim Wood (00:00)
Alright, that sounds good.
Chris (00:01)
Alright, we are back. We are the Uncle Puckers. Tonight it's myself, Chris, with Bobby and Tim Wood joining us again today on this beautiful Tuesday evening. What's up, boys? How's everybody doing?
Hi!
Tim Wood (00:15)
Hi!
Bobby (00:17)
He's excited. Hi, I'm in the middle of three days off from a Devil's game.
Tim Wood (00:18)
Hi!
I was like, I don't know what to do with my hands.
Chris (00:25)
Remember Tim idle hands spend time at the genitals, but let's talk about Saturday and the game against the lightning and What the fuck I mean, what the fuck seriously like it's like we either Play the best game and win or we just get shut out like that's it like over the last three losses, right? We hadn't scored a goal shut out in the last three losses So if we score a goal, we're golden, right? I mean, this is it
Bobby (00:31)
You
Tim Wood (00:37)
Okay.
you
Chris (00:55)
But what is it about the damn lightning that keeps on giving us fits? And it always has. Like, it's just that team that we don't match up well against. Like, what is it? What do you guys think it is? Or just your general thoughts on the game? We'll start with you, Bobby.
Tim Wood (00:56)
That's.
Bobby (00:56)
Apparently that is the key.
Bad choice because I was actually at a 50th birthday party. Hold on. I was getting updates that apparently we were playing fairly well and we just really couldn't get anything past the goalie. I don't know if that's accurate, but if so, that's good to hear. Okay.
Chris (01:15)
Alright Tim, it's all you buddy. Go ahead.
Tim Wood (01:22)
Coming out hot.
Chris (01:31)
Till the third period, I think, yeah.
Tim Wood (01:35)
Yeah, that's fair.
Bobby (01:36)
And I just like your question though, what is it about this team that always gives us fits? Those are the questions you can't answer. There's always a team like that in every sport or a couple of them that just have your number quote unquote, despite roster changes and all that over the years. I remember we talked about the hurricanes. feel like since 2006, we can't like full on beat them. There's just something about it and they're totally different teams.
Chris (01:56)
I was just gonna say that whole like what you're saying like yeah just some teams have your number and you just don't match up well and then we get another one of those on Thursday night which is really frustrating too. Like you know just why can't it be Florida again? I mean I feel like we play great against the Cats let's just keep playing the champs. But Tim what'd you think?
Tim Wood (02:09)
Yeah.
Bobby (02:15)
There you go. Yeah.
Tim Wood (02:19)
Yes, you know, there's a lot that goes into it, you know that I don't know why it's always Tampa, you know, it's it's I don't know Vasileski gets in their head, you know, they were playing pretty well for two periods. They weren't getting like great chances and again, you know coming off those two games against Florida where they just you know beat the shit out of Florida it's a little bit of a letdown but it's kind of getting a little annoying with this team where it's two steps forward and one step back and And I don't know what it is about Tampa. There's nothing
really personnel wise or systematic, systematically that I think gets into the devils. It's just kind of where it always pops up on the schedule, you know, just, just at, at bad times. And I honestly have no answers to that, to that particular question. You know, I would like to, I would like to see them string together more than three wins, more than two or three wins at a time. You know, this, they look great against Florida and I just don't get it.
Chris (03:03)
I don't wanna.
Washington hasn't been losing. I mean, they look really good. Even Carolina, you know, they're good. We know the Rangers are good, even though we love to crap all over them. know, we got to, you know, we even know this team is super, you know, we think it's much, much more, know, much better than they were last year. They're much more complete than they were last year. You know, they come off, they play some great games where you're just watching them going, these guys look like world beaters. And like you said, then they take the step back.
They've got to find the consistency. And we've been saying it all year and I don't in any way, shape or form that put this in panic mode or anything like that. I truly don't. don't think there's really anything to worry about. think our team is pretty good. And I think the injuries to Lazar and Bastion have hurt them a lot. Just not having, yeah.
Bobby (04:05)
Yeah. And the longer it goes on, The longer it goes on, the more it's going to rear its ugly head, sure.
Tim Wood (04:08)
Yes.
Chris (04:09)
Now I heard that Bastion was skating again today.
Tim Wood (04:13)
He was. don't get... Honestly, I thought I understood LTIR and those types of moves yesterday. Today I woke up, no fucking idea anymore. it's just, they put Bash on LTIR, which I guess he has 10 games to that. It doesn't count against a cap, but I think taking his salary out of the equation allows him to call up as many guys as they did, because the Devils are right up against that cap.
I don't know why they wouldn't put Lazar on long-term injury reserve. I thought it had something to do with when his contract comes back on the books after LTIR that it might be more punitive. But I was told by an internet stranger that that is not the case. So I'm going to believe the internet stranger. So yeah, you know, they're always, they always tend to be right. So I, so I don't know. don't know. I don't know the mechanics behind that. Sorry, Bobby, go ahead.
Chris (04:56)
Of course you are.
Bobby (05:06)
So maybe it's just the, you know, do the minimum we have to to fill the roster. And in that case, they just only had to put Bastions on because the people that bringing up aren't, you know, exponentially more in salary. So they don't have to put him and Lazar on. Maybe it's just that simple, just one transaction.
Chris (05:18)
So now Shane Bowers was brought up, Nolan Foote was brought up, who else?
Tim Wood (05:19)
death
Chris (05:26)
Peace, Simone.
Tim Wood (05:26)
DeSimone and another NPC. Was Dowling brought back up too?
Bobby (05:26)
D-D-D-Simone.
Chris (05:34)
I don't think he had left, right? Thought he was stayed up, so...
Tim Wood (05:37)
I think they did like a paper move. I think, yeah, I think they did a paper move where they sent him down. And that's kind of goes into like a crewing enough cap space to call all these guys back up because it does kind of accrue day by day. So don't know. Yeah, the, you know, the fourth line. I, and I know there's a lot of people in the fan base that love McDermott, loves what he does, but he's not an everyday player. Like he's just, you know, it gets worse and worse and worse as the games go on with him regularly in the lineup.
Bobby (05:38)
transactionally he left that.
Chris (05:40)
Okay.
Gotcha.
Tim Wood (06:06)
And Dowling wasn't really cutting it as a fourth line center either. And this kind of goes into the Tampa thing where the more those guys keep playing and only playing like five, six minutes a night, that really puts a lot of strain on your top three lines. And they need people in that fourth line that can carry a little bit more water as a fourth liner.
Bobby (06:25)
Well listen, mean our fourth line was literally a strength and now it's a weakness. That's a big kind of plan change going forward and Tim's been talking about it now for a few weeks how the more this is going on the more you're seeing it of degrade the other three lines and I think we're seeing that and we're seeing the fan base like you said that the whole McDermott controversy is coming back up right love them or hate them, the salary all that.
Tim Wood (06:29)
Yeah.
Chris (06:44)
Well, here's the thing with McDermott is that when we had the fourth line together, right, when Lazar and Bastion are playing and we had McDermott jumping in for a game every five or six, you know, coming in, that's what McDermott's good for. That's when the fourth line is clicking. That's when this team looks the best. you are asking, you know, you're having the same complaints about McDermott that we're having with the top lines. It's just too much for them.
McDermott's not an everyday player. can't expect him to play every day. It's not, and how we were using him before the injuries was perfect. That's what we need him for. Now I think Nolan Foote and just having him up and I I thought Bowers was going to be like a legit guy for our fourth line this year. I was surprised that they sent him down after training camp. I really liked Bowers.
Bobby (07:25)
Bingo.
Chris (07:36)
So maybe they can do something with this fourth line and at least maybe inject a little bit of energy to it where we're not gonna have to have Dowling and McDermott out there because it's just not working.
Bobby (07:50)
fully anticipate that from foot. think again, he's okay. Here's another opportunity. I'm to go out there and shine at least in the very beginning. You you throw out that energy. I expect that from him. I mean, this is potentially a job for him to keep. If he does it right, it's as simple as that. We don't know how long the injuries are really going to go. And even if one of them comes back, you know, he's a better candidate to play three out of four than McDermott. Right. So it's his opportunity.
