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Nadeau and Robidas On Fire | How Chicago Stops the Defensive Bleeding · stormTRacker Podcast | Carolina Hurricanes & NHL Hockey

• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Chicago Wolves continue their solid run with points in their last seven games, cementing their position in second place in the Central Division.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Bradley Nadil and Justin Robidaw have been driving the offense, and the Wolves have received valuable defensive contributions from relative newcomers, Yusil Valmackey and Cal Foote.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: Joining me as always to talk about the Wolves and their recent run and what we can look forward to in the coming months, our insider Andrew Rinaldi.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hey Andrew, how's it going?
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's going pretty good, Tom.
• 1:10
  SPEAKER_01: I hope you guys are uh are staying warm down in the south.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: I know there's been uh this apocalyptic snowstorm cutting through the uh the southern states, but you know, for us here in Michigan, it's kind of Tuesday.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: So it's uh as usual for you, yes.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, uh being a being a person from up north in Canada for many, many years, of course, uh I'm used to that as well.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: It has been cold.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the polar vortex system has hit us as well.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: We uh we had uh some rain that turned to ice, and of course, you know how that goes.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but uh the last day or so it's warmed up a little bit during the day, so it's melted off.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: But boy, it's been chilly this morning.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: I think I headed out and it was about uh 15 degrees.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_00: So that's not normal uh Georgia weather, I can assure you of that.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: In any case, uh yeah, it's uh great hockey weather and uh and helping us stay in the mood for sure.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Anyway, great to have you on, as always, Andrew.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I've been following what's been going on closely with the Wolves lately, and since Hero Sinastis took over, they've been playing some great hockey.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they've gone 9, 2, 2, and 4 since December 12, and he took the reins.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you know, the last seven games, their offense has been just smoke, and they scored 35 goals.
• 2:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's insane.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_00: I think one game was seven to six, another game was six to five.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, these these numbers are foolish, right?
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: And you're watching these scores and going, you gotta be kidding me.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: But uh they did win five of the seven, so uh that was good news.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: The bad news was they did give up 28 goals.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, there's some some concerns there.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: I did a quick check of this year versus last year just for interest's sake, and it's pretty similar.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh last year after 36 games, they had 40 points.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: They were sitting in fourth in the central.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_00: This year after 39 games, they have 48 points, so it's in the same range, but they're sitting in second place in the central.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: So a little bit of a better situation for them.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, they're following the big dog, the juggernaut, uh, the Grand Rapids Griffins.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: So, and I think everybody will be and is following those guys.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they're sitting nicely in second place, they're seven points ahead of third place Manitoba Moose, so it's all good.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, and what can you tell us about what you're seeing these days?
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, this there's uh been a lot of the red light being lit up the last half of this month here, and the wolves have both been on a tear, and they've kind of had a bit of a tear going back the other way.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh yeah, they had they had a very interesting road trip with a couple uh couple stops in Cleveland and another one in Rockford where you know you just see this team getting down in the first half of these games like five to one, something ridiculous, and then heaven, there's just these this miraculous comeback where I mean, granted, they're you know putting the puck into the net quite a bit, but they're also putting themselves kind of beyond behind the the eight ball and the you know the seven ball and the six ball is so um you know I but yes, the the the the numbers are just absolutely you know uh eye-popping and uh you know really kind of reminiscent of the fireworks that go off to start Wolves games, now you've got them going throughout the game here for better and for worse.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_01: Um it's been an exciting brand of hockey.
• 4:43
  SPEAKER_01: Uh you know, I think that maybe the coaching staff would probably like to tighten it up a little bit here and there, but um, you know, I think since the naming of the the all-star teams, perhaps this would probably be a good segue into it.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_01: Uh the Wolf Stars have really been shining.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_01: And uh it's it's it's it's it's been a fun product.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: Whether, like I said, whether the coaching staff will agree with me or not is probably different, but uh you know, those they don't make come around with those seven, six games quite often.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll uh I'll appreciate it while while uh while they're on the beat, you know.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you mentioned the uh the all-stars, and three of those guys have certainly been putting their finger on the on the offensive side for sure.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Their contributions have been huge, and that's uh Bradley Nadeau, of course, uh Justin Robodaugh and uh Dominic Fensori.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: All three of those guys will be heading to the All-Star games.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: That's exciting stuff for the Wolves.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Um let's let's talk a little bit about that, the forwards and this top forward line, which I think has just been absolutely unstoppable.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you've got uh Ryan Suzuki centering for Bradley Dodo and Justin Robodaugh.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: And we talked a little bit last month about you know, Robodon had been moved over to the wing.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, you know, it's interesting.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: I I heard a podcast on uh Sound the Siren recently with uh Spiros Anastas, and he was talking about Robodon.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: He said he he's totally able to play center right.
• 6:13
  SPEAKER_00: So don't worry, he's a great centerman, but he's doing so much on the right side, and uh he's been so effective there that uh we didn't really feel like we needed to move him back to center.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: So uh good story, and of course uh Spiros Anastas also saying quite clearly that in his mind Justin Robodaugh is ready to play in the National Hockey League and and he's putting it all together.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: And and he kind of made an interesting comment, which was uh last year was Robodah's first real year in pro.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_00: The year before he was in the Eastern League.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: It's pro, but it's not quite the same.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_00: And he said, you know, last year he was kind of cutting his teeth and figuring out this, and he said he's a very, very smart player, very intelligent player.
• 6:56
  SPEAKER_00: And uh they sent him off with some to-dos in the summer.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: He said he came back, he was ready, and he's a different player now.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_00: So um you can see it, he's he's on track for uh 40 goal a year or whatever this year.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's insane.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_00: So so definitely that line's been hot.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um the last seven games for Robodaugh, seven goals, seven assists.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's good.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, what are you seeing with uh Justin Robodaugh?
