From the Cheap Seats

**Disclaimer** This episode was recorded prior to the public release of the results of the investigation into the Chicago Blackhawks that revealed horrifying accounts of sexual abuse and manipulation, as well as negligence on the part of several members of the Blackhawks organization. We will be addressing this situation in full on a later episode. 

In our first ever game of the week episode, in which we highlight two teams with newsworthy storylines that are facing off against each other, we deep dive into the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams come from big cities with passionate fans and overwhelming media attention. Both teams have also had rocky and unsuccessful starts to the season. So what exactly is going wrong, and how can they right the ship? Adam and Matt give their thoughts and predict the winner of what will be a massive game for the outcome of either teams' season.  Enjoy! 

A division containing both last year's champion the Tampa Bay Lightning and the league's last place team the Buffalo Sabres. This division is characterized by that spread in talent, as the top of this division will battle for the presidents' trophy, while the bottom will be in the hunt for Shane Wright at next year's draft. But there are still lots of questions to anseer...How will Montreal fare after their run to the cup? Will Boston or Toronto stumble after failing to fulfill expectations last season? How high will the Florida Panthers fly? Can the Ottawa  Senators and Detroit Red Wings steal wins from their playoff counterparts? We discuss all this and give our predictions for the Atlantic Division in the 2021-22 NHL season. Enjoy! 

Some consider it the best division in hockey, but who will come out on top? The Penguins and Capitals have dominated, but with injuries and age catching up to them how will they fare? Will the Hurricanes maintain elite play without some key players? What kind of growth will we see from the young teams, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils? Throw in the dominant New York Islanders, the hard to beat Columbus Blue Jackets, and the unpredictable Philadelphia Flyers and this is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing divisions to watch. 

We give our thoughts and predictions and try to answer some of the most burning questions for this incredibly exciting division. Enjoy! 

Matt and Adam return with From the Cheap Seats for the new NHL season! After a long summer of rest, the boys are excited for what is shaping up to be an incredible year of hockey. We recap the late summer moves and recent stories heading into the season, including the latest on Jack Eichel, Carolina's offer sheet, COVID storylines, trades, signings, and more...

AND stay tuned in the coming days for our divisional previews covering our thoughts/predictions on where teams from the across the NHL will finish. You won't want to miss it. 

Chaos. That's what has been happening around the NHL this week with the number of trades being made, players being cut, and draft picks being made. It's also what's going on with us in this episode, as we recorded with some friends present and maybe more than one beer of the week. It's a lot of fun, especially with everything there was to talk about this week...Enjoy! 

The 32nd NHL franchise is about to add their first ever players in Wednesday's expansion draft. Some major decisions need to be made as the Kraken look to ice a competitive team while also taking advantage of the cap situation they can set themselves up with. Do they take veterans like Tarasenko and Price? Or young guns like Vince Dunn and Kiefer Bellows? Or even reclamation projects like Max Domi or Ryan Johansen? Listen to our predictions and stay tuned for later this week when we review the final roster. We also cover all the news and moves that led up to today's draft. Enjoy!

(Expansion predictions come in around the 50 minute mark) 

The Tampa Bay Lightning are officially the 2021 Stanley Cup Champions! What looked all but finalized finally came to an end when Ross Colton and Andrei Vasilevsky led the Lightning past Montreal in a 1-0 game 5 victory. We discuss their run to the finals, how they stack up against the best teams in the salary cap era, Kucherov's drunken post game presser, the shenanigans from the parade, and what comes next for this team. Enjoy! 

(This episode was split in two and part 2 which covers news from around the league as the offseason ramps up will be out tomorrow!)

This weird and unique NHL season is coming to a close, but while the on ice action may be coming to a halt, the off season is just beginning. Some big name players like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Joel Eriksen Ek have signed long term, Buffalo and Arizona named new head coaches, and the Los Angeles Kings pick up Viktor Arvidsson for what looks to be a bargain. We talk about the recent activity from around the league as well as analysis from the Stanley Cup Finals between the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning. Enjoy! (and stay tuned for our full breakdown of the Finals coming in the next few days)

The Stanley Cup Finals are FINALLY here! The Montreal Canadiens are taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning in what we think will be a much more competitive series than some have suggested. We give our thoughts on coverage from Tampa's game one victory as well how we think the series will play out. On top of our predictions we take a look back at our original playoff brackets, and of course we have beer. Enjoy! 

Game Seven from Tampa Bay as the Islanders and Lightning look set to face off. With the winner facing Montreal in the final we cover the final stages of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. We also start to look ahead as some offseason moves are beginning to be made, both on the ice and behind the bench as Seattle name Dave Hakstol the first coach in franchise history. Lots of stupid chatter and some great beers. Enjoy!