Jeff and Elliotte (while in his car) recap the heavyweight tilt between the Penguins and Maple Leafs, discuss the Claude Giroux press conference and where he might land, and wonder what Vancouver might be looking to do with some of their stars.
Take a ride with Elliotte! Jeff is joined by Elliotte who is on his way home from the Scotiabank Arena after covering the Penguins-Maple Leafs game. They recap the game (2:00), discuss the Claude Giroux press conference and where he might land (7:30), touch on Jack Eichel’s first game in almost a year (15:25), what Vancouver might be looking to do with some of their stars (18:45), a new name in the Blackhawks GM search (27:20), and Martin St. Louis gets his first win as the head coach of the Montreal Canadiens (32:45).
Full transcript for the episode can be found here by Medha Monjaury
Music Outro: Datsunn - I Guess It’s Called
Listen to the entire Forever Flowing LP by Datsunn on Spotify
This podcast is produced and mixed by Amil Delic, and hosted by Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman.
Audio Credits: Philadelphia Flyers, Sportsnet and Sportsnet 650.
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.
OPEN //// Elliotte Friedman [00:00:02] I'm in my driveway.
Jeff Marek [00:00:05] Okay, so we haven't done one of these in a while, welcome to 32 Thoughts the Podcast presented by the all-new GMC AT4 Lineup, it is Elliotte the return of the, Elliotte Drives Home After Doing A Regional Game Carcast. You just completed, along with David Amber and Justin Bourne, cameo by Brian Burke, more on that in a couple of moments, during the Pittsburgh Penguins-Toronto Maple Leafs game, and you are on your way home driving safely as you always do.
Elliotte Friedman [00:00:32] Yes.
Jeff Marek [00:00:32] Highlight of the night for me was this exchange. .
Jeff Marek [00:00:41] And how was it seeing Burkie again tonight?
Elliotte Friedman [00:00:44] You know, it was good. You know I love to see him. Former teammate of ours. We didn't get a chance to see a lot of him, he was, obviously he was working and he came over late in the second period, so we didn't really get a chance to talk while the game was going on. I spoke to him briefly during the commercial break, you know hoping I'll get a chance to catch up with him in the future. But it's always great to catch up with him and I didn't even have to, the best part about that, Jeff, was we didn't even have to rehearse that. I just said to myself, I'm gonna ask it and he's gonna know what to do, and he did, I threw a belt high fastball and he walked in on the fifth deck. No rehearsal.
Jeff Marek [00:01:25] Here's my question when he left the set did did he say, good job David?
Elliotte Friedman [00:01:29] Actually he didn't.
Jeff Marek [00:01:30] Ooooh!
Elliotte Friedman [00:01:30] That was the stunning part. Or if he did it, I didn't notice. Yeah, that was a weird one. I knew it because, I guess we explain that Burkie has this thing when he worked on Hockey Night with us, where after a segment he would say good job to everybody except me. He forgot to do it this time.
Jeff Marek [00:01:48] It was always the funniest thing in the world.
Elliotte Friedman [00:01:49] And he was usually right.
Jeff Marek [00:01:50] We all knew it was coming and we all laughed like we just heard it for the first time. Like it got funnier and funnier the more that he did it, even though we knew that he was gonna do it anyway. Let's start with the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Maple Leafs. You just did the game, you were there, 50% capacity in Toronto now, what were your takeaways?
Elliotte Friedman [00:02:07] Well, I walked through the concourse after the game to get to where I parked and it was, it was just great to see people. You know it started off, the game with Matthew scoring on the breakaway in the first 20 seconds.
Clip [00:02:21] [Broadcast: Auston Matthews goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins to tie for the lead in goals in the league.]
