May 28, 2025 • 45 mins
Would you take Sam Bennett?
By Sam Woo and Nick Villano
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https://pucksandpitchforks.com
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By Sam Woo and Nick Villano
http://JoinOurCrew.com
https://pucksandpitchforks.com
https://www.LetsGoDevils.com
RATE, REVIEW, AND SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lets-go-devils-podcast/id1371371669 #NJDevils #NHL #LetsGoDevils #LGD #Devils #NewJersey #NCAA #AHL
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/let-s-go-devils-podcast--2862943/support.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Happy Devils Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
This is the State of the Fan Address episode three
zero one titled do Devils Need Bennett question Mark. I'm
your host, Sam wu Here with Nick Milano at buckson
Pitchforks dot com, streaming live on Facebook.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Live, YouTube Live, x live, and Twitch on Let's Go
Devil's Network. After a long hiatus, Nick, I needed to
step away after the Devil's got eliminated in the playoffs.
Not because I was mad, but I knew it was
(00:52):
gonna be a long offseason. You need to recharge the batteries.
But we're back. We're back.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
We're back. And the how are you, Nick, it's been
a while. Oh yeah, it's uh, it's yeah, it's been
it's been a little bit. You know, just you know,
the the blog hasn't stopped as that people know. He've
been writing, writing, writing all the time. Had a couple
(01:18):
of big pieces come up. One that's doing particularly well.
Sam Uh, Scott Gomez forward Devil's Legend, two time Devil's Legend. Uh,
he's he's he no longer has a job. That's probably
because he's getting a better job. He was the head
coach of a team that he actually played for when
(01:42):
he was in junior hockey. He went to be the
assistant coach two years ago, became the head coach last year,
but he stepped away. Now he's looking for a job.
There's there's a word in the streets he could go
to the Chicago Steel in the us HL. So moving
up the ranks. But that's it. I mean, that's didn't
need to watch Sam. That's a guy a lot of
(02:02):
people to a lot of circles really like Scott Gomez
and his head coaching experience is going to be important.
You know, I do think that there's a a possibility
of a jump. You know, we're looking at j Pandolfo, right,
he's a he's a coach of Boston University and then
and he's getting you know, people are talking about him
for NHL at coaching jobs. I think Gomez is trying
(02:24):
to go the same route. He'll probably get. You'll probably
jump from like the Steel to like, uh, you know,
a developmental coach or something like that, like and then
you know, a lower level. But he, you know, like
Breeland did, right, or maybe he's an assistant in the
HL and then like Breeland did, he works his way
up to NHL assistant and then you know, there was
a word that Brelan was interviewing for a job in
(02:45):
the KHL. I don't think that's going to amount to anything,
but you know it's it's you know, you hear these guys,
these these Devil's legends. There's a lot of them. You know,
John McLean's out there coaching. John Madden's out there coach.
We just talked about Pandolfo. You know, there's there's a
lot of guys out there, former Devil's legends who are
(03:05):
of Kirk Muller right, he's uh, is he coached or
see in the front.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Office, he's either or or he's an assistant, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
He's somewhere. Yeah, So you got these you got these
former these Deviles legends are really making their rounds. And
obviously a berdoor in the front office. You have Bill
Garons in the front you know, he's the GM of
the of the Wild. Pat Verbeek is the GM of
the Ducks. You know, there's there's a lot of Devils,
a lot of doubles around. Well.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Yeah, and then you know, I always wonder where former
Devils coaches go, like where Elaine Nazardine is right now,
or or even Dallas.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Yeah, yeah, I saw him on.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
The on the little click clipboard making some plays. Or
even Peter de Bore has had quite a bit of success,
especially those game sevens. And if Dallas can get to
a game seven, wouldn't that be something people war in
a game seven.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, they're down three to one. I don't think has
lost a home game this this playoffs. Yeah, stuff is
kind of a wagon. Yeah, I like good. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
And you know, last we spoke, you know, I was
I was talking about hitting goaltenders, if you remember, we
talked about that, and we talked about feistiness and changing
the narrative of a game by being a distraction, like
Matthew Kachuck does that extremely well. But tonight we're talking
(04:48):
about Sam Bennett. And I already got comments in the
YouTube live. Steve Engel saying costume much same with Tom
dum Is Life said that we need the Devil's need
seven sam Bennett's. I want to know your opinion, Nick.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
I think Sam Bennett is just another palot. I do.
I think, you know, maybe you replace a couple of
points with some great but you know, I think that's
going to be a contract to your regret pretty quickly.
I think he's you know, you're you're also the gonna
(05:33):
guy who's who's ground himself through what is it now?
It's gonna be three straight years of one hundred games. Yep,
you saw a plot. You know, excuse me, the thing
with a lot that we don't talk about a lot,
but I think it's really significant. He came in and
(05:54):
he played for like what three weeks and looked incredible
those first like that first like little running out with
the Devil's looked or maybe it was like a little
over a month. It was like five or six weeks
and they tour is groin. It does look the same sense.
And these guys get these injuries that just remove their
talent and it's from overwork. You know. You talk about
(06:19):
like with running backs the NFL, you talk about with
a lot. You know, there's there's these there's the reason
why rest is so prominent in the NBA. Like they
don't want these guys playing eighty two games and then
playing twenty to twenty five playoff games, Like they don't
they don't want that. They want they're guys to you
play seventy to eighty to ninety games a year, in
(06:40):
a championship year. But you know when Sam Bennett's play
a one hundred er year, that injury is coming. And
the injury could be you know, the career changing. And
if you're paying a guy, you know, let's say it's
nine million, because know he's gonna have a bidding war
(07:02):
if you're like nine million dollars, Like you think people
are complaining about Team Meyer right now, Like imagine if
like Sam Bennett's ceiling is Timo Meyer season this year,
there is a ceiling, And I just I don't think
people are gonna like Sam Bennet if he's here. I
(07:23):
just don't. He's not. He's he's what the like the
fourth or fifth guy on that on that Panthers offense.
He is very valuable to Florida, He's just not that
valuable to like these outside Francis. And you've seen a lot,
right some of a guy like Chris Kunitz super valuable
to Pittsburgh, wasn't really valuable or do you go to Tampa.
(07:45):
I think it was really valuable to Tampa, it didn't
really work. I think he's a guy like that, Like
you gotta really be virab aware, Like there's so many
other guys. I'd rather have the same Bennett. When you
look at the cost or the the risk reward quotient,
I just such a high risk. There's a couple of
(08:05):
guys I want this season this offseason, Sam, I think
you're gonna hate some of them. I think you're gonna
hate some of the people I want. But I think
I'll tell.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
You who I want at the right price. Marshawn, he's
still very effective in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Sure, I just don't I don't think. I don't think
we're gonna be on his radar even if we approach him.
I just don't think he's gonna want it right. He's
gonna want to go to you know, Florida. I think
it's gonna be the top of this list. I think
Boston is gonna be a return to Boston that they
don't discount that. I think a Toronto. I think he
(08:41):
really likes playing in Toronto apparently. I think those are
like the kinds of places that you're looking at. But again,
like I, you know, I hate Marshaan for for the
things he's done to Devil's the past, like Barcus Johansson
and Niko Hesher, but and liking people. I whatever, that's
just antics and dumb, like whatever, I don't care if
(09:03):
you're dumb, like it's silly. It's but like I don't
I don't like that he's like headshot artists and things
like that, Like those are things that like, actually, you
know whatever. I think there's a non zero chance Sam
that they go after and they try to get Pablo
Soaka back. I think that he's available. I think he
(09:27):
fills a need. I think I think there's like there's
there's a way that you come out of this offseason
you don't spend to the roof they gotta I forget that.
I know they paid Socca more than he's worth, but
you know, there's ways you can work around that. But
like I thought it would be funny if you if
(09:48):
you uh got because somebody brought up a good point,
like Cody Glass's number is kind of a problem now,
like to to sign Cody Glass to a qualifying offer,
it's like two point six million, I think, or two
point eight million, which is not what you want. Like
(10:11):
he's kind of a fourth line center and and that's
fine as a fourth line center, but I I want,
you know, I'll take Soaka I'll take I I do
you know how I really want Sam. I want them
to take a chance on Jonathan Days, really just take
the chance, Like it's the upside is so high to
(10:35):
listen that it's it's a high risk higher you know,
high reward, but like the risk is problem in it.
