New York Roy | January 22, 2024

On this episode, Mike and Rachel dive into Patrick Roy being hired by the New York Islanders (00:00-26:34), Corey Perry signing in Edmonton (26:34-32:24), Edmonton being really good again (32:24-41:46), Dillon Dube taking an indefinite leave of absence to deal with his mental health (41:46-45:13), and the Ryan Reaves situation (45:13-END).

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Here we are Rachel we are staff and graph podcast Monday show um now before we get started just want to give a shout out um and say that our thoughts are are with all the talented incredible um hardworking you know industrious uh uh writers and journalists editors everyone

Uh who was at Sports Illustrated uh that shuddered over the weekend or is about to shudder whatever um uh it it’s it’s horrible to see something like that happen um uh you know to take a a a storied brand like that um inject it with you know greed greed Venture

Capital greed and then shutter it or like just sort of drive it into the ground over the course of like four years and look Rachel and I we worked for a uh uh you know a storied Heritage brand um that is experiencing or or you know has experiened and is in the midst

Of experiencing a similar thing and we know exactly how difficult it is uh to work there and to say goodbye to something like that and to kind of do what’s best for yourself above uh you know above a brand that you really really enjoyed um and it’s it’s just a

Shame so you want to give a shout out uh to to all them they’re you’re all going to land on your feet because there’s a reason why you work for a place like Sports Illustrated because you’re very good at what you do and yeah we just

Wanted to wanted to kick it off with that yeah I mean it’s it’s terrible to see multiple Heritage Brands over the past few years not even just in sports but generally speaking um be overtaken by greed and completely driven into a the around and they’re a shell of what

They were before and it’s just so unfortunate because at the end of the day um Independent News and having actual journalism is really going by the wayside and that’s a detriment to society and we really need to I think sit down and look ourselves in the mirror and and think about where we’re

Going yeah um it’s just a shame there’s a lot of people that are really talented like Mike said and you’re all going to land on your feet um but it sucks and and it sucks but at the end of the day you all deserve to be paid never write

Or do anything video like nothing don’t work for free no matter what industry it’s in um yeah corporate greed is terrible and um it’s just it’s a shame um to see things that we grew up with yes really go this way so yeah we just

Wanted to kind of give a shout out to all you guys because uh we know it can be tough and we know what it’s like to kind of live through that and and see it happen every day yeah it’s it it’s Soul crashing so uh you know you’re like we

Said you’re all going to land on your feet you’re all very talented people um and yeah anyway so Rachel uh this has been quite the quite the weekend of of hockey news uh really like it’s it’s been crazy and I guess we might as well start with the the the sort of um

Headline the headline news Patrick W coming out of nowhere like look did he pick up did he hear the phone ring from L larell because he had the Stanley Cup ring Rings plugging his ears or just wondering I bet that we are conservatively the 3,000th podcast to

Make that joke today like on like this day um probably like it look this Patrick W in himself as a coach is such an enigma like I love I love that and I’m looking forward to talking about it with you um but basically I guess just

To do the Roundup of it all the lowdown is that uh the Islanders have struggled this year mightily um you know the thing that they good at defense they have not been very good at defense this year and yeah they’re n well now they’re 20 but

They were 19 11 and 15 yeah and sadly um which is they wait they had 15 loser points yeah and people get on the Leafs like that’s crazy or maybe not they it’s something like that though like they’re well under 500 and so uh so defense is

The the only thing they were supposed to be good at that’s what their roster is built towards is defense and that’s when they got to the Conference Finals that’s what they were really good at like they almost stopped Tampa both times I know and let me tell

You the most I got to tell you the most depressed I’ve ever been is s like sitting in basically like a quarantined little place in the dark watching New York Islanders playoff hockey with it was not entertaining go six combined shots against like the Tempe lightning

Who had like all this Firepower but um Lane Lambert he was a he was a Barry Trot sort of uh disciple he was there he was his assistant obviously he was with nor Eastern before and all that but um it just seemed seemed like he had lost

Room wasn’t getting it done Lam Mel pulls the trigger and in typical L fashion there were no reports about this before literally zero there was no no rumors no scoops it was just a tweet that came out and said L Lambert has been fired and Patrick W is can I behind

The scenes of what case so on Saturday morning I got a text like early Saturday morning Eastern time I get a text from somebody in hockey media yeah who’s like I wouldn’t say that like they only cover the Islanders but they cover the Islanders as well as like they do a ton

Of other stuff like the New York teams kind of yeah like they’re involved they’re they’re uh they’re they’re they’re dialed in to the Islanders beat if you will yes I would say and um they were like hey uh do you know what’s happening with the Islanders because

We’re trying to figure out like a the media themselves are trying to figure out if Lane Lambert’s lost the room they’re trying to get player quotes and of course it’s a l larella organization you’re not for KN and so he had asked me like what are you hearing because he

Knows I know a couple people in that dressing room and I was like honestly first of all like I’m not even tapped into to like that side of it and when I talk to those players it’s honestly very rarely about how their season’s going yeah it’s not it’s it’s friendly stuff

It’s not like the low down on the penalty kill like hey how’s your kid like what that kind of thing right not like man your PDO is really low like you know I know youd want to escape the ring from that by talking to me but let me

Bring it up again yeah yeah so Saturday morning I get asked like do you know what’s going on cuz like we’re not hearing anything we’re trying to figure out how long the leash is and then three hours later this announcement and I just texted him back and I was like well