Elliotte Friedman [00:02:42] And there was a buzz in the building when he went in and got the puck and started going and, I missed all that. I mean, I know a lot of you who listened in the states, you guys look at us as is kind of crazy in terms of everything that's happened here with capacity restrictions. And Brian Speer, the producer, was at the game tonight, and we were talking as we walked out just about again about how much we've missed it. And we're scheduled to go to 100% on March the 1st. It was just great to be around people at a sporting event. And I know again, people in the states, you guys are used to this. You've opened before we have. Man, do I realise how much I appreciate a crowd at a game Jeff I, I loved it tonight, it was such a great atmosphere, it was a fun night.
Jeff Marek [00:03:29] How much effect did it have on teams, do you think? I mean, not so much the Pittsburgh Penguins, they're not playing at home, they're used to playing in front of crowds anyhow, but on the Maple Leafs specifically, how much of a factor was it?
Elliotte Friedman [00:03:40] I think it had to be a huge factor, especially after, as we said, Matthews scored so early. Campbell had a big night. And when they were yelling SOUUUUP after some of his saves, you can see, you know, the players were into it. And, you know this was our last game at the rink, we are going back to the studio next week, and I'm gonna miss it. It wasn't as exciting the other game we did here, which had no crowd, but that tonight, Jeff, it was awesome. It was, it was great to be at a game amongst people. Last time I did, it was Game 5 of the Stanley Cup last year, right? So it had been a while, I really do miss it. A crowd makes such a huge difference and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Jeff Marek [00:04:26] Did you see when Matthews ate the crossbar?
Elliotte Friedman [00:04:29] Yes. You know what the weirdest thing about that was for me, Jeff is that, a guy who is so spatially aware did that.
Jeff Marek [00:04:37] I know. I know.
Elliotte Friedman [00:04:39] And the replays showed his teeth flying out.
Jeff Marek [00:04:42] Oh yeah like, we've seen players do it before, but not someone like Auston Matthews and not as blatant. Like it look like he just skated right into that thing mouth first. One of the weirdest things I've seen all season.
Elliotte Friedman [00:04:55] I'm with you because, you know, normally if a guy goes into the net, it's because he's being ridden into it. It was very strange to watch and I wasn't surprised he came back with whatever it was, two minutes left?
Jeff Marek [00:05:08] Yeah.
Elliotte Friedman [00:05:08] Because he strikes me as the kind of guy who's gonna say, I just want everyone to know I'm okay and that that isn't going to keep me out.
Jeff Marek [00:05:18] Do you have a thought on both these teams right now? Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins. We'll Move on after this.
Elliotte Friedman [00:05:24] I think Pittsburgh, they were due to have a bad night. They've been on a tear. Actually, I gotta tell you, I didn't even think it was that bad a night for them. First of all I thought it was a really good game. Like I like the way Pittsburgh plays. They're gonna make mistakes, but they're gonna be aggressive. And if I'm gonna lose a game, I would rather lose a game out of aggression than passivity. And they were aggressive and it bit them in a couple of places, and Campbell stood strong when they recovered. I like the Penguins a lot. You know Burkie in the intermission said, he's not sure what they're gonna be able to do.
Elliotte Friedman [00:06:34] But it made it sound like to me, they're gonna take a run for it and see what happens. I like the Penguins a lot as long as Jarry continues to play well. You know, Toronto, I really think Campbell got forced out of rhythm by the COVID shutdown. He was on a real roll. He hasn't been the same since that. I just think they have to play him. And tonight he had a real flukey first save where he kind of got tripped coming out of the net and then got back in and made a huge save. I thought once he made that one, he was rolling and, you know, Pittsburgh's embarrassed Toronto a couple of times this year. I thought that was a good win for Toronto and a real good game. I don't think anybody left that building tonight feeling they got cheated out of entertainment.
Jeff Marek [00:07:18] No, not at all. They, they enjoy themselves and it's good to see fans back at Scotiabank here, you're bang on there. Let's move on then. A couple of things from the week and a couple of things from the weekend, things that are on the horizon. Looking back this week, you know, we've talked plenty about Claude Giroux, Elliotte, and the decision and, you know, we saw him the other day talking to the media and... I don't know, it almost seems as if he has the look and the feel and the tone in his voice like, he knows what's gonna happen, he knows where this is headed, he doesn't have to like it, but he's a big boy and understands that this is the way it's going to be.