Tim Wood (08:01)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Yeah, I agree. I agree. You know, he had nine points in 12 games. You know, there's something that kind of came out towards the end of last year was, was that he's been dealing with a back injury for the better part of like two, three years. So it's now that he's finally kind of healthy, he's producing, know, Fitz talked about him being the example of good development. I'm not sure I totally buy that because he's in like his year six after his draft year, but you know, the AHL like
Chris (08:33)
Exactly.
Tim Wood (08:38)
is a professional hockey league. It's not just a place to dump all of our prospects and hope they improve. You know, it is actually designed to be competitive, even though Utica is far from competitive right now. You know, so I don't know if enough about the AHL to know if they actually have good players or not. I think their roster should be competitive. It makes no sense to me that they're this bad now, especially with Casey and Nemech down there and like with Willman and Stillman and DeSimone.
Bobby (08:50)
historically bad.
Chris (09:03)
Right.
Tim Wood (09:08)
and Dowling and Beckman and Halleman, like they should be okay. Like I don't understand why they're getting the shit, why they're losing. They just can't score goals. anyway, all that's being said to your point, I'd like to know if he'll call up. This is kind of probably going to be a bit of his last stand because he does require waivers to go back down. So I think I'm to be good. And I think he'll provide a little bit more hockey player than just fighter on the ice.
Bobby (09:35)
Yeah, that's a good point.
Chris (09:37)
Now I had said on Saturday's show to the guys that like when we had brought Kevin LeBanc in for the PTO, like this is a guy that'd be perfect, right? Like LeBanc in that fourth line right now to fill in for anybody, Lazar or Bastion, like to me, that's the perfect guy to have. It sucks that we ended up losing him. What do you think about LeBanc in that spot?
Tim, I know what you think, Bob, I asked you already, because we talked about it on Saturday. All right, Bobby, what do you think about
Bobby (10:03)
I you're right. think it would have been... how do you know? You're in my head, dude. I'm kidding. I don't know anything about him. Ask Tim.
Chris (10:14)
Alright, Tim.
Tim Wood (10:16)
I'm sorry, I was just talking so much I wanted to let Bobby chime in. So with LeBanc, LeBanc? Is it the French pronunciation? anyway, Kevin, Kevin! He isn't a fourth line player in terms of the kind of...
Chris (10:28)
Kevin, we'll call him Kevin. Kevin.
Tim Wood (10:41)
prototypical fourth line, big grindy type of guy. He is a skilled winger shooter. He's not very good defensively. So that would be my only hesitation about him being on a fourth line. mean, I don't think he's, yeah, I don't think, you know, he chose Columbus to go get playing time. Great. Couldn't, know, go for him. I don't think, you know, he's coming back. But I don't know if he necessarily would have been, and I really, think that's kind of the logic as to why he wound up not.
Chris (10:51)
Okay.
Tim Wood (11:07)
You know, not choosing New Jersey because he did get an offer from New Jersey. Apparently Fitz gave him an offer and he chose Columbus over it. So that's kind of, think the logic behind it. He's a good player. He's better than better at hockey than some of the guys that are options right now.
Chris (11:10)
Right. Right.
Bobby (11:22)
Isn't it so interesting how often we forget about that other aspect of the hockey business? It seemed like so many fans to a man were just saying how we lost this guy. We should have kept him after his PTO and all that. Well, gave him a good offer, put on the table. He chose to go somewhere that's more beneficial to him. It wasn't a strike against the devils. He had options and he took it.
Chris (11:39)
He had options. Yeah. Yeah.
Tim Wood (11:43)
Yeah, I think there's a lot of insular commentary from our fan base, like who only really watch the Devils and know about the Devils and don't really understand those other kind of mechanisms that go on outside of that. You know, like talking about cap management and stuff like that. is probably one of the best in the league and his team is probably one of best in the league at cap management and managing their roster and their players. you know, everybody talked about Nashville winning the offseason. I think he, Fitz probably
should get more credit for what he did in the off season. He said himself, he said, I had a punch list and I checked off every single box on that list. And we're seeing the fruits of that labor. The Rangers, the Rangers, Capitals and Canes are, I think playing at a little bit of an unsustainable level. They're all over 700, 750 winning percentage. Like that's crazy. And the Rangers are starting to show cracks.
Chris (12:22)
Absolutely. It is definitely. Go ahead.
Tim Wood (12:39)
kind of haven't been playing as well recently. And I think I just read that Ovi is going to be out for a little bit for the caps. So it'll be interesting to see what happens with him. Yeah.
Bobby (12:47)
It's week to week, so it's not short. So that's going to put little dent in what he's been doing.
Chris (12:50)
And Carolina's dealing with tons of goaltending injuries. So yeah. And you know, the thing is too, like now the schedule starts to finally even out a little bit. Like it's like, finally the devils can breathe and play a normal NHL schedule as opposed to, I think we were playing seven games in five nights now for like the last fucking two months. Right. It's been ridiculous, but yeah, I mean, now they can finally rest and these other teams, they can get practices in.
And these other teams are gonna have to play a little bit of catch up, which is gonna be fun to watch. That's why, like if you're a Devils fan, just sit back now and win the games. That's it. Just, you don't have to chase anybody. You don't have to look at standings. All you have to do now is just win. That's it. Play the best game possible and collect as many points as possible and really not worry about anything. If they play their cards right and they do the right, they never have to look up at the standings because of the way this schedule has worked out. You know, because they played so many more games.
that if they just take care of their business, they can be in a very good position from here until April. And that's what I hope happens.
Tim Wood (13:54)
Yeah, they're firmly in a playoff spot. Like you look at like the rest of the Eastern Conference and the Metro, the Metro, the, you know, is, two, two half, sorry, four halves and four have nots, you know, the Flyers, the Islanders, Columbus, and I'm missing one, the Pittsburgh are awful. And you look at some of the teams in the Atlantic, like Buffalo, Ottawa, Montreal, like they're awful teams. Boston, and yeah.
Chris (13:57)
Mm-hmm
Yes.
Pittsburgh.
Montreal yep, Boston can we say Boston in there? I mean
Bobby (14:21)
Boston.
Tim Wood (14:23)
Yeah, they fired the coach today. Yeah, Montgomery's out and they brought in. Yeah, you you.
Chris (14:23)
Did they fire Montgomery? So I was, well, I was just gonna say I was off work today and all I've been doing is watching repeats of Arrow on Netflix. So I've been like completely sucked into that. So I don't know what happened today. big time nerd alert. So yeah, so what happened? Montgomery got canned today?
Bobby (14:24)
They fired Montgomery.
Tim Wood (14:39)
Nerd alert!
Bobby (14:41)
Yeah, he-
Tim Wood (14:44)
Yeah, he got canned. Joey Sacco, I think the guy's name is, who's an assistant, has taken over. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Chris (14:46)
Yeah, Joey Sacco, you used to play. I remember him.
Bobby (14:47)
Yeah. Isn't it, it's interesting how like there's your sacrificial lamb for a team that just had like that incredible season just in a very recent future. This almost screams to me more like a GM problem. Like we were talking about for the last two years about their age cliff and how quickly it's going to happen. You combine that with a couple of bad trades and a couple of guys retiring and boom, the team's going to be shitty. I don't know this is fireable for that particular coach at this point. I mean,
why this year. I would probably let him ride it out. mean...
Tim Wood (15:19)
All three Jack Adams finalists from 2023 got fired. Lindy Ralph, Haxdall, and now Montgomery. Yeah, sorry, go Chris.
Chris (15:22)
Yeah. Yep.
Bobby (15:24)
That's crazy.
Chris (15:26)
And, and you know, well, no, I mean, with the Bruins, yeah, we like, remember a couple of years ago, like sitting here going when he made the trade with, with us for Holla and Zocca and I sat here saying, Pavel Zocca is your number one center. Like this is not going to work. I'm sorry. He's not a one C and it did work for that year. But like you just said, Bob, like kind of the chickens are coming home to roost cause you didn't really change much. Like you picked up Lindholm.