There’s your answer and he goes yeah that uh that came out of nowhere that is how Incognito this was is like guys who are dialed in to the Islanders have had no clue zero I bet people in the organization didn’t have a clue like like for example I’ll tell a story uh

That may or may not be in a publication you know like in in the near future um but but like when larell came to the team like I was I’m good friends with someone who was in the front office at the time um he’s like a young he was a

Younger guy yeah I was actually also working for the organization yeah you were working yeah it’s not you it’s a different person that I was talking about but you were both yeah but um and this guy was uh uh like just basically like doing doing stuff in the front

Office uh uh you know in the summer in July and just everyone’s there in the in the office this is in Toronto this 2015 um and and everyone’s just doing normal normal work and then out of nowhere about half an hour before he walks in the building yep they go hey the leafes

Just hired L larel like larel get a shirt and tie on immediately you spoiled it Rachel because this guy had a polo shirt on oh and he was like I can’t meet Lam Morell with like wearing a polo shirt even if it’s and then keep in mind

Larell got hired July 15th yes or yeah July 15th 2015 dead middle of summer hottest days mls’s dress code just to like kind of mls’s dress code for regular like office people is like golf shirts or whatever but for basketball operations hockey operations soccer operations it’s suit and tie except in

The Summer where you can wear like a polo an open color dress shirt a sporty like like you can wear like a nice v-neck with like a sport coat type situation so basically if you work on the 15th floor of 50 Bay your your dress code’s a little different it’s exactly

Like I used to work at I worked at Samsung running a marketing thing for them in in the summer back I think actually in no it’s 2016 um and uh yeah and like basically that’s what that’s what we would wear like it was very informal um but he’s like I can’t meet

Larella wearing a polo shirt like I can’t so they like run out to like Harry Rosen or whatever was across the street and just get like the first collar shirt and tie you could find and throw it on there and all that like and but keep in

Mind this is the this is the Toronto Maple Leafs and also before that keep in mind before L came that was the leakiest organization in the league you had Darren Dreer was Dave Nas’s cousin like like they would talk about this stuff like at like family dinners you know

Like give them Scoops and stuff and so Christmas and dreer’s just like tweeting stuff out it’s like theable he’s just like yeah you know Dave’s just trying to get a load off and and dger just like under the table being like Oh David Clarkson wants out like you know all

That kind um and so like in in this they got and the only reason they got any any sort of notice about this is was was to be like go change like like he would have if if they had all been wearing suits and ties L mer would have just

Like walked into the into their office Bullpen and be like hey guys I’m your boss now like that’s that’s they say Real G’s move in silence like lasagna that’s what that’s the that’s the little that’s the lyric Real G’s move in silence like lasagna do you understand

That the G kind of like baloney exactly and and let’s just say l larell is a real G oh is he ever yeah so he that’s like the second time that he’s somewhere in and around him has been like taken completely by surprise and out of nowhere yeah like I remember like so

Bill Manning was the president of TFC when I was there that year and like we’re talking the president of a team so like him Messi Brendan Shanahan like they were the guys they had no idea yeah it was it was amazing I was dating the guy who was like in charge of

Organizing the security for all of mls’s top whether it was players or guys like Messi yeah um like those kind of people he said he got the heads up keep in mind this guy’s in charge of planning security for this guy he got the heads

Up an hour before he had an hour to get it together and that included going home to change like this level of stealth is incredible and so Patrick La gets hired and I love that the first thing anybody asked was is he gonna have to shave and then the

Islanders promptly posting a picture at morning skate shav totally clean shaven and so when this happened I just like I tweeted out cuz it was it was the thing that was on I’m like I can’t imagine l and Patrick Watt having like a normal conversation together like I can’t like

One that doesn’t either end in like a shouting match or like uncomfortable silence I can’t and so they go they go on the they go on their media call like their conference call you know Lou taking keeping it old school conference call of course and uh and and I wish it

Was video cuz I would have paid to see the facial expressions I would have too and and uh and W makes a joke about like the 2001 uh playoffs and how they don’t talk about it and Lou just goes it’s not a joke like and I go all right well

There you go there’s the proof they can’t have a normal conversation like right there but you know what the thing is I love this higher same I do I think this is exactly exactly what this Islanders team needs uh or needed and currently needs and we might as well

Just jump into it because the Patrick W that coached the AVS in like the Patrick W coach like and that’s what most hockey fans think the Islanders are getting and honestly like I saw so many tweets being like LOL well that’s a choice and it’s

Like no that is the easiest way for me to know you don’t pay attention to anything outside of your little bubble and it’s also like it is he’s a different coach now and completely you saw he he did a lot of learning both X’s and O’s wise and just

In the personal side of things of what it’s like because I had somebody tell me like I had a coach in major junor tell me he might be the best tactical like X’s and O’s coach he’s coached against and this is a guy that’s been coaching

For 25 years and that’s also not the thing he’s known for like he’s known the thing he’s known for well I mean obviously like the the fiery stuff but he’s know I was going to say well but he’s known for and what and what really worked with the Quebec Rampart last year

Um in which won the Memorial Cup is that he is an incredible motivator like they would have they would have killed people for him you know it’s he actually gives me somebody said this to me just because like I’ve worked very closely with this other person is Patrick W is able to

Motivate his players the same way Bruce bu is and I’m like oh my God the Islanders to play the way like Roose is able to get players to play for him yeah I I could not have put a bed in faster on the Islanders to make the

Playoffs and also you look at it like the Islanders look they have good pieces barzal uh you know Brock Nelson is is a good score is gonna get nominated for the nor you hope so yeah you know like El sokin is incredible think you look at their roster and go

