- 10 months ago
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00:00The Rangers were reportedly in on Quinn Hughes,
00:03but to the extent of how legit it was.
00:07Who's going to give a package like that?
00:09Yeah.
00:10That was a great package.
00:11No one could come.
00:12The Rangers certainly couldn't come close to that.
00:16But logistically, even if they could.
00:22What is up, everyone?
00:23We are back with another episode of Up in the Blue Seats,
00:27your favorite Rangers podcast from the New York Post.
00:31It's Molly Walker and former Ranger Brian Boyle, as always.
00:34And it has been a relatively eventful week in Rangers land.
00:39How's it, Brian?
00:40We've got a three-goal comeback and an overtime win over Montreal,
00:45a special teams disaster against Anaheim,
00:48not to mention a couple former blue shirts that were back in the building.
00:52What else?
00:53We've got a missed team meeting.
00:55And, well, another shutout loss on home ice.
01:00So, before we dissect this most recent one,
01:04I'm just going to tee you up with some stats that we have here, Brian.
01:08Nice.
01:08Let's see.
01:10We've got a league-high seven shutout losses, six at home,
01:15three, count them, three losses to teams sitting in last place
01:21in the National Hockey League.
01:22Only four wins at home through 35 games.
01:270-5-1 in second games of back-to-backs.
01:3130th in the NHL in goals per game at 2.51.
01:36And the power play is two for 22 since losing Adam Fox.
01:41How do you plead?
01:44Yeah.
01:47So, it wasn't perfect before Adam Fox went down.
01:51In terms of offensive output, obviously,
01:54I don't have an answer for what's happening at home.
01:58I really don't.
01:59But if I'm a player on the team,
02:04I'm focusing on trying to get better each day
02:09and focusing on how I can perform in whatever environment I'm put in,
02:15whatever line I'm on, whatever combinations you have.
02:18And it's an uphill battle,
02:22and there's a little bit of a cloud over them right now.
02:24And then you go into a game.
02:27You're playing against a team that's not good.
02:30But they don't know that.
02:32They just traded their captain.
02:34It was a somber environment on the bus when they found out.
02:41A lot of injuries, too.
02:43A lot of injuries.
02:44They injected some youth.
02:46The kid, Ogren, looks like he's a good player.
02:50I mean, he's a young kid who's done well in the American League,
02:53and now you never know when it's going to click.
02:55And you do it when you're a Rangers fan.
02:57It's going to click when you play the Rangers.
02:59Correct.
03:00First game, first goal.
03:01Yeah.
03:02Like, I mean, jeez, man.
03:04Like clockwork.
03:05I've got to say, like, I don't know what to do.
03:10I think you have to run over the linesman there.
03:13I don't know how he doesn't get out of the way,
03:16and that's early in the game.
03:19But that's this year.
03:22Yeah.
03:23How do you blame him for that?
03:24I also think Robertson, I mean, Robertson, he's still a little green, too.
03:28Like, I feel like in that situation.
03:29Yeah, he's not going to.
03:30He's like, what?
03:30Yeah.
03:31Yeah.
03:32Like, it was very obvious.
03:33He quite literally had no idea what to do in that situation.
03:37It's a soft chip to speed.
03:38The linesman has to get out of the way.
03:41He probably feels terrible.
03:42But, like, if that was going to happen once this year,
03:45it was going to happen against the Rangers at MSG.
03:49That's just what's happening.
03:51And whatever the reason is, hopefully they're just exercising all these things.
03:56They haven't unraveled.
03:57They had great A's.
03:59They cannot finish right now.
04:01So we need a whole.
04:03The refs tried to make it up for them a little bit, though,
04:05with three power points.
04:07I mean, and they feel awful.
04:09It's like you get caught in the train tracks and you just,
04:13you almost freeze up.
04:14So I feel terrible for that guy.
04:16But it's like.
04:16Yeah.
04:17That was very unfortunate.
04:19They got to talk to the goalie coach.
04:24Like, I don't know.
04:26They can't finish right now.
04:28And a lot of it's luck, but a lot of it's just execution.
04:30And, I mean, Demko makes a blocker save on Artemi in the third.
