Zach, Trevor, and Andrew get together to talk about the incident that resulted in the on-ice death of Adam Johnson. Our sincerest condolences to all of his family and friends

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Recorded on 10/30/23

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After a July away from recording, Zach and Trevor are back and better than ever joined this episode by Andrew Tortoriello, aka Lindy Buff, as the show maintains its totally unbiased integrity in regards to the many teams around the NHL, including the New Jersey Devils. Also a hearty congratulations to Patrice Bergeron on a fantastic career.

Recorded on 8/1/23

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Happy Free Agency! Before July 1st, Zach and Trevor got together to discuss the happenings before, during and after the NHL Draft including Tyler Toffoli joining the NJ Devils, The trainwreck that was the NHL awards show and Trevor openly declares how much he absolutely LOVES the NHL draft.

Recorded on 6/29/23

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Congratulations to the 2023 Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights and a happy birthday to our very own Trevor Neal! On this episode, Zach and Trevor go over some text messages that were sent on and after The Less Than Real Deal’s first trip to a bar, the post SCF injury report, and 8 more years of Jesper Bratt.

Recorded on 6/22/23

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With the Stanley Cup Finals between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights looming, Zach and Trevor get together to discuss how each team got to this point, what we expect to see in the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Toronto Maple Leafs hiring Brad Treliving as general manager. Go Salt Lakers

Recorded on 5/31/23

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In this long overdue episode, Zach and Trevor welcome back Back Sports Page’s own Ryan Stern to talk about Jamie Benn’s boneheaded cross check on Mark Stone in game 3, the Panthers dominance through the first 3 games of the conference finals, and Trevor breaks down as we go over Toronto’s decision to part ways with Kyle Dubas.

Recorded on 5/24/23

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Jim Nill, the Stars’ General Manager since 2013, has led the team to 6 playoff appearances, 2 conference finals, and a 2020 Stanley Cup Final appearance. Though a Stanley Cup win has eluded them so far, Nill’s tenure has been undeniably successful.

Revolving Door

The most impressive part of Nill’s tenure has been his ability to keep the team feeling fresh without a full rebuild. He made the trade for Tyler Seguin in his first few months as GM, and have kept the main core of Seguin and Benn together since. Jim Nill has been able to bring in young talent throughout his tenure without sacrificing team success. As mentioned earlier, he has reached the playoffs 6 times and missed 4 times. The most recent of which should have an asterisk, the entire team had to shut down due to COVID during the 2020-21 season and never recovered, they were more than good enough for a playoff spot.

His excellent drafting enables a smooth transition from Seguin-Benn to the new Stars era. In 2017, the Stars had an exceptional draft class. They selected Miro Heiskanen at 3, Jake Oettinger at 26, and Jason Robertson at 39, setting up the future. Jim Nill‘s picks shaped the entire Stars organization, including Roope Hintz, their number 1 center drafted at 49 in 2015.

The ability to draft that well keeps the Stars competitive for longer. The threat of regression from Seguin and Benn isn’t nearly as bad when the players ready to take the reigns are ready to go.

The Future

The future is bright in Dallas thanks to Jim Nill, players like Robertson, Hintz, Oettinger and Heiskanen are the face of Texas Hockey at the moment. But there are some players about to make a massive splash within the organization.

Wyatt Johnston had an impressive rookie season in Dallas. He scored 24 goals and 17 assists while playing in all 82 games. During the playoffs, he added 4 goals and 2 assists, further showcasing his abilities. Johnston proved to be a valuable asset for the Stars throughout the season, displaying a level of composure and experience beyond his rookie status. As the 23rd pick in the 2021 draft, expectations are high for him to continue developing and become a key player in the upcoming season. As part of the Stars’ second line, Johnston will likely take on a prominent role.

Ty Dellandrea just completed his first full season, and he has a style of play that’s highly sought after in the NHL. He was the 13th pick in 2018, going into 2022-23 he only had 27 games of experience. But this past season he played in all 82 games, scoring 9 goals and 19 assists. The points aren’t as impressive as they are from Johnston, but what you get from Dellandrea is just as vital. In my eyes he’s the next Jamie Benn, he plays a gritty style and is extremely physical. He’s a guy that’s going to be extremely hard to play against, and is going to win some playoff games. Demonstrated by his 2 goal performance in game 5 against Vegas.

Logan Stankoven a player with great potential, is gaining recognition as a strong contender for the next captaincy of the Dallas Stars. He spent last season with the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. He went 47th overall in 2021, yet another value find for Nill. Last season he had an astonishing 97 points in just 48 games, 34 of which were goals. I fully expect Logan to make the team out of camp next season. But if he doesn’t we’ll definitely see him at some point during the season.

How Did He Win?

