San Jose Sharks Podcast – San Jose Hockey Now

Tomas Hertl joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

But before we get to Hertl Power (1:15:00), Keegan and Sheng preview the San Jose Sharks’ Rookie Faceoff roster (1:48) and John McCarthy’s first media availability since Martin Kaut’s accusations.

In honor of the Rookie Faceoff, we formed two all-time San Jose Sharks prospects teams (7:10), the Most Disappointing Sharks Prospects and the Most Surprising, complete with recollections from a lot of fun archival sources.

Pat Fallon (9:47), Teemu Rihijarvi (13:10), Nikolay Goldobin (17:50), Jeff Jillson (22:04), Mirco Mueller (27:45), and Ben Gaudreau (35:15) “headline” one team.

We also touch on some dishonorable mentions (39:26).

Joe Pavelski (46:16), Ryane Clowe (49:10), Kevin Labanc (51:18), Justin Braun (57:17), Jason Demers (59:15), and Evgeni Nabokov (1:02:37) highlight a team of the positive.

And of course, there are honorable mentions (1:05:05)!

Speaking of a prospect who did not disappoint, Tomas Hertl (1:15:00)!

Hertl says he got “leaner” over the summer (1:16:23). He also talked about putting too much pressure on himself last year, and how being more confident makes you faster too.

Hertl shares his reaction to the Martin Kaut situation (1:19:38) and the Erik Karlsson trade (1:21:00).

Hertl talks about his patience level with the San Jose Sharks’ rebuilding process (1:22:07). He thinks they can “be secretly good” up front.

He finally shares some observations about the Captain’s Skates (1:25:01).

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Mario Ferraro joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

Before we get to Ferraro (1:34:49), Keegan and Sheng touch on surprises from the San Jose Sharks’ Rookie Faceoff roster (2:08) and the Pittsburgh Penguins hiring Doug Wilson (8:00).

Then, we look at how post-salary cap era Stanley Cup winners and contenders have been built (11:50). Based on that, Keegan and Sheng believe Mike Grier’s “hybrid rebuild” can work (15:15).

Here’s our snapshot view of every Stanley Cup winner and how they acquired their key players, the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes (19:50), 2007 Anaheim Ducks (23:05), 2008 Detroit Red Wings (26:55), 2009 Penguins (29:45), 2010 Chicago Blackhawks (34:12), 2011 Boston Bruins (39:50), 2012 Los Angeles Kings (42:20), 2013 Blackhawks (46:15), 2014 Kings, 2015 Blackhawks, 2016 Penguins, 2017 Penguins, 2018 Washington Capitals (48:55), 2019 St. Louis Blues (53:24), 2020 Tampa Bay Lightning (55:30), 2021 Lightning, 2022 Colorado Avalanche (59:27), and 2023 Vegas Golden Knights (1:02:00).

It's worth noting that a number of a high picks like Eric Staal and Drew Doughty and Alexander Ovechkin and Alex Pietrangelo and Steven Stamkos who led their teams to championships weren’t acquired through “tanking”.

Sheng also evaluates how near-Cup winners were built, the 2015/2017 Ducks (1:07:00), 2013/2019 Bruins (1:09:55), 2019/2023 Hurricanes (1:12:30), 2020/2023 Dallas Stars (1:16:47), 2012/2014/2015 New York Rangers (1:20:27), and 2010/2011/2016 San Jose Sharks (1:24:00).

What’s the similarity (1:29:50) between Dean Lombardi and Mike Grier’s rebuild plans? 

Keegan and Sheng agree that there are many ways to build a contender. (1:31:20)

Now, it’s Mario! (1:34:49)

We talk first about Ferraro’s new dog, Wilder.

Ferraro talks about hanging out with Joe Thornton in Ontario this summer. (1:37:50)

Ferraro’s Youngest of Plugs YouTube channel has had two episodes in the last two weeks, after a year’s hiatus! (1:38:35)

Ferraro chats about building a relationship with the new guys like Mike Hoffman, Givani Smith, and Leon Gawanke. (1:41:00)

Ferraro talks about his reaction to the Erik Karlsson trade. (1:44:50)

Finally, Mario discusses trying to do too much as a player, which gets you away from what you’re best at on the ice. 