Is he a number one center? I don't know. And then you picked up, you know, Big Z on defense, decent defenseman, but he's not Zidane Ocharo. And Jeremy Swainman hasn't been playing like Jeremy Swainman and the rest of the team is super old. And when you put all that together, you're going to get a team that's going to lose most nights. And yeah.
Tim Wood (16:13)
Yeah, they over they overachieved for the past couple seasons, you know kind of in credit to Montgomery, but there's only so long they were gonna last
Chris (16:19)
Mmm.
Bobby (16:22)
I just feel like the G like we were talking about the GM all summer too. Like I believe he's been making mistakes. The whole Omar Swainman thing. We were like, you didn't really have a plan B did you? When Swainman held out. Now granted we know how it worked out, although he's not playing great. He's still Swainman, but like that didn't seem like proper planning to me. I'm just saying I it's another one of those things where you can point the finger at somebody else, but I think they need to some real soul searching up there in Boston.
Chris (16:43)
I agree. I agree.
Tim Wood (16:45)
I think it's become very clear to me that Eric Halla was the center of their culture and their aura and they lost it all in that trade. So it was all Halla. You got coach killer Pablo Zaca on your team. You'd rather, you yeah, no, it had nothing to do with losing a Vezo winner and, you know, two long time captains. Nothing to do with that. 100 % trading Eric Halla. Yeah, it was all Halla.
Bobby (16:52)
That's right. Ours now.
Chris (16:52)
It was all hollow.
Right. Right. Patrice who? Never heard of him. Eric fucking Holla.
Bobby (17:00)
You
Chris (17:04)
Nope, the Selke winner and David Cricci. That was all Holla.
Bobby (17:14)
live with it! That's funny.
Chris (17:15)
I'll take it. have to say though, Eric Halle was probably the one devil in the two games against Florida and against Tampa that I, if I was to point a finger at somebody, not necessarily playing the way I think that they can play, the best that they can play, would be Eric Halle. But it was just too good a wins in Florida for me to bring up anything negative. But he's got, you know, I like Halle. I'm not, don't, I don't think he's, you know, the end all be all. I think he's okay. I think we could upgrade a few spots.
Tim Wood (17:16)
You're done fucked up now, Donnie.
Chris (17:44)
Maybe 3C is a spot I would think about possibly upgrading if you could and there was somebody available. You know, and I guess one of our right wing on the one line, right? The lot spot is another one that maybe, but yeah.
Tim Wood (18:04)
Yeah, I, you know, I was looking at poli- Sorry, go ahead Bobby, I'm looking at poli stats.
Bobby (18:04)
Yeah, you could read-
I was going say you could redefine a whole third line if you're moving stuff like that. You get the right 3C. Maybe now Pilat fits down there a little bit better. Then maybe you got Hall on the fourth line, depending on the pieces you brought in. It would be interesting.
Chris (18:19)
Holla on the fourth line. Huh. Yeah, yeah, no, I hadn't thought about it. I was thinking about just trading them or taking them out back and putting them down. But no, Holla on the fourth line. then who do you bring up to center to three? Do we give that to Bowers?
Tim Wood (18:23)
Yeah, for-
Bobby (18:23)
I'm just saying in your thing if you were looking for an upgrade unless you put them in the trade. Yeah.
on the fourth line.
Tim Wood (18:34)
How dare you.
Bobby (18:41)
Well, no, in this scenario, I thought we were trading for some, I thought this was a playoff pickup piece. Yeah.
Chris (18:41)
now we're trading for somebody. We're just gonna keep Eric Halla. Okay.
Tim Wood (18:42)
Nah.
I think he's killing it in the faceoff. I think he's top 10 in faceoffs. Yeah.
Chris (18:50)
Yeah, I know he is.
Bobby (19:00)
He gets streaky too, doesn't he? I remember the first year we had him, I just kept kind of making fun of him. Like every puck he shot was just right into the crest. I'm like, try putting it maybe on the glove side or somewhere, you know? And then he started scoring. Right, he didn't have any juice on it. Right, I was like, who is this guy? Because I really didn't know him. And then he had a great year.
Chris (19:07)
It never had any juice on it either. Yeah. Yeah.
Tim Wood (19:15)
But his eyes are like the deep blue ocean and I could look into them for days.
Chris (19:18)
Well, you know, that's really all we care about is you probably do, Tim. You probably do. Let me let me ask you.
Bobby (19:20)
That is romantic.
Tim Wood (19:27)
That's what happened in my hotel room when I'm all alone.
Bobby (19:28)
in a hotel room on his own.
Chris (19:30)
I'm going to give you a couple of players that maybe or maybe might not be traded sometime this year. And I'm just curious of you guys would say yes, pull the trigger on them. And if you think that they would fit in the devil and I don't have many just and most of these are completely like crack smoke and reckless speculation. But I will start with one that I do.
Bobby (19:55)
my favorite kind.
Tim Wood (19:55)
that is the best kind.
Chris (19:56)
Yes, I will start with one that I think A, will be moved at some point this year, but B, I do not think it would be to New Jersey. But let me ask you guys, Patty Kane. And I bring up Patty Kane because I don't think Detroit's gonna do shit this year. I do think that they are gonna move off of him and try and get something back. That's not working in Detroit, whatever it is that they're doing.
Bobby (19:58)
Yes.
I know who it is.
Chris (20:20)
So, Patty Kane to me, the only spot you put him is in Pilat's spot. So you'd have a line of Jack Hughes, Patrick Kane, and Jesper Bratt. What do you guys think of that?
Bobby (20:35)
So as soon as you said it, that was the only spot I agree that you can put him. despite, you know, Palat playing well, I think I would probably be into that. I think I would give that a go, man. I definitely have my problems with him going to the Rangers that playoff year, but I think again, that was one of those situations where everybody went to the Rangers to change your whole team, you know, trying to go for it. But as just an isolated get for the Devils, I don't know. That's pretty interesting.
Chris (21:02)
Like with the Rangers that year, real quick, think like the Tarasenko move made sense for them. The Patty Kane move didn't make sense. It was a hat on a hat. Like, what are we doing here? It was just the whole like, well, we can't let anyone else get Patty Kane. He's the biggest name in free agency. We have to get him. And what are we going to do with him? Doesn't matter, just get him. So yeah, I do think you're 100 % right on that. They completely fucked up with that.
Tim Wood (21:04)
I think.
Bobby (21:09)
Yeah.
Exactly.
Tim Wood (21:26)
That was all dull and being like, gimme my toy. I like the idea of Kane in theory. It would be interesting to see how he works with Jack Hughes, obviously. Jack looks up to Patty, that was his idol growing up. The issue is, and this is kind what I heard about what happened with the Rangers and sort of why that didn't really work for them, A, because he was on one leg, but also,
Chris (21:28)
Yes. Yes.
Bobby (21:30)
Yes, of course.
Chris (21:42)
Yeah.
Tim Wood (21:54)
He kind of for and that's a force, they sort of deferred to put him on the first power play. And everything then kind of deferred through him on the power play on that first power play kind of which really took away from what one of the Rangers means strengths was was that power play of theirs. And that would be kind of my concern is that Jack is kind of like that's Patrick Kane over there. Like I need to let the game go through him.
and, and, you know, be deferential to my hero as opposed to like, I'm the guy, you know, he needs to put the puck through me. So that would be my concern about it, but yeah.
Chris (22:29)
I have to say I like that both of you guys that had, you you do have a few reservations on that deal, but none of you guys brought up the fact that you think that this line is too small. So do you not think, do think they're just all just that good as skaters that it doesn't matter? Because that's kind of how I feel, but I'm curious what you guys think.
