Eastern Conference Final Preview + Vegas Steals Game 1 in Colorado | Daily Faceoff Live

追加: 2026-05-29

[00:00:09][music] [music] >> Hello, welcome in Daily Face Off Live Thursday, May 21st. I got you with that one. Threw you a little curveball today, Huts.

[00:00:25]>> [laughter] >> I was like, where is this guy looking?

[00:00:28]What's going on? Does he know we're live right now? And he came in with the Jim Carrey head swing. I loved it.

[00:00:33]Uh this show is a presentation of Bet365. Download the app today. Hockey fans, you can check out Bet365's three goal early payout when your team goes up three, you get paid. It's that simple.

[00:00:44]Download the app today. Must be 19-plus.

[00:00:46]Please play responsibly. Another conference finals edition of the program. One game in the books. Dave Pagnotta is our guest today. We're going to talk a little off season with him.

[00:00:56]But Huts, it was Vegas coming out like my head, coming out swinging in game one of the Western Conference final.

[00:01:03]Like I I I think as we suspected they would put up a solid game, you know, the way teams that Tortz has coached. I guess we didn't predict this, but without Cale Makar generating offense, I know they created a lot of shots. They had a lot of chances. Carter Hart was very good. But for me, it felt like a very predictable game. And I think that comes down to the way they block shots, the way they kept the play on one half of the ice for Carter Hart. And the breakdowns where, you know, Colorado was able to score. You know, we talked about it earlier, Hutton and Coughlin bumping into each other's skates. They fall down. They give up the center ice and the Chychrun. Then the other one being a power play goal. Other than that, Vegas played a very good road game and they got good goaltending, and that's what the playoffs is kind of built on, Ty.

[00:01:44]Yeah, the 5-v-5 number's a lot closer than like 38-28. You see Colorado put up on the almost 50 shots and you're kind of like, "Whoa, did the Avs just dominate them?" Like, no, I did I really didn't get the sense that that was the case at all. Colorado had a really strong push at one point in the second period, but aside from that, a pretty even hockey game back and forth. I want to zero in on something you said, cuz I know the YouTube chat is already talking about Carter Hart and his performance in game one. Um, you said it was kind of like predictable. Explain that a little bit, like from Carter Hart's perspective. And again, 36 saves, I'm not going to take anything away from a guy who pops home a 947 in his first conference final game, but what about playing behind this Vegas team makes life easy for Carter Hart?

[00:02:26]Well, I think when the game gets eliminated east-west. And when I say that, I means pucks that travel across the ice and then they're shots and you don't have time to set your feet and you're chasing the game a lot. Now, if you look back to a goal that stands out for me that Carter Hart gave up in the second round to Owen Zellweger, it's a cross-seam pass where he's got to travel all the way across his feet, try to gain depth. And that's where his game gets a little bit, I think, stringy and he starts chasing plays where when the puck can stay on one half of the ice. If you drew a line from the center of the net out to the blue line, and if you can keep the puck on that side of the net, I thought this was highlighted well last night by Jake Allen as if you can keep rebounds in front of you, it's almost better. And traditionally, when we grow up watching goaltending, everyone's like, "Well, if you put a rebound in front of you, that's a bad rebound." Well, no, it's not, cuz I have sightlines on it. And just to that effect, if Pat, if you could run the clip on this one where the Howden goal, when it's the out of the box, there's a block and it comes down, Scott Wedgewood makes a great save, but a better rebound would have been something he can keep in front of him.

[00:03:24]So, you watch this rebound, it goes to the side, hits him, Howden makes a great play, hand awareness to grab it with his glove and still get his stick on it.

[00:03:32]But, if Scott Wedgewood is able to keep that rebound in front of him because the pressure is coming on his weak side, there wouldn't have been a goal on that play. And again, that's a tougher situation cuz it's a great A chance, but Carter Hart does a very good job of keeping pucks in front of him and making the game a lot easier where you know where it is. And I think with his decor, doing that is is been really effective in game one.

[00:03:53]Yeah, it was effective in game one. It's been effective throughout the bulk of these playoffs. Hart's been solid for the Golden Knights and there are a lot of teams who are sitting at home right now who are sitting there saying, "Hey, I would love to just get solid gold hitting, right?" It's the old cliche, just stop the ones you're supposed to and maybe one more and Hart seems to do that on most nights for the Golden Knights. Let's talk about Brett Howden, the 28-year-old from Oak Bank, Manitoba.