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_01: I've kind of banged this drum for a while, and I'm gonna continue to do it.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_01: It's the guy's motor that really just kind of is the uh is the core to his game.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's the his right, uh Coach Anassis is is correct in his smarts for the game and uh and all the little details that I think he's kind of put together since his rookie year heading into this year.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_01: But none of that matters if you don't have a guy who who goes out and and battles as hard as he does every single shift.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: And I that's I think that's been like his his best attribute.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah so you know last year he he he had that those intangibles, and yeah, he might have had to work on a couple details and a little uh you know, a couple kinks in this game.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: Well, now he's ironed all of those out, and you're seeing the the results of that this year.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_01: And again, if you're averaging a goal in the Sys a game over a couple of weeks span, uh I I think that qualifies as you know beyond on fire.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, it coach and S is said straight up, is just repeating what you said.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: This guy's can play at the next level tomorrow if if need be.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: So it's you know, I think it's it's a great problem to have one that you know they can shift him to the wing, they can move him to the center, and it's it's it's all it all stems from that that attitude of like I'll I'll play wherever you need me, I'll do whatever needs to be done to be successful, and I'll, you know, the the talent here or there doesn't matter because he's gonna go out and he's gonna outcompete whoever is gonna be lining up against him on the other side.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_01: So it I've I've enjoyed the watching the progression in his game and watch him continue to to grow and to I mean it's one thing now work the guy, but then he can outthink you on top of it as well.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_01: And again, you're seeing you're seeing the fruits of of his labor, and and when you see the the work he puts in now start to really pile up on the score sheet, it it it it it's just it's the makings of of a really special season that he's building here in Chicago.
• 9:41
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and the interesting thing is uh he's moved up to a tie for eighth overall in AHL scoring, so he's sitting at uh 39 points now, 20 goals uh in 36 games, and he's a plus 26.
• 9:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, this guy is just he's doing it all.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, he's doing it all.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_00: His last 19 games, 16 goals and 11 assists.
• 10:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's just it's incredible the run he's on.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Um in fact, I said recently on X, I said it's an all-world run, it's just incredible.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: Um so he he's been doing it all.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you know, it's great to see him recognize too in that all-star game.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's fantastic.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, he's somebody we're we're gonna keep watching.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: I hope he can continue to score.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, he's gonna slow down a little bit, but I hope he can uh top 30 or 35 goals this year because that would really be fantastic for him.
• 10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, of course, uh aiding and abetting him in a huge way is the show.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: And then, of course, that's Bradley Nadeau.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and he was named what AHL Player of the Week for the second time in about six weeks.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: So on December 7, he was player of the week.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_00: January 25, he's player of the week.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_00: This guy just doesn't quit.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh last 20 games for him, 13 goals, 13 assists.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's ridiculous.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_00: He's uh 10th in the HL and scoring now, plus 23.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: I can go on and on about this guy.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_00: What can you say about Bradley Nadel?
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_01: What more can I really say about him at this point?
• 11:07
  SPEAKER_01: You know, obviously he's he's been a big point of emphasis every week, and we bring him up and we talk about you know the NHL caliber shot he we he has.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_01: We talk about the the game he continues to, the game within the game that he continues to work on, and all the the details beyond just shooting the puck that make him a war more rounded player.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_01: That's why he's got those 13 assists to go on top of those 13 goals.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: And that he's the key cog in the first the straw that stirs the wolves drink in that first line, you know.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: And uh it's right.
• 11:45
  SPEAKER_01: What at this point, what more can I really say that hasn't already been said?
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh it's it it it's been a blessing to have this guy around in a wolf sweater.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know how many more games we're gonna have of him at this point.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's an interesting question, which we'll talk about for sure.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_01: But you know, he's he's gonna keep doing his thing, and the fact that he, you know, he continues to do it with such consistency, and it's I don't want to say making it look like child's play because this is a grown men's league and everything, but uh as uh you know a 20-year-old doing the things that he he's doing, not a lot of guys should be able to do it.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_01: And it's you know, he's got all the marks of a guy who's gonna be uh a contributor at the next level, and it's uh right.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I I feel like I I don't want to keep repeating myself and seeing things I've been saying week after week or month after month on this show with about him, but it's it's hard.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: You got a guy of his talent, and he keeps, you know, he he there's not a whole lot of bumps to his game.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: He keeps bringing it every night, and obviously you're you're seeing it in the awards and the accolades that are starting to come down for him at this level.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and the interesting thing is, of course, that uh the hope this year with uh with Bradley was that he would kind of round out his game.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, very specific uh requests uh in terms of improvements in defensive area, playing a heavier game, uh being more kind of involved in the play and so on.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: No question, his offensive skills are off the charts.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: But the question was, could he kind of add those other pieces?
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_00: Which younger players is generally the second thing that kind of comes along and say, I think I'll start checking now and hit the odd guy.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, he's definitely doing that, and he showed that clearly uh with the canes, and of course, he's sitting at plus 23, as I mentioned.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: He's definitely doing all of those things.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, and of course, is just off the charts with his offensive game.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, we'll talk a little bit about some thoughts on uh on some of these players in a few minutes.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think uh there's gonna be some some action that may come uh uh very, very quickly here as we head toward the NHL trade deadline, but we'll talk about that in a minute.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the other member of that line is Ryan Suzuki.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: He's just uh you know, he's the veteran on the line.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: He just keeps doing it.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he's over a point a game, uh actually a point and a half a game his last eight games.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: He's doing it too.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh a great line.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: Now, one thing I want to mention was that uh the Wolves have been getting some help from some other lines too, which is kind of fun.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh the second line uh, of course, uh features Felix Unger Sorm alongside uh Pavlychev and Vierling.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, now you know Veerling's an interesting one to me.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: We've talked a little bit about Evan Veerling before.
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: Beerling, uh, you know, he's drafted by the Rangers, didn't really go anywhere.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, his last year in junior, he had a pretty darn good year.