Bobby (22:52)
Well, there's no denying now, and I mean, even the players have said it, that Pilat is like a very awesome complimentary part of that line, right? Kind of beefs it up a little bit. But in this scenario, you're talking about another shooting option that those other two can pass to in Patty Kane. And Tim brought up a good point about would they overdo it? I don't think they would. Quite frankly, I just think that that would be a weapon they don't have now. And we've talked about points aren't everything, but I've mentioned like no matter what Pilat's doing, his points are coming in about half.
to a third of what know Jesper and Jack are doing which is fine because again that's what maybe a complementary player does but the fact that they would have that extra shooter on there the way Bratt and Jack play together I don't think size would be a problem for that particular line at that time not the way the other lines are constructed
Chris (23:36)
Okay.
Tim Wood (23:38)
I don't think so either. You get them with possession in the offensive zone, they would skate circles around any other team. The three of them together would be fucking beautiful to watch. The problem is actually getting the puck. And I don't think any one of them is really that kind of groundhog that you need going into the corner. And I do kind of believe in that sort of line balance that I'm really starting to come around a little bit on the idea of
Bobby (24:02)
Me too.
Tim Wood (24:05)
a plot with those guys, regardless of the points, you know, and it would be an interesting exercise for someone who has time, like me, but I'm not going to do it I'm lazy, but to actually go back and look, to go back and like, look at actually goals that Jack and Brad have produced with Pilat on and actually kind of count his sort of indirect effect on those goals. like, did he create something? Did he go retrieve a puck?
Bobby (24:16)
Told ya Chris.
Tim Wood (24:31)
and maybe not get a point on it, but that led to the goal, that type of thing. I think there's, yeah, exactly. It's a fun exercise. I would always would have loved, I'm an American hockey player, Patrick Kane will go down as probably the best American hockey player. I would love to have him on the team, but yeah.
Bobby (24:35)
And I'm sure there's plenty of those cases, yes.
Chris (24:48)
All right. Now my next guy, and this would definitely be different from the line of Kane, Bratt, and Hughes because this guy is a legitimate road grader. But the positional problems could arise with center. And I do think this guy is going to be traded. Evgeny Malkin.
Again, the only place to put them is with Bratt and Hughes. So let me ask you guys a question. Bratt, Hughes, Malkin, what do you do in the middle and what do you think about that position, that line or a guy like Malkin coming here?
Bobby (25:32)
Well, what we're not discussing when we do these though is that there could be people moving in the other direction to make it happen, right? We're just all of sudden, well, Pilat will just go down a line. Like maybe he's in the package. So it's getting really hard to do this. Malkin, if you brought him over, I think I would still keep Jack as the primary C and let him kind of be the complimentary piece and another option on that line. It would be pretty exciting. I don't know if I've got as many of the feels for it, but could be cool.
Chris (25:36)
That's true.
How about you?
Tim Wood (26:02)
I haven't watched enough of the Penguins this year and and how Malkin actually, you know There's the idea of Malkin and then like what he actually is as a player right now in 2024 You know, he's almost at a point per game, which is pretty remarkable. His face-off winning percentage is 47 % So that's about 10 points better than Jack, you know Jack's been better in the dot and he's he's a he's a fucking moose of a guy Like he's a big big dude. I just don't know
Honestly stylistically like does he go digging around in corners? I don't know if he does but again you
Bobby (26:36)
Yeah, I think if we're talking playoff rental and I either rank them, I would probably put him second under Kaynor. Like if I had my choice of the two. I think I would say Kayn first is just kind of a quick playoff rental, different option on that line. I think I'd go Kayn.
Chris (26:44)
Okay, so you take Kane over him.
Tim Wood (26:53)
Yeah, I think so too. think stylistically he would fit better because I think he kind of would think on the same level as Jack and Brad. Malkin is an unbelievable player. He's kind of been one of those guys that's always been secondary in the Sidney Crosby conversation, but in and of himself, by himself, he's been an incredible player in this league. Probably top 15, top 20 player of all time.
Bobby (27:16)
Absolutely. And we've said this before and every NHL fan has said this before, but in the absence of Crosby, that guy elevates his game. It makes you wonder why. I mean, he's still a of a player. It's not like he doesn't elevate his game, but he doesn't hit that next level as it was anytime Crosby was out for a long term.
Chris (27:32)
and he absolutely loves playing with Crosby in Pittsburgh. Like he doesn't want to leave. Like he said, he'll stay as long as Sydney does. So like they do have a very good relationship there. So I, I do think that they are going to start selling off pieces, you know, coming up. And I think Malkin will be one, one guy that I don't think will ever get traded, but we're going to throw them in just in the last one on this conversation. You guys know where I'm going with this. It's Sydney Crosby. you know,
Bobby (27:58)
course.
Chris (28:01)
Like me personally, I think like this, if the devils were in the position right now that the Pittsburgh Penguins were in and people were saying to me, hey, you got Niko Heescher or you have Jack Hughes, maybe you have them both, maybe it's a Malkin Sydney thing, but you really are going nowhere and it's obvious you're going nowhere. What do you do? I say trade them both. That's me. I would much rather try and
really if I trusted the general manager, which I don't know if they trust the general manager in Pittsburgh, I don't think so because Kyle Dubas is a schmuck, but regardless, if it was Fitzgerald and you said, okay, we're gonna rebuild, well then yeah, I want you to move the pieces because I believe that you can do a full rebuild in a couple of years, maybe three, maybe four years and be a much better team ready to kind of take that step, get to the playoffs kind of thing. Now, every team seems to,
do that, but at the same time, it never takes three or four years. So it is pretty obvious that it takes a decade, right? If you strip it down to the studs, it's going to take like eight to 10 years before you're frigging relevant again. But me personally, my opinion, I say trade them, but I don't think that'll happen in Pittsburgh. But if Sidney Crosby did at some point this season become available, what do you and we're not talking ...
Bobby (29:16)
Long-term relevant. Yeah.
Chris (29:27)
What are you giving up? I'm just saying fit on this team right now. Not saying who, like you said, we do have to think about who goes back and everything, but this is all for bullshit. So we're just going to go with that. So Sidney Crosby and where do you put them? Because I mean, to me, yeah, you throw them in the middle and Jack and Brad on either side. you know, this is, see, this is all just a way I'm just basically what I'm trying to say is, Pilate needs to be replaced apparently, because every person that I brought up replaces Pilate.
Tim Wood (29:46)
Yeah, that's...
Bobby (29:57)
You're replacing him with some names though, man. It's not like you're just bringing somebody in to get rid of them. Like these are good names. Yeah, Tim, what do you think?
Chris (29:58)
Yes.
Tim Wood (30:00)
I don't know.
Chris (30:01)
Yes. All right, so Sid, Sidney Crosby, Tim or, or Pilate.
Tim Wood (30:05)
Pull pull out, yes. The deal is pull out for Crosby, one for one. Yeah, yeah, yeah, here's the third rounder to go with it. No, know, okay, just, okay, if we were to get Cindy Crosby, you put him between Jack and Brad. That's, think, a no-brainer. That's the line right there. You shuffle Pilat down the line to the third line, put him with Holla again, and,
Chris (30:09)
Yeah, which maybe Kyle Dubis would fucking do. I don't know. I mean...
Bobby (30:11)
shut.
They better throw in a pick!
Chris (30:17)
Dubis might do it.
Tim Wood (30:34)
You know, then you kind of work Mercer or nascent back and forth and maybe Carter slides back down to the fourth line That was when Carter was on the fourth line. That's when when they were killing it and he's kind of cooled off a little bit He had that one nasty goal But but other than that he's kind of gonna come back down to earth a little bit and I think he he might be better served as a fourth line But if we were to put together a package for Sydney Crosby our best assets are Seamus Casey Simon Nemec, Gritsuk, Lenny, Haminiho, you know, we have
some good prospects that are young and up and coming. You throw in two of those and like a couple of second rounders. have two, three second rounders, I think, in this upcoming draft. So that, that's the type of thing. And to your point, like, yeah, and Pilat, well, yeah, Pilat, we'd have to probably throw in another pick just as like a sweetener to just, just fucking take them. There's an article.
Bobby (31:13)
and Pilate.
Chris (31:18)
Right.
