The Locked On Mammoth Podcast host on Connor Ingram being traded to the Oilers, Rookies that could make the regular season roster + more
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Another one.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
You were listening to the Sean O'Connell Show from the
Murder Hondi studio of ESPN seven hundred and.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Welcome back into the Sean O'Connell Show.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Bryson Bianucci have taken over the Sean O'Connell Show this morning,
this afternoon. Actually, I'm used, I'm so used to saying
this morning on the radio because we're in the morning
drive guys that once it crosses twelve, I forget that
we're not in the morning anymore.
Speaker 5 (00:33):
I woke up and the sun was up today.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
It was a miracles nice sleeping in a little bit
was incredible.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
It's good.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Well, you could join us seven to ten am every
single morning during the weekdays over on one, O, three
nine and ninety eight three FM. It's part of the
Utah ESPN Radio Network. You can join us on your
morning drive on Bryson Bianucci. Right now, let's talk some
Utah Mammoth hockey. We'll jump out to the ESPN seven
hundred hotline. Welcome in Tom Callahan, who's the Lockdown Utah
(01:00):
a Mammoth Podcast host? Tom glad to be chatting with
you once again. It's been a minute since we last
had a discussion.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
It has, but hockey season creeps around so quickly. Here
we are again, Here.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
We are again, and we just got out of a
couple of different camps. Rocky Mini Camp was a little
while ago. Let's start there the young players on this
mammoth roster. Do we know how much ice time we're
going to see a lot of these young guys that
we just saw drafted get Normally takes a long time
for them to get up there. But is there anybody
that is impressed enough to maybe make their way up
(01:35):
the organization and the chain there?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, we can talk about who is still in training camp,
and that is generally a better indication of who might
crack the lineup. Honestly, forwards have a better shot than
defense as far as trying to find a spot. I
feel like the defenseman and we've pretty much seen this.
It's kind of settled what the defense is going to
look like with one or two battles still going on.
(02:00):
But that's more for seating or ranking, if you will,
on the depth chart, as opposed to whether or not
they're going to have a job. But forwards, I think
a lot of it starts with Tjaginla. We like to
talk about Againla because he's got a famous hockey name.
You know, his dad played for years was an excellent
example of what a captain and a leader should be
(02:21):
besides being a dominant player. So he's always a name
that comes up. He will definitely still get his chance
as we move forward here. But one guy I want
to talk about that I think has done really really
well in camp and continues to put up some points
and really impress people is Danil Boot.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Boot came over from Russia, was playing in the professional
league over in Russia and the KHL. So there's always
a question because the ice surfaces are bigger, they're the
Olympic size where they're fifteen feet wider. How do those
players adjust and that is one of the biggest questions
right now. Boots seems to be finding his game pretty
(03:05):
well in North America. Like I say, he's putting some
points up, he's showing someplashes of skill and some talent.
And I know that GM Bill Armstrong was high on
both him and Simashev, the other Russian that came over
from Locomotive, saying these guys have a real chance to
crack the lineup this year. And not go to Tussam,
not be in the American Hockey League. So I think
(03:26):
that that's one of the guys that I'd keep an
eye on now. Mentioning Simashev, I do think he's worth
keeping an eye on defensively, but right now, fortunately for Utah,
because of all the injuries last year, I think out
a paranoia they overstocked the cupboards. The Simachev have a
chance maybe to play in the NHL, yes, but I
(03:46):
think for a defenseman, minutes are more important than having
had NHL crest on your warm up jacket. So I
think he might be better served going to the American
League and just playing a ton of minutes down.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
There, overstalking the cupboards. One guy that we saw on
the ice last year was Maverick Lamarou. I did just
barely see that he got as signed to Tucson with
the road Runners. Does that mean that there's just too
many bodies? It's too crowded for him? He needs more work.
What's the story with Maverick Lamaroux and his story? And
we'll see him this upcoming season.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Well, the reason you saw him last year and I
thought he was great when he was up thrown into
that situation. At the time, he was twenty. Now he's
twenty one. He's still very young. He's got a lot
of time, a lot of development left to do. He
filled in in a pinch. At one point, Utah had
four of their top six starting defensemen out last season,
and that is almost an untenable situation for any team.