Like wow there’s a lot of like high-end Elite Talent here but the thing about Patrick W is with the Quebec R part he got everything out of them they didn’t have a single top prospect or a top uh uh you know like a top guy who was

Drafted uh you know who was either draft was who was either draft eligible or a top prospect for a team he there it was just a bunch of like sort of Plucky guys Plucky French kids and he got them to become like they he got them to like sub

Subscribe to The Cult of Patrick Wall I didn’t won the Memorial Cup against teams that had massive Talent yeah like taking down sherbrook St John like the thing about Patrick W is I think when we talk about retread coaches the reason that we’re so down on them is because

Generally speaking they never learn and evolve yeah where I think Scott wheeler had a great thread and maybe we’ll bring Scott back on we should to talk about it yeah he was there Patrick W’s Evolution after he left Colorado to to the Quebec Rampart like there was there was

Legitimate interest for him at Hockey Canada yeah taking the junior team and what and he was like nope I owe it to my guys I’m coaching my guys like that’s and and when you have a coach that’s just as invested as the players are that’s that also I mean let’s call a

Spade a spade here one of the best successful at that level I think when you combine all of that with the fiery sort of raw that he has I think it’s a great combo for the Oilers and it really shows for the Oilers sorry for the Islanders we’re gonna talk about the

Oilers in a bit for the Islanders um I think it’s a great combo because he’s shown that he’s always had that fire and he’s always been able to motivate but he’s now able to kind of really harness that and get the the Tactical success and I think that’s going to be really

Key for the Islanders because like you said they kind of lack that Firepower but I do Wonder obviously under Barry TRS and Lane Lambert Matthew Barelle Noah Dobson like they weren’t really able to be the offensive horses that they’re capable of obviously no ad Dobson’s having a

Fantastic year but if we get a Unleashed Matthew Barelle yeah I kind of really want that like it’s good for the game you know like it’s it really does seem as if um this like this sort of lines up cuz like you said they they they don’t

Have they the Islanders roster is built to be greater than the sum of its parts and very much so and Patrick W has now a proven track record basically every year with the Quebec Rampart and he has spent a lot of time with them over a thousand

Games he has a uh uh or close to over a thousand games he has a total record of 524 255 and 66 uh with them including the Memorial Cup win last year that’s like a 725 that’s just insane it’s insane and but he is uh uh like he is good at getting

The best out of teams that are uh that maybe don’t aren’t like Elite offensively but they have good players and they can play in a structure that’s exactly what what it is and so it’s a great thing so you know what I just remembered something just so when I was

Working for a team we were talking about a draft eligible player on the Quebec ramp parts and I distinctly now remember one of the Scouts saying you have to account for the fact that he plays for Patrick W and I remember the head Scout being like

Why and the Scout said guys who play for Patrick W are they look 10% better than they actually are it’s like a patriot from the bill bich era like it’s yes that’s basically he’s that’s and I I just remembered him saying that and it’s like that is a huge that’s a huge

Feather in the cap to Patrick wout actually have to account for the fact that they’re like the players they’re watching might be 10% worse if to them on a curve basically like it’s yeah and look and that’s great um now now clearly you and I both listen to the

32 thoughts podcast this morning as we’re getting here uh because a big sort of note that I believe it was either Jeff or Elliott that brought up was that uh Lou larell he has his he is sort of a CREDO and that um he likes to hire coaches on

Their second job yes so he likes to hire like an immediate retrip not like a longterm R it’s not even like an immediate retread it’s like it’s a coach that’s had a chance has gone away and done some learning and now they’re getting a second chance exactly so and

Like the list is like CL Julian uh Larry Larry Robinson Robbie fic uh like you know Chris shonfield and Jo Lam mer and now Patrick W and and if you notice like like okay Barry trotz it was obviously his third so that but that’s a like that’s an outlier like you have to

Pounce on a guy Barry TRS the only times he really is two the two high-profile coaches that became available out of nowhere which is Mike Babcock and Barry trotz he didn’t hire Mike Babcock that was sh he didn’t yeah you’re right uh no it was Pat Burns

And Kevin Constantine yeah in New Jersey yes you’re right sorry okay but high-profile guys yeah but high-profile guys and then if you notice like he hired Lane Lambert that was his first NHL coaching job didn’t work out so great you know like like the the times

Where he’s hired like the rookie guys it hasn’t worked out super well um but it’s every pretty much every coach that we just listed there that he’s hired on his second go around to to uh to coach one of his teams worked out so Lou so Lou

Used to be a high school math teacher he did um which would scare the living [ __ ] out of me I’m already bad at math if I was in L if Lam was standing over me like solve on the board I’d be like no I’m just goingon to poop my pants and

Then leave um so but the thing about Lou is he Elliot and Jeff are talking about the fact that he has this belief that your second job is when you’re the most successful and I have some insight into that because you do I have met Lou I am

Very close with one of his disciples and one of the big disciples what what are they called Disciples disciples just whatever it’s the same thing okay banana banana one of those is correct and one of them is not whatever tomato tomato okay continue so one of the things Lou

Believes is kind of like Elliot and Jee were saying is you’re better the second go around and the reason that is and I’ll never forget it so the the person that really helps Mentor me he doesn’t believe the New Jersey job counts because I was 21 years

Old living in a different country coming off now what you know to be is the most tragic period in my life like I basically became a shadow of myself and he was like you’re way too young like I was the youngest person in the NHL I was