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It’s time for our pre-season top-10 San Jose Sharks prospects rankings! 

Keegan and Sheng counted down their respective top-10 lists, then talked about some honorable mentions at the end.

At No. 10, Sheng has Kasper Halttunen (2:30). Which San Jose Sharks prospect, not in Sheng’s top-10, did an NHL scout slot ahead of Halttunen? Keegan also had Halttunen at No. 10.

At No. 9, Sheng has Thomas Bordeleau (5:00). Sheng got a lot of pushback from scouts on this ranking. He likes Bordeleau’s talent a lot, but just isn’t sure if it will all come together. Keegan has Mattias Havelid (9:58) at No. 9 and explained why he’s so high on the smallish Swedish defenseman.

At No. 8, Sheng has Danil Gushchin (13:05). Keegan has Bordeleau (14:50). Keegan just isn’t sure where Bordeleau slots in an NHL line-up.

At No. 7, Sheng has Cam Lund (18:00). Why was it so tough for Lund at Northeastern this past year? Keegan also explains why he had Lund outside of his top-10. Keegan has Gushchin at No. 7. Why is Gushchin Keegan’s favorite San Jose Sharks prospect?

At No. 6, Sheng has Henry Thrun (26:10). A scout said that Thrun deserved to be in his own Sharks prospects tier, ahead of Gushchin and company. Keegan also had Thrun at No. 6. Why might Thrun not make the San Jose Sharks’ opening night?

At No. 5, both Sheng and Keegan had Quentin Musty (33:40). What should we expect from Musty this season?

At No. 4, Sheng had Filip Bystedt (39:25). One scout suggested that the San Jose Sharks’ top-four prospects, including Bystedt, is sort of their “Core Four.” Keegan also had Bystedt here and thinks he’s gotten faster this year. They also talk about how Bystedt has shot up ahead over all the 2022 Swedish first-rounders who were drafted ahead of him.

At No. 3, Sheng had Shakir Mukhamadullin (48:15). There was real debate here: One scout had Mukhamadullin ahead of William Eklund, while another had him a couple spots back. Keegan also had Mukhamadullin at No. 3. They revisit the Mukhamadullin vs. Alexander Holtz debate.

And at No. 1, both Keegan and Sheng have Will Smith (56:07). That means Eklund at No. 2.

One scout still considers Eklund a franchise-caliber talent. Keegan says that short of Andrew Agozzino, Eklund was the best Barracuda forward last year.

Are these top-five Sharks prospects the best top-five group of Sharks prospects in 20 or so years? (1:10:20)

Finally, Sheng and Keegan talk about some of the San Jose Sharks prospects who just missed their top-10 rankings, like Nikita Okhotiuk, Tristen Robins, Luca Cagnoni, Ethan Cardwell, Jake Furlong, Gannon Laroque, Artem Guryev, and Eetu Makiniemi (1:13:25). Sheng also shares what he’s heard about 2023 seventh-round pick Yegor Rimashevsky.

Finally, a lookback at San Jose Hockey Now’s top-10 Sharks prospects in Oct. 2021 (1:21:35).

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Jason Demers joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

Before we get to Demers (30:34), Keegan and Sheng give a too-early preview of the 2024 Draft. What trends and prospects should San Jose Sharks fans be keeping a closer eye on?

We start at the top of the Draft with Macklin Celebrini, Cole Eiserman, and Ivan Demidov (3:15)? Why might Eiserman drop? Sheng shares what he’s heard about Demidov (8:10). Could Demidov stay longer in the KHL (10:55)?

Sheng also shares what he’s heard about the Sharks’ new Russian-area scout Igor Eronko (11:35).

Keegan spies a couple Draft trends at the moment, that there aren’t a lot of centers at the top of this Draft (15:10), but there are a lot of defensemen (16:20).

He talks about top winger prospects Konsta Helenius, Tanner Howe, and Maxim Masse. Then he shares insight about top defensemen prospects Artyom Levshunov, Aron Kiviharju, Cole Hutson, Adam Jiricek, Zayne Parekh, Sam Dickinson, Carter Yakemchuk, Henry Mews, and Zeev Buium.