(04:42):
I don't care who you are, so you end up
calling players up, you throw him into roles and you
hope they get you through and they get you by.
And Hujah made some trades. They brought some guys in,
they combed the waiver wire, but they also put Lamarou
in that spot, a homegrown product. He played very well.
But when you look at him being young, and Ardam
(05:03):
Dudah is another at twenty one years old, sending him down,
and I mentioned Simachevy, he's only twenty defenseman. I think
you would much rather have them playing in Tucson in
the American Hockey League, logging twenty minutes a night as
opposed to them being in and out of the lineup
in the American Hockey League. It doesn't really do them
any good. And so when you look at the veterans
(05:23):
on the defense, for this current Utah roster, it just
makes sense. The top six are pretty much set Defensively,
You're going to have Sergachev, Jersey, Marino, Mada, Schmidt and Cole.
Beyond that, if they carry seven or eight defensemen, you've
got those seven and eight spots that are kind of
up for grabs. But I expect those are going to
(05:44):
be filled by some veterans as well who are battling
it out. I really like Scott Perinovitch, Nick d Simone
did a great job last year at a waiver claim
really liked his game. To me, those are maybe the
leaders in the clubhouse right now for that. So I
don't this This is not a slight on Maveriy Glamor.
Sending him down is exactly what he needs to continue
(06:05):
to get better and one day be a full time
NHL defenseman.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
Tom the biggest news last day or so U Tustin's
Connor Ingram to Edmonton. Can you just take us through
that trade and why it makes sense for both sides.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
I will say that the Mammoth really did Ingram a
massive solid getting him to Edmonton and supporting the player.
This is a culture thing. This is not who won
this trade. Or any of that. This is all about
Utah trying to do the right thing by the person,
(06:41):
and I think they did a very good job of that.
Now Edmonton does need a goaltender. They struggle, they really do. Honestly, Ingram,
if he can put his game back together, has a
very good shot at being on that team in the spring.
When I look at that move in the offsea, because
of the uncertainty, because we didn't really know what Ingram
(07:04):
would be like when he'd be back, if he'd playing NHL,
they went out and sign b Tech Banicheck, who is
a very capable one. B He just wanted Standing Cup
with Florida several seasons ago, was a starter in New Jersey,
look very good there and then struggled a little bit
ended up in that, Like I said, that backup role
with Florida. Florida didn't need him to play a lot
(07:25):
because they had Serge Bobrovski in front of him. I
think now he has a chance to reclaim a little
bit more playing time. He's got a fellow check goaltender
to work with the net, which I think actually is
a huge positive because these guys can really kind of
break it down with one another and talk in their
native language should actually make it a little bit easier,
and the Mammoth made it clear they felt like they
(07:47):
could get Vanticheck back to his New Jersey days when
he was winning thirty games, and so that was their
guy because they didn't know if or when Ingram would
ever be ready, so that makes sense. They have a
discussion with Ingram. They say, look, this is our tandem.
We're going with us for the regular season. We're going
to put it through waivers. Nobody claimed him, so then
what happens is they end up making the deal for
(08:08):
future considerations and sending him to Evonton. They retain eight
hundred thousand of a salary that gets Ingram's tap hit
to a point where he doesn't have to clear waivers again.
Evington can sent him to Bakersfield, which is their AHL affiliate,
and let him try to work his way back up.
It really does not hurt Edmonton much at all. The
eight hundred thousand is nothing for one year for the
(08:30):
Mammoth because they have the space, they can eat that up,
and really what they're doing is trying to take the
best care they can of Connor Ingram.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Tom Callahan from the Locked onn Mammoth podcast is with
us for a couple more minutes here on the Sean
O'Connell Show, Tom, since we're talking about AHL affiliates and
different things. One affiliate here in the state of Utah,
the Grizzlies. They are headed out. This is their final
season here in the state. There's been some talk about
maybe Tucson getting moved around. I thought maybe at a
(09:00):
Reno would be a spot for them. Do we know
anything about potentially bringing an AHL team here to the
state of Utah?
