It, it's not 100%, but I'm just, uh, I'm just curious where your thoughts are there.

Yeah.

I think when I look at this team both in the short term, looking ahead at this season, and longer term, beyond this season, center depth is the biggest question mark I have.

I think Mika Zibanejad's a really good player.

Um, I think he, he showed last year that he still has good hockey left in him.

He can still be an effective goal scorer, can play make.

Um, I, I think that it's hard-- Like NHL Network, for example, just put out a rankings of their top 20 centers, and the Rangers don't have anyone on that list, neither Miller nor Zibanejad.

I mean, w- uh, with the situation that happened with the goaltending last season, I mean, how important is it for the Rangers to have a guy like that? And, and how important is it to, you know, try and take advantage of it and, and try to win now?

Right

... said that they were gonna retool and focus on, um, infusing young talent while building around their core.

Kind of like Vince said, the, the thread the needle approach.

Uh, yeah, I, I think it, it certainly feels like this is a team that is going to be more competitive, but maybe lacks the ceiling, and also will probably at some point, if it's going to take, um, the leap to being as competitive as, as New York wants and envisions and, and hired Mike Sullivan to, to be, they're gonna need to find a way to get a big fish.

And that's one thing that this organization, it feels like for, for years, has been trying to position themselves to do.

Like you looked at last s- or this, this summer, they had, they positioned themselves to have a ton of cap space, but there were no, none of the McDavids, Eichels, Kaprizovs, none of those guys made it to free agency.

So it, it's hard to say exactly what the long-term plan is, but it certainly feels like this is still, um, this team that they're building doesn't make a ton of long-term sense unless they are able to bring in a, a superstar level guy or develop one internally.

[laughs]

So what, so what is, why, why is he in Calgary here in July?

[lip smacks] So Sonny Mehta said that he, he viewed the, the package they, they got back from the Flames as too good to pass up.

Uh, obviously it, it gives them some draft capital to potentially restock their prospect pool, or it gives them chips that they can trade this coming year to, to further kind of advance the roster that they have on paper.

And I think Nemec is an interesting case of his, his draft pedigree is really high.

He was drafted number two overall in 2022.

He showed some offensive moments while with the Devils.

He, um, scored an overtime winner in the playoffs.

I'm talking about Luke.

What I find interesting is like, okay, how do you arrange this top six? And importantly, where does he slot in? Like in your mind, what do you think makes the most sense just initially? I'm sure they're going to experiment with different stuff at training camp, but like, how do you see him fitting best into this lineup?

Yeah.

I think you've got to get him and Bjorkstrand for that matter.

You've got to put them with, with playmakers.

So I would, I would probably put Dorofeev on a line with Lafreniere and Zibanejad or maybe Perrault and Zibanejad.

But essentially you, I think you want to get him with someone who can get him the puck in those dangerous areas, because that is, I think one of the concerns perhaps you maybe could have with, with him coming here is, is that a lot of his production came via the power play.

Like he had 20 power play goals, which is amazing and is going to help the Rangers a ton, but like the Rangers are going to need him to score it at even strength too.

Yeah

But like, how do you see him fitting best into this lineup?

Yeah, I think you've got to get him, and Bjorkstrand for that matter, you've got to put them with playmakers.

So I would probably put Dorofeev on a line with Lafreniere and Zibanejad, or maybe Perrault and Zibanejad.

But essentially, I think you want to get him with someone who can get him the puck in those dangerous areas.

Because that is, I think, one of the concerns perhaps you maybe could have with him coming here is that a lot of his production came...

Via the power play.

Like, he had 20 power play goals, which is amazing and is going to help the Rangers a ton.

How do you feel about what the Rangers needed to do to get those guys and the trades that they were able to execute?

Use the promo code, and you get a new one every month, GREGOR50, and you'll get a free $50 play only at playalberta.ca. Peter, that's obviously, I'm sure the main question everyone's asking themselves now is which goalie do you think? Bobrovsky, Andersen, Skinner, Ingram, who do you think they target, or is there someone else?

Yeah, it's, it's gonna be interesting.

I haven't had a, a chance to fully get a, a scope on the market.

Bobrovsky, given the amount of money he's asking for and just kind of the nature of, of-- I mean, like, you have to look at Sonny Mehta, who is coming in as the GM.

He was the AGM at Florida, has an analytics background, is very data-driven and very smart.

And I think a lot of times the data would suggest may- it's pretty risky to give a goalie at that age the money that he's looking for.

So I, I have some level of skepticism that that's gonna be the target.

Potential savings will vary.

And, uh, Peter, that's obviously, I'm sure, the main question everyone's asking themselves now is which goalie do you think? Bobrovsky, Anderson, Skinner, Ingram? Who do you think they target? Or is there someone else?

Yeah, it's, it's gonna be interesting.

I haven't had a, a chance to fully get a, a scope on the market.

Bobrovsky, given the amount of money he's asking for and just kind of the nature of, of ...

I mean, like, you have to look at Sonny Mehta, who is coming in as the GM.

He was a GM at Florida, has an analytics background, is very data-driven and very smart.

And I think a lot of times the data would suggest may- it's pretty risky to give a goalie at that age the money that he's looking for.

Um, what do you think they do here? Do they have another trade for a defenseman or, or at least move in a defenseman? What do you think's gonna be the plan for him tomorrow and then, uh, for the summer?

So just talking to these guys, hearing about these guys, what kind of jumps out to you?

Well, Smits is a very interesting person just in his path to this point.

He essentially moved to...

Finland.

