Two Man Forecheck

Here we are at the start of March, the deadline has come and gone, and now everyone is settling in for the playoff run.  That being said, there aren’t so many topics to discuss so this week the Two Man Forecheck delve into a couple of conversations that need to be had regarding parity and goaltending.  But more on that later…

We start with Zac Parise being hurt again.  He blocked a shot and is day to day, but are Wild fans noticing, or is the offensive explosion of Ryan Donato making his absence less noticeable?  Also, Eric Staal has signed a two-year extension to stay in Minnesota for short money (6.5 million).  A team friendly deal to be sure, his production appears to be on pace with the money.

Garnet Hathaway has been suspended two games for his hit on Luke Kunin.  The argument here is that he was given a match penalty and has never been to the league offices for any kind of punishment before.  Was the suspension warranted?  We feel it may have been a bit much.

Marc Savard sent a nice tweet to Jarome Iginla on the night of his number retirement in Calgary.  We delve into the number and quality of teammates that Marc has had over the years, and it is impressive.

The first main topic of the show, Parity is D-E-A-D, gets Mike going on a rant that needs to be addressed.  Chris feels that parity is on life support but with teams such as Arizona on the cusp of the playoffs there is a possibility that it still exists.

Speaking of Arizona, Derek Stepan is out 4-6 weeks with an upper body injury.  How this will affect their playoff chances remains to be seen.

Guy Boucher has been relieved of duties, effective immediately, and Marc Crawford has been named interim head coach.  The team has stated that they will search for a new head coach at the end of the season and have listed what they are looking for in a candidate (we touch on the requirements in the show).

Finally, we talk about a Matt Kalman post in which he states that Tuukka Rask has played himself back into the Vezina conversation.  Mike and Chris poetically break down why this may not be the case, or that you have to make the case for Halak and others who should be in the conversation.  This leads to a conversation about the love affair in Boston with Tuukka as well as Charlie McAvoy.  He is still only 100 games into his career but is he as advertised?

An intriguing show to be sure, please send us your feelings and feedback, but most of all…Enjoy the Show!

The NHL trade deadline expired at 3:00pm eastern time today and when all was said and done, the Western Conference did most of the damage.  We at the Two Man Forecheck discussed most of the big trades, some of the depth moves, who are the big winners and losers on the day as well as who made the best effort at winning the Hughes sweepstakes.

Deadline day, always an exciting day for hockey fans, or maybe just an anxious one, didn’t seem to disappoint.

Mark Stone not only got a new home but also will be moving into a new tax bracket next season. Duchene got a new home and brought his friend along with him in Dzingel.  Simmonds and Johansson are on the move as well.

Give the show a listen and tell us who you think won the day.  And if you haven’t done so already, below is the link to this week’s show, recorded yesterday!  Give us your feedback and Enjoy the Show!

 

https://twomanforecheck.podbean.com/e/episode-0106the-jack-adamsawardhoward-500-undrafted-fa-playersp-kane-stillyoungnhl-40goalscorers-tom-dundonaaf-chairman-conorsuspendedwhoretires-fi/

With the trade deadline looming, the Two Man Forecheck have decided to not mention trades during this week’s show.  That being said, here is this week’s fun ride…

We start out with a spirited conversation regarding the Jack Adams (Best Head Coach) Award.  We agree on one coach but diverge on two others as both Mike and Chris chose three coaches.  This leads into a great constructive criticism of Bruce Cassidy and his coaching style.  This segue’s into other conversations about players abilities to score, perform in shootouts and how selfish should a player be on the ice.

Jimmy Howard has played 500 games with the Detroit Red Wings.  Third goalie to do so, but is he the 3rdbest goalie of the three? We discuss.

Up next are a couple of undrafted free agent signings:  Kole Sherwood and Karson Kuhlman.  Kole is looking to get back to Columbus and Karson is currently playing with Boston.

What is the best team in the NHL outside of the playoffs?  We know who we picked, but who do you think it may be?  Let us know.

How many players will score 40 goals this season?  Mike figures 14 players while Chris says 17 will get to 40.