04:34Like, he's looking at his glove and it hits him in the blocker.
04:38And then he was like.
04:39He does his little shake with his blocker.
04:41Like, oh, how did that hit me?
04:43And Demko, I think, when healthy, on the Olympic roster, he's unbelievable.
04:50But they made him look even better.
04:54They do that often.
04:55Is it shoot more?
04:57Because, like, the quality chances they had were quality.
04:59But, like, is it enough?
05:01Who knows?
05:01I don't know.
05:02So it's.
05:03Sorry, my little baby's here.
05:05Hi, Ella.
05:06I'll see you in a minute, honey.
05:08We got a guest.
05:09No.
05:10She wants to get in on the conversation.
05:12She's a stubborn little lass.
05:16No, I mean, I'm in complete agreement.
05:19It's a lot of shots directly in the middle of the chest, directly into the glove.
05:25It's astounding how many times it happens.
05:31I am astounded as well.
05:35I don't know.
05:35I don't know what to do.
05:37It was always the mantra, growing up all the time.
05:40If you're getting the chances, it'll come.
05:42If you're getting chances, it'll come.
05:43Don't let it affect the rest of your game.
05:47Yeah.
05:48Back-to-backs is a problem.
05:50You need good special teams to win back-to-backs.
05:53Because you're not.
05:54Your A game, your energy level, it's different.
05:56I don't care.
05:58Say whatever.
05:59These are high-level athletes.
06:00It's different.
06:01Especially when you're playing against a team.
06:02It's not on the back-to-back.
06:06Yeah.
06:06What other stats were you throwing at me?
06:08They just don't score.
06:09They score even less at home.
06:13It's really, back to the word, astounding.
06:16But for me, it's starting to all the talk about, and I respect it.
06:22I really do.
06:23Because I do truly believe that Mike Sullivan, JT Miller, believe in this process that they're
06:31trying to stay committed to and sticking with the process and just working through it until
06:36they can put it all together and it all just starts to click.
06:39But the talk about the process is starting to ring a little hollow when the results just
06:46continuously aren't coming for them.
06:50And I understand the frustration from, I mean, the amount of times that people have walked into that
06:58building and haven't heard the goal song at least once is pretty, pretty wild and concerning.
07:06And I mean, they're just, I mean, that was the lead of my article today is home ice advantage.
07:12It's been non-existent at Madison Square Garden this season.
07:15And that's a, that's a, a really concerning aspect of the start of the Rangers season.
07:22But it's, I don't really know what else.
07:26I mean, we could talk about Connor Sheery, one goal in, in 30 something games.
07:31It's Lafreniere and Trocek, one goal each in their last nine and 10 games respectively.
07:39But so much relies on the top six on, on these marquee skaters.
07:45And if they're not going, then nobody is.
07:48Yeah.
07:48I feel like I've said and written that line so many times through 35 games.
07:55And for the bottom six, it's kind of like the top six, not, not scoring.
08:01But everyone's sort of playing okay.
08:02The game's still in the balance and there's still, you know, one shot could sort of change the game.
08:09What do you do when you're the coach?
08:10And you got to keep playing the top six more.
08:13So then if you're a bottom six guy, you're like, yeah, I understand.
08:19What do you want me to do though?
08:20I'm on the bench.
08:20I can't play as much.
08:21I'm playing less.
08:22And that's, that's sort of the, you got to play your top guys at the end.
08:26The guys that are getting chances with the expectation it's going to go in.
08:30And, but yeah, this is just like a, it's infiltrated into the entire locker room and they're like, they're just not scoring.
08:40And the other thing is from a business perspective, you can't do this at home.
08:45Like it's one thing to lose and you're losing like, you know, six, four, five, three, whatever it is at home.
08:52You're like, they defend well.
08:54I'm not suggesting they should do that, but you get shut out at home this many times and it's not the turn of the calendar yet.
09:03Like, yeah, it's not a good product.
09:07So, you know, it's, they don't care about that.
09:12It's not what they talk about in the room, but it is, it is understandable for all parties to have their frustrations.