Bobby (31:20)
take McDermott too.
Chris (31:21)
No, no, don't want, I don't, just want McDermott up in the box most nights. That's all I want. Yeah. I just want him on the team, but not every night.
Bobby (31:27)
Right, just staring down at people.
Tim Wood (31:28)
What what?
Every time someone passes in McDermott, it's like someone threw him a hand grenade. He's like, what the fuck is this?
Chris (31:35)
I know, I know, it really does look that way. I mean, he's, I'll say this.
Tim Wood (31:40)
He's like, I'm here to fight guys, I don't want this fucking thing, get it away from me.
Bobby (31:42)
I didn't sign up for this.
Chris (31:45)
I'm gonna tell Ranger fans something right now, and not that any of Ranger fans is listening, but Matt Rempey's ceiling is McDermott. That is his ceiling. Matt Rempey will never be a, one iota better than, he's not gonna, I said this last year when he was knocking out Devils like it was his fucking job, because apparently it was, but I said this guy will never be an NHL player.
Bobby (31:58)
Yeah. Right.
No, he's working on being a complete hockey player!
Chris (32:14)
He just, he'll never be. And everybody looked at me like I was balancing a Buick on my dick. Every Ranger fan going on and on about this guy's going to be great. This guy, no, he's not. And look at this year. He's fucking just, you know, hanging out in the AHL doing absolutely nothing.
Tim Wood (32:21)
What?
Bobby (32:22)
Matchbox.
Tim Wood (32:31)
out balancing a Buick on your dick.
Chris (32:32)
You can use that one, Tim, yes. It's a Matchbox car.
Bobby (32:34)
Very small, of course.
Tim Wood (32:36)
like a micro like a mic like a micro machine or whatever
Bobby (32:38)
You
Chris (32:40)
Yes, I like that one.
Tim Wood (32:43)
I've never heard that phrase before in my life.
Bobby (32:44)
Gave you more credit than me, I said mess box, so.
So fun fact to go along with the Crosby situation is that Timo didn't skate today. There you go. There's a picture. Now Timo's hurt, right? Back or something, or was it? Backspout, yeah.
Chris (32:54)
No, no, and neither did Pesci.
Tim Wood (32:59)
Yeah.
Chris (33:00)
back spasms.
Tim Wood (33:01)
spasms he's got to stop wheeling all the moms in Jersey City
Chris (33:05)
And Pesci is in maintenance day. And, but they said they both aren't supposed to miss time, right? Okay. So back to Sidney Crosby.
Bobby (33:07)
So yeah, let me, you know.
Right. So we need a story when they don't play for four games, but obviously going back to the Crosby situation, 100 % whatever it would take to get them in here between those two, just created a legit run to the cup and you're slotting other people down further, other qualified people going even down the line further. I think that would be epic. I think that's a chance you take with this team. Like we talked about a little bit earlier with the devil's winning percentage right now that's
619 or whatever is on pace for like 102 points don't care about the games in hand the game behind like display your pace right now and and you're totally in and then once they're in. They absolutely have as legitimate as a shot as anybody the the panthers game prove that to me and some of other games we play during the year so if you can actually steal away Crosby for your wedding be a year be multiple year when it is he's he's got contract now.
Chris (34:04)
Yeah, he's got, I think, he's got three.
I think it's this in two.
Bobby (34:10)
Yeah, I would totally do it. Yeah, this until I mean, three years across, I'll take him in his age. No problem.
Tim Wood (34:17)
And Elliott Friedman put out there that there's talk that the cap next year might go up even more than it was projected. yeah, I guess built into the CBA is that it can only increase 5 % every year. So like next year it'll be 92 and then like 98 and then like 106. because they're kind of, he described it as they're negotiating a new peacetime CBA.
Chris (34:24)
Wow.
Bobby (34:24)
way more than they thought.
Chris (34:41)
Right.
Tim Wood (34:43)
So as part of that negotiation, they'd say, okay, we're gonna increase the cap a little bit more to just get the CBA done as kind of a sweetener for that, which would be great. And it kind of that recoups those two or three lost years from COVID.
Chris (34:48)
Okay.
Right. So Tim, what do you think of Sidney Crosby?
Tim Wood (35:01)
Love him. I'm snuggle with him. It'd be interesting if, what if Nico gave him the C for like a playoff run?
Chris (35:10)
You can't can't me Nico Nico has Nico has earned that this year and I am you know and look if he won if he did decide to it would have to be something on his own accord and and that he wanted to do but I'm I can't believe I'm saying this after how would I've said over three years but I am very happy that he sure is our captain now because I Know I know you were but but but what do you think about him on this team?
Bobby (35:11)
No, I wouldn't want that. Yeah, I wouldn't want that though. Yeah.
Tim Wood (35:18)
I know, I know.
Yeah, I agree. I wasn't being serious, but bringing a guy, I think it'd be great. You put him between Jack and Brad, that kind of solves the Jack face off issues because Sydney's great at that. He is a master of puck retrieval. He's just a ninja with a stick and just some of the elite insane stuff that Sydney Crosby has done throughout his careers would just add so much value to that line. Then you have,
What was it with Nico Timo, Nason, Jack Bratt, Sidney Crosby. Then you have a Holla, Pallott and Mercer and then you have Cotter, Lazare, Bastion. That fourth line was the original kind of fourth line before they started tinkering with it.
Bobby (36:07)
Yeah.
Chris (36:14)
hopefully, Lazar and Bastion.
Bobby (36:16)
putting cotter back down.
Chris (36:24)
You know, I like to always think of certain players and if they're, you know, how they would fit with this team. There's, and yeah, Patty Kane would be fun and Malkin would be fun. Sidney Crosby takes this team from a team that we're really curious to see how they're going to do their playoffs to an absolute bona fide Stanley Cup contender. And there's no other player that has, that could possibly be traded this year that I think moves the needle like that.
Bobby (36:41)
Yes.
Chris (36:53)
And the other thing, if you go and look at every team in the Eastern Conference, and maybe he'll want to go out to Colorado if he decides to get traded and play with his buddy Nate, and he fits perfect there, and they would probably have a great run. if I'm Sidney Crosby and I'm going, where do I fit in best, and who gives me the best chance to win a Super Bowl? I said Super Bowl. I meant Stanley Cup.
Tim Wood (37:02)
That's it.
Bobby (37:17)
You said Super Bowl. Football on the brain. We knew you meant Stanley Cup. Well, that's all right.
Tim Wood (37:23)
He just took that viking's hat off too.
Chris (37:24)
Holy shit. So, I look at what team's gonna give me the best chance to win a Super Cup. I say, I say, I mean, I gotta say, well, I can play in between Jack Hughes and, and Jesper Bratt. We have solid goaltending, which, you know, Colorado, sorry, you don't have it. we've got a fantastic defensive core Carolina, you know, not like ours, not as good as ours. And Carolina's not as deep as us. So,
Bobby (37:32)
You
Chris (37:54)
take any other Eastern Conference team, where does Sidney Crosby fit? Where are you gonna put him that he's gonna fit with Florida? I mean, I don't think so. But with New Jersey, New Jersey makes more sense than anything. So I mean, I don't, right?
Bobby (38:01)
There's geography to consider too. Doesn't have to move and the travels less. Yeah, it really does.
Tim Wood (38:10)
Yeah, does. Same division, same time zone. It would be so off-putting to see him in another jersey, other than the Penguins. But if I were to pick one, I would pick mine.
Chris (38:20)
Right, right. I mean, I don't think he'll go. honestly, I mean, he had, he had to know how bad this team was going to be this year. Like he still signed the extension. Like, I mean, I don't know unless he just said, yeah, I'll sign it and I'll stick around. But if things look like they're going sideways and I want to go, you got to deal me. I don't know if that's what he said, but I mean, he apparently does not want to leave there and they are doing whatever they can to, I guess, keep them around. But I mean,
Tim Wood (38:25)
Nah.