• 14:47
  SPEAKER_00: Um he had 95 points in 60 games, and he was a guy that uh, you know, he's a good-sized guy, six feet, 180 pounds.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: He can he can do some cool stuff.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think this year he's played quite well for the Wolves.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_00: What are you seeing with Bierling?
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm seeing a lot of of the same that you're seeing.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_01: He wasn't necessarily on my radar a lot heading into the season, but he was kind of one of those guys when you know you had uh, you know, Tyson Joast was claimed off of waivers and everything.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: A couple guys that you're expecting to be there, you know, Yaska has been on the mend here.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um, who's gonna step up?
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, there's uh a list of names that maybe you might not be familiar with.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_01: Well, then once they start showing up and showing out that you start like, hey, this guy he can play, he's pretty good.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_01: And Veerling is uh kind of in the similar vein of Robot Out, just kind of his his smarts for the game, and he has such a good nose for the net that especially when you're playing on a guy on a line with a guy like uh Unger Sorum, right who knows where the puck's gotta be, when it's gotta be there.
• 15:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, all you gotta do is kind of put your stick down, and and you're gonna be receiving gifts all day from a guy like that.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: And he's he's he's just been a good fit in with that line with a uh playmaker like Unger Sorum with a guy like Pavlichev who can go in there and get the puck for you.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: Go to the net.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's kind of like uh it's it's it's the oldest adage in hockey.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: But if you go to the you just go to the net, you know?
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_01: Um and and just he he he re has the smarts to recognize the gaps and and where to fill them in.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: And uh again, a guy who I you know, okay, uh who's the I guess uh he kind of just a name at first, but now he's he and he's been around with with such consistency.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_01: He's been on that second line all year.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: He has and you know to to do that, you have to really earn the coach's trust, you have to show up and and not just perform uh on the offensive side, you have to come back and make sure that you're responsibly sound on on your own end as well.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_01: So he's been able to do that with consistency.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_01: The coaches love him, the fans love him.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_01: I kind of love him if you can't tell.
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: And uh it's it it it's been it's it's been one of those, again, one of those stories where it's like, you know, this guy, I don't really want to say he came out of nowhere because you're right, he had good years and juniors and was a pick of the Rangers and everything.
• 17:23
  SPEAKER_01: But it wasn't, you know, you weren't expecting him to come up and cement himself uh in a top six role, and he has.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: And again, you know, he he did it because he's got a great IQ and he he's got a great worth ethic to go along with it.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's again, it sounds kind of cliche.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh with you know, you got those two big points in the game, kind of like with Robodah, who's a freak in his own right, and that's why he's doing as well as he is, but you know, it's kind of Robodah light in a way, and you know, that breeds success as you've seen now with two different guys that we've talked about.
• 18:00
  SPEAKER_00: Well, and and you know, the Wolves did sign some players on their own accord in the offseason, and they do this because they know they're gonna have players coming and going.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: We've talked uh about this a lot in the past, too, uh Andrew, where you know, in the in the HL, hey, that's the nature of the beast, right?
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna have players that are gonna be called up or they're gonna be traded or who knows what, and all of a sudden your team looks a little bit different.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: So he was one of the guys, uh, you know, and and uh Blake Beyondi was another one.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they've got some guys that are kind of interesting players that they've kind of signed that they said, hey, these guys, uh, you know, Yannick Turkot, players that could fill a certain role and are gonna be there, you know, day in, day out.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: Doesn't matter who comes or goes, they're gonna be around.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_00: And Nikita Pavlich's another one.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_00: Those guys are, you know, they're solid, solid contributors.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now, the other member, you know, you you mentioned the setup capability of, of course, Felix Ungerstorm.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_00: He's got 11 assists in his last eight games, so he's definitely setting people up.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: He's a busy setup machine.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_00: He's got 25 assists now in the half a season, so he's he's kind of tracking to a 50 assist season.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: So this guy is he's definitely doing that.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: And and of course, he had some good success scoring on the power play earlier this season.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: He's a guy that, again, uh, you know, when we talk about players that may find a new home at some time, Felix Hunger Storm, I think, is another guy that uh fits that that group to a T.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um, now the other line that I wanted to mention as we talk about the forward crew, of course, is uh is the line that would be mirroring the Jordan Stall line with the hurricanes.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you've got Stalin, Martinuk, and now you've got healers.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: This line has uh, of course, uh Skylar Brendemore uh alongside uh Captain Josiah Slavin.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then they've had different folks right now.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_00: I think it's Noel Gundler on the wing with them.
• 19:46
  SPEAKER_00: They had uh Gleb Trikozov for a while.
• 19:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think Brendamore, and I've talked about him ad nausea.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: I think Brendan Moore is just uh doing it all this year because he's he's scoring goals, you know what he can do defensively.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um man, he's he's to me the whole package.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_00: What are you seeing with Brindy these days?
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: We've talked a lot about how he's kind of a carbon copy of how his dad played this game, right?
• 20:14
  SPEAKER_01: And and just how tenacious he is, penalty killing, how reliable he is to get you the puck on with the face offs, and you know how responsible he is defensively.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: He has really kind of turned it on in terms of uh just kind of how he's been able to put.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: The puck in that in an offensive zone, and it's it's wrinkled to his game.
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm sorry, Skyler, I wasn't familiar with your game here, and uh, I've it's it's just it's it's another one of those cases of you know, we've had a couple of guys that we were expecting who weren't there.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_01: Here's who's gonna step it up, and uh Skyler is has really kind of shown out and in terms of just how he's he's just not I mean he's not just a uh defensive anchor, he's an offensive contributor as well.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_01: And another surprising name to that is is is Noel Gunler.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: I did I would say like in my time on the beat, maybe the second most frustrating player I've ever had to cover besides Dominic Bach.
