So the fact that jobs seem scarce, do you think goalies will view Edmonton as any worse of a destination now that Babcock's there and, you know, there's that hard-ass coach in place? Or do you think they'll just sit there and go, "Hey, it's a chance to win a Stanley Cup, and it's one of the 64 jobs available"?

I think if you're a goalie, you view it better because if there's one thing Babcock's gonna be non-negotiable on, it's gonna be the way that they defend away from the puck in their own zone.

So then you think about, like, that softer Edmonton team that we've come to notice that are gonna, you know, go down three goals in a game and kinda start late in the game and come back and just ride the rollercoaster that everybody in Edmonton is used to [laughs] used to watching throughout a regular season.

I think the fact of Babcock coming in is the point to eliminate that and hold more guys accountable to be consistent and starting on time.

And from my perspective as a goalie, if I'm in that market and I'm one of those guys like, "Hey, maybe I can take a short-term deal here, go to a team who's still built to win, have success, and then maybe I get more of a payday when it goes." So I think from a goalie standpoint it's not as scary.

I think from a player standpoint it is because if you don't fall into it immediately, you're gonna be wiped off the sight of the earth.

And I think the fact of the matter is as a goalie, it's a lot less controlling for Mike Babcock.

Yeah.

So the fact that jobs seem scarce, do you think goalies will view Edmonton as any worse of a destination now that Babcock's there and, you know, there's that hard-ass coach in place, or do you think they'll just sit there and go, "Hey, it's a chance to win a Stanley Cup," and it's one of the 64 jobs available?

I think if you're a goalie, you view it better because if there's one thing Babcock's gonna be non-negotiable on, it's gonna be the way that they defend away from the puck in their own zone.

So then you think about, like, that softer Edmonton team that we've come to notice that are gonna, you know, go down three goals in a game and kinda start late in the game and come back and just ride the rollercoaster that everybody in Edmonton is used to [laughs] used to watching throughout a regular season.

I think the fact of Babcock coming in is the point to eliminate that and hold more guys accountable to be consistent and starting on time.

And from my perspective as a goalie, if I'm in that market and I'm one of those guys like, "Hey, maybe I can take a short-term deal here, go to a team who's still built to win, have success, and then maybe I get more of a payday when it goes." So I think from a goalie standpoint it's not as scary.

I think from a player standpoint it is, because if you don't fall into his immediately, you're gonna be wiped off the side of the earth.

And I think the fact of the matter is as a goalie, it's a lot less controlling for Mike Babcock.

Yeah

But-

But-You know, you can't always just look at every goal and say that was a perfect shot or that was a great shot.

In the Stanley Cup finals, it's okay.

Like, I talked about some of the, like, the post and in goal on the two-on-one that came from a left-handed shot on the left side.

And listen, it was a perfect shot, but I still wanted Carter Hart to make that save a minute into the f- the opening game of the series.

Like, I still said, "Hey, this isn't a sh- He, he shouldn't have had it," but I w- he could have had it, you know? I mean, the, the, the markers for those, in my opinion, go up.

And that's what Corey Schneider was talking about.

That's gotta be a save

Yeah

...

I, I think there's not a team that pairs better with the rest of playing only eight games and, you know, Montreal coming out of playing 14 and Jakub Dobes being worn to the bone and the...

And I know Dobes after his interview said he could play 40 more, but what the hell is he gonna say? Like, I had that conversation the other day on DFO Live.

Like, what's he gonna say? "No, I'm tired"? Like, it's, it's momentum and he's riding high and he's gonna do what he can, but I think the rest for Freddie Andersen paired with a team like Carolina who doesn't really thrive on, like, high-end execution offense, right? When I think of Colorado and you think of these teams that have these high-powered offense where sometimes the rest, you get a little bit out of a rhythm and there's a little bit too much time, where, like, a team like Carolina survives on just, like, effort and, like, swarming defense and something that's a little more controllable where, like, Colby, you, you think about this.

Like, think about a D-man.

If you're like a Lane Hudson, like, your timing and everything needs to be sharp to be good.

I personally would prefer that over, like, holding my breath all the time.

exactly

Again, you go back and you look at the Marner situation.

They don't replace him.

They release him with Dakota Joshua and Nicholas Waugh, guys that just were big and slow, and they thought they could be the Florida Panthers without getting to the playoffs, trying to add some more size and grit.

And then you start to think about like, hey, what does the future hold? Like, what is the next coach? Like, where is where is it going to get made up from? Right.

And I start to look at their back end.

Right.

But how would you play it? Who would you keep? Who would you try to sell? I

So with everything we've talked about going back to the head coach and Craig Berube and all the chatter kind of surrounding him, what's your gut or what's your read on the situation? Do you think that it's in the Leafs' best interest to make a change behind the bench? Or where do you stand on their head coaching position? Is this going to be Chiefs' final ride here?

I don't know.

What does that change, right? Where does the problem start and end? Yes, exactly.

Again, you go back and you look at the Marner situation.

They don't replace him.

They release him with Dakota Joshua and Nicholas Waugh, guys that just were big and slow, and they thought they could be the Florida Panthers without getting to the playoffs, right? Trying to add some more size and grit.

And then you start to think about like, hey, what does the future hold? Like, what is the next coach? Like, where is where is it going to get made up from? Right.

But how would you play it? Who would you keep? Who would you try to sell?

How would you take that if you're Joseph Wall, what Bruby had to say last night?

Well, I think you have to take it for what it's worth.

Like, you know, in the last five games for those, well, he's given up 20 goals.

So I can, it's not good enough on a fragile team that needs saves and saves at the right time, giving up six in the biggest game of the year.

And you could make, you know, there was a couple of deflections and some odd plays, but yeah, you need to make saves.