He hasn't played for two years. He was dealing with
long COVID symptoms. Like his life kind of got derailed.
You don't know what his endurance is cooulda be like
you don't know, like what is like we were offered
that long from professional sports, Like it's one thing to train,
(10:55):
but it's another thing to like be a hockey player
and and kind to get those scabs. But if you
could get him for a million bucks and he's your
third or fourth hign center and he's Sam, if he's
seventy percent, like if he's do you remember when Joe
Thornton was like late in his career. I'm not talking
(11:16):
about like those times with Florida where he was kind
of just like you know, like you know, getting thirty
points and just kind of there for the vibes. I'm
talking about like thirty seven, thirty eight year old Thornton.
He was still getting like twelve to fifteen goals and
forty assists. And I think Tay's, you know, based on
what we saw that last year in Chicago and assuming
(11:38):
that he's recovered. Here's the other thing about Tao's that
we don't remember he led the league in face off
percentage in his last year dealing with those COVID he
led the league. It's he won like sixty three percent
of his space offs, and that's a major part of
what the Devil was trying to do. So now I'm
(12:00):
not sitting here saying that I'd rather have in a vacuum,
I'd rather have Tas over Bennett. But I just don't think.
I don't think adding Bennett and then that's your offseason
makes this, uh even a playoff team. I'd be worried
about saying, like, I think that with your you basically
(12:20):
just resell You're so basically what you have done is
you're adding grit Sick maybe Hamahou to the forward group
and then Bennett. So your top line is let's say
it's Bratt, Hughes and Bennett. Your second line is he sure,
Meyer and Palott. I'm still looking at it. And then
(12:43):
like you know, I think at that point you have
to buy out Hala to make it work. So like
your third line you're looking at like Cody Glass Cotter
and night Nason, and then your fourth line is you know,
I don't even know who's left. Maybe holland In, Maybe
(13:04):
Hollanden finally gets a shot. Uhar is not coming back.
We know that for the fact. Wait what Tuitar's not
coming back? Right, Yeah, that's confirmed. He's playing in Switzerland,
which was a surprise to me. I thought he would
go to Slovakia. But he's playing in Switzerland. Uh did
you see you see my article on it? I kind
(13:24):
of tried to like pick out the thing that nobody
was really talking about. Uh no I should No, I
did not. They haven't played center in uh in Switzerland.
They think he's gonna be the premier center like they're
the top guy.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
So I did read an article on Puckston pitchforks dot com,
which one uh the one I believe it's was it
Neil that wrote about Brian Shawshaw.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a really goodshaw. I I
was very impressed.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
I did know, and uh, maybe he can bring a
lot more than what you know build off of what
McGill brought, you know, to the coaching staff, but developed
the young.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
D Branshaw is a great coach and he's been doing
this a long time, right, He's he's not a guy
who just got like the fun. He's like in his fifties, right,
I think he's older. Yeah, and I think he's older
than Keieth ironically, so what they still have one spot
to fill on that coaching staff, right, Yeah, So you
(14:37):
know there's a there's a lot of guys that are
that are being thrown around. But yeah, I think he's
done a lot of development and he's taken guys and
put them in positions to succeed, which I think is
important for this defense because you look at where Hamilton
is in his career, you look at where you know,
(14:59):
and then you look at the young guys like Ques
and Nimes, and then you look at what what Covid
Sevich and are good at, you know, and then you
take it all and you you understand that they're gonna
be playing Sheldon Keith's system, which Chelvin keep has a
pretty strong system. So you're not gonna bring another guy
system in, but you're gonna try to get those guys
(15:23):
to develop within that system. And I think Shaw has
done that in the past. Is he's shown that he
could do that really well. I think it's a really
like I think it's a slam dunk higher like. It's
such a good hire.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
And it's great that Keith can pick his own his
own guys, you know when start thing last year. Yeah,
and he had inherited so much.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
You know, I I think that's just one small piece
to the puzzle. What I also thought was interesting. Did
you watch the World the United States? It's winning for
the first time in what ninety two years? That's crazy
because this happened. This isn't like an Olympics. This is
(16:09):
a yearly tournament. Yeah, that's crazy. It's crazy. But team
Switzerland led by Timo Meyer, Nico Heisher, Hurt seeking Thaller,
you know.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
On the blue line.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
What I saw was they gained a valuable experience in
that tournament.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
What's that he did a lot?
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Yeah, So you know, I was proud of the United
States how they played. You know, wish they did that
for the four nations. Can't win them all, but this
is this one's a big one. It was very very
nice to see Johnny Grudau's jersey because he would have
(16:59):
been on that team. Definitely would have been on that
team because he was kind of like an annual thing
for him as his teams were, you know, getting bounced
out the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
With with with good draw on the Blue Jackets, they
might be the team that steaks in the playoffs over
months real, yeah, and that's I mean, like what if
they were really riding that emotional hal story all seasons,
so you never know, like you can't really do a
what if there, But he's probably on.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
The team, you know, you know, very proud of Team USA. Also,
you know, I know this sounds bad, but I love streaks,
you know. And every year I'm just waiting for a
Canadian based team to get knocked out and the Stanley
(17:48):
Cup being awarded to a US based team.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
But Edmonton is I am rooting against Edmonton, but again
they're a good team. But again I I Stuart's Getters,
their downfall last year the year before.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
I'll tell you a reason why I root against Edmonton,
and I think a lot of fans feel the same way.
The amount of first overall picks they had in such
a short period of time was just absolutely disgusting. And
then when they got Connor McDavid, and then when they
got Connor McDavid, it's like, and you're still losing, but
(18:33):
now they're winning. But it's just and that's why I
root against Salmonton Oilers. I mean, it first started with
the Taylor Hall, right, I think it was the.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
First overall, and then Nujen Hopkins.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yeah, they got and then uh, somewhere dry Cydle wasn't like, uh,
you know, the top one of the top picks, but
not the top pick.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
But still it's it was disgusting.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
It was just bad, you know, and you know, here's
this team that has all these star young studs and
they weren't going anywhere at the time, and.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Then they were drifted McDavid. Yeah. I mean, listen, I'm
curious now when he was drafted, uh tricidle, but I
think twenty fourteen. Was it twenty fourteen? I thought it
(19:36):
was twenty fourteen. I'm pulling it up. Yeah, twenty fourteen,
third overall. Yeah, yeah, so it's you know, it's another
really high pack. I didn't realize he was that high.
I think it was Okay, what an interesting draft because
(19:59):
there's a lot of what like, like the top four
of that draft is all playing right now. It's Aaron Eckblad,
Sam Reinhart, Lean, Dryan's Title, and Sam Bennett. That was
the top four of that year. What a what a
uh really good top four. Here's the funny thing. So
(20:24):
like obviously four of those guys are really good. Dry
Sittle has three hundred more points than any of them.
Renehart has six hundred nineteen points, Dry Centles nine hundred
and fifty six. Already, dry title is a specimen. I
remember when dry Sitle was reportedly available, and it was
(20:45):
probably just internet rumors, but there was talks that before
you signed a big contract that like you could get
Leon dry Sidle for the right price. Now the word was,
you know, a price is gonna be like you know,
Nico Hesher. I'm like, you know what I mean, But
like you look back at it, You're like, oh, you know,
like I love Nico Heishu. A Lean Drye Sidle is
(21:07):
top three player in the league and developed into you know,
it's hard to do that right now. I'm trying to,
you know, because it's probably McDavid, McKinnon, mccarr are all
up there and then you there's just a bunch of
other guys like with with with dry Sidle. But yeah,
(21:27):
I just I I I'm with you, though I root
against Canada every time. I I loved listening to Steve
Dangle after the bagle Leafs loss. It was super funny.
I think fans love meltdowns. Yeah, what's not the love?
Speaker 2 (21:46):
I know?