Which defenseman might vault into the top-three (23:38)?

Also, where would Will Smith go in this Draft (27:40)?

Now, Jason Demers (30:34)!

Demers says that he’s “right on the edge of retirement” (31:18).

He says that he might do TV work with NHL Network and NBC Sharks.

Demers, picked in the seventh round of the 2008 Draft, tells us which San Jose Sharks scout advocated for him (34:48) and a funny Draft day story of mistaken identity. He says the New York Rangers and Nashville Predators were looking hard at him too.

He recalls that Tim Burke “liked to rag” on the QMJHL, where Demers came from (40:30). He thinks Burke is misunderstood.

Demers went from getting drafted in 2008 to a full-time role with the Sharks in 2010, and he shares the names of all the guys who made his transition to the NHL so smooth (41:36).

He thinks he probably “annoyed the crap” out of the Sharks veterans at the time, and was told to “zip it” a lot, because he was always upbeat and talking, even as a rookie. He elaborates on the incorrect perception that he took things too lightly as a young player, and shares that being a chatterbox was a coping mechanism for his anxiety (47:50).

“It was a great room to be in, but…it wasn’t an easy one,” he said of the San Jose Sharks locker room then. “To lose two games in a row, it was like armageddon in the locker room.”

Demers talks about the duality of Joe Thornton in the room, but ultimately, how much he loved Jumbo (52:39). 

He talks about how things were different back then, players would go out and drink a little the night before a game.

Demers shares why he thinks the Sharks couldn’t get over the hump in the 2010 and 2011 Western Conference Finals (58:45). He reveals some of the injuries and challenges that those teams faced.

Then, in 2012, the Sharks couldn’t get out of the first round, Demers thinks that perhaps the front office “overhauled too much” of the roster (1:03:06).

This leads to Demers’s last full season with the Sharks in 2013-14 and the Reverse Sweep (1:05:09). He recalls Raffi Torres’s early impact on that first-round series with the Los Angeles Kings, but then Torres got hurt. He recounts the course of the series, from Game One to Seven.
 

Demers remembered, when the Sharks went up 3-0: “A lot of the guys in LA that knew the guys in San Jose were texting with them, being like just finish us, we want to go home.” 

He also shares that Kings head coach Darryl Sutter called Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart after San Jose went up 3-0. Were there some mind games going on (1:12:06)?

Was there a moment when Demers really felt the series was slipping away (1:13:54)?

That off-season, Thornton was stripped of his captaincy. Demers and the Sharks room all thought that Jumbo was scapegoated (1:15:10).

Demers says he might be to blame for his “Daddy” nickname (1:17:06).

Demers shares the behind the scenes of the infamous and hilarious 2014 Sharks’ “Holiday Sweater” Christmas music video (1:18:45). He says John Scott got too much airtime, that it was something of a cursed video, and why Joe Thornton and other Sharks stars didn’t appear in it.

Demers remembers his “Holiday Sweater” rap verse (1:20:44)!

What was the secret door knock for Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s hotel room door (1:25:15)? Demers thinks it changed every road trip.

Finally, Demers, who spent most of last season in the AHL, talks about how special a moment it was to play his 700th NHL game last year at SAP Center (1:28:43). He joked that his entire minor league salary went toward flying friends and family in.

He also talked about playing against the San Jose Barracuda last year and why Ozzy Wiesblatt annoyed him (1:33:38).

“I tried to kill him every game, I got him a couple times,” Demers laughed.

Demers closes with more thoughts about his 700th game, and its significance to him (1:37:50).

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Kevin Constantine joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

But before we get to Kevin Constantine (33:57), Sheng and Keegan discuss the latest additions to the San Jose Sharks staff like Ryan Miller and Thomas Vanek (1:10), and what the Miller hiring signals about the Sharks’ continued investment in player development (8:20). They also reflect on former Sharks’ first-round pick Ryan Merkley signing in the KHL (14:45).

Sheng shares an NHL scout’s thoughts on new Sharks players Mikael Granlund (23:12), Mike Hoffman (27:42), and Jan Rutta (30:32).

Now, Kevin Constantine (33:57)!