• 21:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um Dominic Bach.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's a name.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I I mean, yeah, uh maybe Noel's not blowing me away, but I I've seen him, I've noticed him, just noticing him is is is step one there for him, and just being more uh just uh more aware of of the the right plays that need to be made.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: And then now now you got a guy like that who's kind of coming into his game a little more.
• 21:54
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm not gonna say that's a direct correlation of what Skylar's been able to bring out and on with him on his wing, but I I don't think that's you know non circumstantial or anything.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think that there's a lot going on there and having you know his rock and Josiah Slavent are they're a great pair on the penalty kill together, they're wonderful on that third line.
• 22:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's um, you know, I mean, yeah, he's he's been been massively improving with with what he can do with the puck, but I think it's just it's just it's the chemistry that that's that's going on there.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's uh it's it's doing wonders for him.
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_01: And when you have those top six lines that are playing as well as they have been lately, just opens up so much more ice for these guys.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it, you know, it it's also good just not to to lean so heavily on those on those big on those big workhorses.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know what you're getting all through the lineup, and it just it it makes life easier for everybody.
• 22:55
  SPEAKER_01: Skyler concluded.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_00: Well, for they went four to one the other day, and the big dogs didn't score anything.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: So basically, you're right.
• 23:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's the uh it's the supporting cast.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Noel Gundler to me, uh, remember, second round pick.
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_00: He was a guy that when he was drafted, boy, he was loved by a lot of the the uh the folks who were analyzing the draft at the time, and they said, boy, this guy, he's he's a dandy player.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_00: And he just has never put it all together.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_00: But I've been watching lately, and he's he's looking like the part.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: Like he he's playing, making some great plays, scoring some beautiful goals.
• 23:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and yeah, you know, maybe it's uh a situation where you put him with some folks that can uh kind of watch his back and he can go in and do some of that good work.
• 23:36
  SPEAKER_00: So that's great.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, I wanted to mention for those folks who don't know who Dominic Bach is, now Dominic Bach was a first-round pick of the St.
• 23:43
  SPEAKER_00: Louis Blues, and he was the big piece that the Canes acquired when they traded Justin Falk.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: So uh he was he was the player they wanted, uh, and they got him, and uh the rest is history and not in a particularly good way.
• 24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Oh man, that's crazy.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I wonder how that made him feel to watch those guys go on the run that they did while he was back home in Germany.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he was in Germany, yeah.
• 24:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, it's uh there's all these funny stories that you kind of think back to, right?
• 24:25
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't always work exactly as planned.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um, hey, one other mention on the forward side, and I know you want to talk a little bit about this guy.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um Ivan Ryapkin.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: So he's gone.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_00: He's been sent to Charlottetow in the Quebec Major Junior League.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: What's your thinking around this whole thing?
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_01: I think that, you know, it was a good move to kind of get him up here and exposed in this league and be like, if you want to play with the big dogs, here's what you got to do, here's what it looks like day in, day out.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_01: And he had a couple of months to kind of get his feet wet and everything.
• 25:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think I think at the end of the day, he's just he he was still kind of in a little over his head, so it was just raw, you know, as most 20-year-old, 19-year-olds are are liking in this league.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's tough to hang unless you're Bradley Nadeau, you know.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's he's the exception to the rule.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_01: This is how it ends up for most of these young, young players like Ivan.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it's it's it's best for him in his development.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_01: Not just, I mean, sure, yeah, he has a lot of talent, he has the size to hang around.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_01: He's just he's not all he's not there yet to kind of be an every night contributor.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it's tough as a kid like him in a fourth-line role.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, there hit a lot of penalties and spending a lot of time in the box, spending some time in the press box, and it's just it for a kid at his age and kid of his talents, you gotta you gotta be out there, you gotta play, play, play.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: You mean he's getting very little, if any, power play time and getting sent out to uh to Charlottetown and in the queue.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_01: Um get to play in all situations, you get as much ice time, I mean, as as he can get and he can handle.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just I think it's just better is him to kind of be around guys more his peers at at that age and work into that game.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_01: And I think getting his little cup of coffee here in Chicago to start off is gonna serve better for him to start next year.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think because he's gonna be you know familiar with the coaching staff, familiar with the style of play, and I you know he's gonna more hit the ground running versus kind of getting his feet wet.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: Similar to Unger Sorum last year.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_01: And so I uh I look forward to seeing that, but I think you know, long term it's this is better for for Ivan to kind of, you know, you got you know, got got your experience, but now it's time to kind of like, you know, let's let's work on what you learned while you were here in Chicago.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_00: And I mean he's a younger guy.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: We didn't really expect him to get signed like this and uh end up in in Chicago.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: I think a lot of us were kind of looking and going, oh, that's interesting.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um definitely a player with uh, you know, huge upside.
• 27:37
  SPEAKER_00: You know, there are a lot of folks who talked a lot about Riyabkin going into the draft.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: He was a guy that uh a lot of folks like.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_00: Some were concerned about him for other reasons, but always as a player, definitely somebody of interest.
• 27:48
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, he's gonna have a chance to in junior, he's gonna probably terrorize them.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_00: I wouldn't be surprised.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and he'll uh he'll have a great uh great run with Charlottetown.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_00: And that's a that's a great program for him.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_00: So I think uh again, really good stuff with uh with Ryapkin, and we'll look forward to him coming back next year.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, there'll be players gone and there'll be an opportunity for him to move up the death chart quite a bit, I'm sure, uh, based on uh on what we're gonna probably see come up in this next number of months.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_00: So good stuff.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um I wanted to kind of talk about one other forward, but I'll preface it by saying this is that um, you know, the the blue line has been a work in progress this year for uh for the wolves.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: Oh my god.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, not necessarily going as planned, right?
• 28:33
  SPEAKER_00: So you've had some injuries along the way, you know, Fensori's been out for periods of time, and and of course, uh Charles Alexis Lego went out with a serious injury, and he was expected to be back, probably patrolling that uh pair with Fensori.
