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00:00And, you know, Hammer is close to Hamilton, like Bulldogs got a Bulldogs jersey.
00:04You could have interest in the Hammers as a team name.
00:07This will be an Islanders affiliate, by the way.
00:09Yes, it is.
00:10So, Paul, amongst the things that we did not really have time in our limited visit yesterday with you,
00:19what should we pour over here?
00:22I know it was pretty interesting to me.
00:27I know they weren't said right after one another, and I think I might have brought this up to you
00:32yesterday,
00:32but it's still very interesting to me, how cautious and careful Kekalainen sounded about Tuck.
00:40You know, and they are different situations.
00:41He's about to become a UFA, so the open marketplace is different than a guy like Benson, who's an RFA,
00:47or a guy like Byram, who's just going to be going into the final year of a two-year contract.
00:52But he sounded like he couldn't wait to sit down and negotiate with Byram and Benson,
00:57and Tuck sounded very much like it's going to have to be on our terms, kind of.
01:02Yeah, and they've already had negotiations with Tuck and his people, so they kind of know where that's headed.
01:08And my takeaway from what he said was when he was talking about the contract has to be able to
01:17be a contract that will make us better.
01:19So what I took from that is I don't know if we can pay him close to what he wants.
01:26Like, let's say it's $11 million.
01:28He hasn't said that, but that's what the reporting is.
01:32Then it's like, well, now we can't re-sign everybody.
01:35Now maybe we can't give Benson the contract we want to, at least right away.
01:40You know, and so then does that make us better, to bring one guy back, shoot the cap,
01:48and then maybe can't bring one or two other guys back, or you've got to trade somebody.
01:53That's how I took that to mean.
01:56Where Byram is more, no matter what, his number doesn't count next year anyway because he already has a contract.
02:01Right, it's 6.25 or whatever it is.
02:04So I think he'd be more excited to negotiate that because the Skinner, by the time that goes in,
02:09the Skinner deal is down, and you have more.
02:12Plus, he said he feels you build from the back end up,
02:15and he feels he is the top four defenseman in the league, and he would like to keep that.
02:19And the Benson situation is the opposite of what you just described with Byram
02:24because he's coming off entry level, which is, you know, under a million dollars,
02:28and there is no buffer there.
02:30Like, if his new deal is like the deal of a lifetime, you know,
02:34like a Doan-type deal or something for Benson, then that's right first year, bam, whammo,
02:40that's on the cap.
02:41And is Benson willing to take a one-year deal knowing, getting a promise that we will give you
02:48the full boat next year type of thing just to help us out on the cap type of thing?
02:54You know, I don't know if Yarmor would make that kind of deal or not.
02:56It's something I would look into, but that's how I take the whole thing is just if you give him
03:02$11 million,
03:03then, well, you're going to have to do something somewhere else, which is take somebody off your roster.
03:13Paul, on Tuck's series, first of all, when guys sit down for the press conference as they're about to leave
03:20for the summer,
03:22you have a choice to make whether you want to talk about an injury that you had.
03:26There's no obligation to say anything, right?
03:28I mean, even I say that almost like it's funny because during the playoffs, guys don't want to talk about
03:34it either,
03:34but now it's over, so, you know, one player could have an instinct to be like, yeah, I had A,
03:40B, and C that I was dealing with.
03:42Another, maybe like Tuck yesterday, might say, yeah, not something that we need to really talk about.
03:50They might think they're making excuses to talk about an injury.
03:53I'm not sure there's a right or wrong way.
03:55Tuck are the same way.
03:56He wanted nothing.
03:57Right, exactly.
03:57He was actually asking if he was going to need a surgery, and he just said, I don't talk about
04:01injuries.
04:01It's just not what I do.
04:03And I know I don't have to do that right now, especially because the season is over.
04:07But on Tuck, can you explain his series against the Canadians?
04:12Like with Thompson in another way, we all just, well, not all, but kind of felt, I certainly felt like
04:17there must be something wrong here.
04:19But, you know, if there wasn't, there wasn't.
04:21Does it make sense to you how he seemed to struggle?