09:19And whether you're covering the team or you're coaching the team or you're playing on the team or you're a fan of the team, it's, it's because it's not like, why don't they just do this?
09:30Well, they would have tried it.
09:31And the other things aren't, it's not a disaster.
09:34It's still not even close to last.
09:35No, it's not.
09:37That's the, that's like, that's the weirdest part about it is it doesn't seem like I'll admit right at this very moment in time, I'm probably the least encouraged that I have been about the team the entire season thus far, but it still doesn't feel hopeless.
09:53I still don't even have any semblance of what I felt as early as November in last season.
09:59Um, so I think that's a positive, but it just, the, the result, I mean, you can't argue with how many zeros they have on their, on their schedule.
10:15You just can't argue with it.
10:17I mean, the, the muffled conversation in the lower bowl last night that just kind of culminated into pretty loud booze.
10:25I mean, you know, that's, that's what you get with this kind of product.
10:30And I mean, it can't be good for morale.
10:32It can't be good for, you know, the team mentality that they have worked so hard to improve this season and has been so much improved.
10:40It just feels like, you know, waiting for the other shoe to drop where it is all just going to crumble down.
10:47And, and, and what they have been working toward, even the small amount of it that's there is just going to crater out from underneath them.
10:55But let's, let's not, let's not get there yet.
10:59We're still only what, December 17th.
11:02Yeah.
11:03I got, I got a quick suggestion.
11:06Sure.
11:07Save the game.
11:09Uh, was unbelievable, right?
11:12Um, on Kiefer Sherwood.
11:14Mm-hmm.
11:15Would he change the dynamic of your roster if you could somehow pry him away from Vancouver?
11:23How many, how many deals, how many deals are going to happen between these two clubs?
11:28He's a, he's a menace.
11:30Yeah.
11:31And, and I say that in that, like, in these games, regardless of if they can score or not, they play well for all these minutes, this guy's going to go and be a menace.
11:43Yeah.
11:45And, I don't know.
11:47I'm just, I'm totally speculating.
11:49I haven't heard that.
11:50Oh my God.
11:50I've been like, for a year and a half though, I'm like, this guy'd be great on Broadway.
11:57But his cap hits so low.
11:58Josh Anderson.
12:00Yeah, he would have been too.
12:03His cap hits so low, it would, it would cost a ton.
12:06And, yeah.
12:10Meanwhile, I, I would have loved to have read a, a Larry column after, after that game.
12:16I know.
12:16Yeah.
12:16You were talking about, like, we were all talking about it last night.
12:19Like, what would, what would Larry, Larry, Larry, Larry would have went in, Larry, Larry would have dived in and he just would have, he just would have laid down the line.
12:32He just would have ripped it to shreds.
12:36He would have had thoughts.
12:37Let's, let's, let's make, he would have had some thoughts.
12:40That's for sure.
12:41All right.
12:41Let's move on.
12:42And, um, the other, the other kind of note, news of the week, so to say, um, in a season that was supposed to be headlined about no BS, a little, a little bit of BS.
12:56Mika, Mika, the man of Jad misses a team meeting and as a result, doesn't get to get his MSG reunion with his best friend and the best man.
13:07Uh, he was the best man in his wedding.
13:09Uh, Chris Kreider, Jacob Truba also is back at the garden, but it sounds like it was legit.
13:15Um, yeah, sorry for the conspiracy theorists.
13:19Uh, I know it was very coincidental that it was some like, look, I mean, I don't, you can't really blame people coming from where they did last season.
13:32I, I mean, knowing Mika personally, all of it just seemed outrageous to me.
13:36I couldn't even picture him missing the team meeting to begin with, you know?
13:41Right.
13:41Um, but yeah, the conspiracy theories, you know, with Kreider coming to town and things like that.
13:47It just, none of it makes sense.
13:48It's just, just not, not Mika's personality, not his way.
13:53Uh, I heard he was devastated.
13:56Say it again.
13:56How do you even come up with this?
13:57Oh, how do they even come up with this?
13:59Please.
13:59Because people are very creative.
14:02It is.
14:03Um, I heard he was devastated.
14:05Use that creativity for something positive.
14:07That was just ridiculous.