Younger than I think 90% of NHL players at that point you also hadn’t met me yet true and I think that he was like that doesn’t even count so I remember when I got the Vancouver job he said to me he was like this might not go very well because it’s your first

Legitimate shot in the NHL and I was like okay what does that mean and we had a long conversation about the fact that his belief was was you learn a ton from your first legitimate experience in whatever job it is whether it’s teaching Hockey coaching um marketing being a

Lawyer like you’re better on your second trial than you are on your first trial so his thing was be patient this is going to have its up and downs it’s not always going to be roses it might go horribly depending on some things that we discussed that I’ll keep private um

But he said he’s like this is your first real kick at the can here don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t necessarily go well because what you need to take from it is this is a learning experience for you and you’re going to be more successful in whatever you do afterwards

So I had had the job in Vancouver for 4ish months when this conversation took place and he was already like you’re going to be more successful and what you do next because of the things that you learn in Vancouver and that is I can say this with extreme

Accuracy very true like if you think about obviously haven’t been public about it but like if you think about what I’m doing now versus yeah what I was doing then I I took a ton of lessons from what I learned in Vancouver and obviously it’s a different situation but I think that belief

Of Lou larell saying I’m gonna take a coach on his second job because and I guarantee you in the interview one of the biggest questions is what did you take away from your last job and what have you done to evolved since yeah that was a question I got asked after the

Whole Vancouver thing when I was actually getting started at what I’m doing now that’s what he asked me and I was like I list kind of listed it off but I think there’s some Merit there right you don’t want to get like too retread but everyone deserves a second

Chance well I I think that’s that’s also really important and look the way that that Patrick W left the Colorado Avalanche it basically precluded him from working in the NHL for for seven years it was kind of weird well he left super late he he kind of screwed them

Over really and like he left he left them in August they had to scramble hire a guy in bedar who who in his first year went on to have like one of the worst seasons of the cap era thank God they stuck with that guy well there was

Always this thing I I remember that blacklisted him for a while Patrick I did I can’t remember it was definitely while I worked in the league that I had heard this but like sakic was always really high on Bednar and so when Patrick Wall wanted more Sayan player personnel and things

Went a right Joe saki was actually okay with the fact that Patrick Wall left in the Heap yeah it obviously left them scrambling but he it was Chris McFarland who pushed hardest for for Jared bedar yes and now they’re now he’s the GM and he’s the coach and they want to stay in

The cup and that’s worked out pretty well it’s gone well but also can we discuss the fact that Patrick W Peter lavillette and John tordella are all coaching in the Metro and those are the three guys that have stood up on the actual Dasher of the bench and screamed at

People like it’s it’s pretty remarkable and also that there’s a good chance I mean with an is with an Islanders turn around and if the Flyers maintain what they’re doing they is a chance that all of those teams make the playoffs and we do get an actual uh you

Know we do get an actual series potentially like can you imagine a w torella series like first round seven games to take a drive yeah absolutely like I could I could get us tickets to that without I mean in both cities yeah but like no I’d want to like cover that

Like I want I’d like even just to go to the experience like I want to say Mike can cover it I’m going to bring the camera and go sit in the stands and just be like present but I feel like the postgame and even the pregame pressers between those two guys when you

Get into the muck when it’s a one-1 series tie and there’s being some fist of cuffs and you know like there’s inevitable like officiating issues and then they start screaming at each other because naturally like the players are going to get nasty yeah but want the

Coaches to get we saw we saw W’s first game ever he tried to fight Bruce bu’s like the nicest guy the planet like it’s it’s crazy we should get Bruce on the plan you know what I think I’m going to text Bruce n you man I I I sure hope

That’s a possibility that hasn’t been discussed and potentially confirmed yet whoa that would be that’d be crazy um all right we think Patrick W can do well um now what’s great is that lead I just hope that they secure the um middle dashboard between the Benes they need to

Like cement that thing in yeah or maybe put like some chain link fence in between there or something um but so what’s great is leading into our next topic here Rachel is that the Edmonton Oilers officially while you were speaking um have signed Cory Perry to a

One-year League men deal um and this is my surprise yeah whoa um and that’s why like we it was inevitability we weren’t going to talk about it but now it’s official I guess we might as well just a little bit um but like do the do the

Oilers okay I’m not one to King Shame anybody let me let me just preface that but do the Oilers get off on signing power forwards who are kicked off their teams mid midon oh my God a Vander Kane like is that I’m not here to King Shame you but if that’s your thing

Because if that’s your thing go for it but I so the Oilers have been interested in Corey Perry for forever years since since he was back in Edmonton like they the Oilers um back in Edmonton he’s never been no sorry back in Anaheim that’s what I meant yes because I was

Like wait what because back in the day the the uh the the Oilers offer sheet Dustin pen and like got him but they were considering offer sheeting Perry if he was up that year too like it was yeah so and then when he went to when he tried

Chose to sign in Tampa they were interested in him that year he signed a two-year deal then they tried to get Patrick or they had Patrick maroon they tried to retain Patrick maroon um so there was that then this summer before he went to Chicago obviously got paid

Way more than Edmonton could have afford that’s what kind of did it yeah and and Edmonton was apparently trying to clear the cap space not sure why he would be taking a $4 million salary on a contender I mean now he’s taking leagu men I am abundantly sure there are

Bonuses there yeah so they’re gonna screw themselves even more they already have the Connor Brown bonus I would like clearly Cory Perry wanted to go to Edmonton and McDavid and dry Sidle were heavily involved in the recruiting from all reports like they I will say this Edmonton has needed a guy