04:26Considering his last two games were pretty, they were Alex Tuck games.
04:30He just couldn't put the puck in the net.
04:31I mean, but he was playing like Alex Tuck would play.
04:34I was thinking that until I saw those two games.
04:37Well, he looks fine, you know, the way he's going.
04:41He did say everybody's got bumps and bruises and that kind of thing.
04:44But he talked about how, you know, he had a lot of confidence after Boston.
04:50He thought he started doing things in the Montreal series that were unlike him to start pressing.
04:57And that's what made him kind of angry at himself, that it was like, all right, things aren't going well.
05:03And then he tried to do some things that just weren't definitely not going to go well.
05:07And it just kind of blew up in his face.
05:09And then he just, in the last two games, decided it was just time to go out and play freely
05:14and do your thing.
05:16And it worked for him other than he just couldn't put the puck past the goaltenders.
05:19So, it's almost like he said he lost a little confidence as that series went on.
05:25And he said it's something, even at his age, he learned from and won't happen again because he's been through
05:31it now.
05:31And he knows you don't handle it the way that he handled it.
05:35How capable do you think they are without going outside to find someone to replace him?
05:43If they were to let that, you know, just, we can't get it together, we don't want to pay him
05:4911, we don't want to do an eight-year deal, whatever it is.
05:51There's a problem, and he's going to go to the market and probably find 12 for 7 somewhere, or 7
05:58for 12 a year.
06:01How capable are they of just replacing him?
06:04Can Josh Doan kill penalties?
06:06These are the questions I'm going to start thinking about and asking, like, how in-house are they prepared to
06:13handle Tuck leaving?
06:15And I think more about the penalty killing in the defense than I do the production.
06:19Well, I think of the production, too, at 33 and 36 goals in three years, in three different years.
06:25But he mentioned Doan, because I asked, you know, he talked about Doan and how well he did.
06:30And I said, all right, he improved greatly from his last year in Utah, but where would you like to
06:35see improvement?
06:36And Lindy Ruff said at the end, he goes, and quite honestly, he goes, you may not be thinking of
06:39this, but he goes, I can see him as a penalty killer.
06:43And he said, you know, that's also something that, you know, that they may be shooting for, too.
06:50It would put a hole, a pretty big hole in their lineup.
06:54And you've got Ostland and Helen, who's coming along, and, you know, you need a spot, and Kulik, who can
07:00absolutely rip a puck.
07:01I mean, the sky's the limit for Kulik, the way he shoots, and who knows how many goals he can
07:06put it in a season.
07:08So, you know, you've got to find spaces for those guys.
07:12But they are younger players.
07:14They don't necessarily play like younger players, especially Ostland.
07:17I mean, Ostland at times was their best player.
07:20And so he doesn't necessarily play like that.
07:23So Gene was asking about free agency, too.
07:26And I said, well, you look at free agency, the best free agent is on your roster right now.
07:30Right.
07:31So, and you're in a cap pinch a little bit.
07:36So if you're looking for somebody under that, when you're trying, you're already going to be looking for spots for
07:43Kulik and Helenuse and Ostland.
07:46And, you know, where is a spot for the free agent at July 1st that you can overpay?
07:53You had gotten Danforth to take face-offs.
07:56That was the reason you brought him in.
07:58One of the reasons.
07:59Well, theoretically, he should be healthy next year.
08:02I mean, that was one of the things they did to try to alleviate that situation.
08:06There's another penalty killer.
08:07Yeah.
08:08And, you know, so do you need to go out and find a face-off man?
08:15So that's the thing.
08:17It's like I don't know how much you're going to dabble.
08:20Maybe for a defenseman, because Stanley and Shen probably will be gone.
08:26And you need maybe a left-handed shooting defenseman there, because Metz certainly can play.
08:32But neither he or Timmons are going to play the left side, and they're not going to break up the
08:36top four.
08:37So, you know, where does all that fit in?
08:40So maybe you're going to look for a defenseman that you could slide into that spot.
08:45I don't really see a guy in Rochester who's ready to do that.
08:49So maybe if you're in free agency, that's what you're looking for, is your number six D as a left
08:55-handed shooting D?