Tom Dundon, owner of the Carolina Hurricanes has given 250 million dollars to the AAF (Association of American Football) to help pay players that went unremunerated.  He also became the chairman of the league.  When asked, Tom stated that he hasn’t been that busy and was looking for something to do.  Really?  We discuss.

Ryan Miller was rumored to be headed to San Jose for a third-round pick, but he was apparently asked if he wanted to be moved and Ryan stated that he wanted to stay in Anaheim.

McDavid was suspended after hitting Nick Leddy in the head area with his shoulder.  While Chris believes the suspension was warranted but not so much Mike.  We explain why.

Finally, a new segment, Who Retires First?  Our two contenders are Cam Ward and Ryan Miller.  We made our choices, who would you believe is going to retire first?

We will be back tomorrow for a quick trade deadline supplemental, but for now…Enjoy the show!

The Two Man Forecheck is kicking off its third year of existence with a packed show spanning coaches, players, prospects and deals.

To start, Randy Carlyle has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the Anaheim Ducks.  This may have been overdue, but we can’t help thinking that it is a good thing for Randy.  He can take some time to decompress and come back to a new job on his own time and at his own choosing.  His résumé speaks for itself and should make him attractive to other organizations.

As for the Ducks, the GM, Bob Murray, has stepped in behind the bench.  Does he really have the time to coach while trying to make the changes necessary to get the team headed in the right direction?

The Bruins’ Zane McIntyre was having a rough start to the season (as was Dan Vladar), but he has reeled off 12 wins in a row, the last against the Toronto Marlies while allowing only one goal.  Our questions:  When will he get the chance at the top level?  Will he get that chance in Boston?

Philly traded away one of their young goaltending prospects to Edmonton for…a goaltender.  Cam Talbot is the latest entry in the Flyers’ goaltending carousel.  Both players are UFAs at the end of the season, but it is a fair bet that Talbot will not be staying with Philadelphia.  Apparently, Cam and Carter train together in the off-season and Carter sees Cam as a mentor at the position.

We cover a few of the possible moves to be made between now and the deadline.  Andre Burakovsky has appeared anemic this season with the Capitals, could they move on him?  One of the better offensive minded defensemen in the league, Keith Yandle, could be a trade piece for a floundering Panthers squad, but who could take on his contract at 33 years of age?  An intriguing player posed by Mike could be Mark Stone of Ottawa.  He has strong offensive numbers, but I don’t see the health consistency that I would like from someone earning what he does. Finally, could Gustav Nyquist be moveable?  We have already discussed blowing up the Detroit Red Wings, and Stevie Y could do just that when he takes over (Chris assumes) but moving on from Nyquist could be the start, but how is his attitude?  He has shown a little aggression issue in the past, but he has a scorer’s touch as well.

The Women’s National team is currently playing three games against the Canadian National team. There are no less than 3 women playing with the squad for the first time.  We discuss not only the new players but their influence on the youth and their impact on the areas they come from.

Ryan Spooner is on the move again, this time to Vancouver for Sam Gagner.  The trade is for similar players, but this could be a positive one for Spoons.  He will be going to a young, fast, offensive minded team where his playmaking ability can be appreciated.

We close out with discussions on Ben Bishop, goaltending in general, last week’s Twitter Poll and Bruins prospect Oskar Steen.  At 20 years old he is still playing in Sweden, but when he shows up at development camp, he displays what the Bruins could have.

A packed show to be sure, with plenty of opportunity to comment and disagree.  Let us know what you think and Enjoy the Show!

Here we are…Show 104…2 years…and yet we didn’t even mention it.  This week’s show covers a lot of topics so here we go…

Thatcher Demko, goaltender for the Canucks has injured himself in a pre-game warmup.  The issue here isn’t the injury but the fact that the Canucks don’t have reliable goaltenders.

Roberto Luongo is about to hit 1000 starts in his career.  He is tied with Patrick Roy and about to pass Ed Belfour for third all-time in wins.

Sidney Crosby is about to pass Mario Lemieux for most games played in a Penguins jersey.

We then dive into the 1000 games played by Patrice Bergeron in Boston by talking about our favorite Bergeron moments.

Zdeno Chara is approaching 1000 games in a Boston uniform.  He has passed 1000 for his career but will he play long enough to get to 1000 for Boston.  He would need to get another contract for next year to do so.