14:09He seemed that he was devastated over it when he talked about it last night.
14:14He said that he got stuck behind an accident.
14:16Um, and what's so, you know, the reason why I, for a hot minute thought, is there a conspiracy
14:24theory here?
14:25Because I, what a coincidence, coincidence it was that, I don't know if you got, if you
14:30watched the road to the winter classic episode, the first one, um, on TNT, like half of Mika's
14:39entire segment was a, that was about how long his ride is from the city to Westchester.
14:47Like what a coincidence that that was highlighted in this behind the scenes show.
14:54You know, it showed him getting in the car and he puts on the, the, you know, Google maps
15:00and it says 53 minutes.
15:01And he looks at the guys, I hope you guys have a lot of questions because it's such a
15:05long commute for him there and back.
15:07So how funny that that was highlighted.
15:10And then he ends up missing a team meeting because of it doesn't get to play in a game
15:15where they very much so could have used him special teams was the difference.
15:19Um, so it, it really did feel like one big coincidence, but, um, just, just, uh, we've
15:26seen it happen around the league a lot.
15:27I feel like, you know, it happened with Braden point.
15:30Um, the black Hawks just did it on Tuesday, um, with their 2024 pick.
15:36Like, yeah, I was going to say, I'm not, I don't want to butcher it, but the 2024 pick,
15:42he was tardy to practice.
15:43He was late to practice.
15:45You can't be like, this is, yeah.
15:46Missed his turn in the, in the drill.
15:49You can't be late.
15:52And if you're late, you get benched.
15:54If seven guys are late, there might be some leeway there.
15:58Cause you can't bench that.
15:59Um, that's funny.
16:02I have a story, a couple of ones actually.
16:04Uh, yeah.
16:05It took about, took about that for me to get to practice and it would take longer to get
16:09back home.
16:11Yep.
16:11That's why game days we were at the garden.
16:13We had a lot of guys in the city, which is the best.
16:17I think they should go back to that.
16:20They're all married.
16:21They're all married.
16:22We still join the SI.
16:23I understand, but it's, kids aren't like, you know, they're little, but I get it.
16:30Um, yeah.
16:32If you're late, if you're late in the morning, there might be some leeway, some teams, but
16:38these, this is a precedent.
16:39So Sally sets the precedent.
16:42That's the rules.
16:42That's the rules, the rules.
16:43And there's other guys coming from the city that aren't late, I assume.
16:46So leave earlier.
16:48Uh, you understand the situation that is, it's terrible.
16:53It stinks, but it's not like, I'm sure Mika's embarrassed.
16:56I'm sure he feels like he let me down.
16:59Um, but those are the rules and you have to keep a certain standard.
17:02Uh, one time we played at home, I believe it was like December 29th or 30th.
17:08And there were zero cabs and I was out on 60th and 10th.
17:12That's where I lived my first year and we were leaving after the game.
17:16So I had like a roller bag and I had to essentially, I walked slash ran to the game.
17:25From, from there?
17:27From 60th and 10th to the garden.
17:29No, you're lying.
17:30Yeah.
17:30With the rolling bag.
17:31And I get down like through Times Square and I hook a turn.
17:33I take a left on the corner.
17:35No, cause I'm on the West side.
17:37I gotta get, I gotta work my way over.
17:40And this dude's setting up all like this big table with all the streamers and all the crap
17:45that they sell and come to Times Square.
17:47And I like my rollie bag hit some snow and I almost lost it.
17:52It goes like kind of flying through the air.
17:53Like dude, just smashes into this guy's table.
17:57All his setup goes into the street.
18:00He starts screaming at me that I owe him money.
18:04And I'm like, you know, I said, I had some choice words, but I just kept going.
18:08I'm sure you did.
18:10I'm like, it's not even time.
18:13I get there at like 5.15.
18:15You gotta be there at 5.
18:16And I was always there at 4.40.
18:18Yeah.
18:184.30.
18:19And I'm like the third guy there.
18:22Anyways, everybody shows up.
18:24There was no, it was snowing.
18:25There's no cabs.
18:25There's no, I'm trying to call a car service, nothing.