[00:04:14]Hart's nine goals in 13 games in these playoffs, including the one that went down as the eventual winner last year and he is in the first year of a five-year extension that carries a $2.5 million cap hit. I don't know if I'll ever say I feel bad for a guy who's going to make $10 million USD over the next five years of his life, but god damn if this guy could have lined up this playoff run to a contract year as a UFA. We're talking about a guy who's probably like teams would watch what he's doing right now and be like, "All right, let's give him Kiefer Sherwood money."

[00:04:47]Yeah. Yeah, yeah, and that's the case of timing is everything and again, that's something as Howden, I think as you process it as a professional athlete, you just can't control at this point.

[00:04:56]What you can control is trying to help this team win a cup and and securing yourself a chance to be there when this contract's up and maybe get paid again if your game keeps growing, but he has been a key player on this team and you look at the minutes that was pumped in last night by Carlson and by Marner and Eichel having the MacKinnon match-up.

[00:05:12]Someone is going to get a better set-up here and Howden has earned the right to do that and playing in that line has been a lot of fun to watch. So, he's been a great storyline and I just think the complete play of this Vegas team and the buy-in to John Tortorella, maybe because it is such a short window where Torts doesn't have the full year to wear you down and make you be like, "Man, leave me alone." It's a short window.

[00:05:33]They weren't playing well, but he has this team doing what they need to right now.

[00:05:36]Brett Howden, the first round pick from 10 years ago finding his footing with the Golden Knights. He of course scored 23 goals last year and that wasn't the only kind of out of nowhere story. How about Dylan Coughlin who Ken Bulky said on our show probably deserves a shot in the lineup. He opened the scoring for the Golden Knights 615 days between goals for the Vegas Golden Knights D-man. And the bottom of the lineup, all those peripheral guys, they all chipped in. Mitch Marner also had a big impact finding Pavel Dorofeyev for the second goal of the game. Just an all-world play from Mitch Marner. And I want to address a comment that Justin had in the chat. He said, "Vegas looks so good last night." "Still wish people would hit Marner. It's like there's a stop sign anytime he's on the ice." I don't think guys are going out there and actively saying like, "Oh, I don't I'm not going to touch Mitch Marner." I just think he's so deceptive, he's so quick, and if you want to run at him and try to hit him with a big physical play, he's just going to turn and spin off of you.

[00:06:33]Yeah, I think that's a factor. I And I And I understand where the comment's coming from cuz it's something that I feel like I dealt with playing against, you know, I was in the Central Division for a long time against like Patrick Kane and these guys that are like smaller, shifty play- You're like, "Run him through the boards. Take him out of the play." But the fact is you're better to try to contain players like that than go out because they're going to make you miss and they're going to make you look stupid. They've been doing this their whole life. And something that's been highlighted from year in year out, the skating ability of the smaller guys in the league and why they're good. And Mitch Marner's a great example of being in another situation, playing well, and again, you know, the word was the first two rounds was he wasn't, you know, he just did that cuz it was weaker matchups. And now he's playing against Colorado, which is the best team in the NHL from the regular season, and he makes a big-time play in a big-time moment, and Dorofeyev is there to finish the job. And that's a great shot, too.

[00:07:25]Like you catch that on your off wing to come back against the grain. That's a really hard play for Wedgewood. And And I didn't think Wedgewood was bad. I thought he made saves, but the first one is a really tough one. They let Coghlan walk in to the ladies tees at the hash marks, but it can't go through you. It goes through your five-hole. It's a tough one at that point. When you carried the play, Hart makes some big saves on the PK. I think that's a big swing moment in this game.

[00:07:47]Mitch Marner leading the Stanley Cup playoffs in points with 19. He's now up to third in Conn Smythe odds over with our friends at Bet365 and all the Listen, we'll talk about this more tomorrow, but all the pressure in the world now shifts to Colorado. You do not want to go down two nothing on home ice.

[00:08:02]Now all of a sudden, you're maybe a little bit even more worried about missing Cale Makar. If you know, Scott Wedgewood doesn't have a great game in game two, are you starting to contemplate a goalie switch? Like they can squash a lot of this by going out and taking care of business in game two of this series, but those thoughts, they got to be creeping into your head a little bit if you're if you're the Colorado Avalanche or an Avalanche fan.

