The PuckPedia Hockey Show

Episode 46 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special recurring guest, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. Emily is joined by PuckPedia’s founder Hart Levine and host Keith Kavanaugh. Emily was on the broadcast for the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo this past weekend, so we get her insight on how she thinks the Draft went as the NHL is in year 2 of de-centralization (2:00). Then we talk through how she manages breaking NHL trade news while being on TV at the same time, and what she thought about a couple of the big trades that happened during the Draft (6:00). JJ Peterka was traded to the Boston Bruins and Pavel Dorofeyev was traded to the New York Rangers. Then we dive into the chaotic week before the NHL Draft and her take on some of those trades (15:00). Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, Simon Nemec to the Calgary Flames, Jordan Kyrou and Alex Tuch to the Washington Capitals, Bowen Byram to the Chicago Blackhawks, and William Eklund to the Ottawa Senators. We then dive into NHL Free Agency which starts in a couple of days (23:00). We talk about the USA Hockey trio of players who look to find new homes (Dylan Larkin, Zach Werenski, and Connor Hellebuyck). We get the latest on what she’s hearing with Jason Robertson (30:00). Emily talks through if she thinks Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid will have new homes before the season starts (34:00). We get into if there might be any players who will get offer sheets (36:00). Which players who are extension-eligible on July 1 might put pen to paper right away (39:00). Then we wrap up with some questions from the viewers (43:00). Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 45 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special recurring guest, Jason Bukala of the Pro Hockey Group, back for his fourth appearance on the show and joining just days before the 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo. Jason will be on Sportsnet for Day 1 and NHL Network for Day 2 of draft coverage, and his full scouting reports are available on PuckPedia Plus along with the new video vault feature. We dive right in with the big debate at the top of the draft: Gavin McKenna versus Ivar Stenberg at number one overall (1:30). Jason breaks down the key difference between the two: McKenna as a quick-strike offensive playmaker who makes everyone around him better, and Stenberg as the death-by-a-thousand-cuts two-way center who never goes away in any zone. He views them as 1A and 1A rather than a clear-cut top choice, and addresses McKenna's improvement in the back half of the season after returning from the World Juniors to Penn State, crediting him with a 30-40% improvement in his play without the puck. Then we get into the top defensive prospects in the class: Keaton Verhoeff, Carson Carels, and Chase Reid (7:00). Jason breaks down the nuances in each of their games, what they will bring to an NHL roster in the next three to five years, and why defensemen generally take a little longer to find their footing at the pro level. Then we move to Caleb Malhotra, who has shot up the rankings seemingly out of nowhere and could potentially go as high as third overall to Vancouver, where his father is in his first year as head coach (14:00). Jason walks through what changed in Malhotra's game over the last six to twelve months and why he sees him going no later than the Rangers at fifth. We get into the value of draft capital this year given the depth of the class, the Brady Tkachuk trade between Florida and Ottawa as a reference point, and whether we will see big trades on the floor on draft night (17:00). We then discuss what happens when teams miss on early picks and how scouting and asset management go hand in hand (20:00). We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: who is Jason's sleeper pick in the forties (26:30)? He points to Finnish winger Matias Vanhanen from the Everett Silvertips, who he believes could be one of the second-best playmakers in the entire draft class despite his current ranking. Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 44 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Dan Milstein, NHLPA certified agent and CEO of Gold Star Hockey. We start with Dan's extraordinary background: born in the Soviet Union, living 78 miles from Chernobyl when it happened, and arriving in the United States at sixteen years old with one suitcase and seventeen cents as a political refugee (1:00). From working at McDonald's before school every morning to becoming the youngest general manager in his bank's history before age twenty-one, to starting Gold Star Mortgage with $3,500 in savings and growing it into one of the largest mortgage companies in the United States with ninety-four offices from Florida to Hawaii. We talk about how Dan served as executive producer of the film The Russian Five and how his connection to Russian hockey culture ultimately led him to pivot from finance to building Gold Star Hockey into a top-five NHL agency (7:00). We then discuss what makes Gold Star Hockey different from a typical sports agency, the lifestyle approach to player representation, and the player development infrastructure built with former NHL players Sergei Samsonov and Alexander Tishnik working directly with clients on video and development (10:00). We get into how the recruiting and drafting process has changed over the last five to ten years with NIL, the NCAA landscape, and the availability of video and data, and how Gold Star leverages its internal infrastructure to identify and develop the right players (16:00). We dive into some of Dan's current clients, including Dan Vladar's upcoming extension situation with the Philadelphia Flyers and what it means for negotiations when a player publicly says he wants to stay (20:00). We also talk about Ivan Demidov's long-term outlook with Montreal and how the rising salary cap creates real complexity for agents trying to maximize value for younger clients. We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: in a rising cap era where the ceiling is jumping significantly over the next few seasons, how do you navigate the short-term versus long-term contract decision, and what do the public trade requests from players like Dylan Larkin and Darnell Nurse say about the growing power of players in today's NHL (27:00)? Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 43 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Alexis Downie, host and content producer for the Anaheim Ducks, covering everything from DuckStream to the TV pregame show to in-arena reporting on the jumbotron. We start by diving into Alexis's background: growing up in Youngstown, Ohio as a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, attending Michigan State where she worked with the hockey team all four years, interning with USA Hockey, and spending a pivotal summer at NBC Sports Washington during the year the Capitals won the Stanley Cup (3:00). From there she moved to Chicago, built an NHL digital show at Stadium from the ground up, freelanced for the Chicago Steel, and ultimately landed her role with the Ducks four years ago (5:30). We then talk about the DuckStream platform and Victory Plus, how the Ducks are using their twenty-four-seven audio and streaming network to reach fans both inside and outside the market, and why Alexis believes this model could be the future of sports broadcasting (12:30). We get into what it's like working on the content side of an NHL team, balancing journalistic integrity with being an in-house media member, and how Pat Verbeek and the Ducks organization have given Alexis more free rein than she expected to ask the tough questions (15:30). We then dive into the Ducks' season: their first playoff appearance since 2018, beating the Oilers in the first round four games to two before falling to the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round (18:30). We talk about how young players like Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, Jackson Lacombe, and Lucas Dostal all made huge strides under head coach Joel Quenneville. We get into the Ducks' offseason and the priority of locking up Leo Carlsson and Cutter Gauthier, the UFA situations of Jacob Trouba, Radko Gudas, and Leo Carlsson, and the intrigue around players like Mason McTavish and Dylan Larkin's trade request from Detroit (23:00). We also discuss how NHL players are increasingly trying to control their own destinies, waving no-movement clauses and emulating the NBA model. We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: which player surprised Alexis most with their personality and content presence (32:00)? She points to Former Duck Ryan Strome and Leo Carlsson as two standouts from her time with the organization! Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 42 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest, Allain Roy, president and CEO of Roy Sports Group, joining from the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo. We start by honoring the passing of Claude Lemieux, who transitioned from his legendary playing career into the agency world with 4Sports Hockey (2:00). Allain shares his thoughts on what his loss means to the hockey and agency community and the importance of mental health awareness across all levels of the game. Then we get into Allain's background: growing up in French-speaking New Brunswick, leaving home at sixteen for prep school, playing goal at Harvard where he won a national championship in 1989, being drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, and representing Canada at the 1994 Olympics alongside Paul Kariya and Petr Nedved (3:30). After playing overseas in Finland and Austria, Allain found his way back to hockey by purchasing a small agency from Mel Bridgman in 2000, rebranding it as Roy Sports Group in 2015, and has since grown the roster to nearly ninety NHL contracted players and over 250 prospects worldwide. We dive into the current UFA market and how thin it is this offseason, and why higher return expectations from both sides could mean the big trades people are