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Is there any news on that front.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So there has been some talk among the ownership group,
and it makes a lot of sense because many teams
in the American Hockey League are very close to their
NHL parent clubs. It makes sense financially, a lot of
your development budget gets spent on travel, so the closer
your players are, maybe they're a car ride away, which
(09:32):
also helps if somebody gets hurtain warning skate. You have
that flexibility, and it's really nice you can keep a
closer eye on development. That's been the recent trend, especially
for the Western teams. So yes, it makes sense first
of all that this is a topic of discussion. Second
of all. With the Grizzlies leaving, it does leave a
vacant building in the Salt Lake area, and it wouldn't
(09:54):
be unprecedented for an AHL team to play in or
near the same city. That said, the AHL is very
focused on having exactly as many teams as there are
NHL teams because they do not want any teams having
to operate independently. But they don't want too few, so
the teams have to share. So with the Roadrunners agreement here,
(10:19):
the minimum timeframe would be at the expiration of that.
I think it's a year or two left on that agreement.
There's every possibility the Roadrunners don't stay in Tucson. They
may end up in Nevada. But I feel like what
we're hearing here is that Smith group would like to
own and control their own American Hockey League team. Makes
(10:39):
a ton of sense. That's how it was with the Coyotes.
For some reason, the Roadrunners were not included in the
package to buy the Coyotes when that happened, and I'm
sure there were reasons that I'm not privy to, but
eventually it makes sense to have that happen. It will
only happen by one of two things. Smith Group has
to buy an existing AHL franchise, or if the NHL spans,
(11:01):
which might happen in three four five years, then the
AHL will expand and Smith Group could then purchase an
AHL franchise. They've talked about putting it anywhere in the state,
from the northern to the southern tip. It sounds like
the whole thing is fair game. I think that's an
excellent idea, and I think it's only a matter of
time before it happens. But we're probably talking three four
(11:22):
five years at least.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
That's really good insight. That's good stuff to know so
that we can stop asking you about it for at
least a year or so.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
All right, let's jump over to season openers. The NHL
opens up on Tuesday night, but the Mammoth won't get
started till next Thursday when they take on the Colorado Avalanche.
I want to ask you which matchups on Day one
of the NHL are you looking at in terms of
exciting matchups and teams to look out for this year
in the National Hockey League.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Well, I think there's a ton of questions coming into
every single season. Outside of the Mammoth, Who obviously, we're
going to be very focused on them. Look at a
couple of different teams. I think for me, Edmonton, which
we talked about a little bit earlier. There they're a
giant question mark. They have so much talent. Conor McDavid
(12:11):
is the best player in a long time, but we're
already asking the question, is he going to retire the
best player never to win the Stanley Cup. So that's
a big one to keep an eye on. Even within
the Central Division, I think there's a lot of This
is the toughest division in hockey, in my opinion. There's
a lot of questions around what are the Avalanches going
(12:31):
to be like this year? The Wild just signed Carill
Caprizo to the most expensive contract in hockey history. What
are they going to be like this year? Spending all
that money on him. You know you're going to expect
him to dominate Dallas. What they're They had a coaching change,
so they're very very good team. Are they going to
stay a very good team? Are they going to falter
(12:53):
a little bit out of the gate while to figure
it out? Are they going to come out strong? Who
is Nashville? Nashville spend all this money in free agency
a year or go and then came out and just flopped.
Was that who they are now or was that a
bad year? So there's so many questions in and around
this division right now. Even with the Winnipeg Jets, who
(13:13):
you know, they won the division, won the Conference, won
the President's Trophy, is the best team in the NHL
and then really didn't look good in the playoffs. Saint
Louis is another. So you could just keep going on
and on. There's a lot of teams to keep an
eye on, even in the West. So I think, look,
Mammoth fans, if you're looking for somebody to pay attention
to pay attention to your own division. The Central really
(13:33):
holds the key this year to the NHL.
Speaker 5 (13:36):
All Right, as far as expectations go, is it fair
to expect a playoff berth this year? In Utah?
Speaker 1 (13:43):
We're saying playoffs or bust on lockdown. We are absolutely
saying playoffs or bust with the team that has assembled
on paper, this is a playoff team if everybody takes
their expected step forward. Last year, I think the hype
was a little premature, and we said that at the time.
All the national people were jumping on the oh, there's
(14:04):
a playoff team like well, it's lawyer role if they overachieve.
To me, last year they could have been a playoff team,
but they didn't, and of course the injuries didn't help.