[00:08:24]Again, we'll keep going with this conversation tomorrow, of course, cuz it's early and this should be like Nate MacKinnon said, we're gearing up for seven games in the Western Conference final. Out east, the Montreal Canadiens looking to have a similar result tonight and steal one in Raleigh, North Carolina. It's the first conference final game for the Habs since 2021. It's the first conference final game for the for the Carolina Hurricanes since last year, 2025.

[00:08:50]I know we dug into this a little bit yesterday with Petey Hutts, but when you look at this series, if the Habs want to find a way to come out hot, what do they need this evening?

[00:09:00]You know, I I I think they have to have that momentum. They're going to have to get a lot from their top line. I think that's going to be a big thing in this series, right? Because the matchups in game one and two are going to go to Carolina because of last change, you know, you're going to have to go up against Jordan Staal and you know, his line can shut you down in the defensive zone. But that being said, I I I think what the biggest factor here too for them is not overextending themselves, staying in their moment. And something that I think could be a key factor when I look at Montreal is them a Doff. It felt like he is just continually getting better and adding more confidence to his game come playoff time. He's learning how to play in these segments. And he's a great example of like a Mitch Marner style player where he is so good with the puck you have to be careful. And they're going to have to chew off that. And as for the Carolina Hurricanes, is it still going to be that one line that can come and dominate post coming out of the break? Because that's going to be an interesting topic. Hall, Stankoven, and Blake were so good in those first two rounds. Jarvis and Aho, that line, Svechnikov need to get going.

[00:09:56]So, it's going to be a game of cat and mouse here early as we see this rest versus rest in this match up here, Ty.

[00:10:01]Love that you brought that up and love that Pat threw up this board in time as well. Hall, Blake, and Stankoven are outscoring the other team 9 to 1 at 5 on 5 through their eight playoff games so far. And I want to zero in on the two top lines here for a second. Carolina's top line has only been on the ice for one 5 on 5 goal so far in their eight playoff games. Montreal's top line, and when you look at their scoring leaders, Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky, they're all up there in the top five. But against Buffalo, they weren't exactly dominant. In fact, far from it.

[00:10:33]Caufield, Suzuki, and Slafkovsky, when all three of them were on the ice at 5 on 5, they got outscored 4 to 1. So, I do think with Demidov and Newhook, like Montreal's got good depth. And Carolina's shown through two series, even if you want to say the opponents and the quality was a little bit weaker than what even Montreal had to go through, they got good depth as well. I think this series is really going to be decided by which one of these two top lines. And I'm especially curious to see if Brind'Amour and St. Louis decide to just kind of say, "You know what? Screw it. Power on power kind of thing." Um which one of these top lines can win that match up. Because again, Montreal got away a couple games with some puck luck and getting outplayed at 5 on 5.

[00:11:10]Like, I don't think you're going to get away with that against the Carolina Hurricanes. You probably need that Slafkovsky, Caufield, and Suzuki line to dominate their match up.

[00:11:18]Well, and and I think going into this, right? As you reflect on the last series against Buffalo, similar to Vegas Golden Knights. Everyone was like, "Well, they had a Utah and they had Anaheim out of the Pacific Division." But they go out and they find a way to win game one, right? Like trying to handicap these matches going into the third round of the conference final, it's tricky, right? Both teams are going to be solid.

[00:11:36]But for Montreal, in my opinion, it's going to be depth, it's going to be consistency. And then you look at how they ran 5D in game seven, too. Like is Arber Xhekaj going to be able to step up and play some minutes because maybe they're not as high-powered offense. So, having spots where you can protect and have a little bit more predictable game.

[00:11:54]And then Jakub Dobeš because I think Buffalo gave you a free a few freebies, right? You look at some of the goals that went in against Lyon and goals that went in against UPL. I don't know if you're going to get that against the Carolina defense that swarms you in the D-zone and makes it a little bit easier for their goaltending than what you saw in Buffalo, Ty.

[00:12:11]And again, Frederik Andersen is a guy who if his health isn't letting him down, his game has let him down late in these playoff runs for Carolina. Like again, as much as we did a little like Wedgwood ooh, game two goes bad, do they have a decision to make? If you're Montreal, I think you got to recognize that even though you're starting on the road and you're never in trouble till you lose at home and blah blah blah blah blah, if you can win game one and maybe score four or five goals on 25 shots, a little bit of doubt I think starts to creep into this Carolina team.