Like and what he brings I’m not going to say they needed Cory Perry I also think this has the potential given the fact that they’ve won a league record 13 games straight this has the potential to drop a complete grenade in the dressing room and that’s not an indictment of Cory

Perry it’s just when you won 13 games straight don’t change anything well a because they like nothing a because yeah you’re right but also because a because like and I’m sure look I want to give them the benefit of doubt that they did all the due diligence that they could

Could you know Cory Perry uh about what happened look Cory Perry has had multiple suitors um you know all that kind of stuff uh but he sought treatment for his alcohol which I’m really hoping um that he is recovering from yeah um because that is something like that’s

That’s that’s on a human level like we hope for that and we’re going to touch on Dylan dub at the end as well and it’s difficult uh it’s it’s it’s a tricky situation because I think it’s unfair for fans spefic Oilers fans um it’s unfair for them to or for for the Oilers

To expect them to cheer and throw their support behind Cory Perry without even knowing what he did at his last like like you know like it’s it’s hard to blindly get behind this yes it’s it’s difficult because potentially you know there might there is clearly another

Like you know a victim side or something side in what happened in Chicago and maybe that person doesn’t want any of this to come out well and I also saw people being like well he the NHL said they’re not going to suspend him so it

Can’t be that bad and I’m like he got kicked off his team and his contract was terminated we’re also not going to be giving the NHL the benefit of the doubt on anything when it comes to this because of their history the the NHL doesn’t even have like a domestic

Violence policy they don’t even have I’m not saying it was that but I’m like they they don’t have they yeah they don’t have a sexual assault policy they don’t have exactly even after after the Blackhawks thing they still don’t have I I asked Gary bman to like point blank

When the Kyle Beach stuff was going on why the NHL is have a sexual uh assault policy and he didn’t give me an answer the bare minimum is a sexual violence policy and a domestic violence policy like the NFL has one it might not be very good but they have one and it’s

It’s it’s a shame or I think it is unfair for to to for the Oilers to expect their fans to throw to buy Perry jerseys and throw support behind this guy for a potential cup run when there is the chance you know that in years later this comes out and they realize oh

No I have the jersey of someone who did something terrible like like I know there’s a lot of buy McDavid Jersey guys exactly um now look he he’s he’s what they need and it’ll cost very little but the second the second thing that you talked about which that might throw a

Grenade into the locker room is that they have to wave someone now and so that potentially could be Dylan Holloway who you know was called up looked very good contributed to this 13 game win streak could be Adam Ernie who is whose numbers are actually better than you

Would like underly numbers it should not be Dylan Holloway let’s just get that but that’s someone that’s up there and or it could be Sam G who it’s not gonna be G yeah it shouldn’t be better not be um no no I’m telling you it ain’t going

To be done yet good I’m glad to because there’s just too many connections to Sam between Jeff Jackson and Oilers and whatever it’s not no like I would be FL flabbergasted if it I think I think think hallway is far more likely and that but that’s not good because they don’t even

Have to wave them they can just send it down yeah but that but that’s not good because he’s played very well since coming up and they’re on a 13 game win streak so you wonder why um all right so the Oilers um as we just as we mentioned

Are very good they’re good again who could have foreseen that you get your goal tending stabilizes and your shooting percentage stabilizes and boom you you’re this team with the two best players in the league are once again a good team who could have seen that we

Should just like insert the clip of us saying if they get adequate goal tending they’re going to Skyrocket up the standings and they have gotten far more than adequate go tending because Stuart Skinner was at was in the 860 range he’s now all after this we talked about this

About a month and a half two months ago he’s now at 9006 which is crazy and which means yeah like to elevate your yes you have to go on a heater and he has won 17 of his last 19 starts is that good that’s incredible he’s a current like personal

10 game win streak and in that 10 game win streak he’s allowed more than two goals on just one occasion and that one occasion he allowed three goals and of course they won so their save percentage under Woodcraft was under 880 yeah it was it was 873 I think yeah it was

Brutal it’s since mid December so basically since since the streak started it’s been above N9 or sorry since um no block out higher it’s been 910 and in the LA like during this winning streak it’s an average of 930 incredible an average I can’t believe

It’s an average of a Vesna winner wow I can’t believe that Chris noblock himself it came in and you know Put a Spell on the Oilers genders that fixed them he Harry pottered his way or maybe it’s that gold tending is voodoo and uh you know

Like like this is what I this what I like to wonder here is is that is this just a reversal of luck or is noblock like did he come in and did he change everything to to make it fit should I put my like nerd hat on your nerd hat on

That’s what you’re here for that’s what you’re here for all right so we uh we ran the model and by we I mean I mean you you ran you ran your model that you made you mean to tell me that that model belongs to me yes there’s no we involved

Here you ran that model you made it you did it Fu [ __ ] say the St so their P was 92 is horrible horrendous that would have been like that would be the anti-u that is like that is like Mike’s dating life level bad of luck so their

PD now is 99 which means in order to level off it would have had to have been about 108 over this span to get there which is is about where the Canucks are yes now there are goals four above expected which is there and like I’m

Just GNA get this crediting out of the way like right off the Hop this is my model so I’m not crediting anybody but myself hear that Dom lision like you’re doing a good thing by the way yes Dom and I actually had a great combo about

That it’s like hey if you’re gonna use somebody else’s work credit them do you have a spare 100K lying around for us to get some some seriously insane analytics yeah like just insane so when I when I’m quoting stats here it’s they’re all from my model so like please don’t think I’m