Chris (38:48)
If I'm management, I'm like the biggest piece is sitting right here. We're not winning a Stanley Cup for the next five years, but this guy can maybe get us a little bit closer. You did it while you were here, you played and you got us cups. Now let's try and fucking fleece a team for a bundle for you and go win some more down the road. That's how I feel.
Bobby (39:09)
Now let's just crank it up to stupid just for a second here. This is going to get super, super stupid reckless. No, no. Obviously this would be a rebuild move for the Penguins, so this wouldn't be an ask. But if it were, if part of the package, and we still had to give up something more like a key prospect, had to be Timo going over.
Chris (39:11)
Okay, I like that. Exactly.
Tim Wood (39:14)
Yeah, remind people that this is all reckless speculation, just as a disclaimer.
Chris (39:21)
Are we getting Malkin and Crosby?
Tim Wood (39:24)
Hehehehehe
Bobby (39:39)
going back, do you still do this? Because we got six more years of TMO, you're getting three years of SID, but now you've got a vacancy.
Chris (39:46)
Can I get Fabian Zetterlin back somehow in this trade? Can we make it a three-way trade? All right, so, okay, all right. all right, if you want to take the next step and get serious here, because if a Sidney Crosby was coming to New Jersey, you're not doing it for, you know, just Simone Nemitz, Seamus Casey, and a couple of picks.
Bobby (39:50)
I know. I don't know what we're getting back. I just know we're losing our, you know, our top line power forward.
Right they need a player and nobody better than long term right team. mean salaries high but You know, you could build around them in a few years
Chris (40:19)
I do it.
Tim Wood (40:19)
Yeah, give me, I'm looking at their roster. You know what? Fucking throwing Rucker McGroody with Sid. And we'll send him Timo and, you know, Timo Nemec, Pilat in a second.
Chris (40:25)
Okay, all right.
Bobby (40:29)
Nemec and Nemec in a point. There you go. We just traded the debt. We just could have the Stanley Cup.
Chris (40:32)
Timo, Nemec, Pilat, and a second for Rucker, whatever, Rucker Hauer and Sidney Crosby.
Tim Wood (40:41)
Rucker McGrody and Sidney Crosby.
Yeah.
Bobby (40:48)
A footnote, I do not know who Rucker is, so if there's anything special about him. Okay.
Chris (40:50)
He's a kid that like he was their youth movement this year. He was like Pittsburgh's youth movement like one 28 year old kid.
Tim Wood (40:51)
He's honestly-
Yeah. Yeah. He was the kid that he forced his way out of Winnipeg. That was that was who he was. And what he was his he was in the A.H.L. and when Pittsburgh played Winnipeg, the crowd of Winnipeg was chanting, Where is Rucker? Where is Rucker? Meanwhile, he was in the A.H.L. It's kind of funny. But he also his name kind of sounds like like an old timey sheriff that's like seen some shit.
Bobby (41:01)
okay. I remember him now. Gotcha.
Chris (41:03)
Is it Pierre-Luc Dubois?
What's... What... What's he play?
Tim Wood (41:24)
Like maybe served in the war and did some horrible shit. I run my town with an iron fist. My name. I think he's a winger.
Bobby (41:28)
Give us a sound bite.
Chris (41:31)
What position does he play? Okay, so, all right, so a bottom six winger, I'm guessing.
Bobby (41:32)
Okay.
Tim Wood (41:41)
He's a big kid with good scoring potential, so potential top six down the road.
Chris (41:45)
Alright so now we have, I'm guessing Dawson, Mercer, Nico, Heescher, Stefan, Nason on line one, two, whatever you want to call it. Alright so, yeah can we get him in the trade too? Can we ship him to Pittsburgh or, I don't know, what's their minor league affiliate? Scranton? Yeah, I mean...
Bobby (41:56)
I guess so. Yep.
Tim Wood (41:59)
Tom's Tatar!
Yeah. Or just change the locks.
Chris (42:11)
No, what are you talking about? You still play for Seattle. We never traded for you must go back go back. No, I
Tim Wood (42:15)
That's weird, your code doesn't work? I don't know why.
Chris (42:19)
That's so mean and your shits outside too you can grab it So I I would okay, so so line one is Sydney Crosby Jesper brat Jack Hughes line twos Nico Heescher Stefan Nason Dawson Mercer Hala Palat
Tim Wood (42:23)
I'm so mad.
Bobby (42:24)
It is.
Chris (42:44)
Majority, okay, I forgot about him. Okay. And then our normal third line when they're healthy, fourth line when they're healthy.
Tim Wood (42:45)
McGarty.
Bobby (42:47)
I'm Gordy.
Cotterlazar Bastion.
Tim Wood (42:51)
Yep, Cardalazarbacin,
Chris (42:53)
I think that gives us a better chance to win the Stanley Cup than with Timo Meyer on the team.
I do it. I do it.
Bobby (43:03)
I only brought it up because I love Timo Meyer and we've seen what he can do when his points are going. We saw where like if he had played all year like he ended the year where, you know, he could have been in the stratosphere. There is something about Timo Meyer though that still doesn't feel like solidly part of this team. Like there's some kind of disconnect on the line. I expected more from him again so far this year and he's playing good. I'm not bashing him at all. And like I said, I love the guy.
Tim Wood (43:03)
Yeah
Chris (43:20)
I completely agree.
Bobby (43:32)
but there's just something about it. It's just not clicking.
Chris (43:33)
Is Timo Meyer a product of the old adage that there's just one puck and not enough to go around? And is he just that odd man out where if he was the guy playing with Malkin in Pittsburgh, if Malkin was still there after Crosby left or whatever, like he would probably be their leading point getter every single year. You know, he can do it. We all know he can do it, but is this just a, it's yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like, does he just have to be the man? Cause right now on this team, he's the fourth man, you know?
Bobby (43:56)
You think he just has to be the man? Yeah. Yeah.
Chris (44:03)
Because it's just.
Tim Wood (44:05)
Yeah, which I think is okay. Take your salary out of your head. He's on pace, the math, he's on pace for 27 goals and 54 points, which is low for him. But like in San Jose where he's pushing 40, he was Power Play 1, the Power Play went through him. Now he's on Power Play 2 because they flipped him with Nason. So there is probably a little bit of that. He's also been a very, very streaky scorer his entire career.
Bobby (44:05)
Yeah, you're right.
Chris (44:14)
Yeah.
Bobby (44:16)
Yes.
Tim Wood (44:33)
and has always historically started slow. That's what I'm told. So I would reserve judgment fully to evaluate TMO until like the year, years over. Cause I do, I do think, yeah. I.
Bobby (44:33)
Yes.
Chris (44:42)
I guess let's see how this playoff goes too. Like I really want to see how he does in the play because he was fucking fantastic for them the year he came in.
Bobby (44:45)
I
Tim Wood (44:51)
He was awesome. He didn't score an entire point, but he was so deep in fucking She-Starkin's head. Like, She-Starkin was throwing, shoot pucks at him because he was getting so pissed off.
Chris (44:53)
Yep.
I know, it was fantastic.
Bobby (45:00)
And the more he plays with Nico and Nathan, the more I enjoy it too. Like I like what I'm seeing for sure. It's just...
Chris (45:03)
Absolutely, and I don't even discuss trading Timo Meyer unless it's for Sidney Crosby or a guy like that, you know, of course.
Bobby (45:09)
Sidney Crosby. Yeah.
Tim Wood (45:12)
But to your point, there are, in this whole Crosby, Malkin, Kane conversation, there are only so many stars you can bring in. You need the plumbers on your team too. You need the ditch diggers too. And I don't know what that breaking point is of what's too much and what can we kind of deal with as a fan base in terms of how many of these guys, these elite high level stars, because you put that together.
Bobby (45:22)
Yes.
Chris (45:23)
Right.
Tim Wood (45:42)
you in a video game, you kick the shit out of everybody, but when in reality, the execution, like, someone's gotta go in that corner and get the puck, and...