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and they were so effective last year.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: And of course, uh the good news is that um Legault is now skating with the Canes.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_00: So he's in yellow shirt, so he's skating.
• 28:55
  SPEAKER_00: Uh he'll be a little while yet, but boy, he's uh he's definitely earmarked to head back uh to Chicago.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Yuel Nistrom, who came back to Chicago for a cup of coffee and then, of course, was summoned back to the Hurricanes and subsequently scored the first goal of his career, which is kind of exciting in the NHL.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he he's just been he's been a revelation, I think, with the hurricanes.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: He's been phenomenal.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: And he will return uh to Chicago.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: You can almost bet on it, uh, unless uh unless he's moved, and we'll talk about that.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but I think he's he's earmarked to head back to Chicago.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: So you start to look at this Chicago blue, and it starts to look pretty full.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh because, of course, they recently added some other defensemen, uh, Calfoot and, of course, Yusso Bellinaki in recent weeks.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: So they had a bunch.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and subsequently they made a deal with Buffalo and they sent uh Gavin Beirut uh over to the Sabres.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: And we talked about Gavin last month.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's kind of funny.
• 29:50
  SPEAKER_00: We have a big feature on him, and the next month, uh, hey, well, thank you very much for helping us, and we'll see you.
• 29:56
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the player that came in was Victor Nuchev, and not a not a lot known about him.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: Folks don't know much about Victor.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: Um playing in Rochester, uh, you know, not really uh showing a lot.
• 30:08
  SPEAKER_00: Uh this year he's only got six goals in 34 games, so he's not lighting it up big time.
• 30:14
  SPEAKER_00: He actually played as a 19-year-old in the KHL.
• 30:17
  SPEAKER_00: And that's kind of rare.
• 30:18
  SPEAKER_00: And and I think the last one we uh I've been able to talk about with uh Nick Bass, of course, is uh uh Ardomonov, Nikit Ardomonov, who, of course, is a great prospect for the hurricanes.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: But um, but Nuchev did play as a 19-year-old, um, you know, got a cup of coffee, as you say, he played a full season, uh, and then went back and forth.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: And what they do in Russia is they have uh they have three levels of teams that are connected together.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_00: So you have the KHL team, you have what would be the American team, American League team, which was VHL, and then junior league team, which is the MHL, and he kind of went back and forth.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: So it's kind of fun.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um I thought I'd read a couple of comments, though, about the guy, just to give us some information about him when he was drafted, and there's some folks that generally talk about draft picks quite a bit.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: Uh one of them, Scott Wheeler with the Athletics.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_00: Scott said, Nuchev's a mid-range marksman with one of the slickest, most effortlessly quick releases in the draft.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_00: Boy, that's interesting.
• 31:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Corey Kraman, we know Corey is one of the big dogs for uh the draft and prospects in general, he said Nuchev doesn't have the stats and accolades of top prospects, but when you watch him, it's easy to see the NHL potential.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then finally, Brandon Holmes with FC hockey said Nuchev is a creative goal-scoring winger who uses his skill to penetrate in the offensive zone and rarely passes up an opportunity to shoot the puck.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: So he was definitely looked upon as a guy that was able to shoot the puck and score goals and had some elite skills in that regard.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_00: Hasn't really shown up yet, hasn't really translated to North America.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_00: But hey, little little risk, in my view.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh his contract is up at the end of this year.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_00: He's a restricted free agent.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_00: They'd have to re-up him.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, my suspicion is if he shows something, that could happen.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: If he doesn't, he'll probably head back to Russia.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: So that's Viktor Nuchev.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: And uh he'll be in Wolves uniform very soon, I'm sure.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now, we talked a little bit about the decor, you know, lots of movement there, you know, moving out Gavin Beiruther and so on.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: What are you seeing with the decor?
• 32:35
  SPEAKER_00: What stood out?
• 32:37
  SPEAKER_01: Well, there's uh there's the decor as it's as it's been all season, and then there's the decor of the last uh the last couple games, which has been uh that's been a little rough.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's been there's uh there's certainly grounds to improve on, but you know, it's it's uh that's just gonna happen over the course of uh of a of a full season, you know, you're gonna have your your rough patches and you've got to work on through it.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: Um overall, I mean, I feel that uh that you know as you know, especially after the the addition of Caden Primo, he came back, and there was a little more stability in the net that there was more confidence in in the defense, and you know, in terms of like getting the puck out of the zone and everything.
• 33:30
  SPEAKER_01: You're not you know, when you're when you're so worried that uh a turnover you're gonna create might end up in the back of your net, it just it becomes like you're manifesting it into existence, you know.
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_01: Um they added, you know, the the veteran presence of of Yusuf Alamaki, yes, who you know, he's had eight assists over his eight games in a wolves sweater.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um you're seeing why he was you know he was picked for the uh for the four nation squad in Finland last year before he got hurt.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, it's just a guy who who's been here at this level, who's been there at the next level and knows what it's like to to get it done.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's great to have that kind of you know, that veteran presence in there for some of the younger guys like uh like Dominic Bodinka, Alexi Himo Salme.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it's like you know, this is this is the standard.
• 34:23
  SPEAKER_01: This is this is this is the guy you want to be, right?
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_01: The guy with a couple uh a couple AHL games in his back pocket.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_01: They're probably gonna end up there again sometime soon.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_01: Follow him, follow the leader, follow what he does, and you know, in in all the zones, follow what he does off the ice, what he does in practice, how you know, absorb as much of that as you can.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, he's been he's been leading from the front since he he's come back.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: And um, and I think it's it's been great for these guys to to you know learn from and and and follow that example.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: Well, one to mention, I mean, Dom Fensori, I talk about Dom every time.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh something I have to do.
• 35:09
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Dom, uh seventh in the league in points for D-Men.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, he's an all-star.