Stealing um the goal their goals four above expected which is basically how many goals they’ve scored versus how many they’ve expected to score under Woodcraft it was minus 0.5 per game at five on five that’s like lit a half a goal under noblock it is just under plus

One per game so now they’re scoring one goal more than expected on average per game that is a one and a half goal Delta that is massive and by Delta you mean swing like like Improvement yeah Improvement they gcks which is goal saved above expected so now we’re talking about the goal

Tending this is my favorite um like oh no I’m sorry their goals four above expected whereas negative one under Woodcraft and now it’s uh plus one so it’s a their go saved above expected was minus a half under Woodcraft and is now plus one under noblock so we’re talking about

A two-goal swing for goals for above expected and a one and a half goal swing for goals against above expected that is a three and a half goal swing under coaches based solely on Save percentage shooting like and the the chances they’re creating like yes they’re

Converting m but a three and a half goal swing per game per game like that is I can’t even wrap my head around that Stuart Skinner doesn’t have in in a single game because you know how like single game sa percentage can be volatile he doesn’t have a single game under 925 since

Christmas that Christmas was like a month ago it was a full month ago it’s unbelievable and yes like the one area where my mom model says that they’ve changed tactically and it’s only one area is the rush so they’re giving up 40% less chances off the rush under

Jesus nlock than they were under wood and that contributes to the goal saved above expected so that contributes to the one and a half Point swing they have changed almost nothing offensively and had a two-goal swing that my friends is what we call luck so I

Mean there you go like right there it’s three and a half full swing seems like a couple extra wins to me there’s a good chance that you keep Jay Woodcraft there just for a little bit and allow allow time for the go tending to even itself

Out and allow time for a McDavid to get healthy again because he rushed himself back uh to play at the herriage classic that was clearly playing on like one leg um and dry out as well for that for that to all pick up you allow all that to

Even out and boom you got a great you got you got a great coaching situation uh and that where you don’t have to pay two coaches at the same same time and they’re so when they fired Woodcraft they were like an 870 or whatever they

Were like they might have been an 868 or something they there was they were 31st in the league because Ottawa was below them and and now their their goal tending has been so good over the past month and a half or two months now that their team save percentage is

899 it’s amazing it’s gone like that basically means that the golender have been playing at a 925 9:30 clip since the change and like that is that is not on the coaching staff and so I think the Jack Adams conversation to me is a very silly one here because there

Are three other coaches that are performing so far and above expectations to me it’s Philadelphia we thought they were going to be we thought they’re going to be like a lottery team like they might have and they’re in the second in the Metro yeah they’re like the other than

Other than the the o or the hottest team in the league right now yeah so to be mlin celebrini to second in the Metro is the most impressive thing to me then you have obviously Rick toet in Vancouver we thought they were going to be a bubble

Playoff team yeah and they’re first in the leag now in my eyes and I know quite a few other people I’ve spoken to it is a lot harder to be mlin celebrini to second place in your division than it is to be bubble to First Buble to first and

You know the numbers do say that this potentially might be a bubble but you ride the bubble as far as you can you have fun Glinda in the Wizard balls right now exactly and so I think and then you have Rick bonis oh yeah he was

My choice like for for uh Jack Adams we we we’re going to do a mid-season thing and I think that might be Thursday might be Thursday yeah but like spoiler alert I chose Rick bonis because a for him to do what he did amidst what all the stuff

That happened with his wife like the health troubles and he had to take some time off that the dressing room pretty much got like he completely like he did totally reversed what I loved about Rick bonis is he made and I know we’re going off topic here but real quick like he

Made the difficult difficult decisions when he when he came in to change that culture which was he came in and like the first thing he did was strip Blake wheeler of the captain SE that eventually led to him like you know getting bought out and and leaving like he turned that place

Around like Josh morsey last year was in Norris Contender for a very long time and then eventually fell off he’s having a better year this year somehow like he’s not going to win because obviously Noah Dobson Quinn Hughes like even Eric Carlson’s having a fantastic year kale

Mar but the fact that he’s performing better like just tells you under Rick bonis like these guys come to play they do they love them so I mean hey we’ve got a few Canadian teams that are in um a great spot and I mean we just talked

About the Oilers I did want to mention yeah Dylan dubet so yes the Oilers are great we called that um they’re second in their division as of the recording of This podcast and that’s where they should be that’s where they belong should we mention Dylan Dubay yes at the

At after our final topic I think we stay Alberta so Dylan dubet um is going to be taking some time away from the Calgary Flames to get help for his mental health and that’s now Connor Ingram Sam Gerard Oliver Shillington who was also on Calgary so I think Calgary as an organization

Deserves some recognition here because very clearly they’re supportive of their players getting this kind of help and I think that’s very important like I think that’s really important to point out they were supportive of Chris snow through his ALS they have been supportive of ol Oliver Shillington

They’ve now been supportive of Dylan dub and it seems like the PA is also really driving that this is okay and so now we’re seeing more players say hey like I need help and that is going to help so many people not even just in the league

But like fans who think these guys are the these tough athletes and everything like just kind of brushes off of them and that’s not necessarily the case and so I think it’s really good when players use their platform for good instead of whatever other nonsense that they

Usually use their platforms for and so I hope Dylan dub gets all the help that he needs and I hope he gets back to being in a great mental spot but I’m just I’m really happy that he felt comfortable enough to do this and that like halary Flames have provided an environment

Where it’s okay to get help for your mental health because not every team is like that what I like about the Flames is that they clearly see that a mentally healthy player is a more productive player and they are investing in that and like I’m sure in in years past or if

