Matt and Blake discuss J.T. Miller's podcast interview, Brandon Sutter signing a PTO in Edmonton, Anthony Beauvillier loving playing in a Canadian market, as well as the Lions-Stampeders game Saturday, the Seahawks' first-round pick falling behind, and the surging Mariners. Rob Williams stops by to talk about Miller being a polarizing player, but only because the team isn't winning. Rob enlightens us on where Canucks players live and how Miller is the anomaly. As well as recalling Brandon Sutter's time in Vancouver. Wally Buono joins to talk about his induction into the Lions Wall of Fame this Saturday. Wally shares his favourite moments coaching/managing B.C., his views on the franchise and the league today, and what he's up to in retirement. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed 2023 first-round pick Easton Cowan to a three-year, entry-level contract Thursday, the team announced.
The selection of Cowan at 28th overall came as a bit of a surprise, as most analysts projected him to be picked in the second or third round.
Cowan, a native of Mount Brydges, Ontario, said it was a "dream" to be picked by his hometown Maple Leafs.
The speedy winger collected 53 points in 68 games with the OHL's London Knights last season, adding nine goals and 12 assists in 20 postseason contests. He figures to play a more sizeable role for the Knights in 2023-24.
We've reached the point in the offseason when things typically slow to a crawl, so it's time to have a little fun.
Connor Bedard is poised to enter and excel in the NHL after the Chicago Blackhawks drafted him first overall. Connor McDavid is the best active player in the world, coming off his second Hart Trophy-winning season in three years and the third MVP nod of his career.
The league's abundance of elite Connors doesn't end there. Fans in Winnipeg know all about them. The Jets boast not one but two stellar players who go by that name, with perennially underrated sniper Kyle Connor and consistently dependable goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.
There are so many Connors in the NHL that we wondered how a team full of them would look and fare. But despite the high-level talent at the top, there weren't quite enough players who use the more common spelling, so we decided to allow single "n" Conors, as well.
Without further ado, let's explore the would-be roster for this hypothetical squad on which every active player shares a first or last name with each of their teammates.
Forwards
Codie McLachlan / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Left wing
Center
Right wing
Kyle Connor (WPG)
Connor McDavid (EDM)
Connor Brown (EDM)
Conor Sheary (TBL)
Connor Bedard (CHI)
Conor Garland (VAN)
Drew O'Connor (PIT)
Connor Dewar (MIN)
Logan O'Connor (COL)
Connor Zary (CGY)
Connor McMichael (WAS)
Connor Bunnaman (UFA)
Conor Geekie (ARI)
The top six is clearly formidable. Garland might make more sense on the top line to some, but Brown and McDavid played together in junior and recently reunited when the Edmonton Oilers signed Brown as a free agent on July 1.
Bedard hasn't played a minute in the league yet. However, his sky-high potential cements him as the second-line center between a pair of experienced wingers. The bottom six leave something to be desired, but it's not bad considering the limitations in forming this roster. We made another exception by including the two O'Connors, and this third line isn't terrible as a result.
The fourth line is thin, with a trio who played primarily in the AHL this past season. Zary is a center by preference, but he played as a left-winger in junior. Bunnaman, also a left-shot center, has to play out of position by necessity here. Zary gets to line up on his strong side because he's coming off a 21-goal, 58-point effort over 72 games with the Calgary Wranglers.
Geekie has no NHL experience, but the 19-year-old - whom the Arizona Coyotes drafted 11th overall last year - impressed over his previous two WHL seasons with the Winnipeg Ice. He's also older than Connor Hvidston, a winger with seven games of AHL experience who turns 19 in September and whom the Anaheim Ducks chose 139th in the same draft.
Defensemen
Stacy Revere / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Left defense
Right defense
Connor Clifton (BUF)
Connor Murphy (CHI)
Connor Mackey (NYR)
Conor Timmins (TOR)
Connor Carrick (SEA)
Connor Corcoran (VGK)
Connor McCarthy (Slovakia)
As the above chart makes clear, defense is the one significant area of concern for this imaginary team. Mackey would play his natural position on the left side, but Clifton and Carrick need to slide over due to the team's lack of depth on the back end. But hey, at least they'd have Murphy and his 10 years of NHL experience to provide leadership and log heavy minutes.
The club has to rely on a less-than-inspiring group to round out the defense corps. Corcoran is a 22-year-old Vegas Golden Knights farmhand who has yet to play an NHL game, while the 27-year-old McCarthy only has pro experience in the AHL and ECHL.
In June, McCarthy signed with Slovakian side Banska Bystrica for next season. We're betting he'd rather play - or even ride the pine - for this star-studded collection of namesakes.