• 35:14
  SPEAKER_00: Again, he's got 24 points in 31 games.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_00: He just, you know, when he's out of the lineup, I think that's a big loss.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_00: And you think about as they start to put this lineup together, and you've got Dom and and potentially Charles Alexis Legou back together, you've got Cal Foote, you've got Balamackie, you've got uh Seely, you've got uh, you know, Hemusalmi, you've got Badinka.
• 35:37
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you've got a lot of guys that uh that you can play.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: And and um, and again, it's gonna be a load of defense, and if Nestro comes back, he's gonna add to that as well.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I think the defense is gonna be very, very strong.
• 35:48
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, interesting thing on this decor, too, I think, Andrew, is that it's something like the Canes, right?
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_00: The Canes, they kept kind of having different players in and out, and they were missing one of their big dogs, of course, in Slavin.
• 36:01
  SPEAKER_00: And and you know, they were kind of out of sorts on some nights.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: Just it, you know, it's hard because they're seeing different partners and they're partnered with a different guy, and you know, all of a sudden it's kind of weird back there.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: And and once you kind of get settled in, and I think that's what the Wolves are gonna try to do here once all the walking wounded come back and players return from Carolina and so on, is they're gonna get the lineup pretty well established.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_00: And you're gonna see a big difference in just the overall kind of you know flow of the game with with your D Cor core and and you know, confidence back there, you know, knowing their partners, knowing what to expect.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that's just it's just kind of you know, it's challenging when you've got all these moves and changes and and you know, injuries and so on.
• 36:43
  SPEAKER_00: And it's been like that for the wolves since day one.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I look at at guys like um you know Valamaki and Calfoot, you know, and you know, a little bit kind of wondering about the Calfoot signing, but he's played good hockey.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: And he's a solid defender, he's defense first, but he's getting some points, um, making some really cool plays.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: And he's a guy, again, he brings that veteran presence.
• 37:07
  SPEAKER_00: And he was a highly regarded defenseman uh when he was drafted.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, good pedigree.
• 37:13
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, when you talked about Valamacke, I mean, he rightfully so, he was picked for the Four Nations last year.
• 37:19
  SPEAKER_00: And he's a guy that uh had a couple of great years with Arizona.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: He was tremendous.
• 37:24
  SPEAKER_00: And um and playing big minutes and in significant roles for them.
• 37:30
  SPEAKER_00: So I think he's on a he's on an NHL deal.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's a guy that uh the Keynes felt comfortable, could fill a role for them.
• 37:38
  SPEAKER_00: You know, they need a little bit of depth on the blue in case of injury.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_00: They've got Nistrom on the right side.
• 37:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now they've got Valamachie, uh, which I think is a is a really smart move.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: And the big question with him, of course, was he had his second serious injury, ACL surgery, um, that uh he had to return from.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: And those are not quick, they take time to kind of get into form, but he seems like he's he's doing that.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I think uh I'm really high on Valamachie.
• 38:07
  SPEAKER_00: Um, wanted to say a couple of things about uh Dominic Badinka.
• 38:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um again, uh that podcast that I listened to as Pheros Anastas on Sound of Siren.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: It was interesting what he said about Badinka.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um basically, hey, young guy, we didn't expect him to play 17 minutes a game and get into all the situations he's gotten into, but he's handled it well.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, he's had the ups and downs of a rookie season for sure, but in the general, they really like what he's done.
• 38:37
  SPEAKER_00: What have you seen with Badinka?
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_01: I don't usually see the kind of poise from a young defender like him, but uh he I mean he stepped into an expanded role that probably wasn't meant for him, considering the the early call-ups and everything.
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_01: But he he stepped into it like it was it was just it was just business as usual and just another day at the office.
• 39:08
  SPEAKER_01: And for uh, you know, for a such a young player like him, just to have that that kind of calmness in your game, it does, it it does wonders.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_01: And I've I've really enjoyed, I think that is kind of the just that that that mind to not again not you know force yourself into like trying to to play beyond yourself in order to meet the the expectations of where you're at in the lineup.
• 39:36
  SPEAKER_01: Just just play and he's just he's just got the confidence to play his own game because he knows what works for him, and it's been working.
• 39:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's been great.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_01: I've I've really enjoyed kind of both what he's been able to bring, you know, in in every zone of the of the game.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's it's just it's it's refreshing to see that from such a young player because I've seen a lot, a lot of guys come through this league and and kind of struggle to put it all together.
• 40:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I mean, I'm not saying he's got it necessarily all together, but you don't expect him, you don't expect him at that at that age to have it all.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_01: And um but the that he has where he is just you know mentally, and it's you know, he he doesn't necessarily back down from the challenge either.
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_01: I think he embraced the the opportunity and and really kind of ran with it.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_01: And um you you see the markings of what.
• 40:32
  SPEAKER_01: makes him such a such a highly touted prospect.
• 40:34
  SPEAKER_01: I love his I love his skating.
• 40:36
  SPEAKER_01: I love his his gaps on defense.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, you know, like every young defender, you could have, you know, make some uh improvements here or there, but you know, who who can't.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_01: And I've uh it's it's been just all you want to see is steady growth, right?
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_01: From from beginning to end.
• 40:54
  SPEAKER_01: And if you're gonna make a mistake, how are you gonna learn from it?
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_01: How are you gonna improve on it?
• 41:00
  SPEAKER_01: And um and even for how how how good he started, I think he's kind of slowly had that had that trajectory upwards where he's just getting better day by day.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_01: And um you know I think it's gonna be tough for for coach nastys just to kind of figure out who gets who gets to eat once uh once you get a couple of those bodies back.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: But it's gonna be hard to kind of push him back down the lineup after the the months of showing that he can do it.
• 41:28
  SPEAKER_01: You know?
• 41:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 41:30
  SPEAKER_01: So I've I've I've really liked what I've seen from from Benica.