Jim Nill kept his foot on the floor this season, and did everything he could to help the team out. The Stars were hard against the salary cap, yet still made smart moves to better the team. Jim Nill moved on from Denis Gurianov and flipped him for Evgenii Dadonov. A move that will benefit both players immensely. He also acquired Max Domi at the deadline, giving the Stars much more scoring depth. As well as some more physicality for the playoffs.

While Domi is most likely leaving the team for free agency, Nill locked Dadonov up for another 2 seasons. The team made a great run to the Western Conference Final. The NHL should be expecting to see a lot more of the Stars going forward. Thanks to Jim Nill.

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Jacob Walters – 

The Florida Panthers have an advantage in speed and finesse. It isn’t just Matthew Tkachuk that is a threat. You’re also looking at Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe, and Aleksander Barkov. Florida plays a fast game that catches opposing teams off-guard. There’s also Sergei Bobrovsky, who’s playing out of his mind. He’s saving .935% of his shots in the playoffs, acting as a force for the Panthers. He has the ability to steal a series, especially with Florida’s offensive prowess.

The Vegas Golden Knights have an advantage in defense. Vegas knows how to backcheck and forecheck well and wear down their opponents. That’s done through various methods, from blocking shots to man-to-man play. Bruce Cassidy’s team holds an advantage in this regard, along with a coaching advantage. Cassidy knows how to make adjustments when things aren’t working out. He’s not afraid to mix up his lines to create mismatches and flush out defenses.

I can see a pathway to a Stanley Cup for the Panthers and that starts with Bobrovsky. If he’s on top of his game and Florida can speed past the Knights, it’s theirs to lose. However, Vegas has beaten teams like this before. People forget that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl led a fast Edmonton team before bowing out to the Golden Knights. Also, Adin Hill has been a terrific story himself. Therefore, I’m going with the Golden Knights in 7.

Carlo Magno – 

Series after series the Florida Panthers have proven me wrong and I am now convinced this team has what it takes. We have seen in years past that it takes a fantastic goalie + solid players to win the Stanley Cup. Well, the panthers have a red hot goalie + great players. From beating the President Trophy winners, the Leafs, and the sweeping the Hurricanes in the ECF this Panthers team is for real. During these playoffs the Panthers remind me of the Montreal Canadians in the 2021 playoffs, a solid team with a great goalie. Although Montreal weren’t able to complete the job I think the Panthers will. Vegas is a great team and although I do think they have a chance to win in 6 or 7, the Panthers have just shown they are on another level. Panthers in 6

Jack Titter – 

These teams are very evenly matched bringing so much firepower both offensively and on the blue line. Florida seems to have that Cinderella run magic and the edge in goal with Bobrovsky. The only potential issue with Florida could be their long break between the Conference Final and Cup Finals. They’re a team of momentum and such a long break could make it difficult to get their wheels back for game one. However, the Panthers have been underdogs all playoffs and seem to play their best when the odds are against them. If they can bring their tenacity right from puck drop of game one, Vegas could have a tough time containing their opportunistic attack.

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So the Maple Leafs lost… again. Broke their 19 year streak of not making out of the first round. But for what? Do you feel better? Because as a Leafs fan, which I am at my core I haven’t felt more bleak about this team. This is going to be my therapy session, which is 100% needed, and hopefully some Leafs fan feels a little better after reading.

It was 3-0

Nick Cousins celebrating the goal that eliminated Toronto. Image: Norman Transcript

That was embarrassing, remember the “We want Florida” chants? I sure do, and man do we look stupid now. After beating the Lightning in 6 games the Leafs faced off against the Florida Panthers. They then proceeded to lose three straight, go on their worst offensive drought in well over a decade, and dig themselves in a hole only four teams have ever gotten out of in the past. Well guess what, they didn’t, but thank goodness they didn’t get swept. They played a half decent game in game 4 to get a win before losing in overtime of game 5.

They looked awful, the entire series. At times David Kämpf was the best forward. I love Kämpf, but in no world can he be your best player in a playoff game. Especially when you have a team with supposed generational talents in Matthews and Marner. The team wasn’t remotely close to good enough, they honestly looked like they didn’t know there was a second round. We thought they made the jokes go away, but in fact it got so much worse. But we’re not really here to discuss the series, more can be read about that here. Carlo Magno did a great article discussing it.

Locker Clean Out

May 16th marked locker clean out day. Which is essentially one last opportunity for the media to speak to the team. Players were robotic as usual, but the day concluded with Kyle Dubas doing an availability. Oh boy, was it eventful. Kyle doesn’t usually speak to the media, and when he does it’s usually very reserved. This was anything but reserved. It’s a long watch for an availability, but I highly recommend sitting through from start to finish.