Goaltenders
Jonathan Kozub / National Hockey League / Getty
Depth chart
Player
Starter
Connor Hellebuyck (WPG)
Backup
Connor Ingram (ARI)
Third
Connor Murphy (CGY)
As far as crease tandems go, this team would be in better shape than many NHL clubs. Hellebuyck won the 2020 Vezina Trophy and is a perennial contender for the hardware. He's about as consistent as they come. Ingram is a solid No. 2, though his experience at the highest level is limited.
Murphy - the netminder, not the aforementioned blue-liner - signed with the Wranglers in March after four years in the NCAA split between Northeastern University and Union College. As fun (and confusing) as it would be to see two Connor Murphys on the ice simultaneously, we have a feeling that might not be preferable for this team.
The coaching staff
Jeff Vinnick / Getty Images Sport / Getty
Our options are even more limited in this category, but we found our bench boss. Former NHL and WHA winger Cam Connor (seen above battling with The Great One during the Heritage Classic Megastars game in 2003) gets the honor of leading this illustrious group. He's a Manitoba Hockey Hall of Famer and was best friends with WWE legend "Rowdy" Roddy Piper growing up, so that sounds like coaching material to us.
The Winnipeg-born 68-year-old would likely gel well with this team considering all the Winnipeg connections on the roster. He also had a few productive seasons as a WHA player in the '70s. And even though he didn't make much of an impact in the NHL, he learned from legendary head coach Scotty Bowman while playing for the Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens in 1978-79.
Rounding out the staff (remember, there aren't a lot of choices here) is Peterborough Petes assistant coach Patrick O'Connor. He'd presumably be happy to get promoted from the OHL even while keeping the same job description. The English-born leader captained Great Britain's national junior team and won the British Hockey League championship after turning pro.
There you have it. We initially didn't foresee an entire 23-player roster of Connors, Conors, and O'Connors capable of competing at the highest level, but here we are.
Could this team beat an actual NHL club like the basement-dwelling Ducks of this past season or the rebuilding San Jose Sharks after recently trading Erik Karlsson? We'll never know. But despite its defensive deficiencies, we'd give this unique, talented squad the edge against several subpar real-life teams.
Given that the NHL (led by commissioner Gary Bettman) and NHLPA have experimented with numerous All-Star and World Cup formats over the years, why not assemble this group for real and see how it does in a one-off exhibition game for charity? We'd pay to see that, and we know some other people reading this would as well.
San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture isn't planning an exit from the Bay Area as the club looks to become competitive again.
"If I thought it was going to be a five-, six-, seven-year rebuild, then obviously things would change," Couture told NHL.com's Jon Lane.
"But I think (general manager) Mike (Grier) has done a good job of retooling (with) some really good (draft) picks. It's tough to predict what happens a couple of years from now, but I'm excited about this season. I want to turn this thing around here in San Jose. I think they have the management group to do it. They have a great coaching staff that's going to get things going."
San Jose finished 29th in the league last season with a 22-44-16 record - its lowest win total in a full campaign since Couture joined the club in 2009-10.
The Sharks have signified their intentions to rebuild in recent months by trading former franchise cornerstones Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson in separate deals. Couture could theoretically be an attractive trade chip as well, but the 34-year-old doesn't intend to trigger the modified no-trade clause in his contract that allows him to submit a list of three teams he'd accept a deal to.
"Change is hard, and if there ever comes a day where it has to happen and I think it's best for myself and my family, then we'll come to that," Couture said. "I'm sure down the road maybe my role diminishes on the ice, but for now I want to do whatever I can to help this team and be the best player that I can be for the Sharks."
Couture is under contract through 2027 at a cap hit of $8 million. He ranked second in Sharks' scoring last season with 67 points in 82 games while logging over 19 minutes per night.
San Jose drafted Couture ninth overall in 2007. He's racked up 700 points in 927 regular-season games and added 101 more in 116 playoff contests.
The Sharks named Couture captain ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.
Matt returns and joins Blake to discuss J.T. Miller's spicy interview on the Cam & Strick podcast, including his asking for No. 10, not kissing media asses, Rick Tocchet's influence, the fishbowl of Vancouver. They also talk about Matt Dumba signing in Arizona on a team-friendly deal and whether the Canucks should have regrets, plus needing to shed cap space to add a third-line centre. Frank Corrado stops by to share his experiences with Canucks Twitter, how different the media/fan pressure is in Toronto, fiery guys in the dressing room, and the Erik Karlsson trade. John Gibbons joins from The Nat with his impressions on Vancouver and the Canadians, being a rock star across Canada and down into Seattle, attending Jose Bautista tribute night next week, Bautista's famous bat flip and modern baseball managing. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.