• 41:34
  SPEAKER_00: Well and that's gonna be an interesting question because they're gonna want to keep playing him again you know the canes control the uh you know the the the player activity on on the wolves as well so they're gonna want to see him play and you know again we saw him in some of the exhibition games with the canes this year and he showed that same con I I was astounded.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_00: I watched him and I thought man this guy is just he's cool as a cucumber out there and he's playing really smart and he's you know he's kind of more mature than his years would suggest just 19 years old he's still 19 that's crazy.
• 42:05
  SPEAKER_00: He's a guy that's got huge upside and I I think again they can take their time one of the cool things about the hurricanes right now is they don't have to rush these young studs at all.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_00: They can let them ruminate.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_00: In fact they've been letting some of them ruminate in Europe.
• 42:19
  SPEAKER_00: We saw that with Nystrom we saw that with of course Alexander and Keishin uh and they've got several others over there that we'll start to see trickle over to North America and some of them to the Wolves in the next year or two.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_00: So all good stuff.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_00: Just wrapping up on the player side goaltending not so exciting lately although I think Caden Primo is getting it done.
• 42:41
  SPEAKER_00: His numbers look excellent right now he's got a 246 goals against average 916% not too shabby.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_00: He hasn't been in as many of those massive scoring games as Miftikov has Miftikov had three tough games in a row for Milwaukee four goals against Rockford five and then Cleveland seven so over a three game span he had 16 goals against that's not a good number um but uh Primo seems to be holding the four pretty good what are your thoughts on goaltending right now yeah I think it's you know uh uh it kind of showed out in that that Cleveland series where the monsters kind of jumped out to huge leads early on them and it kind of for Mentikov I think he kind of I don't want to say regressed but kind of old habits kind of coming back from the beginning of the season right you know just didn't look as confident as we we've seen him over about the last month and you know when it just kind of it creates a domino effect right now the you can feel that energy right okay the goalie looks kind of shaky now the defense is kind of you know second guessing and you know now you're behind five one or whatever it's they had a couple of rough ones in Cleveland um but they managed to come back both times so you know um and so I think it's it's just it's it's just it's it's been a tough stretch for him.
• 44:14
  SPEAKER_01: I don't I don't necessarily believe that he's gonna gonna kind of go back to you know October Miftakov where it's like you're kind of seeing the you know the the the flood the inconsistencies in his positioning and just not being so sure of himself.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_01: I I just I I think he's just kind of going through one of those stretches and it's just one of those times where everything's got to get you know worked out worked out a little bit here.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_01: And Primo is doing Primo things.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know we've kind of come to expect at this point now what a guy who's you know been here and done at everything at this level and what he's gonna be able to bring.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah I think he had a tough outing against Rockford there but you're gonna have one of those couple in the in the season.
• 45:00
  SPEAKER_01: But aside from that he's been about as consistent as as Chicago could ask for um very much in the same vein of you know what Spencer Martin brought last year.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: And um I would actually I don't know I would actually love to do a a a mirroring of what their statistics look like.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_01: That'll be next month's episode.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_00: Okay good that'll be fun I'd love to see that.
• 45:23
  SPEAKER_01: But it's good to see Spencer back.
• 45:25
  SPEAKER_01: I mean Spencer's with the Rangers now of course he went to Russia for a while so it's good to see him back too yeah yeah I'm glad I I I I I loved his his bluster and his energy kind of was very you know very fiery kind of more just like a hairier Piotr Kochekov.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_01: And uh I was I was sad to see him go to Russia.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_01: I'm happy that he's back here um especially I mean New York's kind of going through it with Shisterkin on the men so that's a good opportunity for Spencer to kind of like re-solidify himself back in in North American hockey.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_01: So great to see him but it's also great to see you know Caden Primo kind of continuing to I mean just you know carry it forward from the uh from the nut out so good stuff.
• 46:13
  SPEAKER_00: Well you know the the wolves sitting in great shape right now and you know as I see kind of the rest of the season I think they're gonna hold quite nicely in second place and you know they're gonna be right in the mix and I think uh you know the the big thing to look at as we head into the All-Star break and so on too I think Andrew is is you know what's what's gonna happen with the wolves so there there's two things that could affect them profoundly of course uh one of them is uh call-ups uh if there are injuries to the canes of course they're gonna you know the dig into the into the you know the players that they want the top players likely at uh in Chicago uh so that's something you have to be kind of mindful of but I think the bigger question is I wanted to get your under your feelings on this one is a lot of rumors about the hurricanes trying to make a blockbuster trade.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_00: This is uh going everywhere as you see it on X it's just the hottest topic there and on every single one of the big deals as they usually are um but it's it's probably an expectation too that somebody significant on Chicago would be a part of it.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_01: So you know there'd be a lot of pieces uh there could be players from the canes there'll be draft picks but there'll be key prospects and you know you look at that and and what do you what goes through your mind when you start to say hey wait a minute who might we lose here and you know it's not going to feel very good as a Chicago Wolves fan for sure no it it it certainly doesn't when you're at the the mercy of the parent club it's but that's you know that's kind of the the nature of the beast right it's um it's it's just kind of the unfortunate reality of of everything.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_01: I mean look what it took to get Keandre Miller it was uh another all-star Scott Morrow that that was on the move so you know it's it's but it it again I guess it's the reality of it and these guys they they know just as well that you know everything everything's out of their hands and part so sometimes when you see a you know a loaded NHL lineup in front of you like you might in Carolina it's you might get discouraged or whatever you're sitting here in the American league well if you just if you just put your nose down and and keep playing well you might another team in the system's gonna be like hey I like that what that guy is doing down there let's see what what he can work up here with us.
