Hockey Free For All

Episode 217 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast is early. #1. Penguins and Ron Francis reunite. #2. 3-time Stanley Cup Champion Jonathan Towes retires. #3. Montreal does not need Mark Scheifele. #4. Compensation expected in return is off the chart’s nuts in the NHL. #5. Mark Scheifele for Brendan Gallagher, Samuel Montembeau and Jayden Struble? #6. The center market is not shrinking for Montreal. #7. Dylan Larkin, Mason McTavish, Robert Thomas and Vincent Trocheck would not work out in Montreal. #8. No more bloated contracts and underperforming players in Montreal. #9. Montreal has 7 centers on their NHL roster right now! #10. Montreal has 13 legit center to fill 4 spots. #11. Try Fillip Mesar at center before making a no-win trade that destroys and haunts the club for another decade plus. #12. That doesn’t even include Michael Hage, L.J. Mooney, Ben Merill and Logan Sawyer who have college commitments. #13. Montreal has 13 ligament center options right now. #14. Hasn’t Alex Newhook earned the opportunity to be the clubs 2nd line center after the playoffs he just had? #15. Jeff Gorton Kent Hughes and the scouting department have done amazing job at drafting prospects. #16. Montreal should grab Ryan Suzuki. #17. Martin St. Louis would love Ryan Suzuki. #18. Ryan Suzuki would be a far greater addition in Montreal’s than any of the other got-to-have options would be by far. #19. Alexis Lafreniere is not a player Montreal needs. #20. What would Florian Xhekaj look like on a line with Nick Suzkuki and Cole Caufield? #21. How much more space and time and protection would Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have with Florian Xhekaj on their line? #22. Why does Montreal suddenly have a need for a second line left winger according to many? #23. Oliver Kapanen, anyone? #24. The Toronto Maple Leaf’s sign free agent defenseman Darren Raddysh to an 8-year contract? #25. The Seattle Kraken acquire forward Mackie Samoskevich for the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. #26. The Florida Panthers acquire Leftwinger Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators for a pile of draft picks. #27. What’s Ottawa do with acquired draft capital? #28. If the Tkachuk brothers play like they did in the 4-nations tournament? #29. The Seattle Kraken have signed forward Bobbie McMann to a 6-year contract extension at a cost of 5.75 million dollars per season. #30. Ron Francis departs the Seattle Kraken. #31. Pascal Vincent joins Seattle, as an assistant coach #32. How about Detroit trades Dylan Larkin to Anaheim for Mason McTavish straight up. Done. Problems solved. #33. Boston Bruins to retire number 37. #34. Rod Brind’Amour, a great player and a top 5 coach. #35. Rod Brind’Amour should have been amongst the 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees. #36. New multi-year contracts in Utah and adds Adam Foote added to coaching staff.

Hello Hockey Fans, Episode 197 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast has arrived, this weeks topics include- #1. It’s bizarre that so many are off guard, not just by Juraj Slafkovsky’s development and emergence as a player, but his performance in the 2026 Olympics. #2. Montreal Canadiens Management, Scouting Department and Player Development Departments did their job, and are exceptional at what they do. #3. Juraj Slafkovsky has 4 years of tremendous development under his belt and is still only 21 years of age. He was both given the proper amount of time to hone his skills, grow into his frame and was paired with linemates that would bring out and enhance his game and skill set. #4. Juraj Slafkovsky is a cornerstone of the Montreal Canadiens just like Nick Susuki, Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidon, Michael Hage and Alexander Zharovsky are. #5. It has to sting a lot for all of the those who has ever given up on Juraj Slafkovsky, or wanted to include him in some zero common sense trade, that would have netted a substandard lower-level talent. #6. The Montreal Canadiens do need Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues. #7. Jordan Kyrou carries with him a very bloated contract that surely the St. Louis Blues would love to get out from under. #8. Jordan Kyrou has underperformed and has not lived up to the value of his contract. #9. The Montreal Canadiens have the least amount of cap space of any club in the NHL! #10. What would Montreal trade Kirby Dach, Jayden Struble and throw in a valuable first round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft for an underperforming, overpaid player? #11, When health, Kirby Dach is far more valuable to the Montreal Canadiens than Jordan Kyrou. #12. Kirby Dach has chemistry with Suzuki and Caufield and completes that line, the exact same way Slafkovsky completed the Demidov and Kapanen line. #13. The players that should be on the trade list at the 2025/2026 trade deadline are Patrik Laine, Samuel Montembeau, Josh Anderson, Zach Bolduc, Joe Veleno, Jayden Struble, Alexander Carrier, Phillip Danault ”though they won’t” and Brendan Gallagher “although no one will want that contract. #14. Where does Alex Newhook fit in when he returns. He’s made a case to be the 3rd line defacto center. He was playing extremely well, when he got injured. #15. Montreal likely won’t trade Phillip Danault and probably are not yet willing to or considering trading Zach Bolduc. #16. If Alex Newhook is not the 3rd line center does he play left wing on a line with Phillip Danaut at center and Zach Bolduc on the right wing?