08:56With Paul Hamilton, we did get to the goalie stuff yesterday a little bit after all the talking was done.
09:05How do I want to phrase this?
09:07I think a question that could be asked about this year, now that it's over, is, well, did it work,
09:15right?
09:15I mean, the rotation with Lukan and Lyon.
09:18I say that.
09:19I'm hesitating to say it, because I think it has to be said, yes.
09:22Look at the season they each had.
09:24Look at the season the team had.
09:26In the end, their goaltending let them down late in the playoffs.
09:30So, you know, this is the time of year where you can spitball and talk about whatever, no bad ideas,
09:37right?
09:37Do you think they will, or maybe this is even a no-brainer as you see it, look at what
09:43happened this season in net
09:44and basically think, oh, why wouldn't we run that back?
09:50It depends what would pop available for you.
09:53I mean, if you get a phenomenal goalie.
09:58But, you know, I think the overall performance by the goaltenders, especially in the regular season, it absolutely worked.
10:07And at times in the playoffs, it worked.
10:11But, you know, it's, I'm looking up right now, you know, Lukanen in the Montreal series, his save percentage was
10:20a little bit under 900.
10:22His goals against wasn't all that bad.
10:24It was like 271.
10:26But, you know, his save percentage was 897, which you would want better.
10:31He got into four games.
10:33Lyon's numbers were not good at all in the Montreal series.
10:36And they basically split it.
10:37Lukanen played 221 minutes and Lyon played 200.
10:41So Lyon really played well in the Boston series, got into a really good groove.
10:46And then it seemed like it got away from him.
10:50Lukanen, the two games in Montreal were phenomenal.
10:53The game in Buffalo on game five was not good, but neither was the team in front of him.
10:59And game seven, he made some good saves along the way, too.
11:02But at the end of the day, they lost in overtime.
11:04So, but his save percentage from December 9th on was leading the NHL for most of the time.
11:13And the alternating goaltenders was good for them.
11:17They never got into the alternating goaltenders when it got in the playoffs because Lyon had three bad games before
11:23the season ended,
11:24which put Lukanen in the number one spot to start the Boston series.
11:29And they, and it was, so I think they would have stayed with it had it just kept going and
11:34not fallen apart right at the end.
11:36But we don't know that for sure.
11:38But I think he would have stayed with it if it still was going well at the end of the
11:42regular season.
11:44Lukanen is 27 now.
11:47I just wonder what, where, where the way this ended leaves everybody with him.
11:53I mean, I, I know people who were, it would have been really tough to do.
11:58But they wanted to go to Lyon in game seven or even in game five after Lukanen helped win them
12:04game four and was excellent in Montreal.
12:07I think, Bulldog, do you agree with this?
12:09I think Lyon might be the fan favorite of the two going into next year if they're both on the
12:15team.
12:16What is, what would your, or is it just 50-50?
12:19How do you want to, how do you want to do it?
12:21I think if they're, if they're here, they're going to rotate them probably to start like they did.
12:24My initial answer to that would be that Lyon has been here less, so therefore people don't dislike him as
12:33much.
12:35Lukanen has, Lukanen has let in.
12:37You've got more of a catalog of letdowns.
12:40You know, nothing like a game seven overtime loss.
12:43Of course, the stakes have never been that big.
12:45But, you know, Lukanen has, we've got some scar tissue with bad goals and missteps, and those offset the excellent
12:54stretches of hockey he's played.
12:55And there's just more of both, really, than with Lyon.
12:59So, I think you're probably right.
13:01I think that was even happening this year.
13:04You know, that people preferred Lyon simply because you just, it's like the new quarterback that hasn't proven anything yet.
13:12Well, maybe he can be good.
13:13I haven't seen him be bad yet.
13:15I think there's a little of that with the two guys.
13:17But, to me, it's a push.
13:19They're very much, to me, equals.
13:21They're different guys, style-wise.
13:23But their results were close enough to the same over 82 games to me that I flip a coin on
13:29the two of them.
13:30Yeah, and I look at it, too.
