Um, the, uh, Do you think Mike Babcock, how stubborn is he? Or do you think that Isaac Howard is going to be on that third line with Dickinson? Could we see Howard get up to 12 minutes tomorrow night?

I hope so.

I think Mike Babcock's the type of guy that you have to earn your ice time with and you have to earn the confidence with.

And you have to earn the ability to say, hey, put me out on the ice.

I'm not going to be a liability.

And he talked about it a little today.

He comes in here with a clean slate.

That was easily his best home game and maybe something for him to build off of.

Do you think, Mike Babcock, how stubborn is he? Or do you think that Isaac Howard is going to be on that third line with Dickinson? Could we see Howard get up to 12 minutes tomorrow night?

I hope so.

I think Mike Babcock's the type of guy that you have to earn your ice time with and you have to earn the confidence with.

And you have to earn the ability to say, hey, put me out on the ice.

I'm not going to be a liability.

And he talked about it a little today.

He comes in here with a clean slate.

That was easily his best home game and maybe something for him to build off of.

But overall, they seemingly early on in a very small sample size, they look like a team similar to 2024 that's committed to playing the right way defensively.

They are.

And I think a big part of that is they're limiting the turnovers in the neutral zone.

And it was interesting because I think Ryan Westrog was bringing this up with Conor McDavid the other day.

He talked about these guys are chipping the puck in a lot more than I remember.

They used to love to carry the puck.

always felt that if you have to dump it in or chip it in there was almost at the fetus attitude towards that but it's keeping them from making those terrible cross ice passes across the neutral zone that would come back the other way and end up in your net so you know what David agreed like he he acknowledged us yes if there's not a safe play there if it's not a good play instead of trying a high risk low reward pass they are going to go chip the puck in they are going to go try and chase it down they are going to try and work teams along the wall so I I think that plays into a little bit because you're not seeing the five bell turnovers that we saw maybe early on last year when guys were trying to do too much, when defenders were standing up at the blue line, and these guys didn't want to chip the puck in.

Do you think that, like, what do you think it would take for Jari to get consecutive starts?

But overall, they seemingly early on in a very small sample size, they look like a team similar to 2024 that's committed to playing the right way defensively.

They are, and I think a big part of that is they're limiting the turnovers in the neutral zone.

And it was interesting because I think Ryan Westrog was bringing this up with Conor McDavid the other day.

He talked about these guys are chipping the puck in a lot more than I remember.

They used to love to carry the puck.

They always felt that if you had to dump it in or chip it in, it was almost the fetus additive towards that.

But it's keeping them from making those terrible cross-ice passes across the neutral zone that would come back the other way and end up in your net.

Do you think that, like, what do you think it would take for Jari to get consecutive starts?

Um, you know, it's the first year, uh, without Anze Kopitar, and just, like, their strength down the middle is not very good right now, DVD.

No, it's not.

And then they, they really kind of obviously missed...

Kopitar, he's still contributing.

Like, e- even with late in, late in his career, he was still contributing.

He was still a big leader.

He was still up there in, as far as points-wise.

And I think sometimes when reality hits, you're like, "Oh, geez, this is gonna be a long year." But it is gonna be a long year in Calgary, and it's probably good to be a long year because they need to hope that they can find a real good player at the top of the draft.

Speak about that internal competition that I think we're seeing between Levi and Jari.

Yeah, it's going to be interesting.

What I think is – yeah, I was there in the scrum yesterday, and I interpreted like I thought he said.

That's just Babcock speak, and I've known Mike Babcock for a while, so I kind of know how he kind of talks.

But he said, yeah, we're going to go Levi one and Jari two, meaning game one they're going to go with Levi, game two they're going to go with Jari, and they're not sure what the situation is going to be for the next – for the next couple of games.

But to me, I think it's important for the owners to kind of realize or figure out if Devin Levi can be an NHL goalie.

He's been in the American Hockey League the past two seasons, and so it's tough to kind of, you know, you think about, okay, can he play at this level? Is he a guy that's going to be just an NHL guy, or can he play at the NHL level? So I think the owners have to figure that out, and you figure that out by playing the guy.