It’s was a different organization they could they would have told uh Chillington or even dubet um to kind of grind through it we might help you with like you know maybe you can see a sports psychologist while you’re playing and we would have we then we would be talking

We would almost certainly be talking about man what happened to Oliver Shillington his play has just gone down the tubes like like or you know he’s a shell of himself and clearly that’s what’s happening and the Flames like to their credit they clearly realizing a they want the best for for their their

Players from a personal standpoint but also you know no matter how much they say it like teams always have to look at things on the ice regardless and they’re clearly going like a player who’s in a good mental head space you know is uh is a better hockey player a better it’s the

Same in any job like I was I always write better colums when I’m not under the threat of homelessness you know like so it like it is not ideal to be writing about that yeah it is it is a lot easier to to do your job when you when you’re

Able to focus on your job opposed to being pulled in a million different directions a lot of them conjured by you know either by situations or by your brain when your brain is not fighting against you and um yeah like I was able to work better once I got diagnosed and

Actually started getting help to figure out what was going on exactly I’m a better person because of that and so and and and I’m just I’m really really glad that that Calgary is doing that because a it is uh a it’s important but also be like the league is it’s a copycat League

Man and if this works and even if it doesn’t work out but if it like but but it’s worked for Conor INR it’s worked for Conor Ingram it’s worked like Sam Gerard it’s showing at least that that uh players this is an Avenue to take and

It might be the best thing for them I think that’s great um so kudos to Calgary for sure absolutely shout out to Calgary that’s fantastic um all right finally Ryan Reeves says he’s healthy Rachel and the Leafs clearly don’t think so so we I’m gonna give some insight

Here into how this kind of stuff works so a player can say oh I’m healthy because I feel healthy I feel to like where I was in XYZ time frame but he also said that when he turns a certain direction that his kneecap pops out no doctor with any

Medical license is going to clear you to play if that is the case um so he can say he’s healthy because he’s played with the knee brace his whole career but the Toronto Maple Leafs doctors are going to look at his knee popping out and go you’re not healthy because you

Know what doesn’t happen to healthy individuals Mike what their kneecaps don’t pop out when they turn left so two things number one that happens to me occasionally on my right knee and I’m not fit to play NHL hockey just saying that so I would consider myself healthy

Um number two is yeah so Ryan Reeves talked with Luke Fox about uh you know because he’s he Reeves went hit a divot in the ice and went down and was placed on injured reserve Before Christmas um and since then he uh you and before that

He was very rarely in the lineup he was in and out getting scratched whatnot um now he’s now uh uh he still hasn’t gotten back in the lineup and he’s still listed on IR uh you know on cap friendly and any other The rosters he says he but

He insists he’s perfectly healthy uh when talking to Luke Fox and says hey you know you know all I can do is kind of get my work in um and wait to get in the lineup or if not then we’ll see what goes or see what happens

Now um let’s keep in mind that like Patrice berson said he was fine and he was playing with punctured l so we’re not going to allow players to the uh on budsman of what healthy and unhealthy is so I want but I one thing that I want to

Um sort of illustrate with this is this is and look if I was in Ryan re’s situation I would do the exact same thing I play in the most media heavy Market in the league where everyone where everyone’s under microscope all the time so I can use the media to my

Advantage if I’m getting sideline if I think I’m getting sidelined at work unfairly then I kind of use that to put to put an emphasis there’s a reason why we’re talking about this at all yeah like I personally think it’s ridiculous but yeah um and so but Ryan Reeves has

To know or I would hope that he knows that yes look this could be a good sort of Avenue to get conversation stting but they can activate you and then they can send you down and it’s very rare and I doubt that any other team is going to do

The leavs the favor of claiming Reeves and the and the three years on his contract including this one so couple things about Reeves this would be a bigger situation if it had cap implications which it doesn’t this does not have cap implications people be like

Why this is not a $5 million player the leaves if he’s deemed to be healthy because now that he said this the league is gonna gonna go be like all right is he then yeah well then we’ll activate you that’s fine but you have a variable contract we’re gonna wave you because

You don’t have an nmc and now you’re gonna go like what is your line get ready to learn ahle buddy like you’re gonna BL like this is not Tyler bruzi where there’s cap implications and they’re going to get screwed on the cap they wave him he comes entirely off the

Cap yeah like if anything it’s they don’t even care if anything it’s a good thing that they that they wave him but and this gives him a roster spot a roster spot it it like free so but this is the like this is why from the get-go the situ like signing Reeves made

Zero sense we talked about it the day it happened exactly like it it like let’s like best case scenario was he gives you a good you know eight minutes on your fourth line and gets everyone else to maybe hit a bit more that clearly hasn’t happened that’s what

Simone benw does actually exactly but you signed him for three years and the reason you gave him three years is because other teams were giving him two were offering him two and you just needed to have this guy who was going to be such a marginal part of your

Team so bad and now that I think about it at the time I would have griped with it but if the contracts had been reversed and Beno got Reeves’s deal and Reeves got beno’s deal I would have been over the moon happy now a lot of people

Would have been like what the heck are you doing giving but at least he’s younger now they’d be like oh at least he’s not 37 years old like that’s another thing too is that you signed a guy until basically until he’s going to be 40 and with the game that he plays

Like this is not Sydney Crosby yeah you’re not hoping that that you get this is not this is not the Patrick Marlo signing for example yeah where you gave him the three years and he’s playing on your top line Top Line two of those years and he and he scores 20 goals and