[00:12:39]Yeah, I agree. And And again, history has shown with Carolina when they get to this phase. But the other side of it is like it's not like Rod Brind'Amour and his staff hasn't taken notes and they don't have like what they went through before and what makes a difference. And I think that was always a great storyline with the Florida Panthers with Matthew Tkachuk and like getting to that cup final, opening your eyes and being like, "Okay, this is what we need to do differently."

[00:13:02]So, coming into this, I'm sure the pace of practice this past few days has been cranked up. They're going to be ready to go. So, this is going to be an exciting series and I think there's a lot of young talent versus that veteran core of Carolina that's going to tell the storyline.

[00:13:18]Uh all right, off-season preview time.

[00:13:19]Then we're getting to Dave Pen Yoda. The next team up on our list is the San Jose Sharks. For the first, we'll call it half of the season, three-quarters of the season, It was like, "Hey, San Jose's got a shot to get in the playoffs here." And, you know, similar to the leap that Anaheim took, San Jose was seemingly primed and ready to take it almost a year earlier than expected or two years earlier than expected. They kind of fizzled out and, you know, Macklin Celebrini, who you see on your screen here, he was legitimately in the heart trophy conversation. Collin Graf, who's on the board as a key RFA, like there was a lot of really good stories for this San Jose team this year, but now it's kind of you're moving out of the feel good area. And I think if you're Mike Grier, there's a little bit of pressure on you to really give this team the jolt that it needs to hopefully compete in the Pacific Division next year. They have $41.5 million in cap space with 17 players on their roster.

[00:14:10]They can spend whatever the hell they want to this summer. And I think the focus for the Sharks hot, it's not exactly a hot take, they need to find some blue liners. And it's just a matter of do they go and get some easier to acquire veterans, which is kind of what they did a year ago. They traded for Nick Leddy, which was just a cap dump.

[00:14:26]They signed guys like John Klingberg.

[00:14:28]They threw a pile money at Orlov. Like, do they keep going down that path? Or do they try to find their version of the Noah Dobson trade?

[00:14:37]Yeah, I I think that is where they've got to exercise every option they have, right? You look at their back end, you look at obviously Dmitri Orlov having one year left and Sam Dickinson kind of being the two staples coming back.

[00:14:47]Everyone else being a UFA and trying to figure out what you do in that situation. So, the options are there for them to make a move and and, you know, is it to trade up? Is it to, you know, they have a lot of picks and what they can find to make that adjustment? For me, I think the window of getting the free pass is coming to an end now. Like, I don't know if you felt this way. I felt this way with this team. It's like even when they're struggling two years ago, we're like, "Ah, it's just San Jose. They're having fun. They're cute. They're like going to get there." Now, I feel like the pressure's starting to mount.

[00:15:16]Expectations are there. And I think that's going to change realistically where this team goes. And I think in the pipes is going to be a big question mark, too. Like is Askarov ready to make that jump at 23, right?

[00:15:26]Like they had Nedeljkovic, very serviceable. He's got 2 more years left at 3 million, which is a good payday for him. But for Askarov, now it's kind of your time to be the guy. Can you jump up from that 47 game window into the 55 and be a difference maker with a 910 and and kind of put your flag in that you're one of these young and up-and-coming goalies. So, that's going to be a big question mark and the team obviously that's in front of them, Ty.

[00:15:52]Let's take a stab at what a Macklin Celebrini extension could look like. And of course, they don't have to get it done this summer. He's got one more year on his ELC. So, if both sides kind of say like, "Hey, let's wait a year and and see where things go." Um I think we all kind of know where things are going.

[00:16:06]He's going to win MVPs in his career.

[00:16:08]He's the face of the franchise. He's going to be their next captain. All of that stuff. I kind of held them up side by side to Connor McDavid after Connor McDavid's second year in the league where I mean, look at the production.

[00:16:19]Like Celebrini outproduced Connor McDavid. And again, Celebrini was putting up what? 50 some more points than the next best player on his team.

[00:16:27]Like these are wildly impressive numbers. And the math I kind of did was, you know, McDavid coming out of his ELC took about 15.7% of the cap on his 12 and 1/2 million dollar extension. If Celebrini were to do that, it translates to a 15.6 million dollar AAV. Where do you come out on that? Do you think Celebrini an 8-year deal? What is it? Like 15, 16 million dollars?