Speaker 1 (21:52):
And then and the Toronto is good for one every year, right,
like Toronto just does it. They do it a different
way every year, but it's the same result. It's always
a melt out. And you know, and who else will
like Winnipeg. I wasn't really rooting against Winnipeg per se,
(22:14):
but because you just kind of knew it was gonna happen,
because I don't think they have the juice. Well, let
me ask you this, what do you think of elers
from Winnipeg? Is that a guy you want to target? No,
he's gonna get big money too.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
No, I you know what I think what fitzguer if
he wants If Fitzgerald wants to get serious, and he
sounded serious on his uh you know, his exit uh.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
The press conference.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah, if you really want to get serious, you've got
to move some of these contracts off the books. Uh
you know, finally, Ilia Kolevichuk is no longer on the books.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Right, Yeah, I'm gonna write about that until I first.
I'm so excited officially he retired to that game on
the puck Pedia cat friendly page anymore.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
You know, he had the same exact deal that Chris
Pronger had with the Flyers, and somehow the Devil's get
in trouble with it.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
But somebody did that, Like the deal wasn't that like
fifteen years. There's a bunch of like do you know
who started? Do you know who started that whole whole circus?
Do you remember Rick Di Pietro. He was the one
got that fifteen.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Year deal and he had one, he had a he
had a contract year and he made a lot of money.
I think he's a better sports talk radio host right now.
But yeah, I mean, the Islanders have a very interesting,
(24:00):
very interesting history with like oddities, you know, with when
Charles Wong owned the team and even considered hiring a
sumo wrestler to being goal always thought outside of the box,
which I can appreciate. And then you had the John
Spano story where he almost bought the team without actually
(24:23):
paying for it. You almost got away with it. He
was one mega deal away from pulling it off with MSG.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
You know, well that was he did he go to
jail for that? Yes, yeah, yeah. It's like ESPN has
that documentary. It's the same thing as fire Up. So
you just just continue to scam until you, like you
finally like run into you run into like the dead end.
(24:58):
But it takes O really long time, right, These games
continue and continue. I was watching I think it was
a Firefest documentary. But this guy, you know, reportedly what
he would do is, you know, to keep himself relevant.
He would email all these people he got from the
Firefest be like I got tickets to the super Bowl,
(25:18):
and he would get people like it's like, oh, I
got tickets, to give me money for this and you'll
be a part of that. But it would be underpriced,
so he would lose money on that deal. But what
would he would do is he would you know, he
would pay market price for the Super Bowl to stay relevant,
lose money on that deal, but then be like, oh,
(25:40):
but I got tickets to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
He didn't actually have the tickets. He had to scramble
to get them, and like you know, he's like, oh,
I got tickets to the Grammy's like these like once
in a lifetime events, and these people would you know,
bid on these things. He'd get all this money, but
then he'd lose money because you know, if they could
just go out and buy them, they would. It was
(26:00):
just like it's the way that scammers brains works. Do
you know who went to jail for that? Who Craig Carton?
Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, he went to jail for that.
But but that fed from his gambling addiction, you know,
trying to scam make that kind of quick. It's not Yeah,
(26:23):
I mean I don't. I just I can't support him anymore,
just because like I can't. I see what these scammers like,
the way they like turn people's lives up, say that,
and I don't know, you know, the people he scammed personally,
So I don't know if that's true, but I can't.
I'm just like, I'm not gonna stay. I don't know
(26:45):
a lot. I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure he paid restitution.
You know, I think he the court didn't tell him to.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Well, I mean, it's the same thing with like Michael Vick.
You know one thing about Michael Vick that people didn't realize.
He did not negotiate his debts. He actually paid on
the dollar for all his debts, and he made a
point to do it instead of negotiating. You know, so
again there is redemption there, you know. Although that was sick.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
I think we're down a rabbit hole. We don't want
to be anyway, let's kind of circle back. You know,
we're actually already coming to the end. This one flew
by Marner. Did if I came to you and I said,
Marner wants to come to the devils. I don't think
he does, but I'm curious what you're paying. Would you
(27:41):
take him at all?
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Absolutely not. It's not because I don't want his dad.
I think his dad's gonna cause problems. You ever see that,
You ever see that those kid videos.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
Mitch, you're not gonna eat lunch if you don't score goal.
Mitch get to the park. You know, he has he
has dad.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
He was terribly taken, terribly traded by Mike Babcock. Yeah,
Mitch Martin's got baggage, man, poor guy.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
I actually feel I actually feel bad for Mitch. It's
it's nothing against Mitch I just don't want his dad
because I think his dad he's gonna make it all
about himself, you know, not about the team. So and
I think that would ruin that kind of like family
chemistry that the Devils have. I just simply don't like
his dad, you know, his dad. I think his his
(28:40):
dad is his agent.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
You know, so you know, yeah, that's always I don't
like that. I don't like that at all. Yeah, I
don't think the Devils are in it. Pierre Lebron came
out with some teams, and Pierre Lebron, we've talked about
this is very tied into the Devils, and he even
mentioned this Devils as a team that are thinking about it.
Odds came out they had sixteen different teams that could
(29:03):
go after Marner, and I was surprised that those weren't
on it. Just because of Sheldon keep Right, you would
think that there'd be some kind of tie there because
Keep is in New Jersey and he played for Keep
for so long, but he selled under Keep. But yeah,
I just think I think there's different priorities. Before we go,
because I'm gonna write about this before the end of
(29:24):
the month, what are your thoughts on no tax states.
Do you think this is truly an advantage? No tax states? Yeah,
so like Florida and Nevada and Texas don't have state
income tax, so you get a little bit more of
your money. It amounts to like a few hundred thousand,
(29:48):
Like it's not no, we're not talking about I mean,
I guess New Jersey. I think what is New Jersey?
New Jersey might be a lot. New Jersey might be
ten percent New Jersey. It's not.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Don't think about the number because New York will always
say they've got the higher number in California. But New
Jersey taxes on gross not net, which makes it a
bigger number in the end. So it's New Jersey is
probably I would say is the worst tax state out
(30:26):
of all the fifty states because they tax you on
gross income, not net after fits.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
But here's the thing, if you have a good accountant,
I get the write off a lot in Jersey. So
like I do think you're gonna like all your expenses
in the road, all your travel, all you know, all
the things you buy in the airport, all that you know,
you can write a.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
I mean, you can make a good point, but at
the same time, if you've got a twelve million dollar contract,
I don't think you're making twelve million nick where.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
You of course, you also remember there's agent fees, there's
a jock tax. It's like, if you play in California,
you're paying California taxes. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Plus, you know, Ted makes a great point. I mean
New Jersey's uh, property taxes are the highest in the country.
I mean, you know, for the you know, some of
these houses, you're paying fifty to eighty thousand dollars a
year in taxes and just property taxes alone, depending on
where that player lives.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
You know, it's it's a lot of money. Yeah, I
mean I think these guys, yeah, I mean I get
what you're saying. I mean runting and made out like
a bandit.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
I mean, he got traded around and then suddenly finds
himself in Dallas and he got everything he wanted.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Right, Dallas and Vegas are the two that I'm like, Okay,
I see it, because property value is cheap. You greathouse
in Dallas or a great house in in in Vegas
and pay you know, not Montana prices, but you'll pay
like you know, lan Sing Michigan prices. You know, you
get a really great house in Detroit and or not
(32:15):
detroited in Dallas and in Vegas. Well, when we're talking
about South Florida, like the South Phida property values are
are in store. I can't even say the word. They're
ridiculously inflated. Right now. You're paying to live in Miami,
which I don't think they care about it this part,
Like it's not like what they care. You know, even
(32:37):
Fort Lauderdale and Boca Ratone and even West Palm Beach,
you're paying like way over like what you're getting for
a house. And my other point is you got the
six Canadian teams, Well they're getting paid in US dollars
and and everything they buy in Canadian seven seven Canadian teams. Okay,
(33:07):
I must have forgot what it peg a second of them,
but anyway, the uh yeah, because so you're looking at
it with the exchange like seventy cents of the dollar.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Yeah, well, you know, I was thinking not to get
it really off subject, and I'm not gonna get political here.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
I'm just talking to pure economics. Mhmm.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
You know, I'm not gonna say fifty first state or
anything like this. But if the United States and Canada
have something like what the European Union has. It would
grow hockey tremendously where if all these teams were on
the same currency level, Yeah, it would be enormous for
(33:56):
the sport. I mean, there's a lot of reasons to.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Have a more integrated trade agreement and tying the economies together.