And, Derek, I want to get your read on the start because for a team that is challenged – so much with offense and Zach Whitecloud talked about it today he said we're pressing way too much and he says when players care about doing the right thing sometimes they don't do the right thing because they're pressing too much but for the Flames it just kind of feels like they're really walking a very tight or thin tight rope here because if they don't do the right things then what happened to them in the first three games happens.

The, in a weird way, the injuries might be a good thing for them.

Well, yeah, Mike Babcock's looking at it that way.

I know he shut me down pretty quickly when I suggested, you know, on opening night that they were missing five regulars or whatever.

He said, "No, that doesn't matter." But you're right, he said the same thing.

He said that this gives an opportunity for other guys.

You get a different look on the power play.

Bud Coles is now gonna get power play time.

And like, it's looking like it might be a really ugly, long year in Calgary

The, in a weird way, the injuries might be a good thing for them.

Well, yeah, Mike Babcock's looking at it that way.

I know he shut me down pretty quickly when I suggested, you know, on opening night that they were missing five regulars or whatever.

Eh, no, it doesn't matter.

But he ra- he said the same thing.

He said that this gives an opportunity for other guys.

You get a different look on the power play.

They don't have a lot of offensive potential on that team, and, like, it's looking like it might be a really ugly, long year in Calgary.

The, the Oilers overall, uh, DVD, uh, like, it, is it cup or buster? Do you get the sense that, that it's not so mu- 'cause I think at times last year it was all like, "Okay, we'll just, you know, we'll get to the playoffs again, and then we'll go on a run." The- this year they're more about foundation first, and then we'll worry about the playoffs.

Yeah, I think so.

I think it, well, I think, you know what, I think it, it has been cup or bust here for the last couple years.

But I think if you look at around the league and how you go and win the Stanley Cup, like, things all have to fall into place for you to win the cup.

You look at Carolina, how long were they banging on the door before they f- they finally broke through, right? You look at teams like Colorado.

Um, you know, um, obviously Vegas was, was banging on the door since their inception.

So, it, it, I, I think, you know, Ken Holland said it best.

Um, how do you think the Jets are gonna do without Hellebuyck?

And by the end of October, the Oilers will already have a three-game winning streak, mark my words, probably four.

Oh, no, I agree with you there.

And, and I think obviously the rest in the extended lo- off-season will help in that regard.

Uh, you know, yesterday Connor McDavid kinda took offense to, [laughs] to a question from Mark Spector about, "You guys always get off to bad starts." And he mentioned that, yeah, they did go nine and one one year.

Uh, so he, with, I wouldn't say always, uh, obviously you can't generalize like that.

I know the last couple of years they've gotten off to slow starts.

Obviously the one year they had to make a coaching change.

Who is your team to be the biggest surprise team on a positive way in the NHL?

Mark my words, probably four.

Oh, no, I agree with you there.

And I think obviously the rest and the extended loss offseason will help in that regard.

You know, yesterday, Conor McDavid kind of took offense to a question from Mark Spector about you guys always get off to bad starts.

And he mentioned that day they did go nine in one one year.

So he was I would say always obviously can't generalize like that.

I know the last couple of years they've gone off to slow starts, obviously the one year.

Who is your team to be the biggest surprise team on a positive way in the NHL?

Um, have you heard anything, um, tactics systematically that he wants to install into the Oilers system?

Well, uh, not yet.

I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet.

But, uh, you know, like from what we understand, and I've known Babs back in the days when I was covering the Western League in Medicine Hat.

So, like, I, I remember sitting in his office in Spokane and we had a long chat.

Like he's, he, like you talk about an X and the O's guy, he is that guy.

Like, he is a guy that can kinda make adjustments in game and, and see what's not working and what is working and kind of, and he runs the bench well, and I think that's maybe kind of what the Oilers need is, is, is in-game adjustments.

No.

