Sharp Shooters

A team focused look at Nashville.

Nashville GM David Poile’s pipe bomb announcement of retiring.

Nashville competitive rebuild succession in choosing Barry Trotz as the new GM.

Nashville starts selling by trading players – Nino Niederreiter, Tanner Jeannot, Mattias Ekholm and Mikael Granlund.

Nashville gets a draft capital haul as well as defencemen Cale Foote and Tyson Barrie.

RFA RHD Dante Fabbro and back-up goalie Kevin Lankinen sign 1-year extensions.

Recorded and Edited: February 28; March 1-3, 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

A team focus look at the Blues on flipping pick assets, coaches flipping off on players, who also took to flipping back.

St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong unloading of UFA’s continues to build draft capital is the first pivot.

The departure of the “Lettered” leadership core.

St. Louis hopes of flipping picks to build around a younger near prime aged player core.

St. Louis coach Craig Berube and a lack of passion in a post game presser and Robert Thomas responds thru the media the day after.

The Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Accari trade.

St. Louis picking up Kasperi Kapanen off waivers from Pittsburgh.

The Ivan Barbarshev trade.

Prior to St. Louis vs San Jose March 2nd NHL scheduled game.

Recorded and Edited: February 28; March 1, 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

The Central Division top three – Dallas, Winnipeg, and Colorado as the trade deadline approaches. None of the teams have made a significant addition. What are the teams looking to add and what do they have available to do it with.

Some highlights of topics covered:

Dallas struggles to win but remains first in the division. What a money-in/money-out deal looks like and we talk about potentially moving on from one of either Radek Faksa or Denis Gurianov as a way for Dallas to add at the deadline.

Prospects Dallas will not want to move to get a deadline deal done?

Winnipeg has cap space built-up but of the player’s they are targeting to try and acquire – do any want to join the Jets?

Is bidding for the big fish and not getting it good? What is Winnipeg’s back-up plan.

Colorado cannot stay injury free – so what do they add at the deadline?

Captain Gabe Landeskog should probably wait and return till after the deadline to maximize what Colorado can do at the trade deadline.

Plus: The Pacific division trio comparatives.

based on standings headed into February 22nd NHL schedule.

Recorded and Edited: February 18 (Intro); February 21 & 22 (Team Segments) 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

The Central Division triplex of Minnesota, Nashville and St. Louis have very little in common as the trade deadline looms.

If the teams where houses you buy – we tell you what repairs are needed but what can also be afforded for each.

Minnesota belonged with the last podcast Top3 as they are above the playoff cut-off going into Monday’s games in progress.

The understudy Fleury Phenoemen.

Unpacking GM Bill Guerin’s conversation with the Athletics Michael Russo.

Minnesota could get a True Rental but not a player with term and is the cost worth giving up the organizational draft gems or have the Wild underperformed to not like a year ago have the GM reward them.

Bubble-Licious Nashville and our “Love Me (Goal)Tender” segment for Jusse Saros.

Cody Glass benefits from the failure of Nashville not keeping Eeli Tolvanen.

Why Nashville even with slim playoff hopes should be a buyer. The issues of term with being a seller.

St. Louis deals Vladi Tarasenko and Nikko Mikkola to the NYR and former Blue Sammy Blais returns as part of the deal. We break it down and look back at Blais departure deal as well as other moves and potentially what GM Doug Armstrong can do before the deadline if he sells more.

How St. Louis automatically wins the trade thanks to Seattle.

St. Louis d-grp and why being in on getting obtaining Ari D Jacob Chychrun makes sense.

Plus: The Pacific division comparatives.

based on standings headed into February 13th NHL schedule.

Recorded and Edited: February 12, 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

We avoid talk of the NHL All-Star Weekend as we foray into the foursome it’s foreseeable that any of Dallas, Winnipeg, Colorado and Minnesota could win the Central Division and Western Conference regular szn crown.

Why there isn’t a front-runner to forecast as the favorite and we didn’t record this at a Four Szns for that matter in advance of the nearing NHL trade deadline and how added player pieces could help a team’s push in fortunes.

A forewarning of a forward (recorded Sunday before the teams returned to play) and an attempt at applying Bayes Theorem for an answer.

Dallas leads the Central Division and Western Conference and finally get the extra point on their 4th consecutive try.

14 – Dallas captain Jamie Benn’s return to form. 20 goals and his 1000 NHL games.

Hintz why Dallas’ top line drives team production but are getting secondary scoring from new sources this szn.

Cap crunch could mean the status quo for GM Jim Nill at the deadline though a line-mate for Tyler Seguin is desired.

Winnipeg’s 2nd and it’s double-4; 44 – Josh Morrissey’s that cues the comeback preventing the Jets from losing 4 straight but instead with a win into the All-Star break.