Like Canada has a lot of essential goods, Like they
have likes that's what they're called. I saw a map
of just the what like the what to make houses,
(34:23):
the good wood to make houses that make houses last,
Like ninety percent of it comes from Canada. It's because
what's where the trees are? Yeah, you know what I mean.
So it's like you know, and they have plentiful forces.
You know, it's not like here where like you know,
we we have these wildfires taking out a lot of
these these these California even some of the Florida forests,
(34:45):
the Florida forests aren't growing good trees. Excuse me, So
you know you're or good for building houses, you know
what I mean, Like palm trees are are great for
building houses. And yes, I know the there's other trees
in Florida. But essentially that's why there's a lot of
palm trees and yeah, and and like you said, when
(35:10):
you know there's these these cross border situations with the
with the athletes, Yeah, it would simplify things. But as
of right now, that's not happening, and there's something on
the table.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
So no, I'm just I'm just saying theoretical because back
in the late nineties, the currency, the exchange rate was
so bad. I mean that's why Quebec you know, went
to Colorado, Montreal and and and Toronto. They were not
(35:46):
doing well financially. You know, they just tried to build
that new arenas and they spent a lot of money.
I mean, I'm not saying that they would have gone under, but.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
It was bad. It was really bad.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
I mean, go to Canada as a college again, it
was like a thirty to forty discount back in the
late nineties.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
It's close tough.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Yeah, So you know again it's like it would be
I'm just saying that if if if it were, if
it were on just like what the EU has, like
you know, you could take your passport, go through the
border just like that, and everything is you know under
a euro. You know, with the currency, I think it
(36:33):
would grow. The sport tremendously. I think, you know, I
think a lot of these Canadian teams. You know, a
lot of players may want to play in Canada if
if the economics was uh on the level playing field.
I mean, look, Quebec has the worst taxes as well.
I mean they got regulations, they you know, they've got
(36:55):
everything there.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, And that's the thing is that,
like Canada has a lot more regulations in the US.
I don't know. I imagine that impacts the team, right,
that impacts a lot of the bottom line. So you know,
you know, I might be wanted in Canada, by the way, Oh,
I might be desired in Canada. I'm just kidding.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
No, I didn't pay a parking ticket in Montreal. I
gave somebody money to pay it for me because I
try to pay online and I couldn't because I needed
a Canadian address.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
To pay. Sam, if you want to give me money
to pay some mere things, I will gladly.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
I literally, Western Union somebody to do this, and I
don't know if he actually did it or not.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
I have to ask, how is Western Union in business
if not just for the scams. I don't know anybody
in your day like your day to day life. Who
uses Western Union Well back the day, back in the
day when I had to use Western Union. Anyway, I'm
not trying to get anyway anyway, all right, I'm ready
(38:12):
for plug Sam. Yeah, yeah, dot com is buzzing right now.
We are buzzing. We got stories on Mitch Marner. We
got stories in Sam Bennett, We got stories on the
free agents. We got stories on uh Tomas Tatar. We
have stories in Scott Gomez. We have stories on Brad Shaw.
Like you mentioned by Neilviia Piano, Jenny Struter has been writing.
(38:35):
We have a story from Sam other Sam about whether
Dougie Hamilton should be trade bait. This offseason, I wrote
a story about buyouts. I really broke down which players
might get bought out in which the one player that
absolutely positively will not get bought out where. But yeah,
(38:58):
we're talking a lot of off season stuff. I have
some draft stuff in the works. I talked about why
I want the Islanders to take James Hagins go for
the emotional pick first.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
Overall, that's what we want.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
We want emotion I also don't think it's very good,
so very helpful for us if they take a player
that's not very good. Soon, I'm gonna write about three
lessons the Devil should have learned from the New York
Rangers this season. I'm gonna write about some of the
top free agents I want. Oh, I just wrote about
(39:30):
five trade candidates that I want because I wrote, basically,
I wrote, Brady Kuchuk is off the table. Who are
the five superstars that I want to trade for now?
Because Braid Kichuk's off the table? So and yeah, we're
gonna follow, you know, follow where any news that comes out.
(39:53):
There's not a ton that's coming out right now, but
following a lot of the rumors, there's a lot of
people that are talking about a lot of guys. You know,
Rasmus Anderson's of Calgary is a guy whose name has
been floated out there. I think there's a couple of
interesting guys that you can target. I think the Devils
are closer to being like where Carolina is than we think.
(40:16):
I think two good moves and they're right there, and
it's like it's like glue and it molds everything together,
even with like and that's like understanding that you could
lose one of Niko Hasho or Jack Hughes. I just
think you need like a you know, I just I
would love the signs. I really like. That's the one thing.
(40:37):
I'm like, just do it, man, just just go for it.
It just makes too much sense. And then make a
couple of moves. Oh, before I go, what are your
thoughts on Paul Mary? Do you want Paul Mary back?
Absolutely not.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
Ye, there's things old man, I don't like. I don't
like second tour of duties with with with players. Only
time I accepted it was uh Clone Mew.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
Yeah, club was good. I liked the Shanahan. I thought
that was fun. It was fun. You know. You forget
that he was back for a year, right an he
come in the middle of the season. I don't remember, No,
(41:25):
I think he was in the beginning. I just don't
think he played much, you know, he was he was
fine when he played. Yeah, terrible, but yeah, you don't
remember because I think they got bounced in like five games.
I think it was either they lost the Flyers or
something like five years. I thought they lost to the
Carolina Hurricanes. Was that that year? I think it may
(41:48):
have been that year where you.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Know, oh we got the lead with three minutes left,
in the game seven.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
No, let's go party and then like then went down. Man, Sam,
I was watching the Knicks that game one, and I
was like, I'm I was like, I've been here before.
I'm not confident. They lost. You know what.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
They were the same team colors as the New York Mets.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
And when I saw that ball go up, I was like,
this is another Mets moment, and then I went down. Yeah,
sad stuff. Oh well, there's always next year, all right, Sam?
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Well, no, wait, there's still game five. I'm waiting for
the tickets to drop a little. Okay, I might, I
might go. I might go tomorrow. But I'm just it's
got to meet that threshold. I check every hour.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
You have a pretty high threshold, Like I don't play
in the same wool waters.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
Well my threshold, Well, my threshold is how do I
with with.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
I base it on.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
I have my own like little analytics before we go.
It's it's one of those peak life moment. Is it
worth the money? And I think it's more of will
that memory last a lifetime? And if it does, I'll
pay top dollar like that. Four nations. No regrets, no
(43:26):
regrets whatsoever. Going to that Mets game with a Lindor
Grand Slam.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
No regrets. I will for the rest of my life.
I will remember that moment. And I'm just as just
as I've been on the other side where I went
to Yankees Phillies Game one where Cliff Lee just like
shut the Yankees down. I think they scored one run
on like a dribbler and then they lost like six
(43:53):
to one. So there's there's the other side where you're
just like and it was raining, it was plote. I
get to say it to the World Series. Wow.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Let me let me tell you if I told you
the Chris Bassett story. Game three, that's uh. I forgot
who they were playing along the way, A big rock
hit my windshield and I already knew we were gonna lose.
And that's when that guy they played the Padres and
that was that guy must grow over something like that
(44:24):
or must be Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
That was cheating. I could see. I could see the
wax on his ear from the stands, you know. Anyway,
all right, well that's it, that's enough. But we're just
making a little small talk because it's the off season. Yep.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
Anyway, Well, Nick, I'll go to bucksopitchforks dot com tomorrow
to catch up on my articles there.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
I'm going to write three articles tonight.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
Awes them awesome. Gonadrop the podcast at midnight We're back.
Sunday edition will be back as well, so keep you
here until next time.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
Let's go down the
Happy Devils Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (00:10):
This is the State of the Fan Address episode three
zero one titled do Devils Need Bennett question Mark. I'm
your host, Sam wu Here with Nick Milano at buckson
Pitchforks dot com, streaming live on Facebook.
Speaker 3 (00:30):
Live, YouTube Live, x live, and Twitch on Let's Go
Devil's Network. After a long hiatus, Nick, I needed to
step away after the Devil's got eliminated in the playoffs.
Not because I was mad, but I knew it was
(00:52):
gonna be a long offseason. You need to recharge the batteries.
But we're back. We're back.
