Matt and Blake discuss the Hughes-Hronek pair and how long it can/will stay together, Friday's game against the Blues, the scary scene with Vasily Podkolzin, Elias Pettersson's interview with Elliotte Friedman from the summer, and Zack Kassian announcing his retirement. The guys also talk about Shane Pinto's gambling suspension, a decentralized NHL draft, and the Lions' chances to take home CFL Player Awards.

Patrick Johnston joins and talks about his story on Podkolzin pre-injury, and how his life changed after becoming a Dad. Patrick also covers the Canucks' start through 6 games, Nils Höglander's emergence and the bottom-6, the longevity of the Hughes-Hronek pair and the Pinto suspension.

Rob Williams reflects on his blogger days and a funny story about Don Taylor getting in his mentions. He discusses the Canucks' 4-2 start, Podkolzin, and the Lions and Whitecaps being playoff-good for the first time since the latter joined MLS. Presented by Applewood Auto Group.

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Zack Kassian announced his retirement after a 12-year NHL career Thursday.

"To play in the NHL is one thing, but to make a 12-year career of it is pretty special," Kassian said in a statement. "From coaches to equipment staff and fellow players I've met along the way, I've made so many relationships that are going to last a lifetime."

Kassian, 32, was released from a professional tryout with the Anaheim Ducks earlier in October. He was an unrestricted free agent after being bought out by the Arizona Coyotes this summer.

A standout in junior hockey with the OHL's Peterborough Petes, Kassian was drafted 13th overall in 2009 by the Buffalo Sabres. He played 27 games with the Sabres in 2011-12 before being traded to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Cody Hodgson prior to the deadline.

Kassian played parts of four seasons in Vancouver, racking up 32 goals and 59 points in 171 games. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2015 but was flipped to the Edmonton Oilers before suiting up for the Habs.

The Windsor, Ontario, native spent seven years with the Oilers, which became his most notable stint in the league. He scored 55 goals and 135 points in 412 with Edmonton, reaching a career-high 15 goals and 34 points in 59 contests during the 2019-2020 campaign while featuring alongside Connor McDavid.

Kassian was dealt to the Arizona Coyotes at the 2022 draft along with second- and third-round draft picks in order for Edmonton to clear cap space. Edmonton also moved back from 29th overall to 32nd in the transaction.

In what ultimately became his final NHL campaign, Kassian tallied two goals and no assists in 51 games last season with the Coyotes before being bought out of the final year of his contract during the summer.

Kassian totaled 661 games across 12 seasons, accruing 92 goals, 203 points, and an impressive 913 penalty minutes. From his debut season in 2011-12 through to his last campaign in 2022-23, Kassian ranked ninth in the entire league in PIMs.

He made the postseason on six occasions - twice with Vancouver and four times with Edmonton - recording 45 Stanley Cup playoff games and nine postseason points.

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Ottawa Senators restricted free-agent forward Shane Pinto will be suspended for 41 games after violating the NHL's gambling rules, sources told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The league didn't accuse Pinto of wagering on NHL games, Friedman added. The 22-year-old hasn't played a game in the 2023-24 season as he remains unsigned.

Pinto's suspension is the NHL's first betting-related ban in the world of online wagering, per The Athletic's Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun.

The NHL reportedly began investigating Pinto's actions during the summer, and his contract negotiations were put on hold while the league conducted a recent hearing, according to Friedman.

Sources also told Friedman that Pinto's suspension began with the first game of the Senators' season and isn't dependent on him signing a new contract.

Pinto netted 20 goals and 35 points in 82 games last season. He was limited to five contests in 2021-22 due to a shoulder injury. Ottawa selected him in the second round of the 2019 NHL Draft.

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A lot is going wrong for the 1-4-1 Edmonton Oilers in the early days of the 2023-24 campaign, but head coach Jay Woodcroft is certain that a change in their defensive system isn't to blame.

"I think it gets magnified by the fact that our record is what our record is right now," he told the media Wednesday, including Sportsnet. "Any time you go do something new and you're working through something, there's growing pains. Can we be better? Yeah, we can. And we don't make any excuses for it."

Prior to the new season, Edmonton switched its scheme from man-to-man coverage to zone defense, which the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins and Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights used last year.