[00:16:51]You know what? It realistically at the end of the day when you look at the NHL and the numbers that are going to get thrown around, you look at the Kaprizov contract, what potentially Quinn Hughes is going to get, Makar. Celebrini is in his own right to take that payday and to make it work. And I know that it's changing here with the new CBA. We touched on that that's going to go down to 7 years if he's to sign after that with his own team, obviously. So, 7 years if you can get him to lock in on that number. If the cap keeps going up, we might be looking in 3-4 years being like Celebrini's underpaid for the way the market is going. But, to take the unknown out of it for a younger player like how do you say no to money like that? To know that you're taken care of for the rest of your life depending on an injury or any fate that could go into what happens. And it does seem like he is a guy that's committed to the cause, right? He wants to win. He's going to bleed for his team. He's not a guy looking to take a 2-year or 3-year deal.

[00:17:43]Yeah, it'll be an interesting one and we'll see if San Jose makes the leap on doing it. There also is a little bit and I don't know how much the two sides really care about one another, but like Connor Bedard needs his extension this summer. So, if you're Celebrini, do you sit there and go, "I'll wait and see what he gets." And then point to the fact that I produced more this year and go, "Hey, I deserve an extra 1 and 1/2 or 2 million on that." It's It'll be really interesting on that front as a couple of young players are open for new extensions. Um let's maybe get our insiders take on that. It's a good day to have Dave Pagnotta swing by from the fourth period.

[00:18:17]>> [music] >> You can also catch him on the DFO Rundown Insider Edition here on the DFO YouTube once a week with Erf Gafar.

[00:18:25]Dave, Celebrini extension this summer very expensive?

[00:18:32]This summer or next summer, it's going to be very expensive.

[00:18:34]Um yeah, I heard you guys talking about I mean 15 range wouldn't entirely shock me, but I don't know if they'll go full term on it. I think this might be a 5-year get to the last year of your RFA status and then and then kind of go from there.

[00:18:52]Um we will we will see. We will see what you guys were talking about with respect to Bedard, what that number comes in at. If they do go full term, I mean there's some there's some pretty big numbers that are being discussed and they're being tossed around with his possible AAV being 15, 16, 17 mil if you're going full term.

[00:19:12]Um so we'll see kind of you know, I think that's going to impact a little bit of what happens here, but without question 15 range for Celebrini probably on a shorter term, not full term deal.

[00:19:26]That's that's what I would look for.

[00:19:27]That's that's what I would anticipate with respect to him and maybe Bedard goes that route as well.

[00:19:33]You got to get the sense though with, you know, some amount of certainty in regards to the cap's going to keep shooting up over the next few years.

[00:19:39]Like teams should be pushing for max term, right? It'll be the players that kind of go like, "You know what? I'm just going to keep getting pay days as I go along here."

[00:19:47]Yeah, well, I mean it and it goes on both sides. Like some guys are comfortable with um that's that automatic security. You locked in, you don't have to worry about it. Okay, yeah, whatever. You you could have got extra amount more, but to have that security in the event that something bad happens, you get hurt, you get injured, there's like it happens.

[00:20:06]Um that's valued as well. I think with some of the younger guys and I and I think that's that's where now you're going more towards the second contract. Or excuse me.

[00:20:17]Third contract, second out of ELC.

[00:20:19]That's usually when you go in that direction. So you could see Bedard or Celebrini or some of these other young kids um Leo Carlsson needs a deal, Cutter Gauthier.

[00:20:27]You know, you can see those guys in that, you know, three to five year range, whatever takes them to that last year of RFA.

[00:20:32]And then at that point they go full term after the fact, which then would be seven years. Um I can see kind of that playing out with a lot of these younger guys right now, taking that chance so to speak, going a little shorter term rather than max. And then hoping that the dollars are going to be that much more cuz you're right, the cap's continuously going up. It's at 104 for next season. It'll be 113.5 in that range this the season after.

[00:20:55]Be another ballpark 8 to 10 million dollars more the season after that and so on and so on if we're continuing the trend upwards. And you know, money's looking good, ratings are good, sponsorships good. All of it's continuing. Ticket sales are great, so you know, that that that that current cap hit figure will continuously go up and teams are banking on it because they want to get these guys locked in.