Speaker 1 (00:57):
We're back. And the how are you, Nick, it's been
a while. Oh yeah, it's uh, it's yeah, it's been
it's been a little bit. You know, just you know,
the the blog hasn't stopped as that people know. He've
been writing, writing, writing all the time. Had a couple
(01:18):
of big pieces come up. One that's doing particularly well.
Sam Uh, Scott Gomez forward Devil's Legend, two time Devil's Legend. Uh,
he's he's he no longer has a job. That's probably
because he's getting a better job. He was the head
coach of a team that he actually played for when
(01:42):
he was in junior hockey. He went to be the
assistant coach two years ago, became the head coach last year,
but he stepped away. Now he's looking for a job.
There's there's a word in the streets he could go
to the Chicago Steel in the us HL. So moving
up the ranks. But that's it. I mean, that's didn't
need to watch Sam. That's a guy a lot of
(02:02):
people to a lot of circles really like Scott Gomez
and his head coaching experience is going to be important.
You know, I do think that there's a a possibility
of a jump. You know, we're looking at j Pandolfo, right,
he's a he's a coach of Boston University and then
and he's getting you know, people are talking about him
for NHL at coaching jobs. I think Gomez is trying
(02:24):
to go the same route. He'll probably get. You'll probably
jump from like the Steel to like, uh, you know,
a developmental coach or something like that, like and then
you know, a lower level. But he, you know, like
Breeland did, right, or maybe he's an assistant in the
HL and then like Breeland did, he works his way
up to NHL assistant and then you know, there was
a word that Brelan was interviewing for a job in
(02:45):
the KHL. I don't think that's going to amount to anything,
but you know it's it's you know, you hear these guys,
these these Devil's legends. There's a lot of them. You know,
John McLean's out there coaching. John Madden's out there coach.
We just talked about Pandolfo. You know, there's there's a
lot of guys out there, former Devil's legends who are
(03:05):
of Kirk Muller right, he's uh, is he coached or
see in the front.
Speaker 3 (03:09):
Office, he's either or or he's an assistant, it doesn't matter.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
He's somewhere. Yeah, So you got these you got these
former these Deviles legends are really making their rounds. And
obviously a berdoor in the front office. You have Bill
Garons in the front you know, he's the GM of
the of the Wild. Pat Verbeek is the GM of
the Ducks. You know, there's there's a lot of Devils,
a lot of doubles around. Well.
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Yeah, and then you know, I always wonder where former
Devils coaches go, like where Elaine Nazardine is right now,
or or even Dallas.
Speaker 1 (03:51):
Yeah, yeah, I saw him on.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
The on the little click clipboard making some plays. Or
even Peter de Bore has had quite a bit of success,
especially those game sevens. And if Dallas can get to
a game seven, wouldn't that be something people war in
a game seven.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Yeah, they're down three to one. I don't think has
lost a home game this this playoffs. Yeah, stuff is
kind of a wagon. Yeah, I like good. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
And you know, last we spoke, you know, I was
I was talking about hitting goaltenders, if you remember, we
talked about that, and we talked about feistiness and changing
the narrative of a game by being a distraction, like
Matthew Kachuck does that extremely well. But tonight we're talking
(04:48):
about Sam Bennett. And I already got comments in the
YouTube live. Steve Engel saying costume much same with Tom
dum Is Life said that we need the Devil's need
seven sam Bennett's. I want to know your opinion, Nick.
Speaker 1 (05:11):
I think Sam Bennett is just another palot. I do.
I think, you know, maybe you replace a couple of
points with some great but you know, I think that's
going to be a contract to your regret pretty quickly.
I think he's you know, you're you're also the gonna
(05:33):
guy who's who's ground himself through what is it now?
It's gonna be three straight years of one hundred games. Yep,
you saw a plot. You know, excuse me, the thing
with a lot that we don't talk about a lot,
but I think it's really significant. He came in and
(05:54):
he played for like what three weeks and looked incredible
those first like that first like little running out with
the Devil's looked or maybe it was like a little
over a month. It was like five or six weeks
and they tour is groin. It does look the same sense.
And these guys get these injuries that just remove their
talent and it's from overwork. You know. You talk about
(06:19):
like with running backs the NFL, you talk about with
a lot. You know, there's there's these there's the reason
why rest is so prominent in the NBA. Like they
don't want these guys playing eighty two games and then
playing twenty to twenty five playoff games, Like they don't
they don't want that. They want they're guys to you
play seventy to eighty to ninety games a year, in
(06:40):
a championship year. But you know when Sam Bennett's play
a one hundred er year, that injury is coming. And
the injury could be you know, the career changing. And
if you're paying a guy, you know, let's say it's
nine million, because know he's gonna have a bidding war
(07:02):
if you're like nine million dollars, Like you think people
are complaining about Team Meyer right now, Like imagine if
like Sam Bennett's ceiling is Timo Meyer season this year,
there is a ceiling, And I just I don't think
people are gonna like Sam Bennet if he's here. I
(07:23):
just don't. He's not. He's he's what the like the
fourth or fifth guy on that on that Panthers offense.
He is very valuable to Florida, He's just not that
valuable to like these outside Francis. And you've seen a lot,
right some of a guy like Chris Kunitz super valuable
to Pittsburgh, wasn't really valuable or do you go to Tampa.
(07:45):
I think it was really valuable to Tampa, it didn't
really work. I think he's a guy like that, Like
you gotta really be virab aware, Like there's so many
other guys. I'd rather have the same Bennett. When you
look at the cost or the the risk reward quotient,
I just such a high risk. There's a couple of
(08:05):
guys I want this season this offseason, Sam, I think
you're gonna hate some of them. I think you're gonna
hate some of the people I want. But I think
I'll tell.
Speaker 3 (08:12):
You who I want at the right price. Marshawn, he's
still very effective in the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (08:19):
Sure, I just don't I don't think. I don't think
we're gonna be on his radar even if we approach him.
I just don't think he's gonna want it right. He's
gonna want to go to you know, Florida. I think
it's gonna be the top of this list. I think
Boston is gonna be a return to Boston that they
don't discount that. I think a Toronto. I think he
(08:41):
really likes playing in Toronto apparently. I think those are
like the kinds of places that you're looking at. But again,
like I, you know, I hate Marshaan for for the
things he's done to Devil's the past, like Barcus Johansson
and Niko Hesher, but and liking people. I whatever, that's
just antics and dumb, like whatever, I don't care if
(09:03):
you're dumb, like it's silly. It's but like I don't
I don't like that he's like headshot artists and things
like that, Like those are things that like, actually, you
know whatever. I think there's a non zero chance Sam
that they go after and they try to get Pablo
Soaka back. I think that he's available. I think he
(09:27):
fills a need. I think I think there's like there's
there's a way that you come out of this offseason
you don't spend to the roof they gotta I forget that.
I know they paid Socca more than he's worth, but
you know, there's ways you can work around that. But
like I thought it would be funny if you if
(09:48):
you uh got because somebody brought up a good point,
like Cody Glass's number is kind of a problem now,
like to to sign Cody Glass to a qualifying offer,
it's like two point six million, I think, or two
point eight million, which is not what you want. Like
(10:11):
he's kind of a fourth line center and and that's
fine as a fourth line center, but I I want,
you know, I'll take Soaka I'll take I I do
you know how I really want Sam. I want them
to take a chance on Jonathan Days, really just take
the chance, Like it's the upside is so high to
(10:35):
listen that it's it's a high risk higher you know,
high reward, but like the risk is problem in it.
He hasn't played for two years. He was dealing with
long COVID symptoms. Like his life kind of got derailed.
You don't know what his endurance is cooulda be like
you don't know, like what is like we were offered
that long from professional sports, Like it's one thing to train,
(10:55):
but it's another thing to like be a hockey player
and and kind to get those scabs. But if you
could get him for a million bucks and he's your
third or fourth hign center and he's Sam, if he's
seventy percent, like if he's do you remember when Joe
Thornton was like late in his career. I'm not talking
(11:16):
about like those times with Florida where he was kind
of just like you know, like you know, getting thirty
points and just kind of there for the vibes. I'm
talking about like thirty seven, thirty eight year old Thornton.