Constantine recalled coaching influences as diverse as Phil Jackson, Bill Walsh, Bo Schembechler, and John Wooden (36:40). What was Constantine’s hockey take on Wooden’s Pyramid of Success?

He coached the Kalamazoo Wings when they were a Minnesota North Stars affiliate, before the North Stars split up to help form the expansion Sharks (45:15). So Constantine coached the legendary Link Gaetz, and tells the story of when Gaetz beat up his own goalie.

Constantine took over behind the San Jose Sharks bench in the third year of the franchise, after they had only won 28 games in their first two seasons in the league. How did he add belief and discipline to a 1993-94 group that would go on a surprise playoff run, upsetting the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings in the first round (49:35)? 

That season, Constantine made the unusual coaching decision to allow five players a lot more latitude offensively than the rest of the team. Those five, Igor Larionov, Sergei Makarov, Johan Garpenlov, Sandis Ozolinsh, and Jeff Norton, were the precursor to Detroit’s Russian Five, and would help propel the Sharks to success. What was behind Constantine loosening the reins on Larionov and company (53:52)? And how are Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan’s recent comments about integrating Erik Karlsson related (57:53)?

Constantine shares why he wasn’t happy about the city of San Jose throwing the Sharks a parade after their second-round loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs (1:04:00).

Constantine says he was in “Dumb and Dumber” and talks about how that movie and Jamie Baker helped inspire the ’94 Sharks (1:07:20).

Constantine reveals Tom Pederson’s girlfriend as the culprit behind leaking the Red Wings’ playoff plans to the Sharks (1:10:35).

He also recounts going with backup Wade Flaherty over Arturs Irbe in the 1995 playoffs, which helped propel the San Jose Sharks to another first-round upset, this time against the Calgary Flames (1:17:25).

Constantine opens up about getting fired by the San Jose Sharks early in the 1995-96 season (1:20:02). He was 37 then, and up to that point, a bit of a coaching wunderkind, so he took it hard.

Though he was a young head coach, Constantine says that he was a yeller who learned to relate to players a lot better as he got older, in the second half of his career (1:23:35).

After head coaching stints with Jaromir Jagr’s Penguins and Martin Brodeur’s New Jersey Devils, Constantine continued coaching in the NAHL, WHL, and AHL. In 2010, he got offered a coaching position in France, and was advised by multiple hockey people to not take that job. But he did, why (1:35:25)?

This started an international coaching odyssey that’s taken him also to professional leagues in Switzerland, Korea, Poland, and Hungary. He reflects on those experiences.

Constantine closes with a couple hilarious Jagr stories (1:42:08).

Finally, we wrap up with Constantine’s thoughts about taking over new WHL side, the Wenatchee Wild (1:51:38).

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Logan Couture joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

But before we get to Couture (1:44:37) – who talked about the Erik Karlsson trade, denied that Karlsson and Brent Burns have a “strained relationship”, and discussed his own future with the San Jose Sharks – Keegan and Sheng answered your questions in a subscriber mailbag.

Stina117 asked if Mike Hoffman would mess up locker room chemistry? (1:55)

Jigglz asked who was more responsible for the Karlsson retention amount, Hasso Plattner or Mike Grier? (4:12)

James R. asked for an evaluation of Evgeni Nabokov and the state of San Jose Sharks goaltending? (7:45)

Chris Geer wondered which Sharks prospects are the future leaders of the team? (16:50)

Embrace_the_rebuild asked what the San Jose line-up would look like on opening night, especially where William Eklund, Kevin Labanc, and Jan Rutta will slot? (22:51)

Mike I. wondered if the Sharks will trade for an offensive defenseman before camp? (28:01) 

Splash114 wondered whether the veterans would block deserving youngsters from an NHL job? (31:50)

Patrick asked what the San Jose Sharks will look like in 2026-27? (39:17)

Chris Dahlstrom asked what’s going on with Gannon Laroque and Mason Beaupit? (43:35)

Fin Coe asked what Grier is prioritizing in trades, prospects or picks? (47:47)

Eric Pichette wondered who should have their jersey retired after Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton? (54:49)

Alex asked about Couture trade rumors? (1:01:16)

Zeke wondered what a successful 2023-24 Sharks season would be, and how they got there? (1:05:23)