18:29So even torts was late.
18:31So we just kind of, no one said, no one said anything.
18:33We just put our gear on and had our game.
18:36And like, after that, I was like, guy, that was crazy.
18:38It's shin splints.
18:38You're running in dress shoes for that many blocks.
18:41No, I, I'm sorry.
18:43I mean, for those that don't understand how far away 50 and 10 is from Madison Square Garden.
18:52Like, how long did it take you on foot?
18:56So, I mean, I'd walk out of my apartment like 4.20, 4.25 probably.
19:02Yeah.
19:02Just start looking around, trying to flag something down.
19:05Yeah.
19:05Like, that's an hour, that's an hour long excursion.
19:09It wasn't that long because I, I started hoofing it pretty hard.
19:13And I'm like.
19:14At six foot six.
19:15In a suit.
19:15You can shave off a few.
19:17Yeah.
19:17Well, but I'm in a suit, like, with a, like a long peacoat on and like, and I'm like,
19:25it's freezing out.
19:25I'm kind of running.
19:26My hands are freezing.
19:27My body's like sweating.
19:28Shirt ruined.
19:30We had to go to Carolina after the game.
19:32It was probably a good 45 minutes.
19:34Oh my God.
19:35And they were like, I'm like, I don't need a warmup.
19:38Yeah.
19:39We got a place.
19:40I already got that in.
19:41That's hilarious, Brian.
19:43I mean, I'm sure you've seen it around the league, you know, not just you too.
19:48Right.
19:49You know, teammates and things like that.
19:51There was one teammate in Tampa.
19:52There were flights canceled coming back after an all-star break.
19:56And like, he got the earliest one he could.
19:59And he was, he missed the morning skate in the meeting.
20:02He had to sit up.
20:05He was supposed to come the night before.
20:08We were all kind of like, you know, an important player for us.
20:11We're all kind of like, I mean, what's he supposed to do?
20:13And it's just like, uh, you're supposed to be here.
20:16Well, that's, you know, that's, I'm sure how a lot of people looked at the Mika Zibanejad situation, because if it was a one-time thing, you know, how do you, how do you punish a guy that just gets stuck behind an accident?
20:30You know, and the day after a snowstorm, the roads were a nightmare.
20:35We're in the middle of December, the most crazy and populated time in New York City.
20:40But, you know, going back to the culture that Mike Sullivan is trying to implement here, you know, it's hard to argue with it.
20:48You know, you want to talk about players being held accountable and everything.
20:52So you've got to pick a lane, but it was just a really unfortunate situation for a multitude of reasons.
20:58I mean, I'm sure there were so many people in the stands that specifically paid to be there to watch Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad go up against each other.
21:07So it's disappointing, but, you know, it is what it is.
21:12It is what it is.
21:13Happens all the time.
21:14And no, no, it never happened to me.
21:16Of course not.
21:18I was in full panic mode after every all-star rating, all those things, full panic mode.
21:23I was panicked that day when I ran into the garden, too.
21:26I'd be the same way.
21:28I'd be the exact same way.
21:31All right.
21:32Well, Chris Kreider did make his return to Madison Square Garden.
21:35Jacob Truba as well.
21:38I thought it was – I thought they both handled it really well.
21:42You know, Chris was clearly not the comfiest, but really funny.
21:47It feels – Truba seems just so far removed and unbothered by it naturally.
21:52It's been over a year, so he was a completely different demeanor.
21:57But I thought the Rangers did a great tribute for both of them.
22:01Amazing standing ovation for Chris that would have kept going if the music didn't start playing.
22:09Truly felt that way.
22:12What were you thinking when you watched those guys return to the garden?
22:15Yeah, I assumed as much.
22:17And you saw Chris – this is his first – this is his team that he was on.
22:23This is his only team that he's played on.
22:25After you've gone through it once, it is a little easier.
22:28So, for Jacob Truba – I know he was a captain, but he's gone through it.
22:32So, maybe more time has passed or it's not –
22:36Yeah, he had Winnipeg.
22:37So, it's hard.
22:39I know Chris was – he was quoted saying when they were giving him the tribute,
22:45Coach Quenville was talking to him about the neutral zone.