He was still getting like twelve to fifteen goals and
forty assists. And I think Tay's, you know, based on
what we saw that last year in Chicago and assuming
(11:38):
that he's recovered. Here's the other thing about Tao's that
we don't remember he led the league in face off
percentage in his last year dealing with those COVID he
led the league. It's he won like sixty three percent
of his space offs, and that's a major part of
what the Devil was trying to do. So now I'm
(12:00):
not sitting here saying that I'd rather have in a vacuum,
I'd rather have Tas over Bennett. But I just don't think.
I don't think adding Bennett and then that's your offseason
makes this, uh even a playoff team. I'd be worried
about saying, like, I think that with your you basically
(12:20):
just resell You're so basically what you have done is
you're adding grit Sick maybe Hamahou to the forward group
and then Bennett. So your top line is let's say
it's Bratt, Hughes and Bennett. Your second line is he sure,
Meyer and Palott. I'm still looking at it. And then
(12:43):
like you know, I think at that point you have
to buy out Hala to make it work. So like
your third line you're looking at like Cody Glass Cotter
and night Nason, and then your fourth line is you know,
I don't even know who's left. Maybe holland In, Maybe
(13:04):
Hollanden finally gets a shot. Uhar is not coming back.
We know that for the fact. Wait what Tuitar's not
coming back? Right, Yeah, that's confirmed. He's playing in Switzerland,
which was a surprise to me. I thought he would
go to Slovakia. But he's playing in Switzerland. Uh did
you see you see my article on it? I kind
(13:24):
of tried to like pick out the thing that nobody
was really talking about. Uh no I should No, I
did not. They haven't played center in uh in Switzerland.
They think he's gonna be the premier center like they're
the top guy.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
So I did read an article on Puckston pitchforks dot com,
which one uh the one I believe it's was it
Neil that wrote about Brian Shawshaw.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's a really goodshaw. I I
was very impressed.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
I did know, and uh, maybe he can bring a
lot more than what you know build off of what
McGill brought, you know, to the coaching staff, but developed
the young.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
D Branshaw is a great coach and he's been doing
this a long time, right, He's he's not a guy
who just got like the fun. He's like in his fifties, right,
I think he's older. Yeah, and I think he's older
than Keieth ironically, so what they still have one spot
to fill on that coaching staff, right, Yeah, So you
(14:37):
know there's a there's a lot of guys that are
that are being thrown around. But yeah, I think he's
done a lot of development and he's taken guys and
put them in positions to succeed, which I think is
important for this defense because you look at where Hamilton
is in his career, you look at where you know,
(14:59):
and then you look at the young guys like Ques
and Nimes, and then you look at what what Covid
Sevich and are good at, you know, and then you
take it all and you you understand that they're gonna
be playing Sheldon Keith's system, which Chelvin keep has a
pretty strong system. So you're not gonna bring another guy
system in, but you're gonna try to get those guys
(15:23):
to develop within that system. And I think Shaw has
done that in the past. Is he's shown that he
could do that really well. I think it's a really
like I think it's a slam dunk higher like. It's
such a good hire.
Speaker 3 (15:34):
And it's great that Keith can pick his own his
own guys, you know when start thing last year. Yeah,
and he had inherited so much.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Yeah, and.
Speaker 3 (15:49):
You know, I I think that's just one small piece
to the puzzle. What I also thought was interesting. Did
you watch the World the United States? It's winning for
the first time in what ninety two years? That's crazy
because this happened. This isn't like an Olympics. This is
(16:09):
a yearly tournament. Yeah, that's crazy. It's crazy. But team
Switzerland led by Timo Meyer, Nico Heisher, Hurt seeking Thaller,
you know.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
On the blue line.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
What I saw was they gained a valuable experience in
that tournament.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
What's that he did a lot?
Speaker 3 (16:37):
Yeah, So you know, I was proud of the United
States how they played. You know, wish they did that
for the four nations. Can't win them all, but this
is this one's a big one. It was very very
nice to see Johnny Grudau's jersey because he would have
(16:59):
been on that team. Definitely would have been on that
team because he was kind of like an annual thing
for him as his teams were, you know, getting bounced
out the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (17:09):
With with with good draw on the Blue Jackets, they
might be the team that steaks in the playoffs over
months real, yeah, and that's I mean, like what if
they were really riding that emotional hal story all seasons,
so you never know, like you can't really do a
what if there, But he's probably on.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
The team, you know, you know, very proud of Team USA. Also,
you know, I know this sounds bad, but I love streaks,
you know. And every year I'm just waiting for a
Canadian based team to get knocked out and the Stanley
(17:48):
Cup being awarded to a US based team.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
But Edmonton is I am rooting against Edmonton, but again
they're a good team. But again I I Stuart's Getters,
their downfall last year the year before.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
I'll tell you a reason why I root against Edmonton,
and I think a lot of fans feel the same way.
The amount of first overall picks they had in such
a short period of time was just absolutely disgusting. And
then when they got Connor McDavid, and then when they
got Connor McDavid, it's like, and you're still losing, but
(18:33):
now they're winning. But it's just and that's why I
root against Salmonton Oilers. I mean, it first started with
the Taylor Hall, right, I think it was the.
Speaker 1 (18:43):
First overall, and then Nujen Hopkins.
Speaker 3 (18:48):
Yeah, they got and then uh, somewhere dry Cydle wasn't like, uh,
you know, the top one of the top picks, but
not the top pick.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
But still it's it was disgusting.
Speaker 3 (19:04):
It was just bad, you know, and you know, here's
this team that has all these star young studs and
they weren't going anywhere at the time, and.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
Then they were drifted McDavid. Yeah. I mean, listen, I'm
curious now when he was drafted, uh tricidle, but I
think twenty fourteen. Was it twenty fourteen? I thought it
(19:36):
was twenty fourteen. I'm pulling it up. Yeah, twenty fourteen,
third overall. Yeah, yeah, so it's you know, it's another
really high pack. I didn't realize he was that high.
I think it was Okay, what an interesting draft because
(19:59):
there's a lot of what like, like the top four
of that draft is all playing right now. It's Aaron Eckblad,
Sam Reinhart, Lean, Dryan's Title, and Sam Bennett. That was
the top four of that year. What a what a
uh really good top four. Here's the funny thing. So
(20:24):
like obviously four of those guys are really good. Dry
Sittle has three hundred more points than any of them.
Renehart has six hundred nineteen points, Dry Centles nine hundred
and fifty six. Already, dry title is a specimen. I
remember when dry Sitle was reportedly available, and it was
(20:45):
probably just internet rumors, but there was talks that before
you signed a big contract that like you could get
Leon dry Sidle for the right price. Now the word was,
you know, a price is gonna be like you know,
Nico Hesher. I'm like, you know what I mean, But
like you look back at it, You're like, oh, you know,
like I love Nico Heishu. A Lean Drye Sidle is
(21:07):
top three player in the league and developed into you know,
it's hard to do that right now. I'm trying to,
you know, because it's probably McDavid, McKinnon, mccarr are all
up there and then you there's just a bunch of
other guys like with with with dry Sidle. But yeah,
(21:27):
I just I I I'm with you, though I root
against Canada every time. I I loved listening to Steve
Dangle after the bagle Leafs loss. It was super funny.
I think fans love meltdowns. Yeah, what's not the love?
Speaker 2 (21:46):
I know?
Speaker 1 (21:52):
And then and the Toronto is good for one every year, right,
like Toronto just does it. They do it a different
way every year, but it's the same result. It's always
a melt out. And you know, and who else will
like Winnipeg. I wasn't really rooting against Winnipeg per se,
(22:14):
but because you just kind of knew it was gonna happen,
because I don't think they have the juice. Well, let
me ask you this, what do you think of elers
from Winnipeg? Is that a guy you want to target? No,
he's gonna get big money too.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
No, I you know what I think what fitzguer if
he wants If Fitzgerald wants to get serious, and he
sounded serious on his uh you know, his exit uh.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
The press conference.
Speaker 3 (22:44):
Yeah, if you really want to get serious, you've got
to move some of these contracts off the books. Uh
you know, finally, Ilia Kolevichuk is no longer on the books.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
Right, Yeah, I'm gonna write about that until I first.
I'm so excited officially he retired to that game on
the puck Pedia cat friendly page anymore.