Jeff Marek [00:08:15] how did you read Claude Giroux this week?
Elliotte Friedman [00:08:17] Well, I went on to watch it live as it was happening.
Elliotte Friedman [00:08:44] You know one of my initial reactions was, this is pretty tough to watch. And I think sometimes in my job in particular, where I'm trying to keep on top of what's happening out there, I really try not to and I really try to keep on top of it, but I sometimes lose the human element of it, particularly this time of year. Several years ago, Jamie Lundmark's wife reached out to me. I can't remember how it all started, but she wanted to talk about what it was like when your, your husband is in the middle of trade rumours right around the deadline. And I remember during a game at what is now the Scotiabank Arena, I went down to just the area outside the wives' room and she came and met me and we sat on a couch and talked about it for a few minutes. And I wrote about it. And there was another time where Willie Desjardins' daughter talked about what it was like when her father's job security was a rumour. And, you know sometimes I think we all need to be reminded of that, and I was reminded of it watching Giroux because most of us sit here and say, oh why would that guy want to stay, he's coming to the end of his contract, Flyers aren't gonna go make the playoffs. Why wouldn't he easily wanna go chase the Stanley Cup? And I think what we were reminded of there Jeff is that, you know, being a Flyer means a lot to Claude Giroux.
Jeff Marek [00:10:16] Mhm.
Elliotte Friedman [00:10:16] Watching his family at the All-Star Game and how much that meant to him. I think they love it there, I think they do and, you know, it reminds me, Jeff, and we've all had situations when we leave our jobs. When I left Headline Sports or the Score I guess for CBC, I was going to Hockey Night in Canada and, I was gonna go. But I remember they had a goodbye party for me and it was very emotional. There were a whole bunch of pictures on a personal board and everybody signed it and I still remember going in the cab home with that poster and how emotional it was for me. Just to know like, all the history. And I remember the last time I ever walked out of the Hockey Night in Canada and the CBC building as a CBC employee. That even though, you know, Hockey Night in Canada was going to sports and Rogers and I was happy to still be a part of it, you know it was tough because there were so many good memories there. And Claude Giroux, the reality is hitting him now, and he's going through that moment that I can empathise with that, he knows this is probably going to be the end. And I think it's really hitting him. And to talk about it, again like I think to all of us on the outside, like of course you're gonna go chase the Stanley Cup. And I think he will. But even though he might be leaving to a better chance to win, that guy's a Flyer. And we know for a lot of Flyer alumni what it means to be a Flyer. And I think it's hitting him right now and it, it hurts. Like I understand exactly what he's thinking and Jeff, it reminded me that, you know, maybe... I don't know if gleeful is the right word because I don't think I'm gleeful, but in my aggressiveness to chase the story, to remember that, you know, there is a person here who's, it's not easy for him to go through.
Jeff Marek [00:12:24] You know, I think after Bobby Clarke forgot his name before he draufted him and that infamous draft story moment with the Philadelphia Flyers, I think Giroux said something along the lines of, don't worry Mr. Clarke, I'll make sure you never forget my name again. I might be paraphrasing that on Giroux, but I think he told Bobby Clark something along those lines. Okay. Emotion out of it. Cold, hard reality, business of hockey, trade deadline approaching. We've talked plenty about the Colorado Avalanche, but you write in 32 Thoughts at Sportsnet.ca about! The Florida Panthers. And I look at it and I say, if it's Florida, where?
Elliotte Friedman [00:13:05] Yeah, you know, Jeff you make me laugh. First of all, I tell you, you make me laugh because I'm, I'm here waxing poetic about how we should be, you know, empathetic.
Jeff Marek [00:13:16] Yeah.
Elliotte Friedman [00:13:16] And you're like, forget that, let's talk about where he's going!