22:48And I'm like, no, he wasn't, Chris.
22:50You know what the neutral zone is.
22:51You've played forever.
22:52And he just wanted to deflect.
22:54Or he didn't want to – he doesn't want to talk about himself.
22:58He doesn't want to do it.
22:59It's uncomfortable.
22:59Never.
22:59And, you know, that's why, you know, he's the way he is.
23:05He's definitely – so, I like – I love Chris Kreider.
23:10I've always loved him.
23:12He came to our team.
23:13He was a little kid.
23:14Tried to look out for him.
23:15And I just love how well he's done.
23:17I root for him all the time.
23:18He's quirky, though.
23:20He's not –
23:21He is.
23:21He's a much different personality than I am.
23:23So –
23:25Than anybody.
23:26I like to see him – I like to see him squirm a little bit and then do well.
23:30Because he's a good person.
23:32And, you know, he works hard and gave you everything he had.
23:36So, I think the fans noticed that, appreciated that.
23:38And it was just a good moment.
23:39And then you move on.
23:41And same for Trouba.
23:42Like, it's not easy having to answer every day.
23:48Never mind if you're the captain.
23:49It's not easy.
23:51And they got in a spot where they – a business decision had to be made.
23:56It didn't affect his professionalism.
23:59And I think people respected that as well.
24:00Plus, he played hard.
24:02He had that one outburst that I'll always remember.
24:05He threw his helmet.
24:06And they kind of went on a bit of a tear.
24:07Helmet toss.
24:09Yeah.
24:09Iconic.
24:10Cool stuff like that.
24:11You try to remember it when the players are getting recognized.
24:15Because they pour everything – they pour everything they have into this.
24:19And it consumes them 24 hours a day.
24:20And, I mean, not that anybody, you know, had any doubt or needed confirmation.
24:27Because the duck-shaped clogs.
24:29I think that the ducks posted that one time of both Trouba and Kreider wearing them.
24:34Said it all.
24:35But I was catching up with Ryan Strom and just people that I've talked to and Kreider's circle.
24:42Anybody that has been with him out at West can see how much he's enjoying himself.
24:48And how happy he is.
24:49So Cal has very much so agreed with Chris Kreider.
24:53So, for the Ranger fans that love him, don't worry.
24:57He's in good hands and seems to be very happy in the California sunshine.
25:01So, all righty.
25:04Good team.
25:04Good team, too.
25:04Yeah, please.
25:06Who would have thought that they would be leading the Pacific at the start of this season?
25:10I thought they'd be all right.
25:12I didn't think they'd be that good.
25:13Nah.
25:14But, you know, I think a guy like Kreider, especially with what he's brought –
25:18I mean, last I looked at it, he was third on the team in points or goals.
25:24And, yeah, he's –
25:26He came out of the gates hot.
25:27Yeah, he's brought a lot to that group.
25:30And I think it's so great for a young team to have a guy like that in the locker room.
25:35Can't even imagine to, you know, learn how to be a consummate pro
25:39and how to be in this league for a long time.
25:41So, in positive news in Rangers land, Matt Rempe, back in the lineup.
25:49He's back.
25:50Finally.
25:51Been a bit of a ride for him.
25:54It was a long time on the sidelines.
25:57And you got to love him.
25:59He comes right out.
26:00Says he broke his thumb in many places and had to undergo surgery.
26:05He's got a nasty scar from right here to here.
26:10And it was so funny.
26:10When I asked him about the rehab, like, if he was not going to tell anybody about it,
26:16you ask him about the rehab process and he just immediately goes, yeah,
26:20looks right down at it.
26:25No conditioning stent needed.
26:27Goes right in the lineup.
26:29Listen, that says a lot about what they think of him and how he's progressed.
26:35Just no conditioning stent.
26:37And now, you know, Edstrom's out.
26:39And hopefully they kind of figure that out.
26:41And it's nothing too serious.
26:46Just because that's an identity line for them.
26:50And there's, yeah.
26:52I just, yeah, that's a tough one, too, because, like, that is so hard to heal in that spot.
27:00And so, you know, the mental part of it is the hardest.