The Kings have made Ilya Kovalchuk available for trade but are there any suitors?  He is third in scoring for the Kings, but he is not the player he once was, and with the speed of the game being what it is, how many teams will take him?  The Bruins could be a potential landing spot, as could the Nashville Predators, but they have made a few moves already.

Auston Matthews signed a 5-year extension this past week, which will get him 11.6 million over the next 5 years.  Our question is…Where is the money coming from to pay the rest of the RFAs that need contracts by July 1st?

Charlie McAvoy entered the NHL with some fanfare, and he is revered in Boston, but he hasn’t shown the progression necessary of a player at his position.  We break down how he plays positionally compared to some of his defensive teammates.

We close the show with a brief trade recap to this point.

Don’t forget to vote in the new Twitter poll regarding the best player of the 2003 Draft and Enjoy the Show!

At two years of existence, the Two Man Forecheck is still humming along at top speed and we show no signs of slowing down.  With that being said, here is another week of mirth and mayhem for your listening pleasure!

We start out talking about the Boston Bruins and their situation of being in a playoff spot with a team that struggles to score goals.  Should they be buyers or sellers at this year’s trade deadline.   Chris feels that the B’s will stand pat with what they have.  There are pieces available but what is out there that is worth acquiring or will help them with what they need.

The trade market has already opened for business with Pittsburgh sending two players to Florida for some younger players.  New Jersey has made a move with Minnesota and, of course, Toronto acquired the biggest prize to date, landing Jake Muzzin for a package of not much.  Who is the next piece to fall?  Will there be a bigger player than Muzzin?

There were no less than 19 scouts at the Buffalo/Dallas game a couple nights ago.  What were they all there to watch?  The Forecheckers break down the players that are potential movers from these two organizations.

The Beanpot Tournament is about to take place for the 67thtime and this year it’s the first time that we feel the result is completely up in the air.  Each school has won the tourney each of the last four years, so it’s been half a decade since a repeat winner has lifted the pot.  Harvard and Northeastern are ranked teams while BU and BC are currently not ranked.  It has been an upside-down season for college teams in Boston.

Antoine Vermette played 14 seasons in the NHL but has called it a career.  He played for Ottawa, Columbus, Phoenix (now Arizona), Chicago and Anaheim. Vermette finished with a 56.5-win percentage in the faceoff circle and the 14thmost faceoff wins in NHL history.  Antoine has been known as one of the better two-way players in the game for his career and we enjoyed watching him.  Congrats on a successful career and much luck in any future endeavors.  For now, Antoine has said that he looks forward to spending more time with his family.

Finally, we talk about the player most likely to be traded but never is…Jacob Trouba.  He has not played a full season since 2015-16, when he played in 81 games.   It has not always been a love affair between Trouba and the Jets, with his signing of a one-year deal back in late July leading us to believe that he might be dealt this season.  He could certainly help a playoff team or become the start of something solid for a younger team such as Detroit.

The Twitter poll question this week is a simple one:  Should the Bruins be buyers or sellers at this year’s deadline?

It has been a fun two years and we look forward to many more.  For now, please send us your questions, comments and feedback, but most importantly…Enjoy the show!

Show number 102 brings with it the upcoming anniversary of the Two Man Forecheck.  Two years in and we are still having fun!

With that, we welcome everyone to our weekly discussion which we open with our memory from 2 years of recording.  This plunges us deeper into a conversation about the coaching, specifically goaltending, of the Flyers.  Mike waxes poetic about the captaincy of Blake Wheeler for the Winnipeg Jets.

The Edmonton Oilers have relieved Peter Chiarelli of his G.M. duties and not too soon we feel.  He has not identified any direction for the team, and they seem to be adrift in a sea of mediocrity.  Yes, they made the playoffs two years ago, but haven’t really made any inroads toward staying a playoff contender.

Josh Gorges played 13 seasons in the NHL, most with the Canadiens.  He also played 4 seasons with the Buffalo Sabres but Jason Botteril did not offer him a contract at the end of last season.  As he didn’t catch on anywhere else, he officially announced his retirement on January 14th.  We at the Two Man Forecheck wish him well in all his future endeavors and will miss a defensive defenseman that played with heart, grit and determination, never taking a night or a shift off.  Thank you, Josh.