One thing we have to give him credit for, he hid nothing, wore his heart on his sleeve. All we ask is to know what the GM is actually thinking, Kyle actually gave that. But with that he left a lot of questions about his commitment, and it raised a lot of red flags for the Leafs organization. Dubas is right in saying being the General Manager for the Maple Leafs is a tough gig, and I can gurantee it was unimaginably difficult for him and his family. He has every right to have doubts if he wants to put his family through that. But from the Leafs perspective they also have a right to have concerns.

What his presser did was throw Leafs Nation into a frenzy, so many questions raised with no answers. He said he may not even want to come back, and he’s open to trading his core pieces. He hinted even head coach Sheldon Keefe’s job may not be secure going forward, and Sheldon has been his guy from the start. No matter what Toronto did going forward afterwards, things were due to change in Toronto.

Shanahan’s Conference

On the 19th the news hit. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced they decided to part ways with Kyle Dubas. It was a sudden announcement, one that caught me off guard. I said on the last episode of Wrinkles in the Crease that resigning Dubas would be top priority for their offseason. But Kyle’s press conference changed everything and team president Brendan Shanahan made that very clear in his press conference that afternoon.

Well that’s one way to air out the dirty laundry isn’t it… Shanahan says Kyle was offered the extension. But after the his conference Shanahan and the Leafs organization had a lot of concerns, and ended up costing Kyle his job. He made it clear that he wanted to stay, and was straight up told no. MLSE who owns the Maple Leafs clearly aren’t happy, and Shanahan can’t commit to a GM who was questioning if he even wants to be here. I think the right decision was made, as much as it hurts. But I still have a lot of problems with how the situation was handled.

What went wrong?

Shanahan’s presser was rough, and now every eye in the hockey world is on the Toronto Maple Leafs. But I’m left with one question… why does Brendan Shanahan still have a job?

Kyle Dubas was his guy, and Shanahan put everything into Kyle and his plan. MLSE obviously isn’t happy with the results, so why is Brendan safe? What bothers me the most is who is going to take on that job now? The way Dubas was let go was extremely unprofessional with how much information Shanahan didn’t even hesitate to give. It’s also no secret that Shanahan is a very controlling president, who doesn’t give his general manager complete autonomy. The Maple Leafs organization has completely imploded, all of the core four have a question mark over them. Especially Matthews, who had a great relationship with Dubas and it’s a safe assumption he can’t be happy about this situation.

It’s a rough situation to step into as a new general manager. I’m not sure if anyone is going to be really excited to take on that role in Toronto now. So where do the Leafs go now?

What’s Next?

I believe the Maple Leafs are going to look inwards for a replacement for Dubas. They were happy with the team that he built, and I don’t believe they’re looking for a GM that’s going to change the makeup of the team. It’s a weird situation to be looking for a new GM in, and like I said I don’t think many candidates are knocking on the door for the job now.

I believe Brandon Pridham is going to be the next general manager of the Maple Leafs. He was Kyle’s assistant for most of his tenure. Pridham also has a history working for the Central Registry for the NHL and was a large part of CBA negotiations in the past. Pridham also was integral to keeping the Leafs cap compliant in his time as assistant GM.

He most likely has a similar mentality to Kyle Dubas, but will have seen some of the faults of his philosophy. If he gets the position Leafs fans have reason to be excited to see what Pridham is capable of.

The roster side of things is a little different, and the next few weeks are going to be stressful ones. Matthews and Nylander are eligible for extensions on July 1st. If they aren’t willing to resign a serious conversation needs to be had about trading them. Also on July 1st Marner’s full no move clause kicks in, so if they want to make these big decisions they need to be made now.

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Hurricanes vs Panthers

Image: Canes Country

Jacob Walters – 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have an all-southern affair for the Stanley Cup! Let’s enjoy this while the heads of traditional hockey fans explode, especially since we have this Eastern Conference Final. Florida is riding Sergei Bobrovsky through the Stanley Cup Playoffs and is enjoying an offensive explosion from Matthew Tkachuk and company. It isn’t just Tkachuk, though. It’s the Sam Reinhart experience featuring Brandon Montour and Carter Verhaeghe. Carolina is close to getting Teuvo Teravainen back from injury. But it won’t matter. Florida’s going to the Stanley Cup Final. Panthers in 6

Carlo Magno –

I can totally see the Panthers winning this series and going on to win the cup, but I think the Hurricanes are the better team and have the grit + scoring that the Leafs lacked against the Panthers. Like I said, I can see the Panthers proving me wrong once again but my prediction is Hurricanes in 7