All that no this is this is a guy who is like at best going to play at and this is like at best going to play 10 going to play 10 minutes he’s going to he’s going to fight guys every you know four games and you and you kind of hope that

There’s an intangible aspect to it there’s um and clearly there hasn’t been and so for him now and I and I understand like he’s making a Savvy choice of using the media in his using his Market to his ADV Vantage using the media in there he’s he he was he spoke

With one of the reporters who then wrote a column that’s kind of you know outlining that he’s upset for the rights holder of the NHL for Sports Net so which is I know but it’s I would do the same thing if I felt like I was if I felt like

I but then if you also say like I look at this remove the hockey player and whether he’s good or bad if I read a quote that says I’m healthy and then two paragraphs later I see when I turn my knee then you’re not healthy that’s going to

Tell me that you have absolutely no idea what the word healthy means and that your opinion on your body’s health is effectively irrelevant at this point because here’s a little behind the scenes of Rachel and Mike’s friendship Rachel used to ask Mike to not go outside for long runs when Mike’s

Knee would explode when he would run and he’d be like no my knee is fine and then he went to the doctor and what happened bad stuff exactly yeah so this is one of those things where it’s like you’re a hockey player you’re not a doctor yeah

You don’t but so but like I want to say like if I feel like I’m getting marginalized at work and I can use this to bring attention to my situation I’m going to do it oh 100% I don’t have any problem with that however I feel like that maybe wasn’t sort

Of I feel that maybe wasn’t sort of thought out because that’s like this there’s a good there’s a good chance that this column is going to be is going to be the impetus that Ryan reev is going to become a Toronto Marley’s Legend you know like they could have

Just St Rich cloon exactly like they could have just left him or Kyle Clifford Kyle yeah you can’t tell me Kyle Clifford is not a better option than Ryan Rees right now like you just can’t look Kyle Clifford is pretty washed he’s also like four years younger

Than like Kyle you you think that Kyle Clifford is really old still SK He’s 33 I think like 34 which is you know old in hockey years he doesn’t pop out when he skates as far as We Know um but like it’s it’s uh I I just don’t uh I just I

Just think that I understand why you did it I understand why why you used uh uh you sort of the Avenue that you had because you feel like you’re being marginalized and you know and all that however unfortunately I think the outcome for this is it’s going to is

That the league is going to investigate you’re going to be able to say either a and the two the outcomes are either a after independent investigation hey you are actually hurt like like regardless of how healthy you think you are you’re KN freaking pops out of it socket

Whenever you move so you’re you’re still deemed hurt or they’re going to go oh he’s actually healthy then the least go cool on waivers and hey any other team if you want to pick up Ryan Reeves who has two more years left on his contract at 1.375 million after this year oh and

By the way every team in the league right now uh like isn’t like 19 teams or in ltir or something so that’s great you can’t like no team can just fit a 1. I’m going say is Bobby McMahon or Nick Robertson lose their spot in the lineup

So that this guy can go back in I will lose it Nick Robertson should scored last night he has scored in four of six games Sheldon I don’t get me wrong I have a ton of respect for Sheldon ke so good to me but stop taking him out of

The lineup oh my God I think that he’s going to keep him because after the after the game last night Kei the quote was literally I loved every minute he was on the ice perfect so then he should never be in the Press keep him but it’s

It you know it it’s just uh yeah it I think Bobby McMahon is a younger faster less injured cheaper option than Ryan re Bob McMahon is literally 10 years younger than Ryan Reeves and costs close to half maybe like Reeves makes 1.375 McMahon makes like 766 or something yeah he’s leagan he’s actually

Below like he makes close to he makes close to half of what Reeves makes like and he’s a better hockey player yes this is like charade here what are we doing yeah Brian re probably I understand using the media and if you’re feeling marginalized that’s fine absolutely this is going to

Backfire and it was not well thought out it’s going to backfire and uh it’s a shame but I do I do kind of commend him being Savvy enough to be like look I I feel like I’m not being done right by or I feel like I’m being sort of sidelined

Uh uh Frankie C’s chilling there like dude like come on like Frankie curado is is you he he broadcast Lea game so he’s back at where he used to pay rent in the Press Box these days he’s probably next to Reeves and all this stuff like it’s

He’s like buddy let me chat with you so look it it’s uh it’s a shame um but it seems like this might be the the impetus this column literally from Luke Fox on Sportsnet go read it um might be the impetus of of Ryan Reeves not being a

Tron mapa anymore probably for the best yeah probably for the best all right well that uh that is the end of our show today um we will be back obviously on Thursday we’ll do some mid-season Awards be a lot of fun um and also we’ll be gearing up you’re

Going to have some great allstar content coming out because hey we’re in Toronto the allstar games in Toronto where both be there it’ll be great um but yeah so make sure to subscribe to YouTube to our YouTube channel obviously on any any podcast you have uh WR us a review

That’ll be great um you know follow us on Twitch we do uh we you know I’m going to be doing some streams um we got a fun exciting stuff coming for twitch post Allstar exactly we’re going to have some fun stuff on Twitch coming post Allstar

Um we’re going to have some Mike meals for one coming up soon as well and uh yeah and also as always make sure to donate to uh jumpstart there are charity of choice uh they help economically disadvantaged kids play team sports that they otherwise wouldn’t be able to

Afford um it’s awesome and that’s and it is an extremely important cause that is close to Rachel and I and that’s why jump start is our charity of choice donation link is in the bio and until then we’ll see you on Thursday