[00:21:18]It's good for everybody, boys. We got jobs, too. That's the important thing here. The league is thriving, everyone's thriving. It's awesome. And And again, I You know it's funny, you talk about the contracts, and I remember playing with Jack Eichel being like, "My contract sucks." when he had 8 years, 10 million a year. And I'm like, "Whoa, easy, Jack.

[00:21:31]I think you're going to do okay." And now thinking Buffalo's in a similar situation with Alex Tuch, the only guy that's the big name. Like, where do we see him land? I Like I heard his press conference. You know, he didn't really give much away. Obviously, he's going to prioritize family. You kind of said the certain buzzwords we hear. What happens with Alex Tuch?

[00:21:48]>> Yeah.

[00:21:50]You know, I did the full series, the Buffalo-Montreal series, and there was some word, or at least chatter anyway, that you know, maybe the likelihood of him returning has increased, or has increased, excuse me. Um Now, he's going to have to evaluate all of that properly. Like, they stopped talking ahead of playoffs. Obviously, that was the focus. But, there's been a very solid open line of communication between Kekalainen, the GM, and his agents. Um So, this hasn't been a a point where nobody's, you know, been calling each other, or they look at somebody calling like, "I'm going to ignore this guy." It hasn't been that.

[00:22:21]It's just been you know, a lot of back and forth, and nobody's nailed the number. Now, the number is probably going to be anywhere from 10 and 1/2 to 11 million.

[00:22:29]Um I don't anticipate that rough series against Montreal for him. Like, he had seven points in his first six games in the first round.

[00:22:37]He just got kind of shut off this the the scoresheet in round two against Montreal.

[00:22:42]So, you know, I know a lot of people are talking about like, "How much money did he lose?" I don't think he's really going to lose much, if anything, because of what you said earlier, he is the top dog in free agency. So, if he wants to really cash out, um he can hit July 1 and take his chances there, but it did sound like maybe they were leaning towards, you know, sticking around in Buffalo. We'll see kind of where that goes in the next few weeks when they reconvene um with respect to actual negotiations.

[00:23:07]Conversations are one thing, talking's one thing. It's a matter of actually negotiating that that contract and what it looks like now. Um and that's probably going to I would imagine happen in the next 2 to 3 weeks.

[00:23:18]What about Scott Laughton and the LA Kings? I was looking AFP Analytics updated their projections the other day and like Jason Dickinson was a guy who they had projected to make 5 million bucks. I talked about it on OilersNation everyday yesterday and people were like, "There's no Look at his offense." And I'm like, "Hey, this could be the summer of sticker shock." And the centerman on the market, assuming you know, Malkin goes back to Pittsburgh and all of that other stuff sorts itself out. Like, the best centers on the market could be Dickinson and Laughton.

[00:23:45]Yeah, and and right, exactly. And maybe I mean, kind of Boone Jenner cuz he can play the position, too.

[00:23:50]Um but yeah, those are your guys.

[00:23:52]Coyle's re-upped in in Columbus. Like, these are the guys and and you're probably looking in a I believe before he was traded, I believe the number in the sweet spot was in and around $5 million per year on an extension. Toronto didn't want to do it. They ended up moving him. Um I think that was around the time Bobby McMahon also was in the five and a half range uh per year and Toronto didn't want to do that. They moved him to Seattle. Um Laughton either has or will be meeting {slash} talking to LA this week um and and trying to get a good indication as to what the direction of the team is. He likes it there. He's gelled well with that group. I remember talking to him towards the end of the regular season. He was happy with you know, where he was and and the move and he was impressed by the room as well. With Panarin there and Kopitar being a big part of that, obviously, you know, he's not going to be there anymore. Uh but it seemed like he gelled pretty nicely in in that room and and you know, they they certainly like him.

[00:24:47]They would like to keep him. I believe there's mutual interest in getting something done. You know, I just I don't know what the timeline on that is, but they either met this week or planning to meet this week to at least have that conversation and strengthen that that hopefully strengthen that relationship for their sake.

[00:25:02]Um but we'll see kind of where that goes. I know he's, you know, he he's got a relationship with D.J. Smith, the interim head coach. They're going through their search right now for a new bench boss. We'll see if that impacts his decision. And maybe he waits until they do decide, you know, who the new full-time head coach is. But it does sound like definitely mutual interest from Laughton's side and the Kings to keep that relationship going and we'll see kind of how that unfolds over the next little bit.