Doesn't seem to be a lot of concern, but in the interim, uh, Stan Bowman has some spots to fill, whether that's internally or if he goes the PTO route or the UFA route.

Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see how they approach it, and I think one of those things is you're gonna have to kinda get a good gauge on how long Matt Savoy's gonna be out.

Like, is he gonna be out, uh, three or four months with this particular injury that he sustained in the, in the, in a training session or, or is it something that he should be back by the end of, you know, the end of October? And then you can kind of fill the void there for a little bit and not have to replace him.

Uh, Frederick Andersen, obviously, that's a concern because as good a goalie as Frederick Andersen has been or can be, uh, there's been in- injury issues with him, uh, and throughout his career.

And so you sign, you sign a goalie, you're hoping that, okay, he can come in here and help you solidify that position, and then somehow he gets injured again.

So, uh, injury issues have, have always been the situation with Frederick Andersen.

The Oilers have obviously got themselves some insurance.

But everything I read about Misha Donskov, who won a Stanley Cup as an assistant coach for the Vegas Golden Knights, everyone seems to love the guy, Deric.

Mm-hmm.

These are all kids that are gonna be draft eligible, uh, in June, and they're gonna go back to their teams.

And some are going to college, but they're still kind of young.

They're all 17.

So some are going to college, some are going back to junior.

Uh, but yeah, there's so-- there's, you know, a handful of kids that you gotta keep your eye on.

And, a- and Landon DuPont, of course, everyone's saying that he's gonna be the number one overall pick, and this guy is something special.

What do you think of this situation?

Mm-hmm.

These are all kids that are gonna be draft eligible, uh, in June, and they're gonna go back to their teams.

And some are going to college, but they're still kind of young.

They're all 17.

So some are going to college, some are going back to junior.

Uh, but yeah, there's so- there's, you know, a handful of kids that you gotta keep your eye on.

And, a- and Landon DuPont, of course, everyone's saying that he's gonna be the number one overall pick, and this guy is something special.

What do you think of this situation?

If you were handing out a report card, what letter grade would you give Stan Bowman for his work that he did on July first?

Well, uh, probably a B, but I'd like to see how things turn out.

But I thought he was very active, very busy.

Not only just, uh, you know, signing free agents, but getting, getting his own guys signed a-and locked and, and loaded.

So I think there was, there was some deficiencies there that he was looking at kind of, um, basically filling, and I think he did that for the most part.

So, um, I think it's just a matter of seeing how some of these moves work out, but, uh, for the most part, I thought he did a really good job.

I thought he identified the needs of this team, and, and he went out and tried to fill them the best he could, so it'll be interesting to see.

What do you make of that?

Did you watch the Argentina game? And what did you make of the disallowed goal for Egypt?

I didn't like it.

If we're going to start, you know, in soccer, if you're going to start going back 45, 50 seconds to see if there was fouls in the buildup of the play, like it was a chintzy foul.

Listen, if the referee doesn't call the foul, then you play on.

It's kind of like...

It's kind of like scoring a goal and going back two minutes to find out that the puck went in on offside.

I'm not a fan of that.

What is your gut telling you about the Ducks strategy heading into Friday?

Did you watch the Argentina game, and what did you make of the disallowed goal for Egypt?

I didn't like it.

Uh, I didn't...

If we're gonna start, you know, in soccer, if you're gonna start going back 45, 50 seconds to see if there was fouls in the buildup of the play, like it was a, it was a chintzy foul.

Listen, if the referee doesn't call the foul, then you play on.

I- It's, it's kind of like, it's kind of like scoring a goal and going back two minutes to find out that the, the puck went in on offside.

Like, I'm not a fan of that.

What is, uh, what is your gut telling you about the Ducks' strategy heading into Friday?

Um, how busy do you think they are? And do you think a Darnell Nurse trade happens before training camp?

Oh, before the deadline? I think he almost has to.

I think it almost ha- You almost have to st-start, start trying to try, try to trade Darnell Nurse this week because you need to know what you have, what you're playing with when it comes cap-wise and money-wise, and whether you're gonna bring a player back or you're gonna have a few million to kind of go out there and then try and get a, uh, an unrestricted free agent here.