Jodv asked about San Jose Barracuda culture issues? (1:09:33)

Basking Shark asked how likely it is for the 2023-24 San Jose Sharks to have a miracle season? (1:11:00)

Downriver asked about potential Trade Deadline values for the Sharks’ pending UFAs? (1:18:45)

Matthias893 wondered if San Jose will trade someone before the start of the season? (1:23:28)

Anthony asked how the Sharks will react if the prospects outplay the veterans during camp? (1:30:16)

Just Steve wondered if the Sharks have drafted too many forwards recently? (1:37:55)

And if we didn’t get to your question, here’s why! (1:42:30)

Finally, Logan Couture! (1:44:37)

Couture tells us what it’s like being a new dad – he and fiancée Brielle just had their first child, Kaden. (1:45:15)

He shares why the Sharks move forward without Karlsson and why last year might have been more “fun” for Karlsson. (1:46:32)

Couture shuts down any talk about Burns and Karlsson having a “strained relationship”. (1:49:44)

Sheng and Logan swap favorite Karlsson stories. (1:50:55)

Couture muses on the great what-if of the Karlsson Sharks’ era: If Karlsson was healthy during the 2019 playoffs? (1:54:20)

Couture says his team goal isn’t to be good by 2025-26, but this coming season – he discusses his future with the Sharks. (1:58:39)

Finally, Couture shares what he’s heard about new San Jose Sharks Mike Hoffman, Mikael Granlund, and Jan Rutta. (2:01:22)

Listen to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast — it’s a new link — on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and Google Podcasts.

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Join us on a special emergency podcast where Sheng @ShengPeng and Keegan @halfwall_hockey discuss the breaking news: Reigning Norris Trophy Winner Erik Karlsson has been traded to the Penguins.

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Alyn McCauley joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

But before we get to San Jose Sharks great and current Philadelphia Flyers’ assistant general manager McCauley (46:42), Sheng and Keegan chat about the latest Erik Karlsson news and how Sharks prospects performed at the World Junior Summer Showcase.

Karlsson talk is hot this weekend because the Pittsburgh Penguins are currently in the midst of their second buyout window (1:45). However, GM Kyle Dubas isn’t a fan of the buyout maneuver.

The most popular Penguins buyout or trade candidates are Mikael Granlund (3:30) and Jeff Petry (4:30). Why is Petry an unattractive trade candidate for the San Jose Sharks and an unattractive buyout candidate for Pittsburgh?

How about the Carolina Hurricanes? Could they still be in the Karlsson hunt even after signing Tony DeAngelo (7:55)? Sheng thinks so. Also, their cap and contracts situation is way better than Pittsburgh’s (11:00)

Keegan and Sheng share their predictions about what happens with Karlsson during this Pittsburgh buyout window (15:00)

Next, Keegan and Sheng move on to how the San Jose Sharks performed at the World Junior Summer Showcase (25:00).

How impressive was Will Smith for Team USA (26:10)? Does Keegan think that Quentin Musty will start the season with the Sharks (30:05)? Eric Pohlkamp opened a lot of eyes at the WJSS (33:05). Did Cam Lund struggle a bit (35:00)?

Going outside of the US, Filip Bystedt stood out again for Sweden (37:25). How about his teammate Mattias Havelid (39:55)? And why were Kasper Halttunen’s struggles different than Lund’s (41:05)?

Which Sharks prospect had the best tournament? The worst? Keegan ranks all the prospects (42:50).

Now, Alyn McCauley (46:42)!

McCauley talks about the challenge of getting traded for two franchise icons, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Doug Gilmour and San Jose Sharks’ Owen Nolan (47:30). He shared an embarrassing story about the first time that he faced Gilmour in Toronto.

McCauley breaks down his best NHL season, 2003-04, when he was a Selke Trophy finalist and the San Jose Sharks made the Western Conference Finals. The Sharks were a surprise team that season, what clicked for them (52:45)?

How about for McCauley, what came together for him that year (1:01:08)?

Why did Alexander Korolyuk leave for Russia after the 2003-04 campaign and never come back (1:03:30)?