27:04He's tough enough to kind of handle the rest of it.
27:07He said he still can't bend it properly.
27:09I don't know that he, that's.
27:12He had to decline a fight the other night because there was video of him showing.
27:20Because, yeah, and I asked him because I was wondering,
27:23even though I kind of already knew the answer, just knowing him,
27:27if he was deterred from fighting again because of this.
27:31But he said, of course, not at all, not at all.
27:33He just, he just can't for a little while because it's still not bending properly.
27:38Yeah, you know, yeah.
27:39Play, just go play.
27:41He can have an impact.
27:42He just keeps playing.
27:44That would be good.
27:46In news around the league, and as it pertains to the Canucks that the Rangers played Tuesday night,
27:54Quinn Hughes.
27:55Delt.
27:56Is in Minnesota, Minnesota, God, Rossi, Veve, Ogren, all of whom were first round picks.
28:08Plus another.
28:08In a 2026.
28:09Plus another.
28:10Plus a 2026 first rounder.
28:12So, I mean, you look at that, that Paul, and I found, I found this entire stretch to be so interesting,
28:24especially with the words that Quinn Hughes very specifically chose when he first addressed the media afterward,
28:31talking about how Billy Guerin was the only one that sacked up, I think is the exact verbiage that he used to go and get him.
28:41I did too.
28:42I found it to be really interesting, though, because, you know, it does seem that everybody was a little conservative about this.
28:49But, you know, good on Billy Guerin for going out and giving the Canucks exactly what they needed to make the deal done.
29:00The deal get done.
29:02Right.
29:05Yeah.
29:05I liked it for all parties involved.
29:08Oh, I mean, you know what I think is the coolest part?
29:11But when, and you see it a lot, you see it with GMs where it hasn't maybe gone exactly how you think it's going,
29:22and you've already changed coaches once, and your runway might be running short.
29:29Well, Jim Rutherford steps in, and, you know, Patrick Alvin is the GM, but if you listen to all the quotes,
29:36it was Jimmy and Billy, and they have a relationship.
29:39I think Billy has one with Patrick as well, but Jim Rutherford is a Hall of Famer.
29:47Like, this guy has been, he's won Cups in two places.
29:50He's been an executive in the league for a team for a very long time, and he probably has, I don't know how many years left to be in this position.
30:01Obviously, clearly loves doing what he's doing.
30:03A lot of GMs would be like, no, let's go acquire and see if we can make Quinn happy.
30:10But he made Quinn happy by moving him.
30:14He took away his best player for a potential for the future of the team to be better.
30:21Not right now.
30:22And there'll be more moves, I think, Vancouver will make, because teams are going to be calling about Kiefer Sherwood, about Connor Garland, about different players.
30:32And it just shows a lot about, I think, the character of Jimmy Rutherford.
30:39And then Billy Guerin, on the other hand, has some runway.
30:42Yes, he's fired one coach, but he's had to deal with the cap penalties of making the bold move to buy out Ryan Suter and Zach Brees.
30:49And he's been hamstrung.
30:51And then he's like, we got this guy, number 97, who is an electric factor.
30:56He puts the butts in the seats.
30:58He is, him alone, we won't be shut out six times at home.
31:03Like, this guy is that good.
31:05We are giving him whatever he wants.
31:07And the owner didn't do him any favors by saying, essentially, you get a blank check, Kirill.
31:12So, he's built around it.
31:14He's looking at his division, and it's a gauntlet.
31:18And he's got to play against, you know, Winnipeg.
31:21Now they have Hellebuck back.
31:22And then you have Colorado, and you have Dallas, who are two of the top three, maybe four, cup contenders this season.
31:30And he's like, we're pretty good.
31:32We have Brock Faber.
31:33We have Jonas Brodian.
31:34We have Jared Spurgeon.
31:35Zee Booian looks like he's going to be a pretty good player.
31:37Here, you take the kid, and we'll get the superstar.
31:41And how does that set up the pairings when they're healthy?
31:44They're not done.
31:45They get another centerman.
31:47Yeah.
31:47Their odds go right to the top, and I just-
31:49They're looking good.