Erik Karlsson has one clear goal in mind following a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday: win the Stanley Cup.
The three-time Norris Trophy winner has accomplished more than most in his 14-year NHL career, but he's still chasing that elusive Stanley Cup ring.
Karlsson, whose contract contains a no-movement clause, said he didn't give the San Jose Sharks a list of preferred destinations - he just wanted to go to a contender. When Pittsburgh got involved, he became interested.
"I was very excited about the opportunity to go somewhere I could be on a team where we're contending," he said Wednesday during his introductory press conference. "It was a lot of ups and downs and hard to get a grasp of where things were at. It was exciting when I heard they were interested. I'm happy it worked out in the end."
At 33 years old, Karlsson is the youngest member of Pittsburgh's new core four, joining Sidney Crosby (36), Evgeni Malkin (37), and Kris Letang (36). Even though the Pens missed the playoffs last season, Karlsson still believes the group has what it takes to go on another deep run.
"You have a lot of strong players that have been here for a long time with extreme success," Karlsson said. "I am excited to work alongside players like that, learn from them. ... We're all trying to do the same thing - win hockey games and win the Cup."
Karlsson has experienced Pittsburgh's playoff prowess first hand. During his nine years with the Ottawa Senators, Karlsson lost to the Penguins on three separate occasions in the postseason, including the 2017 Eastern Conference Final when Pittsburgh went on to win it all.
"I've played against Pittsburgh many times, and lost to them a few times when they went on to win the ultimate prize," he said. "That's something they know how to do here, and the players that they've had here for a long time are still really good players."
If the Penguins can qualify for the postseason and make some noise in the spring, Karlsson will undoubtedly play a key role. He's coming off a historic campaign that saw him become the sixth defenseman in history to record 100 points in a single season, and he did so despite playing on the NHL's fourth-worst team.
The Toronto Maple Leafs signed goaltender Martin Jones to a one-year, $875,000 contract, the team announced Wednesday.
Jones spent last season with the Seattle Kraken, going 27-13-3 with an .886 save percentage and a 2.99 goals-against average.
The 33-year-old veteran gives the Leafs insurance between the pipes behind starter Ilya Samsonov and backup Joseph Woll. Jones' signing comes two weeks after Toronto announced netminder Matt Murray is out indefinitely and would be placed on long-term injured reserve to begin the 2023-24 campaign.
Prior to Jones' signing, no healthy goaltender in the Leafs organization behind Samsonov and Woll had any NHL experience. Even Woll, despite shining in limited opportunities last season, only has 15 NHL games - including regular season and playoffs - under his belt.
Jones was stellar during the first five years of his career. He played at least 60 games in three straight seasons for the San Jose Sharks from 2015-18, accumulating a .915 save percentage and 21.1 goals saved above expected in that span, per Evolving-Hockey. He was excellent in the postseason during those three years with San Jose too, posting a .926 save percentage in 40 starts. He also led the Sharks to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final.
However, Jones has been one of the league's worst goalies ever since, recording an .895 save percentage over his last five seasons. His minus-10.74 goals saved above expected was the ninth-worst mark among NHL goaltenders last season.
Even though the personnel changes have been minimal so far this offseason, Nazem Kadri believes viewers will see a new-look Calgary Flames team in 2023-24.
"I think a lot of guys on the team are ready to kind of play to their potential," Kadri told NHL.com's Mike Zeisberger. "For whatever reason, we got a little restricted last year, so I'm just looking forward to a clean slate and starting the year off strong."
After missing the playoffs last year despite lofty preseason expectations, the Flames' only notable roster move has been trading leading scorer Tyler Toffoli for Yegor Sharangovich and a third-round pick. However, Calgary replaced general manager Brad Treliving and head coach Darryl Sutter with Craig Conroy and Ryan Huska, respectively.
Kadri was one of several Flames players - including winger Jonathan Huberdeau and goaltender Jacob Markstrom - to have a down season in 2022-23. The center recorded 56 points in 82 games after notching a career-high 87 in 71 contests the year prior with the Colorado Avalanche.
But Kadri believes the club will play more freely under Huska in 2023-24, which will lead to better results.
"Any time you get fresh faces, it's just a new energy and a new enthusiasm," Kadri said. "So, of course, with the type of personnel we have, we can play creative. We have a lot of skill."
However, there's still plenty of time between now and the start of the season for Conroy to make significant changes to the current roster. After all, the new GM said in his introductory press conference that he doesn't want to let key players walk for free, as Johnny Gaudreau did a year ago.
Kadri, who's signed for six more years, likely isn't going anywhere. However, the team has several players entering the final years of their deals, including Elias Lindholm, Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Nikita Zadorov, who've all been the subject of trade speculation.