Jeff Marek [00:13:19] Yeah, where's he going, here we go. Colorado, Florida, take your pick, let's throw some darts here.
Elliotte Friedman [00:13:23] Well, you know, there's been some reporting this week, you know, obviously, we've been all over Colorado, and I still do feel that they're very much in it. There's been some reporting about Minnesota and St. Louis. I'm sure they're interested I mean, why wouldn't they be? I just haven't heard them mentioned as much about... being the most preferred destinations. And you know, Florida, you know, when I first heard it, the possibility of it, I said the same thing to you as why. And I think the reason is, is someone said to me, you know, you look at it and you say, we could find a fit. Now, I have heard from a couple of people since I mentioned that, that the biggest problem you know Florida has is they don't have a first rounder this year. And actually, Colorado's in a similar boat. You know what a couple of people have told me is that Philly also too, they want a prospect that's closer to playing. So I think that that's gonna be the interesting thing here Jeff is that, like if it's one of those two teams, it's probably not a first and a prospect. It might be, you know, do you have to move like two prospects? Do you have to say, a prospect who's close to ready to play and then another asset, whatever it is? Because I do think that Philly wants that, I think they want someone who can maybe help them next year who's on the cusp of being a player. And that might actually help Florida and Colorado in this situation, because I don't think that that's what Philly necessarily wants is a first round pick who might not play for a few years.
Jeff Marek [00:15:23] Another big story this week, Jack Eichel returns finally, and it's a perfect Vegas moment. I mean, write the script, they did it, everything outside of the Walt Disney-esque performance by Jack Eichel, and that's understandable, it's his first game in 11 months, you got to cut the guy some slack. The Vegas Golden Knights lose 2-nothing but nonetheless, Jack Eichel is back in the mix. Elliotte, you have a thought on that?
Elliotte Friedman [00:15:51] Well I thought he was wired, he took a couple of penalties. I mean, how many games is that going to happen where he's taking two minors a game? He was wired to play. Like I said, I'm really thrilled he made it through it. Tough place to be dropped in against Colorado. You know it's not exactly they're going to take it easy on him and that's gonna be a slow game or anything like that. I was just happy to see him back, I thought the introduction for him was great. You know what I'd really like to know? Is what Nathan MacKinnon said to him at the faceoff.
Jeff Marek [00:16:22] Oh yeah.
Elliotte Friedman [00:16:23] If you watch the start of that game, they were talking to each other for a couple secs and, you know it wasn't really the greatest time to ask because of what happened with MacKinnon during that game with a hit with Patrick.
Jeff Marek [00:16:36] Nolan Patrick.
Elliotte Friedman [00:16:37] But I would like to find out because I really wonder what MacKinnon would say in that moment.
Jeff Marek [00:16:43] I'm guessing it's got to be something akin to welcome back no?
Elliotte Friedman [00:16:46] Welcome back I wanna kick your arse.
Jeff Marek [00:16:48] Welcome back, heads up. I'm Nathan MacKinnon, we're the Colorado Avalanche, and we don't like what happened last year after Game 2. We didn't even, we didn't actually like Game 2 but we came out with the win, a win we probably shouldn't have had.
Elliotte Friedman [00:17:00] I want to ask you a question first of all.
Jeff Marek [00:17:02] All right, go.
Elliotte Friedman [00:17:02] Do you think that Colorado's still looking at a goalie? Or is this just, okay Kuemper's our guy now.
Jeff Marek [00:17:08] Okay so here's where I'm at, I thought for a good part of this season that they were, until about a month and a half ago when Darcy Kuemper really started to come around and pull it back together. And now, considering the gave up a first round draft pick and Conor Timmins, who you know, despite his, his medical situation is a really good prospect. I've always like Conor Timmins. I think that they're looking at this and saying, okay, we're good with our goaltending. We're fine.
Elliotte Friedman [00:17:34] I agree.
Jeff Marek [00:17:34] We know, we know we have about, we have one swing. Maybe if we can make the nickels and dimes work, maybe we'll get two swings at trade deadline time, but it's not gonna be on a goalie. We're good with the goaltending. That's what I think.