He's from Latvia.

He moved to Finland with another kid his age, around age 13 or 14, and was living on his own playing because he thought that this Finnish team was the best opportunity for him.

And he said it kind of forced him to grow up fast because he was living on his own.

But just like anything, whether Larkin or otherwise, that you came away from the combine kind of top of mind or heard some rumblings about?

So, like, just talking to these guys, hearing about these guys, what kind of jumps out to you?

Well, Smits is a very interesting person just in his path to this point.

He essentially moved to...

Finland.

He's from Latvia.

He moved to Finland with another kid his age, around age 13 or 14, and was living on his own playing because he thought that this Finnish team was the best opportunity for him.

And he said it kind of forced him to grow up fast because he was living on his own.

But just like anything, whether Larkin or otherwise, that you came away from the combine kind of top of mind or heard some rumblings about?

Yeah

... with the injury he had, and I think that was really impactful and, and cut into some of the window that they had.

I think there's probably a middle ground between-- 'Cause it, when you're looking at...

I mean, the big changes they could make are they could, they could fire the coach, and, and Jared Bednar could be out of a job, and I think there's gonna be a lot of those conversations speculating on that in the coming days.

But I, I think with the roster itself, like, you already made your big shakeup with the Mikko Rantanen trade.

It's, it's gonna be more tinkering around the edges, and I wonder about players like Val Nichushkin, Artturi Lehkonen, guys who would presumably have some trade value who, who now, uh, with the cap rising, some teams might be interested in getting in on.

Could they use some of those guys to maybe get a little younger? 'Cause I, I think if you look at this team-

As we run the audit back on what worked and what didn't work, did Kadri work?

But who do you think comes to mind for you, Pete, as, like, who would, who would be your overreaction five minutes after we found out that Craig Berube has been let go? Like, who would be the guy that, um, that, that you would look to, to, to take that job and be the next head coach?

Yeah, it's a good question.

I, I can't say I've, like, thought of too many names.

Cassidy is interesting just because, uh, uh, I mean, I imagine he'll have options.

And if you're Bruce Cassidy, is that the, the job that you want to go to? I m- I mean, if I'm him, I, I know I can win at the highest level.

I know I have a Stanley Cup.

I, I'd maybe wanna go to a team that's a little bit more of a contender.

[chuckles]

I thought that was normal.

A lot of people do.

That's why there's Jerry.

Jerry pulls up to 20 quotes from top insurers in minutes, shows them side by side, and lets you switch in the app.

No jumping sites, no re-entering info, no spam calls.

It helps you cancel your old policy and keeps checking for better rates.

What was the last series you covered for the Avs? Like, how-- Which, which year was it?

So, well, before Avs-Kings, it would've been 2023 Kraken-Avs seven-game series.

Where do you stand on this conversation right now, like the value of winning and building momentum and getting some of these young guys some positive reps versus the importance that we both, I think, understand of them getting a high draft pick and somebody that can change the course of this franchise?

Yeah, I mean, it's a vital summer for the Rangers with this draft pick.

This is going to be their best chance to infuse some skill into their prospect system, which does not have as much skill as some of the other teams that are in this retooling, rebuilding stage.

I think it's an interesting kind of question of what you want to see as a fan.

For me, I view tanking as something that should happen... at the kind of management level, the general manager level, than something you want to see at the coach and player level.

You want every player who's in the lineup to be trying to win that game.

You want the coach to be coaching to win that game.

What's your feeling on that whole situation?

Yeah

... with teams over the Olympic break and, and kinda further get a sense of things and then finalise things potentially.

So there's no real reason that it has to get done now.

I'm sure, like you said, it's everyone's preference to get some clarity on this, and the Rangers were holding him out of games with- they weren't doing that with the intention of this lingering.

But these things are complicated, especially when you get into wanting nego- extensions negotiated into part of this, 'cause there's almost two negotiations that [static sound] has to happen.

Panarin has to figure out his team, whether that's the, with an extension or as a rental.

Our reporting has indicated that he's preferred an extension.

Yeah

Do you have a thought on that?

Yeah, I can confirm that, that he is off the US roster.

They didn't have him on the, the roster that they submitted.

Um, I mean, personally, I, I think it's a mistake.

I think you could make a case that maybe he's not one of the top six defensemen based on their needs, just 'cause they have Q- Hughes to run the, the power play and Merensky can r- run the power play.

But to me, I, I feel like having a guy like Adam Fox as a extra defenseman at the Olympics is the ultimate luxury.

Like, if you need someone to fill in who can run the power play, he can do that.

But where's Drury at right now with this team?

Do you have a thought on that?

Yeah, I can confirm that, that he is off the US roster.

They didn't have him on the, the roster that they submitted.

Um, I mean, personally, I, I think it's a mistake.

I think you could make a case that maybe he's not one of the top six defensemen based on their needs, just 'cause they have Q- Hughes to run the, the power play, and Merensky can r- run the power play.

But to me, I, I feel like having a guy like Adam Fox as a extra defenseman at the Olympics is the ultimate luxury.

Like, if you need someone to fill in who can run the power play, he can do that.

But where's Drury at right now with this team?

Yeah.

... clearly altered the chemistry of the room.

It was a bomb and the team responded terribly.

They won five of their next 19 games.

And to me, there were maybe some decisions I would quibble with Laviolette on during that stretch.

But to me that was kind of on the, the management for how they handled it and on the players for how they reacted to it.

I think though that if you look at this Rangers team in the second half, the lack of defensive structure and cohesion is, is really alarming.

Hmm.