um let's go to vegas and uh tell me how is aiden hill looked and kind of what's the storyline uh between him and carter hart uh are you expecting like a 1a 1b or is this carter hart clearly the starter and hill's the backup what do you think

No, I think they'll be more of a tandem.

You know, Aiden had some strange stuff happen to him last year.

Wasn't healthy for a big chunk of it.

I think, you know, he's become – he's a new father, did sign a pretty big contract, and all that stuff can – we forget that they're humans, right? All that stuff can, uh, can have an impact on a, on a guy's play.

I'm excited for Aiden.

I really liked the person and I did watch him win a Stanley cup and that you could have made the argument, uh, that year that he could have been the, the cons my trophy winner.

But ultimately, when your roster's talented, the new coach is in a good situation.

Let's go to Vegas and tell me, how has Aiden Hill looked and kind of what's the storyline between him and Carter Hart? Are you expecting like a 1A, 1B or is Carter Hart clearly the starter and Hill's the backup? What do you think?

No, I think they'll be more of a tandem.

You know, Aiden had some strange stuff happen to him last year.

Wasn't healthy for a big chunk of it.

I think, you know, he's become – he's a new father, did sign a pretty big contract, and all that stuff can – We forget that they're humans, right? All that stuff can have an impact on a guy's play.

I'm excited for Aiden.

I really like the person, and I did watch him win a Stanley Cup, and you could have made the argument that year that he could have been the Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

And I kind of think the same thing's going to happen in Vegas, just because it's refreshing sometimes to get a new coach, but ultimately, when your roster's talented, the new coach is in a good situation.

Terrible.

Uh, you know, Claude Lemieux as his agent.

Uh, uh, he went through some weird s- some, some difficult stuff last year, and I think that, uh, he was able to get home, uh, and just sort of, you know, clear his head a little bit, uh, over the summer.

I love what they've done with the pairings.

Uh, you know, Theodore and McNabb are one of the best pairings in the National Hockey League, and they have been for seven years.

Uh, uh, uh, I like Andersson and Wotherspoon together.

Wotherspoon was, uh, uh, apparently he's a bit of a Swede whisperer.

I mean, Johnny, it's sunshine and rainbows 24/7.

He's a lo- he loves the sifters

[laughs] He's, well, he's, he's fantastic at it.

So, uh, he j- just the, the clapper, or Ma- Mark Stone pulls one out every once in a while.

Like, Mark's usually the wrister, and every once in a while there's a slapper from Stone and you're like, "Oh my God, the Manitoba Maniac," and it's, it's really fun.

So, uh, the, Tort' has got this group ...

Uh, uh, loose isn't quite the right word, but they're not tight for sure, and they're having a ton of fun.

Uh, it's been amazing to watch.

[laughs]

Mm-hmm.

Team had lost six of seven.

You know, they were five points up on the division coming out of the Olympic break.

Now they're six back of Anaheim, so you know, y-you have to...

I look at the roster, and I go, "This is a really good roster.

This, this roster can't miss the playoffs.

This, this could be a missed opportunity." So I, I'm asking those questions myself.

Mm

Mm-hmm.

Team had lost six of seven.

You know, they were five points up on the division coming out of the Olympic break.

Now they're six back of Anaheim, so-You know, you have to-- I look at the roster and I go, "This is a really good roster.

This, this roster can't miss the playoffs.

This, this could be a missed opportunity." So I, I'm asking those questions myself.

So, uh, was I surprised that there was, uh, that action was taken yesterday? Uh, no.

Mm

Certainly, did this catch you by surprise?

Yeah, I wouldn't say surprise.

This team is...

UNDERACHIEVED.

THEY WERE FOUR POINTS UP ON FIRST PLACE IN THE PACIFIC DIVISION WHEN COMING OUT OF THE OLYMPICS AND THEY'RE SIX BACK OF IT NOW.

THEY'VE ONLY WON ONE GAME IN THEIR LAST SEVEN.

ALL THESE THINGS WHEN YOU'RE AROUND AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS HIGH EXPECTATIONS.

So is Carter Hart close if these guys continue to – is there some help? Is Carlson close to coming back? These are key pieces that haven't been –

Wow.

This is, uh, is, uh, all kidding aside, uh, not a fun day around here.

Uh, Bruce Cassidy won a Stanley Cup here.

Uh, when I was on your show last year, I referred to Bruce as a genius, uh, still believe that, uh, he is an elite coach, um, did...

Won a ton of games here.

Uh, him and Kelly McCrimmon really enjoyed one another, worked very well together.

Uh, Kelly McCrimmon doesn't do anything in a panic mode.

It's a crazy move

Yep

...

he was outstanding.

He made big saves in big moments.

And, uh, now he's, uh, he's had some health issues since.

Uh, but, you know, I...

Listen, uh, between- They actually have four goaltenders right now because Carl Lindbaum is, he's very close to being an NHL goalie.

Yeah

That was obviously a headline grabber.

Yeah.

You know, the picks, they're Vegas picks.

That's the first thing you have to think about it.

They won't be...

You assume they're going to be late-round picks, so that's...

That's a factor in this.

Don't worry.

That was obviously a headline grabber.

Yeah.

You know, the picks, they're Vegas picks.

That's the first thing you have to think about it.

They won't be...

You assume they're going to be late-round picks, so that's...

That's a factor in this.

Don't worry.

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better.Yeah.

So I won't, I won't quibble with that, and it- it's the, the...

What McKerman has done is he's put together, uh, four really good lines so that, you know, Bruce Cassidy doesn't like...

It's not like they're loaded up on one line when they have, uh, Marner and Eichel together 'cause if you're paying attention, Dorofeev has four goals already.

Uh, he's on the second line with Hertl and Saad, and the line of Carlson, Smith, and Stane, uh, they, they have been dominant for stretches.

They get the puck in the offensive zone.

But is there an, an area that, if you're Kelly McKerman, you're saying, "You know what? I have my eyes on this area"?

When you see him in media scrum and stuff like that, does he feel like a different person?

Well, there haven't been very many media scrums.

That's the first thing.

There are lots of days where he comes off the ice and he looks around and there's no one at his stall.

And like one day he literally said to me, like, can I just leave? Yeah, like that was quite a shock for him that he didn't have to stick around.

If they don't request you and there's no one at your stall, you leave.

So this is a different market than Toronto for sure in that regard.

He can throw a

It speaks to not only, you know, the area in which these players, you know, they like to live there, but also it helps when you put together a winning organization and that's what they've done there.

Well, it was almost a chilling effect in the dressing room when all the guys that left Carrier, Amadio, Marcheseau, Stevenson, when all those guys left last year, The players that want to play here, they watched those negotiations go and those players didn't get extended or didn't extend is the better way to say it.

The guys this year were like, as soon as Kelly brought it up and said, hey, do you want to talk about an extension? They all told their agents, get it done and get it done quick.

I don't want this dragging in to the second half.

Like, you know, with Chandler Stevenson, they didn't have a deal done at the deadline.

Kelly said, okay, I'm going to put that money into Tomas Hurdle and made the deal for Hurdle.

Kelly likes to reward his own people, but if he knows he's not going to get a deal done with you, He makes hard decisions, goes out and responds the way a general manager should respond.

Is that just what it is? Jack Eichel is comfortable and healthy now?