31:50And it gives us stuff to talk about, and then he'll just-
31:53And what he's given up, like, he's on other podcasts just kind of walking you through everything.
31:59Yeah.
32:00And you're like, this guy's the man.
32:01I want to hang out with Billy.
32:03Brilliant.
32:03Yeah.
32:04No, brilliant.
32:05Absolutely brilliant.
32:05And I think that Quinn Hughes was definitely taken with the way that Billy conducted himself
32:12during this.
32:13Yeah.
32:13And, you know, you also like to think that if you're a Minnesota Wild fan, that Billy
32:21Guerin is confident that he can get Quinn Hughes to stay.
32:25You don't want to give that up.
32:26That was the other thing, because, you know, the Rangers were reportedly in on Quinn Hughes.
32:32But to the extent of how legit it was-
32:36Who's going to give a package like that?
32:38Yeah.
32:38That was a great package.
32:40No one could come.
32:41The Rangers certainly couldn't come close to that.
32:43Right.
32:44But logistically, even if they could, I don't know how that was going to work out with Adam
32:51Fox, you know, locked in here for as long as he is.
32:54And, you know, what are you going to put Adam Fox on the second power play unit?
32:58I mean, they'd make it work.
33:00I'm sure they would make it work.
33:02But, I mean, some of the names that I've seen out there that made sense that the Canucks
33:08were interested in.
33:08Alexei Lafreniere, who's former agent, is the assistant GM there, Emily.
33:13Braden Schneider.
33:14Apparently, Vancouver has been high on him since the Miller trade.
33:19Yeah.
33:20They didn't want a right shot.
33:21They really wanted a left shot defenseman.
33:24So, you'd think even, you know, across the river, Nemec's name was coming up.
33:28Mercer.
33:31Two guys without trade protection.
33:33There's every guy in a jersey pretty much has trade protection, which I didn't realize.
33:37Yes.
33:38It's wild.
33:38That's been a headline.
33:40Poor Tom Fitzgerald.
33:42His business is getting.
33:45I'll defend Fitzy.
33:46I mean, everybody.
33:47Thrown out there in plain terms.
33:49I mean, build whatever team you want.
33:50If half of them are hurt, you're not going to win.
33:52So, I can't, like, he can't control that.
33:55Yeah.
33:55I mean, but, yeah, it was really wild.
33:57I thought weeks before any deal would get done, and it just got done.
34:02And I was like, that's so cool.
34:04Friday night?
34:05Yeah.
34:05Was it Friday night?
34:06It was a Friday night.
34:07There's nothing the National Hockey League loves more than a Friday night blockbuster
34:12news dump trade.
34:15But I also, I mean, there was a ton of reports about how, you know, Hughes and his camp made
34:22it very clear that they weren't going to give any team an assurance of extending.
34:27So, you know, for the Rangers to shell out what they would have had to have shelled out to
34:34get Quinn Hughes for perhaps a year and a half of Quinn Hughes, where it's not even 100%
34:40sure if they're going to even make the playoffs right now.
34:43Just doesn't make a lot of sense, though.
34:45I think it would be like Perot, Lava first, and then, yeah, I mean.
34:49Yeah, that's the thing.
34:50You're quite literally clearing out any sort of positive outlook that you have for the
35:00Rangers right now.
35:01And the guy's unbelievable.
35:02He fits.
35:03Like, how that trade worked out and what their roster looks like now, I'm like, that makes
35:07so much sense.
35:08It was a great deal for both sides.
35:11Just a great hockey deal, I think, for all parties involved.
35:15So very, very entertaining for us hockey fans, for sure.
35:19All righty.
35:21Molly's got a pack.
35:22So let's stop there.
35:26Thanks all for listening.
35:28As always, give us a thumbs up.
35:30Comment down below.
35:32What do you think about Matt Rempe's return?
35:35Are you freaking out about the Rangers?
35:38Home record yet?
35:40Still are?
35:42Just be happy they're not in the Central.
35:48That's positive.
35:49We'll see what happens.
35:50We'll see what it has for us in St. Louis.
35:55All right.
35:55We'll talk to you guys again next week.
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