anticipating may not actually happen (9:30). We talk through the Josh Doan deal in detail, how new Buffalo GM Jarmo Kekalainen made it a priority to lock down a core character piece right away, and how the rising salary cap creates a constant tension for players deciding between security now and waiting for a potentially bigger deal down the road (14:00). We get into the Nico Hischier extension situation with the New Jersey Devils and what conversations with a new management group look like when one of the league's best two-way centers is extension-eligible (17:00). We then talk about how NIL and the new NCAA rules have turned player recruitment into the Wild West, and what the potential five-year rule could mean for the pipeline from junior and college hockey into the NHL (20:30). We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: what does Roy Sports Group do to differentiate itself from larger agencies like CAA and Newport, and what is the pitch to both up-and-coming players and veterans looking for something different (24:30)? Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Episode 20 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world. They start with the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Conference Finals (2:00). The East features the Montreal Canadiens and Carolina Hurricanes. The West has the Colorado Avalanche and the Vegas Golden Knights. Then they get into the Bruce Cassidy situation and what to make of his contract situation and if he will have the ability to coach another team next season (6:00). They talk about the Timothy Liljegren extension with the Washington Capitals for 2-years and $6.5M (12:00). Then they touch on the key dates for next season for buyouts, arbitration, and other important events (18:00). They wrap up talking about the offer sheet compensation for restricted free agents and if any of the big RFA’s might receive and sign an offer sheet (24:00). Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Episode 19 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world. They start with the Stanley Cup Playoffs (3:00) and how the Colorado Avalanche came back from 3-0 down to beat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 in overtime and advance to the Western Conference Final, where they await the winner of the Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks. Then the Carolina Hurricanes swept the Philadelphia Flyers and await the winner of the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens. They also talked about the coaching changes with the Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs (6:00), with Craig Berube and Kris Knoblauch getting relieved of their coaching duties, as well as the GM openings in Nashville and Vancouver. Then they dive into the Columbus Blue Jackets extension with Charlie Coyle (8:00). The extension was for 6 years which takes him to his age-40 season. Then they talk about the 376 players that will get raises next season due to the update to minimum base salary in the CBA (14:00). Some of the big names this impacts includes Nathan MacKinnon, Igor Shesterkin, and Tom Wilson. Then they wrap up the episode talking about the Buffalo Sabres decision to play Konsta Helenius, which triggered his 10th game this season thus making him no longer slide-eligible on his ELC (22:00). Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Episode 18 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world. They start the episode talking about the NHL Draft Lottery, where the Toronto Maple Leafs won the 1st overall pick, despite having the 4th best odds of 8.5% (3:00). The San Jose Sharks won the 2nd draft lottery and will be picking 2nd overall, despite only a 5% chance of winning that lottery. The Vancouver Canucks dropped from best odds to picking 3rd overall. Then they talk about the conditions on the Leafs 1st round picks the next two seasons, given this year’s pick is in the top 5 and is protected from their trade with the Bruins (8:30). PuckPedia is under the impression that if the Leafs are in the top 10 next season, they will have the choice to give the pick to either Boston or Philadelphia, with the other team getting the 2028 1st round pick. Then they talk about the June 1st rule and which players will have their draft rights expire (15:45). Players can either become free agents or re-enter the NHL Draft based on certain criteria. Then they talk about how the NHL has officially confirmed the Salary Cap for next season, which will have a ceiling of $104M (21:00). Then they wrap up the episode talking about the Playoff Cap, and how Vegas is now the team closest to the ceiling, with Colorado right behind them (29:00). However, it will be nearly impossible for any team to go over the Salary Cap ceiling for this year’s playoffs. Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode 37 of The PuckPedia Hockey Show features a very special guest: Jonny Lazarus, hockey insider and co-host of Morning Cuppa Hockey. Keith just got back from a trip to Cabo for his college friend's wedding and missed a chunk of the first round of the playoffs, so he brings Jonny on to break it all down. We start with the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins series, diving deep into Game 5 and what a potential Vladař injury could mean for Philly going forward (2:00). The Flyers haven't scored a first-period goal in the entire series yet, which raises serious questions about how they set the tone going into Game 6. Meanwhile, the Penguins' power play has found its footing while Philly's has struggled, and you can never count out a team with Crosby, Malkin, and Letang who have all been here before. Then we move on to the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth series, where Jonny admits he fully underestimated Utah's speed and skill (5:30). Both guys dive into what Shea Theodore's overtime winner means for the series heading back to Vegas, and how the Mammoth have made this a much more competitive series than most people anticipated heading in. We move to the Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins series, where both guys share their thoughts on how that matchup has played out (9:30). Then we cover the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks series and what has stood out through the early rounds (13:30). Then we get into the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning series, breaking down whether Montreal has what it takes to pull off the upset against a veteran Lightning squad (17:30). We shift to the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, discussing how that series has unfolded and what a potential second-round matchup could look like (20:30). We talk about the first round sweeps and who the early Stanley Cup favorites are shaping up to be (24:00), including how the Colorado Avalanche have looked despite some injury concerns with Cale Makar. We wrap up with the Coolbet question of the week: What do the Rangers and Devils each need to do this offseason to get back into playoff contention (29:30)? Jonny breaks down what the Rangers need up front and on the blue line, while Keith touches on the Devils' situation heading into what should be a busy offseason for both tri-state teams. Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Episode 17 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world. They start the episode talking about playoff matchups as the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs start this weekend (2:00). Then they dive into the salary cap bonus overages teams incurred this season that will be on the books for next season (4:00). Eight teams will have bonus overages, potentially as many as 10. Then they talk about the new feature on PuckPedia’s website that shows the playoff salary cap and how it is calculated (8:00). Then they discuss the Pittsburgh Penguins terminating Matt Dumba’s contract and explain why it happened when it did (16:00). Then they go over how teams actually had over $1 BILLION in cap space yesterday on the last day of the regular season (22:00). They wrap up the episode doing another NHL Draft simulation (28:00). Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Episode 16 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world. They talk about what’s going on in the NHL (2:00), with the coaching change for the New York Islanders and the GM change for the New Jersey Devils, as well as the Eastern and Western Conference playoff races. Then they dive into the new playoff salary cap this year (8:00), how it works and how each team will work to be cap compliant. Then they talk about players signing their ELC’s and how bonus overages work (16:00). They wrap up the episode with an NHL Draft simulation given the current standings as of today (28:00). Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Episode 15 of PuckPedia Cap Central, Keith Kavanaugh and Hart Levine dive into the pressing topics of the NHL salary cap world. They recap the Hockey Analytics and League Operations (HALO) Conference in Colorado hosted by the Avalanche that Hart and Keith attended (2:00). There was representation from 31 NHL teams, as well as prominent media members, and the Avalanche Head Coach Jared Bednar and GM Chris MacFarland. Then they dive into the pressing topics around the league (6:00). Porter Martone officially inked his ELC with the Philadelphia Flyers and was inserted into the lineup on Tuesday. As the season is wrapping up, Hart dove into offer sheets (8:00), and which RFA players will have 10.2(c) status in the CBA and not be eligible for an offer sheet. Then as the news of Brad Treveling being fired as the Leafs GM broke Monday night, our friends at Coolbet have the odds on who will be the next GM for both the Leafs and the Nashville Predators (16:00). Then they wrap up the episode doing an NHL Draft Lottery simulator (28:30), found right on PuckPedia’s website. Visit PuckPedia.com and follow PuckPedia on social media!X: @PuckPedia IG: @PuckPedia Go to PuckPedia.com/Coolbet to get in on the action today. Stay Cool, Bet ResponsiblyTheme song by Lester McLean (https://www.lestermclean.com) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.