This year, you would expect with them being healthy, being hungry,
and with development taking another step forward. Yes, it is
absolutely fair to expect a playoff berth for this Utah
(14:25):
Mammoth team this year, especially because I think five teams
from the Central can make it in. If they're not
one of those five teams, then we have a lot
bigger questions that we need to start asking.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
All right, Tom, Phase one of the Delta Center renovations
have been complete. I think it's just over twelve thousand
that it'll seat for hockey this upcoming season. Have you
gotten eyes on inside the Delta Center this year and
what do you think about the site lines and everything
and what they've improved this offseason?
Speaker 1 (14:54):
You know what, I have not had a chance to
get into Delta Center yet to see the seating in
the new configuration. Looking at it from the photographs and
some of the schematics that I saw, it kind of
reminds me of how arenas were when I was younger,
they were a little bit more of a steeper build.
There was more of an incline, it was more intimate.
Fans felt like they were on top of the action,
(15:16):
and to me, that was kind of the cool part
of it is it reminded me a lot of old
Maple Leafe gardens seeing the way the end zone seats were.
Because the old gardens went very high up on the sides,
lots of seats there, but in the ends there were
not a whole lot of seats, and seeing that area
immediately behind the goal reminded me of kind of how
(15:38):
steep it was and how you just felt like you
were on top of the action. I think it's going
to be amazing for the hockey site lines and fans
are going to absolutely love it. I like sitting behind
the net anyway, because I'm an old goalie, so that's
what I'm used to looking at. I think it's going
to be spectacular.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
I love it. I'm all in on Mammoth Hockey this year.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
It's Playofficer bust right here on ESPN seven hundred is well. Tom,
thank you so much for your time this morning. Appreciate
you jumping on with us and we'll talk here with
you soon.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Okay, sounds good. Thanks for having me on, guys.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
That is Tom Callahan.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Make sure you subscribe over at the Lockdown Mammoth podcast
and get the latest on your Utah Mammoth as they
get ready for another NHL season.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
It starts next Thursday.
Another one.
Speaker 2 (00:04):
You were listening to the Sean O'Connell Show from the
Murder Hondi studio of ESPN seven hundred and.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Welcome back into the Sean O'Connell Show.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
Bryson Bianucci have taken over the Sean O'Connell Show this morning,
this afternoon. Actually, I'm used, I'm so used to saying
this morning on the radio because we're in the morning
drive guys that once it crosses twelve, I forget that
we're not in the morning anymore.
Speaker 5 (00:33):
I woke up and the sun was up today.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
It was a miracles nice sleeping in a little bit
was incredible.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
It's good.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Well, you could join us seven to ten am every
single morning during the weekdays over on one, O, three
nine and ninety eight three FM. It's part of the
Utah ESPN Radio Network. You can join us on your
morning drive on Bryson Bianucci. Right now, let's talk some
Utah Mammoth hockey. We'll jump out to the ESPN seven
hundred hotline. Welcome in Tom Callahan, who's the Lockdown Utah
(01:00):
a Mammoth Podcast host? Tom glad to be chatting with
you once again. It's been a minute since we last
had a discussion.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
It has, but hockey season creeps around so quickly. Here
we are again, Here.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
We are again, and we just got out of a
couple of different camps. Rocky Mini Camp was a little
while ago. Let's start there the young players on this
mammoth roster. Do we know how much ice time we're
going to see a lot of these young guys that
we just saw drafted get Normally takes a long time
for them to get up there. But is there anybody
that is impressed enough to maybe make their way up
(01:35):
the organization and the chain there?
Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, we can talk about who is still in training camp,
and that is generally a better indication of who might
crack the lineup. Honestly, forwards have a better shot than
defense as far as trying to find a spot. I
feel like the defenseman and we've pretty much seen this.
It's kind of settled what the defense is going to
look like with one or two battles still going on.
(02:00):
But that's more for seating or ranking, if you will,
on the depth chart, as opposed to whether or not
they're going to have a job. But forwards, I think
a lot of it starts with Tjaginla. We like to
talk about Againla because he's got a famous hockey name.
You know, his dad played for years was an excellent
example of what a captain and a leader should be
(02:21):
besides being a dominant player. So he's always a name
that comes up. He will definitely still get his chance
as we move forward here. But one guy I want
to talk about that I think has done really really
well in camp and continues to put up some points
and really impress people is Danil Boot.