Hello Hockey Fans. Episode 195 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast has arrived, this week’s topics include #1. How does a trade for Jesper Wallstedt of the Minnesota Wild even make remote sense for the Montreal Canadiens, when they already have Jacob Fowler who other than playing in a few more NHL games are nearly identical. #2. Trading for something you already have makes no since in any way one looks at it. #3. For the first time since the Sam Pollock administration the Montreal Canadiens have reestablished and understand the importance of and implementation of prospect/player development and scouting accuracy. #4. Jakub Dobes has clearly established himself as the number one goaltender in Montreal. #5. It’s not surprising at all that Kaapo Kahkonen is looking at international opportunities past the 2025/2026 as the Montreal Canadiens have a plethora of goaltending prospects beyond Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes. #6. Montreal Canadiens do need to acquire St. Louis Blues Forwards Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. It’s highly unlikely the St. Louis Blues will want Patrik Laine, Bredan Gallagher or Josh Anderson. #9. The Montreal Canadiens have the least amount of cap space in the entire NHL. #10. The Montreal Canadiens have run out of roster spots. #11. The Montreal Canadiens already have to many players for the number of roster spots that are available on an NHL roster. #12. So, to all of those that seem to want to acquire every player possible, where do Michael Hage, Alexander Zharanovsky, Adam Engstrom or Jacob Fowler, just to name a few, fit in? #13. There is no player in the entire NHL that Montreal Acquire that would be more valuable to Montreal Canadiens than their own prospects that they are draft and developing will be. #14. Of course, everyone wants to make trades with or are calling the Montreal Canadiens, because they know how good Montreal’s prospects are and they want them. #15. Whose development are you going to sacrifice and destroy? Michael Hage, Alexander Zharanovsky, Adam Engstrom, Bryce Pickford, L.J. Mooney, Owen Protz, David Reinbacher or one of the many others, that are ready to slot in? #16. The top 3 centers for the Montreal Canadiens are set number one, Nick Suzuki, Number 2 Micheal Hage/Oliver Kapanen and number 3 Oliver Kapanen/Michael Hage. Those are in place and decided. #17. Oliver Kapanen is leading all rookies in goals scored. #18. Ivan Demidov is leading all rookies in assists and total points #19. It’s time to trade Patrik Laine, no more chances. #20. Josh Anderson, Brendan Gallagher, Jake Evans, Alexander Carrier, Jayden Struble, Samual Montembeau, Kirby Dach, Joe Veleno and Patrik Laine all need to be moved before or at the trade deadline. It won’t happen, one can only hope that any many that can will be.

Hello hockey fans, Episode 193 of the hockey free for all podcast has arrived and this week and there is no shortage of topics to discuss, they include- #1. The Montreal Canadiens do even remotely need to acquire Alexis Lafrenière, his substandard work ethic, his bloated contract or his lack of production. #2. Alexis Lafrenière is not even worth trading Joshua Roy straight up one for one. #3. Thankfully, the Montreal Canadiens have returned goalie Jacob Fowler to the Laval Rockets. #4. Montreal has also returned Owen Beck to the Laval Rockets. #5. There is absolutely nothing wrong with or missing from Juraj Slafkovsky’s game! #6. Not only should the Montreal Canadiens not trade Juraj Slafkovsky, but I also wouldn’t trade him straight up for Connor McDavid. Hear why! #7. The prejudgment and poor judgement of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Lane Hutson, Oliver Kapanen, Aber Xhekaj and many others clearly shows extremely poor insight. #8. Oliver Kapanen has done an exceptional job! #9. Adam Engstrom, Michael Hage, Owen Protz, Alexander Zharanovski, Bryce Pickford, Jacob Fowler, L.J. Mooney, David Reinbacher and Bogdan Konyushkov have not arrived full time or at all yet? #10. Dach is back. Let’s see how long he can stay healthy! #11. Alexander Texiers has been the best acquisition by far! #12. Other than a hot start, Zack Bolduc has and continues to contribute nothing! #13. The Zack Bolduc for Logan Mailloux trade has been a wash to this point. #14. If Logan Mailloux’s skill set and game comes together. The St. Louis Blues win this trade hands down, no question asked. #15. If the Montreal Canadiens are active at the trade deadline, the focus is on unloading, Patrik Laine, Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, Brenden Gallagher, Samuel Blais, Zack Bolduc, Kirby Dach, the recently acquired Phillip Danault “who has yet to make any significant contributions”, Joe Veleno, Jayden Struble and Samuel Montembeau. #16. The only prospects that should be moved are Fillip Mesar, Riley Kidney, Joshua, Ty Smilanic and perhaps Owen Beck. #17. Explain this one, there is now a rumor that the Montreal Canadiens should acquire 6’ 06 center Michael McCarron. Someone give me the 6-year old answer here, so I can somehow understand this one. #18. What would Michael McCarron bring to the Montreal Canadiens? Would it be (A) some type of amazing talent and abilities within his career that’s been somehow missed or not seen by anyone and everyone to this moment? Would it be (B) Some amazing talent or skill that Michael McCarron possess that the Montreal Canadiens must have, and can’t continue to exist without? Or would it be (C) and the very likely reason of the amazing amount, that clearly don’t realize that there are only 20 available spots on every hockey roster to occupy? Which is it?