McCauley talked about slowly taking the reins from veteran Vincent Damphousse (1:05:26), in his last season, throughout the year, and how great a leader that Damphousse was.

McCauley also shares why he told head coach Ron Wilson to make Patrick Marleau the captain of the San Jose Sharks (1:07:15). He also defends Marleau’s playoff record.

How did Miikka Kiprusoff remind McCauley of Curtis Joseph (1:10:47).

Moving onto 2005-06, McCauley shares his memories of the night that the Sharks traded for Joe Thornton (1:12:58). At that point, McCauley and Jonathan Cheechoo both had seven goals on the season. He laughs about how much more Cheechoo outscored him for the rest of the year (1:14:45).

McCauley breaks down who was tougher for him to defend, Marleau or Thornton (1:16:30)?

He opens up about the knee injuries that ended his career prematurely (1:19:46). McCauley played through injuries in his last Sharks season.

McCauley talked about Dean Lombardi’s impact on his career (1:26:38).

McCauley chats about his new role as Flyers AGM (1:31:12). He’s survived three Flyers regimes, Ron Hextall, Chuck Fletcher, and now, Danny Briere (1:35:00).

Why have the Flyers finally declared a rebuild (1:37:07)? It’s noteworthy how transparent that Philadelphia has been about their rebuild.

McCauley ends with a couple thoughts about the Flyers selecting Matvei Michkov (1:42:00).

Listen to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast — it’s a new link — on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and Google Podcasts.

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Michael Santos joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast to talk about Erik Karlsson!

Santos (27:00) brings 17 years of NHL front office experience to the discussion, and brings that perspective to these questions: What are the positives and negatives of Karlsson starting the season with the San Jose Sharks?

Before we get to Santos, Keegan McNally and Sheng Peng chat about the Andy Strickland report that the Sharks offered Vladimir Tarasenko $6 million (2:55).

Why does Keegan want to retain as little as possible on Karlsson (7:15)?

Sheng and Keegan talked about the risk-reward of bringing Karlsson back (10:00). What do the San Jose Sharks owe Karlsson (10:55)? What about the injury risk (15:55)? Sheng talks to multiple league sources about the less obvious risks (17:45).

There is an upside to keeping Karlsson -- Sheng offered a couple historical examples of this (21:38).

Now, Michael Santos (27:00)!

What is Santos hearing about a Karlsson trade (28:28)? He believes the Sharks should hold out for a premium for Karlsson.

Santos shares his career path -- from 1997 to 2014, he worked in the New York Islanders, Florida Panthers, and Nashville Predators front offices (29:20). He then gives background about the formation of independent professional scouting service, Team 33 (35:45), and what makes his hockey operations management program stand out.

Santos then explains the Team 33 Value Score (44:20), and shares Erik Karlsson, Logan Couture, Danil Gushchin, Thomas Bordeleau, and William Eklund's scores.

Santos shares why he wouldn't be concerned about the San Jose Sharks bringing Karlsson back next season (59:20). Is he concerned about the player buy-in when he doesn't want to be around (1:05:00)? Santos shared his experience being on the other side of a player wanting out: He was an Assistant GM with the Islanders when they acquired a disgruntled Alexei Yashin from the Ottawa Senators.

Santos talks about the possible upside of GM Mike Grier sticking to his guns with Karlsson (1:08:00).

Santos also shares his opinion about this wild scenario: The San Jose Sharks and Karlsson agree to a contract termination, so Karlsson can sign where he wants (1:12:10).

Santos predicts that the San Jose Sharks will trade Karlsson before training camp (1:17:45).

Finally, Santos dives into some of his brushes with Sharks history: He reveals the Islanders wanted to trade up for No. 2 in the 1997 Draft (1:19:12). He recalls being in the Dallas Stars pressbox in Nov. 2005 when the Sharks traded for Joe Thornton (1:22:05).

He also recollects the day when the Islanders traded for Yashin and Michael Peca (1:24:20).

Santos shares plans about how fans can subscribe to Team 33 (1:33:45).

Listen to the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast — it’s a new link — on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and Google Podcasts.

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Anthony Duclair joins the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast!