Speaker 2 (02:40):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Boot came over from Russia, was playing in the professional
league over in Russia and the KHL. So there's always
a question because the ice surfaces are bigger, they're the
Olympic size where they're fifteen feet wider. How do those
players adjust and that is one of the biggest questions
right now. Boots seems to be finding his game pretty
(03:05):
well in North America. Like I say, he's putting some
points up, he's showing someplashes of skill and some talent.
And I know that GM Bill Armstrong was high on
both him and Simashev, the other Russian that came over
from Locomotive, saying these guys have a real chance to
crack the lineup this year. And not go to Tussam,
not be in the American Hockey League. So I think
(03:26):
that that's one of the guys that I'd keep an
eye on now. Mentioning Simashev, I do think he's worth
keeping an eye on defensively, but right now, fortunately for Utah,
because of all the injuries last year, I think out
a paranoia they overstocked the cupboards. The Simachev have a
chance maybe to play in the NHL, yes, but I
(03:46):
think for a defenseman, minutes are more important than having
had NHL crest on your warm up jacket. So I
think he might be better served going to the American
League and just playing a ton of minutes down.
Speaker 4 (03:58):
There, overstalking the cupboards. One guy that we saw on
the ice last year was Maverick Lamarou. I did just
barely see that he got as signed to Tucson with
the road Runners. Does that mean that there's just too
many bodies? It's too crowded for him? He needs more work.
What's the story with Maverick Lamaroux and his story? And
we'll see him this upcoming season.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
Well, the reason you saw him last year and I
thought he was great when he was up thrown into
that situation. At the time, he was twenty. Now he's
twenty one. He's still very young. He's got a lot
of time, a lot of development left to do. He
filled in in a pinch. At one point, Utah had
four of their top six starting defensemen out last season,
and that is almost an untenable situation for any team.
(04:42):
I don't care who you are, so you end up
calling players up, you throw him into roles and you
hope they get you through and they get you by.
And Hujah made some trades. They brought some guys in,
they combed the waiver wire, but they also put Lamarou
in that spot, a homegrown product. He played very well.
But when you look at him being young, and Ardam
(05:03):
Dudah is another at twenty one years old, sending him down,
and I mentioned Simachevy, he's only twenty defenseman. I think
you would much rather have them playing in Tucson in
the American Hockey League, logging twenty minutes a night as
opposed to them being in and out of the lineup
in the American Hockey League. It doesn't really do them
any good. And so when you look at the veterans
(05:23):
on the defense, for this current Utah roster, it just
makes sense. The top six are pretty much set Defensively,
You're going to have Sergachev, Jersey, Marino, Mada, Schmidt and Cole.
Beyond that, if they carry seven or eight defensemen, you've
got those seven and eight spots that are kind of
up for grabs. But I expect those are going to
(05:44):
be filled by some veterans as well who are battling
it out. I really like Scott Perinovitch, Nick d Simone
did a great job last year at a waiver claim
really liked his game. To me, those are maybe the
leaders in the clubhouse right now for that. So I
don't this This is not a slight on Maveriy Glamor.
Sending him down is exactly what he needs to continue
(06:05):
to get better and one day be a full time
NHL defenseman.
Speaker 5 (06:08):
Tom the biggest news last day or so U Tustin's
Connor Ingram to Edmonton. Can you just take us through
that trade and why it makes sense for both sides.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
I will say that the Mammoth really did Ingram a
massive solid getting him to Edmonton and supporting the player.
This is a culture thing. This is not who won
this trade. Or any of that. This is all about
Utah trying to do the right thing by the person,
(06:41):
and I think they did a very good job of that.
Now Edmonton does need a goaltender. They struggle, they really do. Honestly, Ingram,
if he can put his game back together, has a
very good shot at being on that team in the spring.