The Oilers led all teams with 325 goals for last season, but they also gave up 256 goals against, good for the 16th most in the league. Getting that number down with a new system was a focal point for the team through training camp and the preseason, but it hasn't paid off just yet.

Edmonton has been outscored 17-27 through the first six games of the new campaign and is coming off a messy performance in which Woodcroft's squad surrendered seven goals in a loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Woodcroft said he believed the new system "performed pretty well" prior to his team's shellacking in Saint Paul.

"I think through (the first) five games, we gave up one defensive-zone goal," he said. "(Tuesday) it wasn't good enough. Part of that's on us, part of that's a credit to the other team that did some unique things, some good things, and their top players found a way to break it."

The Oilers gave up eight goals in their season opener against the Canucks, but Woodcroft argued that none of those tallies were a result of a breakdown in the new system.

"The first goal was off a rush where a player floated one, we missed it, a guy tipped it in. Second goal was off a breakout turnover. I think we gave up three power-play goals that night, so that's five," he explained. "Gave up a faceoff goal, that's six. We gave up a forecheck goal on the eighth goal where we didn't work above someone, that's seven. … Oh, and then there was one off the rush where it kinda banged around in the second period there."

He added, "That had nothing to do with D-zone coverage. That had everything to do with individual errors within those types of situations."

According to Woodcroft, the one defensive-zone goal the Oilers allowed in their first five games came in Game 2 against the Vancouver Canucks, when Nils Hoglander scored on a tip-in.

"We weren't good enough around our net," he said.

Hailed as Stanley Cup hopefuls heading into the season, the Oilers are 11 points behind the Golden Knights, who sit atop the Pacific Division with a 7-0-0 record.

Edmonton will square off against the New York Rangers on Thursday.

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A lot is going wrong for the 1-4-1 Edmonton Oilers in the early days of the 2023-24 campaign, but head coach Jay Woodcroft is certain that a change in their defensive system isn't to blame.

"I think it gets magnified by the fact that our record is what our record is right now," he told the media Wednesday, including Sportsnet. "Any time you go do something new and you're working through something, there's growing pains. Can we be better? Yeah, we can. And we don't make any excuses for it."

Prior to the new season, Edmonton switched its scheme from man-to-man coverage to zone defense, which the Presidents' Trophy-winning Boston Bruins and Stanley Cup-winning Vegas Golden Knights used last year.

The Oilers led all teams with 325 goals for last season, but they also gave up 256 goals against, good for the 16th most in the league. Getting that number down with a new system was a focal point for the team through training camp and the preseason, but it hasn't paid off just yet.

Edmonton has been outscored 17-27 through the first six games of the new campaign and is coming off a messy performance in which Woodcroft's squad surrendered seven goals in a loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Woodcroft said he believed the new system "performed pretty well" prior to his team's shellacking in Saint Paul.

"I think through (the first) five games, we gave up one defensive-zone goal," he said. "(Tuesday) it wasn't good enough. Part of that's on us, part of that's a credit to the other team that did some unique things, some good things, and their top players found a way to break it."

The Oilers gave up eight goals in their season opener against the Canucks, but Woodcroft argued that none of those tallies were a result of a breakdown in the new system.

"The first goal was off a rush where a player floated one, we missed it, a guy tipped it in. Second goal was off a breakout turnover. I think we gave up three power-play goals that night, so that's five," he explained. "Gave up a faceoff goal, that's six. We gave up a forecheck goal on the eighth goal where we didn't work above someone, that's seven. … Oh, and then there was one off the rush where it kinda banged around in the second period there."

He added, "That had nothing to do with D-zone coverage. That had everything to do with individual errors within those types of situations."

According to Woodcroft, the one defensive-zone goal the Oilers allowed in their first five games came in Game 2 against the Vancouver Canucks, when Nils Hoglander scored on a tip-in.

"We weren't good enough around our net," he said.

Hailed as Stanley Cup hopefuls heading into the season, the Oilers are 11 points behind the Golden Knights, who sit atop the Pacific Division with a 7-0-0 record.

Edmonton will square off against the New York Rangers on Thursday.

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