But before we get to Duclair (1:04:33), who talks about his involvement with the “Black Ice” documentary, getting Joe Thornton to center him next year, and the Hockey Diversity Alliance/Evander Kane drama – Keegan McNally and Sheng Peng talk about the biggest San Jose Sharks’ news of the week.

First, we got the latest Erik Karlsson trade rumors out of the way (2:30). We recorded this episode yesterday, so we didn’t talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs or Seattle Kraken’s now-confirmed interest in Karlsson.

Then, we drilled down on Martin Kaut’s accusations that a San Jose Barracuda coach tried to get him to fight in every game (8:36). It must be mentioned that the San Jose Sharks categorically deny Kaut’s claims.

Sheng talked with about a dozen league sources to get their opinion of Kaut’s claims and to investigate if there’s a deeper problem with the Barracuda.

Did the Barracuda try to coerce Kaut to fight every night (13:56)?

Sheng and Keegan agree with Kaut that there were Barracuda youngsters who were playing for themselves (23:19). Keegan felt it was team that lacked discipline, and Sheng adds that “selfish” young players are normal at the AHL level.

Sheng also thinks there was validity to Kaut’s problem with the Sharks’ contract offer, but it speaks to a larger question with how Mike Grier and Doug Wilson appear to be operating differently (28:14). What do Jeffrey Viel, Jonah Gadjovich, Ryan Carpenter, Andrew Agozzino, Evgeny Svechnikov, and Jacob Peterson have to do with all this?

Through it all, Kaut still wants to return to the NHL, and translated from the original Czech interview with Robert Rampa, had an interesting quote about his new HC Dynamo Pardubice head coach, former San Jose Sharks draft pick Vaclav Varada (37:30).

Moving beyond the Kaut story, Sheng digs into how all of the Cuda veterans left this off-season, and if that’s a red flag for a “culture” problem within the organization (39:23). Sheng talked to top AHL reporter Patrick Williams of NHL and AHL.com on his perception about what’s going on with the Barracuda.

Sheng expanded on what he’s heard about the departures of Agozzino (43:05), Montana Onyebuchi (45:06), and Viel (46:35).

Sheng then talked about JD Young’s recent Locked On Sharks podcast about the Barracuda's culture problem (50:02).

Sheng talked about AHL norms with meals (51:37) and seating wives and girlfriends (53:58), which were issues brought up in JD’s podcast – and how it doesn’t appear that the Cuda have been doing anything unusual in those areas.

There was one random Joe Will complaint that Sheng got from his sources (56:45).

Besides Kaut’s fighting allegations, however, Sheng doesn’t think there’s a significant culture problem with the Barracuda (59:10). They aren’t necessarily considered a first-class AHL organization, and there are areas where they can improve, but they’re not necessarily dysfunctional or problematic either.

“The Barracuda are just another AHL organization.”

Now, Anthony Duclair (1:04:33)!

Duclair talks about “Black Ice”, a hockey documentary that details the gut-wrenching racism that Duclair and his peers faced in youth hockey (1:05:13).

“Black Ice”, produced by LeBron James and Drake, is out now, exclusively at AMC Theatres – it’s also the story of the pre-20th century Colored Hockey League, and its many innovations.

Sheng discusses his reaction to the documentary.

Duclair talks about the first time that he was subjected to racist remarks from another youth team’s parents – he was just nine or 10! – and how often he had to deal with that as a kid (1:07:15).

Duclair shares the message from his parents that got him through the racism (1:11:45).

Through his Duclair Foundation, Anthony held youth hockey camps in Florida and Montreal this summer, and he talked about how racism is still a real thing for kids playing today (1:13:10).

Keegan asks Duclair if he’s going to try to get Joe Thornton to center him next year. Duclair revealed that throughout the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup Final run, Thornton would frequently FaceTime with his ex-Panthers teammates (1:16:00).

Duclair shares his thoughts about Givani Smith (1:18:39), who’s coming with him from Florida.

He also touches on his chat with head coach David Quinn and GM Mike Grier after the trade (1:19:30) – Duclair revealed what he told them was his goal this season (1:20:25).

Duclair added his thoughts about the recent Evander Kane/Hockey Diversity Alliance Twitter spat (1:20:48).

And…is Duclair Barbie or Oppenheimer (1:23:48)?

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