Jack Titter –

Coming off a dominant 4-1 series win over Toronto, it’s safe to say the Florida Panthers are no longer being viewed as the underdogs. With outstanding performances from Sergei Bobrovsky, Matthew Tkachuk, and Brandon Montour, the Panthers have found success through a relentless forecheck and their ability to pounce on the mistakes they force other teams to make. The Panthers proved a lot of people wrong during their amazing run so far and they seem poised to make their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1996. However, it’s hard to pick against a team like Carolina. The Hurricanes will be their most challenging opponent so far. It’ll be much harder for Florida to force turnovers against Carolina, a team known for their responsible defensive play. It could even be said Carolina won’t make the mistakes Boston and Toronto made leaving Florida with much less to work with. Carolina’s offense will also receive a massive addition with the return of Teuvo Teravainen. The biggest question around Carolina was how their offense would perform and they crushed those storylines with 6-1 and 5-1 wins over New Jersey. This will no doubt be a very physical series with both teams having big bodies willing to do whatever it takes to make the right play. While Florida has the edge in goaltending, their deadly forecheck may struggle against a defensively sound Carolina team which would give Carolina a big advantage in the series. Hurricanes in 6

C.J. Shomaker –

I believe this will be a very fun series. Both teams play a very entertaining brand of hockey and have some of the biggest characters of the game. Carolina is probably the favorite in this upcoming series. Similar to the Stars, they have a perfect balance of youth and veteran influence. The biggest factor in the success of the Hurricanes is their defensive corps. They arguably have the best defensive group in the final four averaging just 2.55 goals-against in 11 games.

Meanwhile, we should learn our lesson to bet against the Florida Panthers. Florida has already upset both the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Who’s to say that the Cats won’t do it again? Sergei Bobrovsky have played a mammoth role in the success of the Florida Panthers. Additionally, Florida is built to play desperate, high-pressure hockey as they have been doing this for the last two months. They may not have the best team on paper, but they are opportunistic which is arguably just as important.

Overall, I believe Bobrovsky will continue to frustrate the opposition and the Panthers offense will continue to be opportunistic and they will fend off the offense of the Hurricanes. As I said before, the Panthers are built to play high pressure hockey and I think they will thrive. Panthers in 7

Golden Knights vs Stars

Image: Sportsnet

Jacob Walters –

 Vegas ended a top-heavy Oilers team that relied on the power play. In the process, they relied on Laurent Brossoit and Adin Hill to get the job done. The Stars will be a tougher team to take down based on their depth. Roope Hintz is a Conn Smythe contender and Joe Pavelski had a monster series against the Kraken. If Jake Oettinger can hold his own against a balanced Golden Knights attack, they should move on. I see a pathway for Vegas to win, but Pete DeBoer has the inside scoop on the Golden Knights. Stars in 7

Carlo Magno – 

Wow what a great matchup for the western conference finals. 2 teams that I personally didn’t expect to be there but I think it’ll be a great series. That being said I like the knights depth and scoring throughout the lineup but I’m not 100% sold on their goaltending. On the other side of the ice, the Stars just look incredible. One of the best teams in the west and are still a young team. I think this series really comes down to a goaltending battle, and in that case, Stars in 7

Jack Titter –

A battle between two teams carrying all the talent and depth needed for playoff success. Both teams have their stars and the ability to score clutch goals and then flipping the switch to tight-checking defense. If there’s one aspect that could make a difference, it would be the goaltending. For Dallas, Jake Oettinger has struggled at points but has bounced back every time, especially in the game 7 win over Seattle. Vegas will be relying on Adin Hill who’s played well so far but doesn’t have a lot of playoff experience. Vegas has great defensive depth so it may be difficult for Dallas to generate high-danger chances. This series is the most difficult one to predict so far. Vegas has arguably the best group of centers in the playoffs and a defense capable of shutting down Edmonton. Dallas is coming off a series win against Seattle, another very deep team that pestered them at every turn. If Dallas can win against a team like that, they may have what it takes to move on to the Stanley Cup Finals, but Vegas has the superstar talent to put them over the edge as well. Stars in 7

C.J. Shomaker – 

The Stars are coming off a series win of the Seattle Kraken who are very similar to the Panthers in terms of their ability to play high pressure hockey. Their victory is proof of how resilient these Dallas Stars are. Dallas is truly a scary team. They have won two series without overly brilliant goaltending from Jake Oettinger and with a cold Jason Robertson. Roope Hintz, Miro Heiskanen and Joe Pavelski are all having Conn Smythe caliber performances with Joe having an incredible 8 goals this series and Roope outscoring Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid.

The Knights are coming off a big win against the Oilers who were one of my two picks to make the cup final on the west. In addition they have a very top six who have scored 27 goals and 66 points combined. This can prove to be a very tough task for the Dallas defensive corps and Jake Oettinger who hasn’t been overly brilliant so far. If the Stars can’t shut down the likes of Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault then they may have a tough series.

Overall, I do believe Dallas will win this series. I noticed that both Robertson and Oettinger are starting to show signs of heating up as Robertson had several scoring chances and Oettinger making several key saves. If Pavelski, Hintz, and Robertson are hot, and Miro Heiskanen keeps making his timely, paramount plays, I believe they will be unstoppable. Stars in 6

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