Elliotte Friedman [00:17:49] That's what I think too Jeff. I always heard that they were planning on waiting, waiting, waiting, just hope that Kuemper would give them enough of a run where he was healthy that they could say, we're good with this. And they've got to be at that point now, don't they?
Jeff Marek [00:18:04] I would think so? I mean, he's a .921 goaltender. He's played real good. And when you play on an Avalanche team, it's not as if you need elite-level goaltending. If you have it, that's great. But, you know, I've always thought that you can't win unless you get .915 goaltending and he's giving them more than that.
Elliotte Friedman [00:18:22] Yeah.
Jeff Marek [00:18:23] So to me and the Colorado Avalanche, if you're getting .915 goaltending, that's good enough? And he's given a more than .915 goaltending. So if I'm Colorado, I'm Joe Sakic, I'm good, I'm looking elsewhere. I'm looking at, you know, Claude Giroux. I'm looking at one of the forwards from the Vancouver Canucks, whatever. I'm looking forwards, I'm looking forwards here. Speaking of Vancouver. The most obvious play, I would imagine for Jim Rutherford, and, you know, some interesting comments on Halford and Brough on 650 the other day.
Elliotte Friedman [00:18:53] Yup.
Jeff Marek [00:21:55] The most obvious play here is Brock Boeser.
Elliotte Friedman [00:21:57] Yup.
Jeff Marek [00:21:58] And probably that has to do with the financial realities of what his next contract is going to look like. Your thoughts on Vancouver and Brock Boeser and is he, I mean, is he the obvious candidate or is there someone that we're missing here?
Elliotte Friedman [00:22:15] Well, look, I reported a while ago that I'm not convinced they want to trade Miller, and I do still think that. It's just that, I think they really like Miller. I think they like what he brings to their group. He's like an ornery guy and on the ice and you know, you need people like that. Players like Miller, they, he can play centre, he can play the wing, he drags you into the fight. I'm not convinced that that's the guy they want to move, and I haven't been convinced that that's the guy they wanted to move for some time. They always get asked about him, and they know that that means he's got value. But I think they also look at their team and say if we lose him, you know, what do we have? And it's the kind of player that when you lose, you're gonna have to look for a long time to try to replace. So I'm not convinced that that's what they want to do. Now, the Boeser thing, I think there's definitely something to it. The Garland thing, I definitely think there's something to it. You know, some of their other players, I definitely think there's something to it. But one of the things that I really do believe is that the Canucks have to get their head around what Miller's future is gonna be because I think they sit there and they say, we could trade him, we could keep him. And they're also looking at, what does it cost us to sign him? And I think that's going to be a huge number.
Jeff Marek [00:23:52] If you're Jim Rutherford and you're thinking, okay, I wonder if we have a shot here to resign J.T. Miller. One you don't necessarily like what the next Brock Boeser contract is going to look like.
Elliotte Friedman [00:24:04] Yup.
Jeff Marek [00:24:05] And two, you're gonna need some money for J.T. Miller. Isn't the M.O. here if you're Jim Rutherford, sure we wanna do everything on the Pettersson-Quinn Hughes-Demko timeline, we understand all that, but isn't job number one then maybe just making cap space? Just get us some flexibility?
Elliotte Friedman [00:24:20] Yes, I do think that's the case. I think the thing with Boeser is that, anyone you trade him to has the same issue you do. What's the next deal?
Jeff Marek [00:24:32] And that's why you need to trade him to a team that has some expiring contracts and has the room to do it and has a need for a goalscoring winger. And I think that's why New Jersey makes the most sense.
Elliotte Friedman [00:24:43] Well, we mentioned New Jersey and Garland, right?
Jeff Marek [00:24:46] Yeah.