40 – for the games started by Wpg’s key player - goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

Mason Appleton nears return and Logan Stanley’s healthy scratch.

Remembering coming up with a STL (Vladi Tarasenko and Colton Parayko trade in 2019 before STL turned the szn around to win the Stanley Cup – to then insert and update Vladi Tarasenko’s actual trade to the NYR). However, a top6 F and top4 RHD still is minimally what Wpg needs to add.

Colorado doesn’t along with Minnesota play catch up with Winnipeg idle but Colorado’s single point puts them via one fewer GP third in the division.

4 – Rookie Bowen Byram’s return

+4 to equal 8 – Cale Makar’s ends up back out of the lineup because of Pittsburgh’s Jeff Carter’s awful intentionally hit to the head that doesn’t have a penalty or suspension come of it and all the rzns why it should have.

-4 – what of Byram’s injuries and his pending RFA next deal?

Josh Manson’s soon to return and Colorado’s d-grp this year wraps the Colorado conversation.

Should they re-acquire D Jack Johnson?

Plus: The Pacific division comparatives.

(Note: Minnesota's team segment was unfortunately due to editing time not included as originally intended.)

based on standings headed into February 11th NHL Saturday schedule.

Recorded and Edited: February 5, 2023 (the forward). February 8-10, 2023 (team segments)

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

After similar stretches Nashville and St. Louis take different roads at the All-Star break.

Why catching Pacific division teams for the final Western Conference wild card spot might be the only path for Nashville to make it to the playoffs.

Why the goaltending Nashville has makes it possible to be a playoff team and why St. Louis’ not having it is why they stay outside looking in.

The importance of special teams in winning close games.

Nashville’s players decide to start winning despite the coaching.

Trying to figure St. Louis plan at the Trade Deadline as a seller is a difficult one.

The Pacific division comparatives.

based on standings headed into February 6th NHL schedule.

Recorded and Edited: February 4, 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says no one tanks.

In this All-Star Breaking Bad for Bedard edition – we look at the Central Division tank-worthy twosome Arizona and Chicago up to the All-Star break.

The Pacific division comparatives.

based on standings headed into January 30th NHL schedule.

Recorded and Edited: January 29, 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

We catch up with now 3rd in the Central Division Colorado and the current 6 game win streak.

A proper Cale Makar comparable if you can find one and low Altitude attitude.

Jared Bednar's milestone Colorado win.

A fair trade with San Jose. Nieto returns.

The talk of the NHL's best goalie tandem. 

The Pacific division comparatives.

based on standings headed into January 26th NHL schedule.

Recorded and Edited: January 25, 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

Why are there no elite teams in the Central Division this year or Western Conference.

At 649PT% Dallas leading the Western Conference is underwhelming compared to recent years final PT% totals.

With Dallas, Winnipeg and Minnesota over 600PT% above the playoff cutoff, do any of them push the pace car to a Conference title?

Should they worry about Colorado in the rear-view mirror?

Dallas continues to lead the Central Division. Top line C Roope Hintz is out but Tyler Seguin is filling in the net in his absence. 

Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger is left out of the All-Star game. Why he and several Central Division goalie would better represent the Western Conference but won't.

2nd place Winnipeg has 3 - 20+ goal getters now. How much does Pierre Luc Dubois want to continue playing with Kyle Connor or test free-agency and play in his hometown instead?

Nic Ehlers - Winnipeg's second-half of the szn under the radar point contributor.

Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck joins D-man Josh Morrissey at the All-Star game compliments the improved defensive side of coach Rick Bowness.

Minnesota is comfortably 3rd and have a crazy penalty filled game in Carolina.

Discussing the Matt Boldy contract extension.

The healthy scratch of D-man Matt Dumba.

The Pacific division Top 4 comparatives.

Division Top 3 teams based on standings headed into January 20th NHL schedule.

Recorded and Edited: January 19, 20, & 21, 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.

We continue the idea from Arizona Coyotes insider Craig Morgan for improving the NHL All-Star game format of using a 3-on-3 mini team All-Star tourney to expand what players would merit inclusion. It isn't a perfect idea. It is way better than what the NHL is doing right now.

We also tell you the one player named from the division teams so far.

Also - St. Louis and Nashville close the wildcard playoff gap. Arizona and Chicago met for the first time head-to-head. Up to date on those four teams heading into Thursday's games.

The Pacific division Bottom 4 comparatives.

Division Bottom 4 teams based on standings headed into January 12th NHL schedule.

Recorded and Edited: January 11, 2023.

Show Intro/Extro Music: excerpts of “Acid Trash” performed by MAP from the “Grant Ave.” EP © 2018 Used with permission.

Central Division Hockey – The Podcast is written, hosted, engineered, and produced solely by Tim Bigelow. © 2023.