Kendall Coyne and Brianna Decker were involved with NHL All Star weekend festivities, but only Coyne was officially competing during the skills competition.  Brianna was paid the $25,000 but was not officially part of the passing skill.

Overall talk about the All-Star Weekend didn’t last too long, but some of the individuals were mentioned, John Carlson in particular as it was his first all-star selection (hard to believe).  We also came up with some events to add, tell us what you think should be added to the all-star weekend.

We finally move on to our comparison of Eastern and Western Conference teams we created (big Thank you to Capfriendly) from the bottom three teams from each conference.  The teams had to comply with current cap restraints and be comprised of players from Detroit, Philly and Ottawa (East) as well as Chicago, St. Louis and L.A. (West).  Chris broke the cap rule by not getting to the cap floor with his Eastern Conference team.  Most of the players were the same on both squads, but some differences appeared, and some issues came to light such as the lack of left-wing players that were worthy of our choices in the East.

Our Twitter poll from last week revolved around the most surprising team from the first half of the season.  The results were to be expected, with the Islanders garnering the most votes, but Buffalo should have been given serious consideration in our opinion, although they have hit a rough patch.

We have two Twitter Polls this week, one related to our teams, which can be found at @theoffwing, and a second poll regarding women playing in the NHL at what position, to be found at @pucksage.

We hope you enjoy this show and vote in our polls.  Thank you for two years of listening, we hope you stay with us and…Enjoy the show!

The first snowfall of 2019 brings with it another episode of the Two Man Forecheck.  In this episode we speak a lot about goaltenders and where they could end up.

The open continues the subject of the topsy turvy standings which show the N.Y. Islanders at the top of the Metropolitan Division.  Hands up from those that predicted the Isles would be on top at any point this season. You in the back with your hand up…stop lying.

We move onto Chris’ list of 5 goaltenders that could potentially have new homes for the end of the season.  Mike adds on with a couple of potential buyouts that could take place.

Corey Crawford suffered a concussion back in mid-December but was seen on the ice before Blackhawks practice yesterday facing shots.  It’s good to see him back in action, but should the ‘Hawks look to get him back into games this season?  We discuss.

The Twitter poll this week garnered no less than 80 votes on which player would be most likely to move from their current locale by the deadline.  A whopping 65 percent of you voted for Wayne Simmonds to most likely be on the move.  At the bottom of the list was Jake Muzzin (5%), who is rumored to be the interest of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

From here we continue the possibility of the Bruins picking up Wayne Simmonds and what it would cost.

Speaking of the Bruins and goaltenders, Tuukka Rask was injured and diagnosed with a concussion when he was hit by Filip Chytil just before the end of the first period of last night’s game (01/18/2019).  He was hit very high by Chytil but had help getting there from Charlie McAvoy.  Can’t really blame Filip though, he was doing his job.  All parties have to take some blame here.  We wish him a speedy recovery and hope he is back at 100 percent.

Mike Farwell tweeted on January 13thabout 6-year olds that were banned from playing in any Hockey Canada programming for the remainder of the year.  Where are we as a society when we are banning children from playing a sport because they played in a non-sanctioned event?  Something is clearly wrong in Canada when this happens.

Mike asks the question: Is it better to be lucky than good in reference to Bruce Cassidy and his personnel decisions.

Torey Krug is an integral part of the Bruins Defense, and Mike discusses his playing style and who he most resembles.

Finally, we touch on Ryan Johansen and his recent two game suspension.  He has never been suspended, nor is he a repeat offender.  Here is the video from the OPS:   https://www.nhl.com/video/johansen-suspended-two-games/t-277440360/c-65038603

 

One last link, to the new Twitter poll regarding surprise teams this season:  https://twitter.com/pucksage/status/1087041827113521154

 

Please vote, send us your feedback (We love it, good and bad) and Enjoy The Show!

Its show 100!  Can you believe it’s been that long?  We are excited to have been around this long and hope to be around for at least another hundred episodes.  Thank you to all that have given us a chance.