Elliotte Friedman [00:24:47] I do think there is a potential match here. Obviously it's been reported they've talked in the past, and that's true. I think the most challenging thing to figure out is how close they actually got. And I think they really talked about it, but I got told today by a couple of people, it wasn't close. I think the way it was reported was, gone down the road. I think that's a very accurate way of reporting it. But it wasn't close I was told it like, was never like Brian Windhorst, who really did a lot of the big reporting last week in the NBA on the James Harden-Ben Simmons trade. He used the phrase "the deal zone," we're in the deal zone. I like that one, I'm completely stealing it out. I don't think that they were in the deal zone. I think they talked about it, as you know, Frank reported, but I don't think they were in the deal zone. The thing that someone said to me about Boeser that's the challenge now is that, the time to get Boeser may have been a year or two ago when you still had some time on this current contract. Like, does it affect your asset return if, trade for him now when you have to deal with the 7.4 million dollar qualifying offer.
Jeff Marek [00:26:07] Right.
Elliotte Friedman [00:26:08] Like, I think if you're New Jersey, let's just assume it New Jersey for a sec okay?
Jeff Marek [00:26:13] Yup.
Elliotte Friedman [00:26:13] We'll use New Jersey but it could be anyone else. Let's just say you're interested in both Boeser and Garland, okay? From a contract standpoint, who makes more sense?
Jeff Marek [00:26:25] Conor Garland makes more sense in this situation.
Elliotte Friedman [00:26:29] Right. So then the question becomes, do you like Boeser that much more of a player, for argument's sake, to give up the assets to what's going to take to get him, plus whatever the new deal is. And that's the challenge here. It's not like a big secret, but I was talking with someone who said, that's Vancouver's big challenge here, because everything they feel about Boeser's next year, the acquiring team's gonna feel that way, too. So at some point in time, I'm gonna wonder, are we gonnao reach a point where teams are gonna be given the opportunity to say, before we do this deal, we'd like to talk about his next contract?
Jeff Marek [00:27:13] I'm with you, Friedge, I share the same concern, I think anybody that follows this closely would echo that as well. A few more things to hustle and get to before you get home. The Chicago Blackhawks general manager hunt. You really popped the name here. Teresa Resch is employed by the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. She is the VP of Basketball Operations and Player Development. This one was a surprise to just about everybody, although should it be a surprise considering, you know, it wasn't that long ago that Jeff Greenberg was interviewed, assistant general manager with the Chicago Cubs. So it's not just quote unquote hockey people that are getting interviewed here. What should we know about Teresa Resch?
Elliotte Friedman [00:27:54] First of all, I'd say popping a name is better than popping a hamstring so I'm, I'm happy about that.
Jeff Marek [00:27:59] Yes. Yes.
Elliotte Friedman [00:28:01] You know Jeff honestly it's, is a surprise. I appreciate you trying to say that maybe we shouldn't have been surprised because, as you said, there were gonna be some off the beaten path candidates here. The more I think about it I just, I would never have even considered going down this road unless I hadn't been pointed in that direction. And it's not anything against Theresa Resch or her ability to do the job or anything like that, I just wouldn't have thought of it. So on that level, I absolutely think it's a surprise move. Michael Grange did a really good story on her on Thursday. I called Michael before I published on Rory Boylen, our editor's suggestion. I called Michael before we published the quick note on Wednesday and just gave him a heads up that what I was doing. And, you know, he obviously, he has the really good basketball sources, so he could do some things that I wasn't able to do, and you really saw that, the story he came up with. You know, he came up with a story about, you know, her efforts to get their new practise facility built and some of the things she's been responsible for that were much more in-depth than I was aware of. You know, the things that I was told that the reasons that she was pointed out to them, and it was Mike Forde of Sportspology who kind of led them down this road is, she's got background in both and big responsibilities in both the basketball side of the team and the business operations side of the team. She does scouting, she's been sent on road trips, and basically the Raptors, you know, Masai Ujiri is the leader of the team, Bobby Webster, the GM has gained a lot of responsibility, and you know, basically she's right there as a very trusted confidante to both of them. So in terms of just overall ability to do a job and to manage a team, she's definitely qualified. I just think that the biggest question is, how serious a contender is she? I had a lot of people asking me that. Like people are saying, is this just an interview to make the Blackhawks look good? Is this a serious contender? I have had people say to me, don't underestimate this. I think the Blackhawks are gonna decide either second tier candidates. I think there's an outside chance they announce a GM like at the end of next week, I think they go second tier candidates first. I think there's a chance she ends up being a second tier candidate from them. The most interesting thing that someone said to me was, the Raptors pay very well and her star is rising in the NBA. And I had a couple of people who said to me, they wonder she would want this job and B, if she gets hired for this job, she's gonna need help because she's stepping into a completely unfamiliar area, so you need good people around you who can help you with what you don't know because we all don't know a lot. And some of the people I spoke to wondered, would she feel confident in what the Blackhawks would put around her? I don't wanna speak for Teresa Resch. I'm just asking questions that were asked of me.