[00:25:26]You know what? And I think for veteran players that holds a lot of water, right? Like I remember Columbus, a lot of guys talking about waiting to see what Rick Bowness did. He signs, they get coiled back and making those decisions. And as we start to prepare for free agency, cuz before we know it it's going to be upon us, there's not a lot of center depth, right? Like what do you make in that market where when we're watching teams right now, we watch Minnesota like the lack of depth at center. And these certain teams, like we know that can be a factor to push you over the top in the playoffs.

[00:25:51]Yeah, and and I think that's what's going to lead to cuz a lot of teams have holes. So I think this is going to lead to a lot more I know we're all hopeful that there's going to be more trades and more activity around draft and and even around July, but um I there does seem to be more of an urgency, more motivation to make trades because just how shallow the pool is.

[00:26:10]We just rifled off three guys. That's pretty much it. And and none of those guys, all due respect to them, they're not first-line centers.

[00:26:17]Not really second-line centers. So, you know, very valuable to their teams, but for teams that are looking to make those types of adjustments and add to their top six, they're going to have to fish in the trade pool.

[00:26:28]And you that's why you're going to hear certain names pop like Vinny Trochek.

[00:26:31]One of the reasons the Rangers uh the belief was one of the Ranger reasons the Rangers held him before the trade deadline was yeah, teams weren't meeting their price, but they felt they'd get that price if not a little bit more in the summer based on how things were trending. Well, seems like a decent move right now depending on what the ultimate deal is, but he's still available and they're talking there. So that's just one example of a centerman that is probably for a team that wants to make that move, probably going to go in the trade direction and try to, you know, bolster your roster that way.

[00:27:01]Uh I want to wrap up with a little bit of talk about the Calgary Flames. You reported that there's some interest in that Flames front office to move up in the first round. I guess expand on that and then also what does that tell us about how Craig Conroy sees this off season going for Calgary?

[00:27:17]Well, this is going to be a full like I think they're fully invested into that rebuild um that we've been waiting for for for a while. Now, these two things are separate. So one, yes, they they looks like they want to move up or at least try to um to to see if like they were hopeful they were going to get a better pick.

[00:27:34]Um they moved down.

[00:27:36]They're hopeful that that, you know, they can figure something out here.

[00:27:39]Maybe move up to two, maybe three, four. I mean, they're going to talk to I would imagine all of those teams to see what the what the price tags are and what the appetite is to move up. Uh or or for those teams to to potentially move down. Um you know, we know San Jose's willing to listen on number two.

[00:27:56]We know Chicago's willing to listen on four.

[00:27:58]I think different motivation on both. I think San Jose's willing to move back. I think um Chicago is willing to move the pick entirely. Uh in in if it brings in, you know, a legitimate NHL caliber top six in his 20s type of player to play with either Bedard or Fundel. Um so we'll see kind of where Chica where where Chicago goes with that and how that impacts, you know, the Calgary Flames. They're not the only ones. I think the Rangers want to move up, too. So we'll see kind of, you know, where where that all goes. But there's definitely interest there.

[00:28:30]And then just from Calgary's overall perspective, they're pretty much open for business. At least that's the message that's being relayed out there.

[00:28:36]So they're willing to listen on a number of their guys. Obviously, we know some of the veterans like Blake Coleman who wasn't dealt ahead of the deadline, he'll be a talking point certainly.

[00:28:45]There were a lot of teams that reached out about Zach Whitecloud when they made that Anderson deal with Vegas.

[00:28:49]He's going to be a topic of discussion.

[00:28:51]Don't be surprised at all if Morgan Frost's name is popping up. He's got the final or he's entering the final year of his deal, but a limited no-trade, but they're going to listen on on that speaking of centers. You know, maybe you know, teams looking at that option. Um and so on and so on. Pretty much, you know, take your pick. Unless you're one of the young up-and-coming studs on that team, uh looks like Connie's going to be willing to listen on pretty much anybody.

[00:29:15]Dave, as always, appreciate your time, and we'll chat again next week.

[00:29:19]Sounds good. See you, boys.

[00:29:21]>> [music] >> Daily Face-Off inbox question, #askdfo.

[00:29:30]Natty wants to know, should Colorado consider Blackwood in game two, or is it too early for that?