When I look at that move in the offsea, because
of the uncertainty, because we didn't really know what Ingram
(07:04):
would be like when he'd be back, if he'd playing NHL,
they went out and sign b Tech Banicheck, who is
a very capable one. B He just wanted Standing Cup
with Florida several seasons ago, was a starter in New Jersey,
look very good there and then struggled a little bit
ended up in that, Like I said, that backup role
with Florida. Florida didn't need him to play a lot
(07:25):
because they had Serge Bobrovski in front of him. I
think now he has a chance to reclaim a little
bit more playing time. He's got a fellow check goaltender
to work with the net, which I think actually is
a huge positive because these guys can really kind of
break it down with one another and talk in their
native language should actually make it a little bit easier,
and the Mammoth made it clear they felt like they
(07:47):
could get Vanticheck back to his New Jersey days when
he was winning thirty games, and so that was their
guy because they didn't know if or when Ingram would
ever be ready, so that makes sense. They have a
discussion with Ingram. They say, look, this is our tandem.
We're going with us for the regular season. We're going
to put it through waivers. Nobody claimed him, so then
what happens is they end up making the deal for
(08:08):
future considerations and sending him to Evonton. They retain eight
hundred thousand of a salary that gets Ingram's tap hit
to a point where he doesn't have to clear waivers again.
Evington can sent him to Bakersfield, which is their AHL affiliate,
and let him try to work his way back up.
It really does not hurt Edmonton much at all. The
eight hundred thousand is nothing for one year for the
(08:30):
Mammoth because they have the space, they can eat that up,
and really what they're doing is trying to take the
best care they can of Connor Ingram.
Speaker 4 (08:38):
Tom Callahan from the Locked onn Mammoth podcast is with
us for a couple more minutes here on the Sean
O'Connell Show, Tom, since we're talking about AHL affiliates and
different things. One affiliate here in the state of Utah,
the Grizzlies. They are headed out. This is their final
season here in the state. There's been some talk about
maybe Tucson getting moved around. I thought maybe at a
(09:00):
Reno would be a spot for them. Do we know
anything about potentially bringing an AHL team here to the
state of Utah?
Speaker 3 (09:06):
Is there any news on that front.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
So there has been some talk among the ownership group,
and it makes a lot of sense because many teams
in the American Hockey League are very close to their
NHL parent clubs. It makes sense financially, a lot of
your development budget gets spent on travel, so the closer
your players are, maybe they're a car ride away, which
(09:32):
also helps if somebody gets hurtain warning skate. You have
that flexibility, and it's really nice you can keep a
closer eye on development. That's been the recent trend, especially
for the Western teams. So yes, it makes sense first
of all that this is a topic of discussion. Second
of all. With the Grizzlies leaving, it does leave a
vacant building in the Salt Lake area, and it wouldn't
(09:54):
be unprecedented for an AHL team to play in or
near the same city. That said, the AHL is very
focused on having exactly as many teams as there are
NHL teams because they do not want any teams having
to operate independently. But they don't want too few, so
the teams have to share. So with the Roadrunners agreement here,
(10:19):
the minimum timeframe would be at the expiration of that.
I think it's a year or two left on that agreement.
There's every possibility the Roadrunners don't stay in Tucson. They
may end up in Nevada. But I feel like what
we're hearing here is that Smith group would like to
own and control their own American Hockey League team. Makes
(10:39):
a ton of sense. That's how it was with the Coyotes.
For some reason, the Roadrunners were not included in the
package to buy the Coyotes when that happened, and I'm
sure there were reasons that I'm not privy to, but
eventually it makes sense to have that happen. It will
only happen by one of two things. Smith Group has
to buy an existing AHL franchise, or if the NHL spans,
(11:01):
which might happen in three four five years, then the
AHL will expand and Smith Group could then purchase an
AHL franchise. They've talked about putting it anywhere in the state,
from the northern to the southern tip. It sounds like
the whole thing is fair game. I think that's an
excellent idea, and I think it's only a matter of
time before it happens. But we're probably talking three four
(11:22):
five years at least.
Speaker 4 (11:24):
That's really good insight. That's good stuff to know so
that we can stop asking you about it for at
least a year or so.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
There you go.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
All right, let's jump over to season openers. The NHL
opens up on Tuesday night, but the Mammoth won't get
started till next Thursday when they take on the Colorado Avalanche.