Um, I was down at the rink today for development camp.

The entire staff is there.

They were all watching development camp, so they're, you know, they're hunkered in, uh, waiting for tomorrow.

It's gonna be an interesting day.

Yeah.

What type of game does Canada have to play to have success against Qatar? Is it just tons of pressure, or is it a more kinda wait for your chances?

Well, I think they have to, one, defend really well, um, and two, they have to keep the ball.

And I think the, the issue with, uh, in the last game is they were just giving the ball away.

They were making bad passes.

They were playing the ball out of touch.

They gotta keep the ball, and when you get an opportunity, you gotta bury those opportunities.

As, the further you go in this tournament, the fewer opportunities you're gonna get.

Mm-hmm.

Um, you know, I think DJ Smith and in the conversation here, I think DJ Smith, we can't underestimate the importance that he will bring to the staff.

Yeah, I think he's there to keep things on the rails, and I think he's there to make sure.

He's known Mike Babcock for a while, so I think Mike Babcock wanted to bring in a guy that he can trust and that can say to him, okay, Mike, you're getting a little too close to this line here.

Well, you're crossing the line.

So I think he's a guy that can come in here and kind of keep things on the rail.

And he's also a guy that, hey, if things do go south, if things don't go the way they're supposed to, he can kind of come in and step in and be the head coach if the owners need that.

But, yeah, I think he's obviously an interesting hire.

What's your early thoughts?

Um, you know, I, I think DJ Smith in, in the conversation here t- I think DJ Smith, we can't underestimate the importance that he will bring to the staff.

Yeah, I think he's there to keep things on the rails, and I, and I think he's there to, to make sure...

Like, he's known Mike Babcock for a while, so I think Mike Babcock wanted to bring in a guy that he can trust, uh, and that can say to him, "Okay, Mike, you're, you're getting a little too close to this line here," or, "You're crossing the line." So I think he's a guy that can come in here and kind of keep things on the rail.

And he's also a guy that, hey, if things do go south, if things go, don't go the way they're supposed to, he can kind of come in and step in a- a- and, and be the head coach if the Oilers need that.

But, um, yeah, I think he's obviously an interesting hire.

He comes in, it's a package deal.

But yeah, you were there.

Uh, what, uh, what's your early, uh, early thoughts?

Where do you come out? Do you think Torrance is going to be the closer guy that people are suggesting, or do you think he gets a full-time gig regularly soon back in the NHL?

I think it's up to him where he wants one.

Like, I don't think John Tortorella likes the everyday grind of the regular season.

I think it kind of wears on him.

He doesn't like being at the morning skate.

He doesn't like being at the rink.

When he was in Vancouver, Vancouver never practiced because he actually lived in the United States and had to commute to practice and games every day.

Are you surprised that the orders have stood so staunchly in the want to hire Babcock?

Where do you come out? Do you think Torrance is going to be the closer guy that people are suggesting, or do you think he gets a full-time gig regularly soon back in the NHL?

I think it's up to him where he wants one.

Like, I don't think John Tortorella likes the everyday grind of the regular season.

I think it kind of wears on him.

He doesn't like being at the morning skate.

He doesn't like being at the rink.

When he was in Vancouver, Vancouver never practiced because he actually lived in the United States and had to commute to practice and games every day.

In the want to hire Babcock?

What's your gut tell you from your watch the morning skate?

Well, there was no morning skate because it was a 5 o'clock start here.

Rod Brindamore just had an availability about an hour ago, and he wouldn't reveal his starter.

And my gut feeling is when you don't reveal your starter, you're making a change in net.

And it's a significant change because Brandon Busby is a right-handed.

He catches right-handed, so it's a different look.

that you're going to give the Vegas Golden Knights.

DVD, from Vegas and everybody around, what's your thoughts on the story? It looks like the orders pending approval from the NHLPA are going to hire Mike Babcock.