[00:29:36]It's too early. Too early, in my opinion. I I I I get it, cuz you have a stud on your bench, too, but he hasn't been what you expect. I think it's a situation where if it doesn't go well in game two, maybe you pull Wedgewood, get him in, get his feet under him before he starts game three. But I do think it's too soon to get away from Wedgewood, cuz he has been a difference-maker. And you look how Mackenzie played in that one game against Minnesota. He was really good. And not that he was bad in the game he got pulled on. The Foligno goals were all kind of cross-ice seam passes.

[00:30:04]I just don't think it's been enough yet to go to him.

[00:30:08]Uh I know some people were asking about the Simon Nemec news from today. Reports from overseas saying he's asked for a trade out of New Jersey. Our guy, James Nichols, um who covers the Devils and does a bang-up job of it. He's reporting that Sunny Mehta, the new Devils' GM, has been in contact with the pending RFA, and that unlike the rumor, there has been no official trade request. But still, fully expect Nemec's name to be popping up in trade rumors over the next few months. Uh Hots, let's get to our betting talk for Bet365. Tired of waiting for the end of the game to get paid? Ready to move on to the next puck drop? That's why I bet Bet365, an official partner of the NHL, has the three goal early payout. If the team you're riding goes up three at any point in the game, they'll pay your bet out early. Hockey moves fast, and now with three goal early payout, there's one less thing you have to wait around for.

[00:30:56]Bet365, download the app, see what early payouts are all about. Must be 19 or older. Please play responsibly. Hots, that Canadia, or sorry, the Canes open as minus 200 favorites tonight on home ice. Yesterday, it was the dogs who got it done with the Golden Knights winning as plus money underdogs. Montreal plus 165. Over/under, five and a half. What do you think tonight?

[00:31:17]Oh, I I I think it might be over tonight. I don't know why. I just think that like the rest versus rust comparison. But I I think we're going to learn a lot about this series in the first 10 minutes of like where this team can go and the offense that I think Carolina is going to have to create.

[00:31:33]This is going to be a great storyline.

[00:31:34]And again, I think this is going to come down to does Ya Dobish have more in the tank? You know, he's a 24-year-old who's played a lot of games, more than he ever has. I think the storyline of like the youth versus the veteran Freddy Anderson's going to be a big storyline.

[00:31:46]But I I like the Canes tonight at home.

[00:31:48]I I I just think the way they play is going to be hard for Montreal to get up after emotional win on Monday night.

[00:31:54]Yeah, I think that's fair. Shot props, nailed both of them yesterday, by the way. Now that we're not keeping track, I'm suddenly able to hit a god damn bet.

[00:32:01]>> [laughter] >> But anyways, Taylor Hall has gone three or more shots in three straight games.

[00:32:04]He's plus 115 to do that tonight. I don't mind Cole Caufield three plus shots at minus 150 either. You can play them together. Uh so, there's a couple of shot props for this one. Wrap it up.

[00:32:15]Garbage time. Hots championship news as the Montreal Canadiens continue their quest of a Stanley Cup. It was the Montreal Victoire and Marie-Philip Poulin winning playoff MVP. The first Canadian team to win the Walter Cup as PWHL champions. They beat Ottawa four nothing in their final. So, a championship for a Canadian hockey club.

[00:32:36]And an all-Canadian final goes the way of Montreal. Marie-Philip Poulin, I mean cementing herself as I would say the greatest women's hockey player of all time. Another trophy on the mantle for her.

[00:32:47]Yeah, yeah, it was unbelievable win last night. And then the short-handed goal, the jailbreak goal. I I don't know if you saw her interview after. She talked about what she was going through in the penalty box. So that was a great moment.

[00:32:56]It's great to see and again like we we see it's growing. The PWHL expanding, added more teams and I think it's just in such a good place from where it came from. It's so it's great to see but it's people and it's women like her who are growing the game and making it a household household event to watch PWHL games and get out and watch them live.

[00:33:15]And Marie-Philip Poulin doing it on the same team as her fiance, Laura Stacey.

[00:33:18]So a cool story there from Montreal as well. So congratulations to the Victoire and tonight Montreal hockey fans certainly hoping for another big win to kick off the Eastern Conference final.

[00:33:30]That is a wrap on today's edition of the show. Enjoy the hockey tonight. We'll see you all back here tomorrow, noon Eastern.

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