Two Man Forecheck

Hello all, It’s September! What’s that mean?  Hockey is on the horizon.  With only two weeks or less until rookie camps and captain’s practices getting ready to begin, our beloved sport is back.  So, with that in mind, the Two Man Forecheck is getting ready with another week of excitement.

Starting out, we tease this week’s poll question, when will Erik Karlsson be traded.  Be sure to let us know what you think.

We briefly break down last week’s question, where the results were to be expected but somewhat lopsided.  A full 91% of respondents believe that Vegas will finish 5 points or more below last season. The surprise comes from the fact that only two of the four teams even received votes, as the Predators received the other 9 percent.  Anaheim and Winnipeg received none.

Another strong defenseman has inked his deal.  Noah Hanifin signed a 6 year, almost 30-million-dollar contract with Calgary.  We aren’t sure what the issue was, but it would seem that Hanifin could have added a few more dollars to the deal and still been affordable to the Flames.  While too long to be a bridge deal, the contract could have been 35 or 36 million and still been a good one for the team and the player.

Torey Krug has trolled Brad Marchand on twitter while on a recent fishing trip where he compared a fish that he caught to the size of his teammate.  While Brad has still not responded, the fact that this team shares this kind of relationship outside of the locker room is very telling about the success of the Boston Bruins.  While here we also touched on the defensive corps of the Bruins, and the fact that they have 8 players signed to play defense for Boston this upcoming season. Are they preparing for the next expansion draft or are they expecting to be trading someone during this season?

There is an intriguing (for lack of a better word) article out there on Puck Prose bringing up the subject of increasing fines for repeat offenders.  The one thing this article seems to leave out is the fact that the CBA gets in the way of teams or the NHL doing this.  The last paragraph states that it should be discussed at the next session, however it has about as much chance of passing as salary rollbacks, maybe less.

We segway into Buffalo and the possibility of their being an improved team over last year and by just how much.  They certainly have more offensive punch, and the defense should see improvement with the addition of Dahlin, but the goaltending appears to be the biggest question mark here.  Hutton has never been the number one, and Ullmark is not ready to take the reins in net if last season is to be believed.  So, what are your feelings on this?  How much improved is Buffalo at this point?

The EA Sports rankings have come out…3 Bruins are in the mix.  The surprise is Marchand at number 35.  He is certainly higher than the 35thbest player in the league, so why the low ranking?  And Hedman not being in the top 5?  So many questions…

Voynov still not cleared to return to the NHL, but do they want him back?  We discuss.

Jordan Subban has come home on a one-year deal with the Leafs.  This is his third opportunity, but is it his last?

Finally, the Islanders have teamed up with the Guide Dog Foundation to form the Puppy With A Purpose Foundation.  What a better way to close out the show. 

See everyone next week…enjoy the show!

With NHL Rookie camps and Training camps on the horizon, hockey is suddenly in our foreseeable future! Hold on everyone…the finish line is almost upon us.

This week’s show is chock full of tidbits, but actual storylines are still hard to come by so here we present the best of what is available.

Niklas Kronwall at age 37 has stated that this season could very well be his last in the NHL.  My concern is that when a player makes a statement like this he or she may already be retired in their own mind.  He has won a Stanley Cup and 12 of his 14 years ended in the playoffs.  He has had a solid NHL career with the same organization.

Dustin Tokarski, the goaltender that made a name for himself in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals for the Montreal Canadiens has been given another crack at an NHL position with his signing of a one-year contract with the New York Rangers.  He will be competing for the backup job behind the King, so we wish him well.  Experience wise he is the leader in the clubhouse, but Mazanec and Georgiev may have something to say about it when all is said and done.

Jeremy Roenick tweeted out his top ten centers in the league, and overall the list is good, but there are some names that may be out of position.  You’ll have to give us a listen and tell us what you think or if there is someone you would have liked to see on the list.

The Forecheckers had their own poll out there on Twitter, and the results were puzzling at best! Which team would improve by 7 or more points this season over last season.  There were 4 choices, the Leafs, the Islanders, the Panthers and the Blue Jackets.  Fifty-eight percent of you said the Leafs had the best chance, but at 105 points last season, they would need a herculean effort to get to 112.  The lowest percentage was the Islanders, at just 8%. Here the team would only need a few more wins and a few less losses, the obvious choice.  Let us know.

The Devils signed their first-round pick, defenseman Ty Smith to a 3-year entry level deal. Congrats to the youngster as he had a solid season in the WHL last season and showed that he should at least be given a chance.

Finally, we come to the NHL Network’s list of the top 20 defensemen in the league.  To say that this was funny to read may be an understatement as we took umbrage with many choices.  Should Hamilton be in the top 20?  Charlie McAvoy?  He has only been around for one full season.  Give us a listen and tell us who you believe should be on this list.  Perhaps you agree…tell us why!

Thanks for all the listening you do and let us know if there is anything you want to hear or just rant at us for our opinions.  Enjoy the show!