And again, I think you look back to that third period where they give up a goal.

I think it was 16 seconds in and he had time to recover and get there to make that save.

And do you think that he would have benefited, obviously, from playing some actual hockey in the American League before getting thrown into that Vegas game?

How would you take that if you're Joseph Wall, what Bruby had to say last night?

Well, I think you have to take it for what it's worth.

In the last five games for Joseph Wall, he's given up 20 goals.

It's not good enough on a fragile team that needs saves and saves at the right time, giving up six in the biggest game of the year.

And you could make know there was a couple deflections and some odd plays but you need to make saves and again i think you look back to that third period where they give up a goal i think it was 16 seconds in and he had time to recover and get there to make that save you need a big save and that's what good goalies do and you could talk about injuries you could talk about everything that goes on for example If you go down in the Atlantic Division to Tampa Bay, look at the man games they've lost and the players they've had out of the lineup.

And they still – Vasileski's been able to find a way to get it done.

And big-name guys get things done in big games.

And do you think that he would have benefited, obviously, from playing some actual hockey in the American League before getting thrown into that Vegas game?

Yeah

... anything like he was.

Pulock is another one for me, where is it...

You go out and get him from Tampa Bay, and yes, he was a winner, but how long do you hold on to him as an asset, like, trying to think he's gonna help your team when, like, his better days are behind him? So those are the guys that concern me when you look at the depth, where maybe if you bring in a little bit more players with a little more punch and a little more locker room presence, it can drag a little more out of these younger star players.

I think that's that happy dynamic that you see in other teams, where you look at Gabriel Landeskog in Colorado and Brock Nelson, these, like, veteran guys that have, like, such more of a presence.

And again, it's a different status 'cause I think Nathan MacKinnon is more that accountable superstar compared to a Jack Hughes.

But bringing in some veteran guys that can, like, push guys over the top.

Oh-

Yeah

... anything like he was.

Plot is another one for me, where is it...

You go out and get him from Tampa Bay, and yes, he was a winner, but how long do you hold on to him as an asset, like, trying to think he's gonna help your team when, like, his better days are behind him? So those are the guys that concern me when you look at the depth, where maybe if you bring in a little bit more players with a little more punch and a little more locker room presence, it can drag a little more out of these younger star players.

I think that's that happy dynamic that you see in other teams, where you look at Gabriel Landeskog in Colorado and Brock Nelson, these, like, veteran guys that have, like, such more of a presence.

And again, it's a different status, 'cause I think Nathan MacKinnon is more that accountable superstar compared to a Jack Hughes.

But bringing in some veteran guys that can, like, push guys over the top.

Oh-

So that- that- that does bring up an interesting point though, Carter, which is, is Bob good? Or is Bob good because the team in front of him really hunkers down and plays exceptionally well in the playoffs?

I think Bob is still good.

I don't think Bob is a 55 game goalie good anymore.

I- I think there is a wear and tear and a factor that comes into it.

But again, Bob is a good single game goalie and he- it'd be exciting to see what would happen if we had Russia at the Olympics, right? Because of the plethora of goalies that they have, and there's so many good guys.

But I think for Bob, managing where he is at and where he's gonna be at in playoff form, yes, he's a work horse.

He wants to play, but I think his game has dropped off a bit.

Yeah.

Huh.

So, I think that is a big factor in this play where they're trying to pull up, they're trying to see what works.

But I think the message that's getting sent to those core guys is, is "We're trying to expose players, and maybe there's guys on the move." So, I do think it is disheartening for the Buffalo Sabres what you see with moves like that, right? In a, a culture where this team is very unpredictable, right? At times, it's, it's not about talent.

It's about effort and it's about, you know, I, I guess maybe trying to generate the exact same product every single night.

And they've had troubles doing that over the last 14 years.

And I was one of them, right? I was in that culture where it was we had a ton of good players and the message wasn't there.

The discrepancy between team and management and coaches.

Yep.

What are you thinking with the other two options in between the pipes there?

You know, Primo was brought in, right? I think you give him a chance.

He's a little more insulated, I think, than he was in Montreal.

He still has a lot of upside.

You know, Nick and I were texting yesterday about who got this start.

And I'm not surprised they went back to Stolarz just the way that Saturday went.

I know it's a little bit of a quick turnaround, but just thinking that the team would respond better, which they did, I guess, when you look at a box score and a stat sheet.

What is Caden Premo at this point in his career? And what's the expectation of any backup? Like you sort of talked about it there, but like we think Yusuf Sananen is going to go for Nashville, right?

What are you thinking with the other two options in between the pipes there?

You know, Primo was brought in, right? I think you give him a chance.

He's a little more insulated, I think, than he was in Montreal.

He still has a lot of upside.

You know, Nick and I were texting yesterday about who got this start.

And I'm not surprised they went back to Stolarz just the way that Saturday went.

I know it's a little bit of a quick turnaround, but just thinking that the team would respond better, which they did, I guess, when you look at a box score and a stat sheet.

What is Caden Premo at this point in his career and What's the expectation of any backup? Like you sort of talked about it there, but like we think you Susanna and it's going to go for, for Nashville, right? Yeah,

Hmm.

... where you get caught in between badly because I tell this all the time, what, what NHL net front player gets moved out of the way? Nobody.

Nobody gets moved out of the way.

It's either you're trying to tie up his stick and if a guy gets space on you, once he gets to the front of the net, there's really no moving him.

The fact of the matter is, the work needs to be done beforehand.

The boxing out from getting him to the front of the net is so important and I feel like right now when they are behind the eight-ball, they're trying to chase guys in front and it's making it more chaotic.

Topped on top of the fact that I think Connor Hellebuyck is just so locked in.

Mm-hmm.