Speaker 3 (23:08):
You know, he had the same exact deal that Chris
Pronger had with the Flyers, and somehow the Devil's get
in trouble with it.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
But somebody did that, Like the deal wasn't that like
fifteen years. There's a bunch of like do you know
who started? Do you know who started that whole whole circus?
Do you remember Rick Di Pietro. He was the one
got that fifteen.
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Year deal and he had one, he had a he
had a contract year and he made a lot of money.
I think he's a better sports talk radio host right now.
But yeah, I mean, the Islanders have a very interesting,
(24:00):
very interesting history with like oddities, you know, with when
Charles Wong owned the team and even considered hiring a
sumo wrestler to being goal always thought outside of the box,
which I can appreciate. And then you had the John
Spano story where he almost bought the team without actually
(24:23):
paying for it. You almost got away with it. He
was one mega deal away from pulling it off with MSG.
Speaker 1 (24:34):
You know, well that was he did he go to
jail for that? Yes, yeah, yeah. It's like ESPN has
that documentary. It's the same thing as fire Up. So
you just just continue to scam until you, like you
finally like run into you run into like the dead end.
(24:58):
But it takes O really long time, right, These games
continue and continue. I was watching I think it was
a Firefest documentary. But this guy, you know, reportedly what
he would do is, you know, to keep himself relevant.
He would email all these people he got from the
Firefest be like I got tickets to the super Bowl,
(25:18):
and he would get people like it's like, oh, I
got tickets, to give me money for this and you'll
be a part of that. But it would be underpriced,
so he would lose money on that deal. But what
would he would do is he would you know, he
would pay market price for the Super Bowl to stay relevant,
lose money on that deal, but then be like, oh,
(25:40):
but I got tickets to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
He didn't actually have the tickets. He had to scramble
to get them, and like you know, he's like, oh,
I got tickets to the Grammy's like these like once
in a lifetime events, and these people would you know,
bid on these things. He'd get all this money, but
then he'd lose money because you know, if they could
just go out and buy them, they would. It was
(26:00):
just like it's the way that scammers brains works. Do
you know who went to jail for that? Who Craig Carton?
Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, he went to jail for that.
But but that fed from his gambling addiction, you know,
trying to scam make that kind of quick. It's not Yeah,
(26:23):
I mean I don't. I just I can't support him anymore,
just because like I can't. I see what these scammers like,
the way they like turn people's lives up, say that,
and I don't know, you know, the people he scammed personally,
So I don't know if that's true, but I can't.
I'm just like, I'm not gonna stay. I don't know
(26:45):
a lot. I'm pretty sure. I'm pretty sure he paid restitution.
You know, I think he the court didn't tell him to.
Speaker 3 (26:53):
Well, I mean, it's the same thing with like Michael Vick.
You know one thing about Michael Vick that people didn't realize.
He did not negotiate his debts. He actually paid on
the dollar for all his debts, and he made a
point to do it instead of negotiating. You know, so
again there is redemption there, you know. Although that was sick.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
I think we're down a rabbit hole. We don't want
to be anyway, let's kind of circle back. You know,
we're actually already coming to the end. This one flew
by Marner. Did if I came to you and I said,
Marner wants to come to the devils. I don't think
he does, but I'm curious what you're paying. Would you
(27:41):
take him at all?
Speaker 3 (27:43):
Absolutely not. It's not because I don't want his dad.
I think his dad's gonna cause problems. You ever see that,
You ever see that those kid videos.
Speaker 4 (27:56):
Mitch, you're not gonna eat lunch if you don't score goal.
Mitch get to the park. You know, he has he
has dad.
Speaker 1 (28:07):
He was terribly taken, terribly traded by Mike Babcock. Yeah,
Mitch Martin's got baggage, man, poor guy.
Speaker 3 (28:17):
I actually feel I actually feel bad for Mitch. It's
it's nothing against Mitch I just don't want his dad
because I think his dad he's gonna make it all
about himself, you know, not about the team. So and
I think that would ruin that kind of like family
chemistry that the Devils have. I just simply don't like
his dad, you know, his dad. I think his his
(28:40):
dad is his agent.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
You know, so you know, yeah, that's always I don't
like that. I don't like that at all. Yeah, I
don't think the Devils are in it. Pierre Lebron came
out with some teams, and Pierre Lebron, we've talked about
this is very tied into the Devils, and he even
mentioned this Devils as a team that are thinking about it.
Odds came out they had sixteen different teams that could
(29:03):
go after Marner, and I was surprised that those weren't
on it. Just because of Sheldon keep Right, you would
think that there'd be some kind of tie there because
Keep is in New Jersey and he played for Keep
for so long, but he selled under Keep. But yeah,
I just think I think there's different priorities. Before we go,
because I'm gonna write about this before the end of
(29:24):
the month, what are your thoughts on no tax states.
Do you think this is truly an advantage? No tax states? Yeah,
so like Florida and Nevada and Texas don't have state
income tax, so you get a little bit more of
your money. It amounts to like a few hundred thousand,
(29:48):
Like it's not no, we're not talking about I mean,
I guess New Jersey. I think what is New Jersey?
New Jersey might be a lot. New Jersey might be
ten percent New Jersey. It's not.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Don't think about the number because New York will always
say they've got the higher number in California. But New
Jersey taxes on gross not net, which makes it a
bigger number in the end. So it's New Jersey is
probably I would say is the worst tax state out
(30:26):
of all the fifty states because they tax you on
gross income, not net after fits.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
But here's the thing, if you have a good accountant,
I get the write off a lot in Jersey. So
like I do think you're gonna like all your expenses
in the road, all your travel, all you know, all
the things you buy in the airport, all that you know,
you can write a.
Speaker 3 (30:51):
I mean, you can make a good point, but at
the same time, if you've got a twelve million dollar contract,
I don't think you're making twelve million nick where.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
You of course, you also remember there's agent fees, there's
a jock tax. It's like, if you play in California,
you're paying California taxes. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:11):
Plus, you know, Ted makes a great point. I mean
New Jersey's uh, property taxes are the highest in the country.
I mean, you know, for the you know, some of
these houses, you're paying fifty to eighty thousand dollars a
year in taxes and just property taxes alone, depending on
where that player lives.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
You know, it's it's a lot of money. Yeah, I
mean I think these guys, yeah, I mean I get
what you're saying. I mean runting and made out like
a bandit.
Speaker 3 (31:45):
I mean, he got traded around and then suddenly finds
himself in Dallas and he got everything he wanted.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
Right, Dallas and Vegas are the two that I'm like, Okay,
I see it, because property value is cheap. You greathouse
in Dallas or a great house in in in Vegas
and pay you know, not Montana prices, but you'll pay
like you know, lan Sing Michigan prices. You know, you
get a really great house in Detroit and or not
(32:15):
detroited in Dallas and in Vegas. Well, when we're talking
about South Florida, like the South Phida property values are
are in store. I can't even say the word. They're
ridiculously inflated. Right now. You're paying to live in Miami,
which I don't think they care about it this part,
Like it's not like what they care. You know, even
(32:37):
Fort Lauderdale and Boca Ratone and even West Palm Beach,
you're paying like way over like what you're getting for
a house. And my other point is you got the
six Canadian teams, Well they're getting paid in US dollars
and and everything they buy in Canadian seven seven Canadian teams. Okay,
(33:07):
I must have forgot what it peg a second of them,
but anyway, the uh yeah, because so you're looking at
it with the exchange like seventy cents of the dollar.
Speaker 3 (33:20):
Yeah, well, you know, I was thinking not to get
it really off subject, and I'm not gonna get political here.
Speaker 1 (33:27):
I'm just talking to pure economics. Mhmm.
Speaker 3 (33:31):
You know, I'm not gonna say fifty first state or
anything like this. But if the United States and Canada
have something like what the European Union has. It would
grow hockey tremendously where if all these teams were on
the same currency level, Yeah, it would be enormous for
(33:56):
the sport. I mean, there's a lot of reasons to.
Speaker 1 (34:01):
Have a more integrated trade agreement and tying the economies together.
Like Canada has a lot of essential goods, Like they
have likes that's what they're called. I saw a map
of just the what like the what to make houses,
(34:23):
the good wood to make houses that make houses last,
Like ninety percent of it comes from Canada. It's because
what's where the trees are? Yeah, you know what I mean.