We start with a discussion regarding the head coaches that have taken over this season and how much of an impact they have had on their respective teams.  Here we also focus in on Rod Brind’Amour, coach of the Hurricanes and how he is faring in Carolina.

Moving on to the rookies, we pose the question:  Are the other rookies getting a free pass on their performance since Petterson is performing so well?  If you look at the numbers, we would have to say yes.  The only one really close is Colin White and he is 16 points behind.

Tuukka Rask is one win away from becoming the all-time winningest goaltender in Bruins history.  But a dive into the numbers reflects that he needs to be thanking a stout, solid defensive team in front of him to get to this historic milestone.

The Penguins have given Casey DeSmith a 3-year extension.  Again, we have a question.  Is this the start of a new regime in Pittsburgh or just an extension for a reliable backup?  It appears that this is a new start looking at Matt Murray’s durability, but the money suggests it’s just a backup getting paid.

Mark Giordano is having a phenomenal season, but he wasn’t voted into the all-star game.  Clearly this is a result of where he plays and the number of offensive players on his team getting all the attention.  Diving into his numbers, he certainly deserves to be there, but his age and the number of minutes he plays per game suggest that he may not be missing much, and a rest could do him some good.

Rick Nash has been an intriguing player during his career.  His number should certainly be in the rafters in Columbus, but his time with the Rangers (and very briefly with the Bruins) show that he could have done more.  The hardest numbers to accept are his playoff results.  Nash has called it a career after suffering a concussion last March for which he is still dealing with the lingering symptoms nine months later.  We certainly wish him a full recovery and hope that he becomes symptom free.

We talked last week about John Tortorella returning to form and complaining about “part time players” on his squad.  Since his outburst, the Blue Jackets have gone 2-1 while facing Tampa Bay, Washington and Nashville.  Message received?  We think so.

Finally, we reveal the Twitter poll results from last week and it appears that 40 percent of the voters were correct in choosing Winnipeg as the second-place team in their division to move into first.

It has been a great ride to 100 and we hope that there are many more milestones for the Two Man Forecheck to hit before we call it a career.  Thanks for listening, please send us your feedback and…Enjoy the Show!

After missing our first week in almost two years due to technical issues, the Forecheckers are back. We sincerely hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed the Winter Classic.

We lead off the show talking about the return of John Tortorella.  No, he hasn’t gone anywhere, but the persona, the passion that he has shown in the past is back.  We all know how much he loves the press, but when he gets grumpy and starts complaining about the lack of effort or that he has too many passengers, that is when his true feelings show.  Those are the times where we can really believe that he feels the team he is coaching can go far in the playoffs.

We talk about the resurgence of the Vegas Golden Knights.  At the beginning of the season they did not look all that good, and there were a multitude of reasons why that would be the case.  One reason not considered by many would be the amount of away games the team had. 22 of the first 37 games were on the road.  With Schmidt returning from suspension and Fleury holding the net, they have gotten back on track offensively and have now seen their free agent signing return from injury.

Chris brings up a couple of underrated (in his opinion) players around the league.  Cam Atkinson and Rasmus Ristolainen have shown their talent level, yet somehow aren’t considered to be at the top of their positions.

Oilers and ‘Hawks make a trade.  Oilers acquire Manning who injured McDavid last season.  Not only do we discuss the deal, but this leads into a deeper conversation regarding who runs the team, who has the power and whether the boss should ask the employee about moves that are made.

Jimmy Murphy has written that the St. Louis Blues are open for business and one particular deal percolating is between the Bruins and Blues for Brayden Schenn.  There was no mention of who the players are that will be involved, but he does mention that the discussions are “deep”.

We take a quick look at Russian draft prospect Vasili Podkolzin.  At RW he would be a target, we believe, for the Bruins, however he will most likely be going well before Boston takes the podium.  One mock draft has him going 4thoverall to…St. Louis!

Dougie Hamilton appears to be on the trade block.  How is it that this talented defenseman can’t seem to stick long term at one organization? We try to figure it out.

All this and the Twitter Poll results from last week, as well as an open in which we talk about the World Juniors.  Let us know what you think and enjoy the show!