13:31How much do you look at, because I'm looking at it now, that stretch where they did very well starting
13:38with the ninth.
13:38Lukanen played 25 games.
13:40Lyon played 22.
13:41Lukanen had a 9-19 save percentage, Lyon 9-11.
13:45I mean, they put up really good numbers.
13:47One's 18-4-2, and the other's 17-4-1.
13:51I mean, that's not bad when you look at it.
13:55So, do you ignore that, or do you really not pay attention to it, or do you just look at
14:00the playoffs and judge by that?
14:02You know, that's the question.
14:04How are they going to evaluate it?
14:09Well, they've wrapped everything up over there.
14:12I don't know about you.
14:13Maybe you get on the next bus to some exotic location yourself.
14:19But still sinking in, Paul, that this is over.
14:21Just what a great time we all had with it.
14:24And for those so inclined to watch the playoffs from here, I mean, tonight's going to sting.
14:29Maybe all of it will.
14:30Thinking about, I mean, you're sort of damned either way.
14:33You watch Montreal get buried and might think, like, well, I could have done a better job here.
14:39But they were out of gas or something.
14:40I mean, 2-7 game road series wins, overtime.
14:44But if they're good, maybe that's annoying, too.
14:46Because, I mean, the Sabres were, I mean, they were the better team in Game 7, if you don't want
14:51to say it about the whole series.
14:52But I think I still would.
14:53Well, this was the day my body crashed.
14:55This is the sixth show I've done today.
14:57And I have fallen asleep after all of them.
15:00I have to set my phone alarm because I can't stop sleeping.
15:05My body just is, like, has already shut down.
15:08And I still have more to go.
15:09I still have a TV show to do today.
15:11And, you know, I'm not complaining.
15:14I mean, it's just, you know, I think my body finally said, okay, it's over.
15:18Good night.
15:20We've kept you rolling for two months now.
15:22You know, now it's time to shut it down for a bit.
15:25So I'll probably shut it down.
15:26You probably won't hear from me until maybe the middle of next week or so.
15:29Fair enough.
15:30All right.
15:30We can manage.
15:31You got a quick thought on all that said, I'm going to ask you one more question and keep you
15:35a little bit longer.
15:36Go ahead.
15:36I mean, I'm awake now.
15:39Clearly.
15:40Montreal, Carolina.
15:41Like, I don't know if you've thought much about it.
15:44You were working and talking to players and coaches for much of the last 48 hours.
15:49Unlike me, who just does this show and then is free to just think about whatever.
15:53And, you know, a lot of it is about, you know, I'm not going to lie, about guitars.
15:56But then, you know, there's room for hockey.
15:58So Montreal, Carolina, I feel like I was high on Ottawa, who Carolina swept in the first round.
16:05To me, Philly was like a joke of a second-round series, and they roared through them, too.
16:13I wonder if they've seen a team with the high-end skill that Montreal has yet.
16:19And I feel like, because Anderson's had an excellent playoff, but you know what his history is.
16:24And I just wonder, like, how severely he's been tested.
16:28And I just feel like Montreal is like, and I would say the same about the Sabres, if they were
16:32the matchup.
16:33That's another level, I think, of skill and talent, the power play, all of it.
16:39So I wonder if that gives Montreal just a little bit of a jump start here.
16:45You hit exactly what I was thinking.
16:46It's the goaltending.
16:47If Anderson is still what he was in the first two rounds, Montreal has problems.
16:52They really do.
16:53I think Carolina rips through them, too.
16:55If they get that kind of goaltending, they're just that good.
17:00And now that I said that, since I'm not very good at predicting Montreal will sweep them or something.
17:04But, yeah, I think it's all up to Anderson.
17:07If Anderson becomes the playoff Anderson of before, Montreal has a really good chance of winning this series and probably
17:13will.
17:13But if he lights out like he was in the first two rounds, the Canadians, I think, are in trouble.
17:19Thank you, Paul.
17:20Enjoy whatever comes of your break.
17:22Yeah, we'll talk to you next week.
17:25There you go.
17:25There's Paul Hamilton on the Western Hotline and his appearances here on WG.
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