Bobby (45:48)
Yeah, I don't know what it is either Tim, but for the last two years I've been saying there's gonna be a big trade that fans aren't gonna like. And I'm alluding to that, like one of maybe the big four or five, like an unpopular decision just for the benefit of team. know, sometimes it needs to be done.
Tim Wood (46:02)
Yeah, yeah, no, could be, you know, it could be Brad for Brady Kachuck, you know, like, who knows, you know, let's resurface.
Chris (46:04)
Hasn't.
There hasn't been a deal like that in the NHL in a really long time. And you're right, I would love to see one of those blockbuster... Yeah, yeah.
Bobby (46:16)
Well, I mean, the closest thing was Maddie Kachuck and Hubertel, right? That would be the closest comparison? Superstar for superstar, supposedly?
Tim Wood (46:19)
Yeah. Yep.
Chris (46:24)
I mean, yeah, I know, I know. Poor Calgary in general.
Tim Wood (46:25)
that portion, portion of it.
Bobby (46:27)
I know, Grass isn't always greener, eh? Jesus.
Tim Wood (46:29)
He's... Well, like, he had a collection of Ferraris in Miami, and then he got traded to fucking Calgary. And he, like... And then I saw this commercial of his that he did was for, like, a F-250 truck, and with his new car, he looks so unhappy about it.
Chris (46:35)
That sucks.
Poor guy. He's like doing commercials now for for tire chains for Corvettes You know you want to drive your Corvette in the middle of a Winnipeg winner go to Cooper tire chains
Tim Wood (46:52)
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
But he's, I think he's actually having a better season than he did the past couple years. I think he's kind of finally turned, or Calvary, whatever, in the Great White North.
Chris (47:02)
Calgary I said Winnipeg All right Exactly, it's all the same. Let's let's do some some let's make some money So the quest for the Stanley Cup starts now and the pucks dropping on the 24 25 season So getting on all the action at draft King Sportsbook an official sports betting partner of the NHL. I hate reading this shit
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Bobby (48:11)
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Tim Wood (49:25)
HUH?
Chris (49:26)
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Bobby (49:26)
Yoda time!
Chris (49:56)
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Bobby (51:23)
I got two things to say here real quick. all honesty, I think I am going to check out Raycon. Like seriously, you're really selling me on it because I do use these crummy little Apple ones and have been doing a podcast for three years. I think maybe I can upgrade to something a little bit better. I think I definitely should. I need things on the Christmas list. Wife's always asking and this would be perfect. So I'm actually going to look it up and see if I can find something. The other thing is, you know how when we're doing these reads, just to drop the curtain a little bit, if anybody out there, if you ever like
Chris (51:28)
You
And I think you should, and you should, you know, you can even get a discount, use code THPN. Yeah.
Bobby (51:52)
told a story, maybe you're at work and you got to tell a story and then like 10 minutes later you got to turn around and like tell that story again and you feel like you're repeating yourself but you're not because you're telling a different person. That's what doing these reads is like every day. You just, we stumble on ourselves because it's like didn't I just say that? Yeah, you said it yesterday and the day before that and the day before that. So, you know, forgive us if we speed up a little bit or just kind of lose it.
Chris (52:07)
Yep.
You know I ought-
I often think in that same way when I'm seeing live music, right? Especially like a band that's been around forever, right? You're out there and you're seeing U2 or whatever and it's like, how many times have they played Pride in the Name of Love? Like just in their lifetimes. At some point, are they looking at their set list and they're just like, fuck me. Like seriously again? Like, well, this just happens to be 27,000 people that haven't heard it live yet. And you're just like, well, fuck them. I'm tired of singing it.
Tim Wood (52:30)
Mm-hmm.
Chris (52:42)
I've sang that song every day since 1985 and I'm kind of over it. Like, I don't know how these bands do it.
Bobby (52:51)
These bands with large catalogs that have to pick just 15 songs they're going to sing because you know you need that blend of what they want to play and the hits you got to have half of it's got to be the hits or close to it, especially if you're bringing out a new album because now you got to do the new album songs. You got to appease with the hits all that stuff. Yeah.
Tim Wood (52:51)
Yeah, I-
Chris (52:54)
Right.
Right.
Tim Wood (53:10)
Yeah, think, you know, they look for like kind of that technical perfection of nailing the song perfectly while they're in it. But like, you know, I went to like half of those Baker's Dozen shows, the first shows at MSG, and they didn't repeat one song once the entire 13th stretch.
Chris (53:23)
But again talking about fish is on a different level when it comes to that like no Yes, I'm talking about a band like I brought up YouTube because I was like in a band That's touring forever that has had such a big catalog of songs whose fans go there to hear those songs Fish can't fans don't go there. They're not there's like my god, if they don't fucking play bathtub gin tonight I'm gonna fucking rip the walls off like no, of course not, you know Right exactly
Tim Wood (53:29)
Yeah, no, that's fair. That's fair.
They're like, I'm here to do ecstasy and fucking get weird.
Bobby (53:54)
This is why in May I have to go to Metallica's No Repeat Weekend because the marketing worked. Now I'm sitting there going, what if I, it's Friday and Sunday, so what if I pick Friday and they do like Puppets and Sandman and the one or two songs I want to hear off the new album on Friday and not Saturday because they're not repeating. I'm like, now I gotta go to both and I think it's my right anyway. think I'm old enough, I've earned that. But yeah, it's a No Repeat, like that's really cool. Little treat for me, little Bobby treat.
Chris (54:13)
you're definitely old enough.
Tim Wood (54:14)
Yeah, yeah, you have. You had just just a little treat for yourself. You definitely earned that little just little little treat for me. So
Chris (54:20)
Is that their thing? They're doing a no repeat weekend? that?
Bobby (54:25)
Yes, they've been doing that. started several years ago now, I guess. again, it's a great concept because if you are going to go to two shows, I wouldn't mind hearing the same song maybe in two different days. But to know you're not to know you're getting, you know, 20, 26 different songs is really cool, man. Costs fucking fortune, though.
Chris (54:36)
Completely different show.
Tim Wood (54:39)
Yeah. Yeah. When you go, yeah. Like if you went to two concerts of the same band, two nights in a row, and it was at the same show, you'd like, what the fuck?
Chris (54:39)
That's why.
I mean, we went to see a whole shitload of us. Bobby, you were probably there. We went to see Tom Petty at the Art Center. OK, so there was about 13 or 14 of us. Right. And we're all in the on the lawn and stuff. And me and my friend, she and I got up and we were just kind of walked over by like to get a beer, walked over by the food stuff. And I kind of looked at her and I'm like, I feel like I'm listening to Tom Petty's greatest hits album.
Bobby (54:59)
I know, I missed that one.
Chris (55:16)
Like it literally is every song in the exact length that's on the album done exactly the way it's recorded in the studio. And we just looked at each other like, why are we here? Like we can seriously just put the car in and listen to Last Dance of Mary Jane, you know, on their greatest hits album. And it's the same exact thing. I'll never go see him again, not just because he's dead. If he was alive, totally wouldn't go. That's all I'm saying.
Bobby (55:40)
Does make it hard. Yeah, well we we went to the listener supported concert in East Rutherford. we went on the Friday night or whichever night we went to was not the night that recorded that live album. But I know from owning that live album, which I love, that they did some of the songs. Some songs were repeated, I remember, and that's fine. But it was otherwise a completely different show. You know, there's four or five of the same songs and that was it.
Chris (55:45)
Yes.
That's right. That's right.
Jam bands tend to do that. They're much better with that. I've seen Phish back to back nights, same as Tim, never had a repeat song. And even if they did, by the second set, nobody even... Even if they did, this is the best thing about a band like Phish. Even if they did the same song two nights in a row, it wouldn't sound at all like the way they did it the night before. But they're on a different level. All right, so what else do you guys wanna bring up tonight about hockey before we wrap this thing up?
Tim Wood (56:33)
Yeah, just wanted to, all right. No, nothing. All right. So one thing, I was going to mention, that, it's pretty interesting. This guy, Mike Kelly is a writer. he's an angel writer. He'd be kind of tweeted out a relatively long thread. And one of the teams that he, that he mentioned was, was the devils and, and, you know, in this league, like there, tends to be a bit of a copycat league where like Florida was successful. and a lot of what they did was dump.