Jeff Marek [00:31:36] So let me ask you one question that was asked of me today.
Elliotte Friedman [00:31:38] Yeah?
Jeff Marek [00:31:39] Talked to someone this afternoon who said, have you heard the name Jason Botterill in Chicago? And I said, personally, no, and they said, well, it's a name that we've heard a couple of different times. Have you heard the name Jason Botterill in Chicago?
Elliotte Friedman [00:31:57] I heard it. It was denied to me, but it fits, right? It does fit. It was denied to me. But then again I will say this. Teresa Resch's name was denied to me. You know, one of the reasons I think people were so surprised was that, her name wasn't announced. And all the other names were announced right?
Jeff Marek [00:32:22] Right.
Elliotte Friedman [00:32:23] And I was under the impression that there was some conversation about someone here preferred it not to be announced by the team, whether it was the Blackhawks, whether it was Teresa Resch, or whether it was the Raptors. I don't know. But there was some talk about that, so it was denied to me but, as I said Jeff, that doesn't always mean anything here.
Jeff Marek [00:32:46] Listen, it's been a really interesting week for the Montreal Canadiens. Last podcast we talked about the Tyler Toffoli trade, what's next for Kent Hughes and some of the names, and one of the things that's happened over the past few games, and listen, Montreal won a game on Thursday night, is, all of the sudden, you know you always wonder, you know, okay, new coach comes in, who's gonna have the greatest impact? Like, whose game is gonna change, who's gonna get the benefit here from the new coach? And it seems right away? That the answer is Cole Caufield. Like under Martin St. Louis Cole Caufield looks like a different player is, producing like we haven't seen, and right away it looks like the first person that St. Louis has helped? Cole Caufield.
Elliotte Friedman [00:33:34] Well that's the player you have to invest in right? Because he's your future. He scored that huge goal at the end of regulation to send that game against St. Louis into overtime. When I see Cole Caufield, if Martin St. Louis can help that player, that's good news for everybody involved because he's gotta be, if not number one on your priority list, it's very close to the top. So if there's a connection between St. Louis and Caufield, that is a rare bright light in a dismal season for the Canadiens. That's the guy you gotta make work.
Jeff Marek [00:34:08] Yeah, like listen, you're right, they're doing this, they need a guy like Caufield, they need Nick Suzuki. We all know the trade candidates, et cetera. And you're looking for a good news story like, man, if you're Montreal, hand me something positive. And right now, it's the battery of the coach, Martin St. Louis and Cole Caufield. All right, you're allowed to go inside now Elliotte, you can get out of your car.
Elliotte Friedman [00:34:30] Yeah I'm in my driveway.
Jeff Marek [00:34:31] You can walk to the driveway. You're ready to go, but not before I let you know that taking us out today, a new age beat maker who found his voice in the most interesting of places. Datsunn has been creating music since 2019, but it's his 2022 album that put him on the map, having been created on Twitch in the fall of 2019 from his Forever Flowing LP, here's Datsunn with I Guess It's Called, on 32 Thoughts the Podcast.