So it's like you know, and they have plentiful forces.
You know, it's not like here where like you know,
we we have these wildfires taking out a lot of
these these these California even some of the Florida forests,
(34:45):
the Florida forests aren't growing good trees. Excuse me, So
you know you're or good for building houses, you know
what I mean, Like palm trees are are great for
building houses. And yes, I know the there's other trees
in Florida. But essentially that's why there's a lot of
palm trees and yeah, and and like you said, when
(35:10):
you know there's these these cross border situations with the
with the athletes, Yeah, it would simplify things. But as
of right now, that's not happening, and there's something on
the table.
Speaker 3 (35:24):
So no, I'm just I'm just saying theoretical because back
in the late nineties, the currency, the exchange rate was
so bad. I mean that's why Quebec you know, went
to Colorado, Montreal and and and Toronto. They were not
(35:46):
doing well financially. You know, they just tried to build
that new arenas and they spent a lot of money.
I mean, I'm not saying that they would have gone under, but.
Speaker 1 (35:55):
It was bad. It was really bad.
Speaker 3 (35:58):
I mean, go to Canada as a college again, it
was like a thirty to forty discount back in the
late nineties.
Speaker 1 (36:06):
It's close tough.
Speaker 3 (36:10):
Yeah, So you know again it's like it would be
I'm just saying that if if if it were, if
it were on just like what the EU has, like
you know, you could take your passport, go through the
border just like that, and everything is you know under
a euro. You know, with the currency, I think it
(36:33):
would grow. The sport tremendously. I think, you know, I
think a lot of these Canadian teams. You know, a
lot of players may want to play in Canada if
if the economics was uh on the level playing field.
I mean, look, Quebec has the worst taxes as well.
I mean they got regulations, they you know, they've got
(36:55):
everything there.
Speaker 1 (37:01):
Yeah, yeah, I mean, And that's the thing is that,
like Canada has a lot more regulations in the US.
I don't know. I imagine that impacts the team, right,
that impacts a lot of the bottom line. So you know,
you know, I might be wanted in Canada, by the way, Oh,
I might be desired in Canada. I'm just kidding.
Speaker 3 (37:22):
No, I didn't pay a parking ticket in Montreal. I
gave somebody money to pay it for me because I
try to pay online and I couldn't because I needed
a Canadian address.
Speaker 1 (37:35):
To pay. Sam, if you want to give me money
to pay some mere things, I will gladly.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
I literally, Western Union somebody to do this, and I
don't know if he actually did it or not.
Speaker 1 (37:47):
I have to ask, how is Western Union in business
if not just for the scams. I don't know anybody
in your day like your day to day life. Who
uses Western Union Well back the day, back in the
day when I had to use Western Union. Anyway, I'm
not trying to get anyway anyway, all right, I'm ready
(38:12):
for plug Sam. Yeah, yeah, dot com is buzzing right now.
We are buzzing. We got stories on Mitch Marner. We
got stories in Sam Bennett, We got stories on the
free agents. We got stories on uh Tomas Tatar. We
have stories in Scott Gomez. We have stories on Brad Shaw.
Like you mentioned by Neilviia Piano, Jenny Struter has been writing.
(38:35):
We have a story from Sam other Sam about whether
Dougie Hamilton should be trade bait. This offseason, I wrote
a story about buyouts. I really broke down which players
might get bought out in which the one player that
absolutely positively will not get bought out where. But yeah,
(38:58):
we're talking a lot of off season stuff. I have
some draft stuff in the works. I talked about why
I want the Islanders to take James Hagins go for
the emotional pick first.
Speaker 3 (39:08):
Overall, that's what we want.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
We want emotion I also don't think it's very good,
so very helpful for us if they take a player
that's not very good. Soon, I'm gonna write about three
lessons the Devil should have learned from the New York
Rangers this season. I'm gonna write about some of the
top free agents I want. Oh, I just wrote about
(39:30):
five trade candidates that I want because I wrote, basically,
I wrote, Brady Kuchuk is off the table. Who are
the five superstars that I want to trade for now?
Because Braid Kichuk's off the table? So and yeah, we're
gonna follow, you know, follow where any news that comes out.
(39:53):
There's not a ton that's coming out right now, but
following a lot of the rumors, there's a lot of
people that are talking about a lot of guys. You know,
Rasmus Anderson's of Calgary is a guy whose name has
been floated out there. I think there's a couple of
interesting guys that you can target. I think the Devils
are closer to being like where Carolina is than we think.
(40:16):
I think two good moves and they're right there, and
it's like it's like glue and it molds everything together,
even with like and that's like understanding that you could
lose one of Niko Hasho or Jack Hughes. I just
think you need like a you know, I just I
would love the signs. I really like. That's the one thing.
(40:37):
I'm like, just do it, man, just just go for it.
It just makes too much sense. And then make a
couple of moves. Oh, before I go, what are your
thoughts on Paul Mary? Do you want Paul Mary back?
Absolutely not.
Speaker 3 (40:51):
Ye, there's things old man, I don't like. I don't
like second tour of duties with with with players. Only
time I accepted it was uh Clone Mew.
Speaker 1 (41:05):
Yeah, club was good. I liked the Shanahan. I thought
that was fun. It was fun. You know. You forget
that he was back for a year, right an he
come in the middle of the season. I don't remember, No,
(41:25):
I think he was in the beginning. I just don't
think he played much, you know, he was he was
fine when he played. Yeah, terrible, but yeah, you don't
remember because I think they got bounced in like five games.
I think it was either they lost the Flyers or
something like five years. I thought they lost to the
Carolina Hurricanes. Was that that year? I think it may
(41:48):
have been that year where you.
Speaker 3 (41:49):
Know, oh we got the lead with three minutes left,
in the game seven.
Speaker 1 (41:53):
No, let's go party and then like then went down. Man, Sam,
I was watching the Knicks that game one, and I
was like, I'm I was like, I've been here before.
I'm not confident. They lost. You know what.
Speaker 3 (42:09):
They were the same team colors as the New York Mets.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
And when I saw that ball go up, I was like,
this is another Mets moment, and then I went down. Yeah,
sad stuff. Oh well, there's always next year, all right, Sam?
Speaker 3 (42:24):
Well, no, wait, there's still game five. I'm waiting for
the tickets to drop a little. Okay, I might, I
might go. I might go tomorrow. But I'm just it's
got to meet that threshold. I check every hour.
Speaker 1 (42:41):
You have a pretty high threshold, Like I don't play
in the same wool waters.
Speaker 3 (42:47):
Well my threshold, Well, my threshold is how do I
with with.
Speaker 1 (42:58):
I base it on.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
I have my own like little analytics before we go.
It's it's one of those peak life moment. Is it
worth the money? And I think it's more of will
that memory last a lifetime? And if it does, I'll
pay top dollar like that. Four nations. No regrets, no
(43:26):
regrets whatsoever. Going to that Mets game with a Lindor
Grand Slam.
Speaker 1 (43:33):
No regrets. I will for the rest of my life.
I will remember that moment. And I'm just as just
as I've been on the other side where I went
to Yankees Phillies Game one where Cliff Lee just like
shut the Yankees down. I think they scored one run
on like a dribbler and then they lost like six
(43:53):
to one. So there's there's the other side where you're
just like and it was raining, it was plote. I
get to say it to the World Series. Wow.
Speaker 3 (44:04):
Let me let me tell you if I told you
the Chris Bassett story. Game three, that's uh. I forgot
who they were playing along the way, A big rock
hit my windshield and I already knew we were gonna lose.
And that's when that guy they played the Padres and
that was that guy must grow over something like that
(44:24):
or must be Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:26):
That was cheating. I could see. I could see the
wax on his ear from the stands, you know. Anyway,
all right, well that's it, that's enough. But we're just
making a little small talk because it's the off season. Yep.
Speaker 3 (44:44):
Anyway, Well, Nick, I'll go to bucksopitchforks dot com tomorrow
to catch up on my articles there.
Speaker 1 (44:53):
I'm going to write three articles tonight.
Speaker 3 (44:55):
Awes them awesome. Gonadrop the podcast at midnight We're back.
Sunday edition will be back as well, so keep you
here until next time.
Speaker 1 (45:08):
Let's go down the
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