I want to ask you which matchups on Day one
of the NHL are you looking at in terms of
exciting matchups and teams to look out for this year
in the National Hockey League.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
Well, I think there's a ton of questions coming into
every single season. Outside of the Mammoth, Who obviously, we're
going to be very focused on them. Look at a
couple of different teams. I think for me, Edmonton, which
we talked about a little bit earlier. There they're a
giant question mark. They have so much talent. Conor McDavid
(12:11):
is the best player in a long time, but we're
already asking the question, is he going to retire the
best player never to win the Stanley Cup. So that's
a big one to keep an eye on. Even within
the Central Division, I think there's a lot of This
is the toughest division in hockey, in my opinion. There's
a lot of questions around what are the Avalanches going
(12:31):
to be like this year? The Wild just signed Carill
Caprizo to the most expensive contract in hockey history. What
are they going to be like this year? Spending all
that money on him. You know you're going to expect
him to dominate Dallas. What they're They had a coaching change,
so they're very very good team. Are they going to
stay a very good team? Are they going to falter
(12:53):
a little bit out of the gate while to figure
it out? Are they going to come out strong? Who
is Nashville? Nashville spend all this money in free agency
a year or go and then came out and just flopped.
Was that who they are now or was that a
bad year? So there's so many questions in and around
this division right now. Even with the Winnipeg Jets, who
(13:13):
you know, they won the division, won the Conference, won
the President's Trophy, is the best team in the NHL
and then really didn't look good in the playoffs. Saint
Louis is another. So you could just keep going on
and on. There's a lot of teams to keep an
eye on, even in the West. So I think, look,
Mammoth fans, if you're looking for somebody to pay attention
to pay attention to your own division. The Central really
(13:33):
holds the key this year to the NHL.
Speaker 5 (13:36):
All Right, as far as expectations go, is it fair
to expect a playoff berth this year? In Utah?
Speaker 1 (13:43):
We're saying playoffs or bust on lockdown. We are absolutely
saying playoffs or bust with the team that has assembled
on paper, this is a playoff team if everybody takes
their expected step forward. Last year, I think the hype
was a little premature, and we said that at the time.
All the national people were jumping on the oh, there's
(14:04):
a playoff team like well, it's lawyer role if they overachieve.
To me, last year they could have been a playoff team,
but they didn't, and of course the injuries didn't help.
This year, you would expect with them being healthy, being hungry,
and with development taking another step forward. Yes, it is
absolutely fair to expect a playoff berth for this Utah
(14:25):
Mammoth team this year, especially because I think five teams
from the Central can make it in. If they're not
one of those five teams, then we have a lot
bigger questions that we need to start asking.
Speaker 4 (14:37):
All right, Tom, Phase one of the Delta Center renovations
have been complete. I think it's just over twelve thousand
that it'll seat for hockey this upcoming season. Have you
gotten eyes on inside the Delta Center this year and
what do you think about the site lines and everything
and what they've improved this offseason?
Speaker 1 (14:54):
You know what, I have not had a chance to
get into Delta Center yet to see the seating in
the new configuration. Looking at it from the photographs and
some of the schematics that I saw, it kind of
reminds me of how arenas were when I was younger,
they were a little bit more of a steeper build.
There was more of an incline, it was more intimate.
Fans felt like they were on top of the action,
(15:16):
and to me, that was kind of the cool part
of it is it reminded me a lot of old
Maple Leafe gardens seeing the way the end zone seats were.
Because the old gardens went very high up on the sides,
lots of seats there, but in the ends there were
not a whole lot of seats, and seeing that area
immediately behind the goal reminded me of kind of how
(15:38):
steep it was and how you just felt like you
were on top of the action. I think it's going
to be amazing for the hockey site lines and fans
are going to absolutely love it. I like sitting behind
the net anyway, because I'm an old goalie, so that's
what I'm used to looking at. I think it's going
to be spectacular.
Speaker 3 (15:54):
I love it. I'm all in on Mammoth Hockey this year.
Speaker 4 (15:56):
It's Playofficer bust right here on ESPN seven hundred is well. Tom,
thank you so much for your time this morning. Appreciate
you jumping on with us and we'll talk here with
you soon.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
Okay, sounds good. Thanks for having me on, guys.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
That is Tom Callahan.
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Make sure you subscribe over at the Lockdown Mammoth podcast
and get the latest on your Utah Mammoth as they
get ready for another NHL season.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
It starts next Thursday.
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