Steve Laidlaw Podcast

On this episode Steve is joined by Michael Clifford from DobberHockey and Awesomo to discuss the teams that are leaving them most confused heading into the 2021 NHL season. 

Are the Anaheim Ducks really among the dregs in the West? Or can healthier veterans and productive youngsters spur a climb back up the standings? Does John Gibson still retain the goalie belt?

Can the Florida Panthers find some solid footing? What do we make of their losses up front and can Anthony Duclair and Patric Hornqvist fill the void? Can this team finally deliver some goaltending excellence?

What do we make of the St. Louis Blues after bringing on Mike Hoffman and Torey Krug to replace an injured Vladimir Tarasenko and departed Alex Pietrangelo?

Who are the real Dallas Stars; the disappointing team from the regular season or the dynamic Cup Finalist from the bubble? Who steps up to fill the void for an injured Tyler Seguin? Can Anton Khudobin do it in the regular season? Is Miro Heiskanen a Norris contender?

Is this the year that the Carolina Hurricanes emerge as true contenders? Or does their mediocre goaltending hold them back? Will Andrei Svechnikov go from future superstar to established superstar?

Has any team turned over more of their roster than the Minnesota Wild? What do we make of their complete lack of center depth? Can Marco Rossi fill the void? How excited should we be about Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala?

Tune in to hear these 6 teams broken down, and if the lads can solve the mysteries surrounding them!

You can follow Michael @SlimCliffy

You can follow Steve @SteveLaidlaw

On this episode of the podcast Steve is joined by Cam Robinson of EliteProspects and DobberHockey to breakdown Coolbet's betting lines for the NHL's major skater awards. They use their projections for the season ahead to pick out which favourites make the most sense, as well as which sleepers to buy in on.

Is Auston Matthews' worthy as the Rocket Richard favourite or will Alexander Ovechkin his rein over the Rocket Richard trophy? Is there a long shot bet worth making?

Can anyone crack the Top-3 of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nathan MacKinnon for the Art Ross? The lads make the case for long shot bets on Elias Pettersson, Aleksander Barkov, Johnny Gaudreau and a few others.

Turning their attention to the Hart trophy, they ask if this is the right year to bet on a goalie for MVP? Could the NHL's Divisional schedule increase East-Coast bias and lock Western players out of the voting? Where does that leave old favourites like Sidney Crosby in the MVP race?

On the blueline, the lads agree that it is Dougie Hamilton's year to win the Norris, but are his odds juicy enough? Can Miro Heiskanen or Shea Theodore parlay their breakout playoffs into some increased awards attention? Is this the year for Rasmus Dahlin's breakout? How about Morgan Rielly for a bounce-back? Or perhaps Shea Weber might finally win the award he's been circling for years?

You can follow Cam @Hockey_Robinson

You can follow Steve @SteveLaidlaw

On this episode of the podcast Steve is joined by DobberHockey's Alex MacLean to predict some of this season's trends ahead of time. What impact will isolating each division have on style of play? Will it cause an uptick in fighting or scoring? How will teams balance the short but compact schedule? How will trading be affected? 

Then the lads compare notes on their power rankings for the season ahead. They debate the ranking of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes and a few more for good measure.

You can follow Alex @alexdmaclean

You can follow Steve @SteveLaidlaw

On this episode of the podcast Steve is joined by Mason Black of DobberProspects. They take a trip back in time to 2010 to discuss the happenings of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Is it still Taylor vs. Tyler? Why did Tarasenko and Kuznetsov slide so far and where do they go in a re-draft? Can you believe Mark Stone fell to the 6th round? How about future Hart candidate Artemi Panarin going undrafted?

Tune in to find out which teams did the best, which teams did the worst, and what ripple effects of this draft are still being felt today!

You can follow Mason @NHLRankKing

You can follow Steve @SteveLaidlaw

On this episode of the podcast Steve Laidlaw is joined by Steven Ellis from The Hockey News and Line Movement to preview the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships. They review the some of the best available betting lines, best rivalries and more. The also discuss favourites and sleepers for the Top Forward, Top Defenseman and Top Goalie Awards.

You can follow Steven Ellis @StevenEllisTHN

You can follow Steve Laidlaw @SteveLaidlaw

On this week's episode Steve opens with a discussion on why he is now optimistic that there will be a 2021 NHL season. He is then joined by Tony Ferrari from DobberProspects and Dobber's Draft Cast to commiserate over the plight of the Baltimore Ravens and continue their NFL discussion by talking Super Bowl contenders.

You can follow Tony @TheTonyFerrari

You can follow Steve @SteveLaidlaw

On this episode of the podcast Steve is joined by Byron Bader of HockeyProspecting.com to revisit the events of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. They relitigate the big trades including Philadelphia trading Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, Minnesota trading Brent Burns, and Toronto and Ottawa's moves up the draft board.

Then they re-draft the top-14 picks, discussing which teams in the lottery would like a mulligan, and which come away satisfied. Tune in to find out if Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Gabriel Landeskog and Jonathan Huberdeau hold their places at the top of the draft, and to find out how high later picks like Nikita Kucherov and Johnny Gaudreau can climb.

It's an excellent trip down memory lane that also explores many lessons we can learn from the successes and failures of the 2011 draft, bringing in contemporary examples as well. 

You can follow Byron @ByronMBader

You can follow Steve @SteveLaidlaw

On this episode of the podcast Steve is joined by Peter Harling, editor at Dobber Prospects, host of Dobber Prospects Radio, and McKeen's contributor to discuss his upcoming article on this season's Calder Trophy candidates. They also review the betting odds recently released by Bodog/Bovada providing their favourite betting options, as well as candidates that they wish they could bet on!

You can follow Peter @pharling

You can follow Steve @SteveLaidlaw

On this episode of the podcast Steve is joined by DobberHockey's Alex MacLean to discuss the blind auction fantasy hockey draft they recently participated in. They discuss pros and cons of auction drafting, as well as strategies and tips for auction leagues. They then break down what to expect from players like Andrei Svechnikov, Kevin Fiala, Anze Kopitar, Erik Karlsson, Mathew Barzal and more.

You can follow Alex on Twitter @alexdmaclean

You can follow Steve on Twitter @SteveLaidlaw

On this episode of the podcast Steve is joined by Ian Gooding DobberHockey to discuss the Vancouver Canucks' offseason. They also discuss the Calgary Flames' outlook after taking so much talent from the Canucks, what an all-Canadian division could do to re-ignite rivalries in Canada and the OHL without hitting.

You can follow Ian @Ian_Gooding

You can follow Steve @SteveLaidlaw