Bobby (56:33)
So, nope.
Tim Wood (57:03)
Chase go beat the shit out of the defense man wear them down and then that's kind of their bread and butter so We've talked about it before but he actually put the number on it now. The Devils are actually dumping the puck in 55 % of the time Which is a 10 % increase over last year, which is the second biggest increase year over year So you could kind of see that see that in there in their play and I think with those dumpings what we're starting to see a lot them do a lot better
Bobby (57:23)
Big change.
Tim Wood (57:30)
And I've used this term before, but it's sort of strategic dumpings. It's like dumping it to a specific corner away from like, remember how teams used to try to dump it away from Marty and they just couldn't do it. And then, you know, they changed the ice surface for the greatest goalie of all time. you know, dumping it into a corner, like, you know, yeah. But, but, you know, to kind of wrap up the point is, you know, they'll throw it into the corner where there's a guy approaching with speed.
Chris (57:44)
Tell Linda Cohn that, that motherfucker. Next time, next time. Go ahead.
Bobby (57:51)
Yeah, next time.
Tim Wood (57:58)
You know, and they have now the horses that can go beat the shit out of defensemen. You you send nation or like if Cotter was coming after me in the corner, I'd like, no, I'm not going to do this. I'm just going to give them the puck and fucking cry. So, so it's just an interesting little tidbit about what the devil's doing stylistically.
Chris (58:07)
Yeah.
Bobby (58:12)
Well, yeah, and then you add one and one together, you get two are wearing down their defense a little more. And then over the course of a game, you're winning more games.
Chris (58:19)
Alright, what, let me ask you a question. Is this because it's a copycat league and everybody says, this is how Florida has won this, how they made it to two Eastern Conference Championships two years in a row. And we, is this a style that works? You have to have the players to do it, but we're going to do that because this is a winning formula or it is, is it with the Devils, we got to do something. Cause our transition game last year was so fucking bad that we can't like, that's just like.
Tim Wood (58:20)
There you go. Simple as that,
Chris (58:45)
Is it just that this is just a much better style of play for this team or do think they were built that way because of Florida or just because of the fact that if our transition game was good, are we a dump and chase team this year?
Tim Wood (58:58)
I think it's both and and you know because it's only 55 % obviously that's barely over half so they are still working in transition but it adds you know optionality and variety to to their rushes and I don't know it didn't it didn't have that I would actually probably speculate it would be Toronto it could very well be but Winnipeg Con is the same system the same players the same coach so I don't think they've really changed much Toronto bringing Borubi in who's from that kind of
Chris (59:06)
Who is the number one team? I'm curious.
I was thinking Winnipeg.
Yeah.
That's true.
Tim Wood (59:26)
Generation and they have those sort of elite high-end offensive guys that kind of thrive in transition. So that's kind of why I thinking torn but The yeah, the other thing it kind of does is and you see and they see this in the defensive numbers for the Devils is is how many times do we see? Nutri, you know someone trying to go one on three in the neutral zone turn the puck over and then you know odd man rush the other way back in the net, know V text digging the puck out so
Chris (59:30)
And this style is so much more fun to watch.
Tim Wood (59:53)
By dumping it in, the puck is obviously further away from your goal, which kind of making the other team have to go 200 feet to then get back into the zone. So kind of it makes a better defensive system as well by being over to dump chase team.
Chris (1:00:02)
Make sense?
Man, this is the thing that's so frustrating. I don't know if it should be frustrating or not, but since the first Tampa game, the one that we lost 8-4 or whatever it was, even in the Devils' losses, I thought that they played really well. I felt like they can be in all of those games, even the ones they lost. Their structure, they never got really far away from their structure. Just some nights, the puck didn't go in. had...
bad shooting lanes, they made a couple of mistakes here and there, but overall you see the way that this team's playing and I really like it. Like I like their style. I like that they stick to it. They don't cheat for offense. Maybe that's why we get, we're going to get shut out a lot this year, maybe because they really don't stray from the system and when it works and when they're burying the puck against, you know, most everybody, I mean, they've, they've been shut out three times, which might be the most out of any team so far this year, but you know,
just I love the fact that they just play a nice they have bought in so far this year 100 % with Sheldon Keefe system. This has got to keep working though because once they go on a three or four game losing streak and people start you know going into business for themselves and that hurts the team.
Tim Wood (1:01:23)
Yeah, especially a side photography household.
Chris (1:01:24)
Anything else boys?
Tim Wood (1:01:28)
I was teeing that up for Bobby, but I guess not.
Bobby (1:01:30)
Yeah, we'll wait on that. No, got an article. It's going take a little time though, so we'll save this for next time. It's actually from the summer and it's just about NHL front office confidence from their fans' So it's kind of a good thing to look at kind of a quarter way through the season to see if they were on par with what the teams are doing. You know, there was a firing today, i.e., know, kind of talking about that. So we'll look at that next time.
Chris (1:01:40)
Okay.
Alright.
We'll start with that. I mean, you ask any Bruin fan, think in the summertime, nobody would have thought that this season was gonna be the way that it is and that Jim Montgomery will be fired in November. Like, yeah.
Tim Wood (1:01:51)
Yeah, yeah.
Bobby (1:02:01)
Exactly, exactly. So that's our killer teaser for you. Make sure to tune back in next time for an article from August
Chris (1:02:04)
Maybe We're gonna really wait a well, I mean look it's really where you come for the most current hockey Hockey information here the uncle fuckers. We also have a story from 1979 written by a beat reporter of the Hartford whalers that we're gonna go over in depth and see how that really looks Exactly the hot food whalers are the Carolina Panthers
Tim Wood (1:02:05)
Make sure to tune back in.
man.
Hahaha
Bobby (1:02:28)
This just in, the devil's our moment in New Jersey!
Chris (1:02:33)
The world has gone insane! Alright, we're gonna wrap the... Speaking of corruption of city hall, I'll go back. What? Go ahead. my god, they're getting worse! Like, now he's just an angry old man, and he's angry at Igor Shosturkin for some reason! Like... Why does he hate Igor Shosturkin so much? Because it-
Bobby (1:02:53)
great.
Gotta find out!
Tim Wood (1:02:59)
It's... It's so mean, it's so funny.
Chris (1:03:00)
Like has anyone tweeted him back? Like why is this so personal to you?
Tim Wood (1:03:05)
All of his replies are like, are you alright man? Like, where did you go like, fucking full on villain? I was... The guy just said like, yeah, he wrote like six books and said fuck it, I'm just gonna write mean shit on Twitter until I die.
Chris (1:03:06)
Like...
It really has I've
I mean, we were watching him 1992, 93, 94, all, you know, being the guy with the devils with MSG and he's always been just a great hockey mind. He's always known his shit. He loves New York City. He does like train tours and he's written books about the subway systems and all kinds of crazy shit. And now in his like, you know, this is his golden golden golden years. And the dude is just
Bobby (1:03:36)
Yeah.
Chris (1:03:43)
Twitter hating on the New York Ranger Goaltender. It's fucking crazy!
Tim Wood (1:03:45)
Just...
It's really just such a fucking weird turn. I'm here for it though. He's the only person I have Twitter notifications on for because I want to see him.
Chris (1:03:51)
I love it. my god, I love it. Don't
This is the most I've ever liked Stan Fischler right now. I'm just saying. And I've never disliked him. So, all right, we're gonna wrap this thing up. Wherever you're listening to us, like a five star review, positive comment, download, subscription, all that fun stuff. You can also check us out on Blue Sky, wherever other social media stuff, Instagram, places like that. For Timmy and Bobby, I'm Chris, we're the Uncle Puckers, and we'll see you when we see you.
Bobby (1:04:00)
That's perfect.
Tim Wood (1:04:04)
Yeah, exactly.
Bobby (1:04:25)
Bye-bye.
Tim Wood (1:04:27)
Check you later.
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