• 48:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so you know these all all I mean consistently moving parts in the NHL and here in the AHL now you know when I started looking ahead and thinking about like oh I wonder how this team's going to do in the playoffs well it'd be nice to have some of these guys around for sure but that's it's just it's something that's that's out of your hands and you just got to live with the reality that you know in in the bigger picture in the grand scheme of things it's it's uh you know it's up to the parent club and what they see best for for themselves.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_01: And of course they want to do right by the guys down here in Chicago too.
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_01: So you know uh back in the Calder Cup run they uh you know couple moves were made to to see to it that you want to see not just you see these young guys succeed but you want to put people around them that are going to lend them into a a a great big long playoff run because it's it's it's just it's better for those kids as they're growing up to understand the you know the intensity what you what it takes to win in the postseason in any level of hockey.
• 49:56
  SPEAKER_01: So um it's not like you know Carolina's gonna take all the guys and just throw them around the league and just be like, all right well you know here you are in second place but you know good good luck we're just sending all your players away.
• 50:08
  SPEAKER_01: I think they're gonna do right to kind of put the right guys in place to to see to it that this team you know has as much success as they can in the postseason unless they run in the Grand Rapids in which case it's up to the hockey gods at that point.
• 50:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well they're gonna be playing Grand Rapids six more times during the regular season so they'll have a real opportunity to figure that one out before they get in the playoffs.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_00: Who kind of jumps out at you first?
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_01: Well you know you got to start with with Nadell and I know it's not a name that anyone wants to to hear going going away but you got to spend money to make money.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_01: And I know it's been it's been a big MO of Carolina that they want they you know they want star power in in the lineup.
• 51:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yes didn't work out with ranton and gensal and all that but you know to get those kind of premium players you got to give up uh a a guy with kind of some sky high potential like like Nadeau so yes if that's uh unfortunately that's that's name number one is is is the one that's that's in everyone's hearts down here in Chicago but uh it's it is what it is I mean it's uh again it's the nate it's the nature of the sport you want to go out and get alias Peterson let's say yeah exactly first first name that comes to mind sure yeah it's it's probably it's gonna cost you one of your two all-star forwards at least if you can I I again these things take uh take a lot of moving parts but uh it's just it's just that's that's that's the way it is it's the way you know you're not gonna be able to get premium assets without giving one in in return this isn't you know EA's NHL this is uh and even then you gotta give some premium stuff in order to get out of the HL yeah making your deals yeah well you know you're right and and and the reality is this too and and it's a bit of a challenge for Bradley is you know the way that the canes are structured so I mean on the wings if you think about their first couple of lines which is where he would slot in I mean you're not moving Svetnikov you're probably not moving Ealers you've got Jackson Blake okay he could be a guy that somebody wants uh you've got Spankhoven who it's believed will move back to wing at some point and of course you've got Seth Jarvis there's really not a spot and these guys are on long-term deals so it's not like okay this guy's got another year left and uh you know we'll bite our time and he can come up when there's injuries and so on.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's the biggest challenge.
• 52:58
  SPEAKER_00: Now where it could change uh in the positive way would be if they did trade one of those guys on the canes.
• 53:04
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you know if they said hey we want a player that's currently playing with the hurricanes that we think can come in today they maybe that opens up a spot for Nidov so it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out I believe that uh March 6th by the time everything's said and done there'll be some changes to the Chicago Wolves.
• 53:23
  SPEAKER_01: That's that's that's the business.
• 53:25
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh I I hope it's not it's you know it's not earth shattering but that's that's between uh Eric Tolski and the hockey gods and not for me to decide.
• 53:39
  SPEAKER_00: For sure and and for sure and and one of the areas that could be of interest will be goaltending.
• 53:44
  SPEAKER_00: The Canes are going to want another goaltender.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_00: Whether or not they can splip him down to Chicago is another question but they're gonna want another veteran goalie for sure.
• 53:52
  SPEAKER_00: They don't feel particularly comfortable I don't think with the two gentlemen in Chicago right now uh carrying any kind of uh you know lengthy run with the canes and I think they're gonna want somebody else in case of injury so um that could be an opportunity to strengthen up the team and I and they're doing it definitely on the blue line as we've seen with uh with Ballamackey and and Cal Foot so it's good stuff.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_01: Okay so let's wrap up with a quick look at uh the coming month and uh what uh what do you think uh we're gonna see in the next month well to start off I mean you know on on Friday and Saturday they got a nice little back to back with uh with the hottest ticket in town with the Grand Rapids Griffins and um it's just it's the absolute number one measuring stick you know I mean in in in league history.
• 54:44
  SPEAKER_01: So uh it's uh this team's already gone played them twice they've gone overtime with them twice and uh it's you know it if you wanna if you wanna to be one of the big dogs you gotta prove that you belong on the ice with them and uh I mean they got smacked around in another game against against them which is uh it's gonna happen it's it's gonna happen this team is is far and away number one in the league for a reason but if you can you know if you can show up you can steal a couple of points away from them and and you know as that second team in the division you gotta get a show you're gonna give them some some pushback and make sure that this isn't just a a cakewalk up until the Calder Cup playoffs and and I and I like to see the you know what how this team continues to you know to answer and how yeah here's here's the gold standard how are you going to measure up to that are you gonna rise to the challenge or are you gonna get smacked around like you did last time and um it's uh you know certainly no shame in dropping a a game against the Griffins and everything but I I want to see um kind of all you you you go down five to one against the Griffins warm up the buses there's no coming back uh against this team so um kind of get rid of I want to see them get rid of those of those habits of giving up the first goal and then giving up a couple more and you got to get out and get ahead of the game and and make it so that they're not just imposing their will and dominating and and doing what the Griffins have been doing all year which has just been absolutely suffocating teams and and and just not giving them any space and any room.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_01: You got to find a way to break it break the mold and um I I but it's at the same time you know I I'm I'm excited for the opportunity to see what you know how what they do and how they respond because yeah that is is the standard and I if they can can meet it and you know knock them off and uh on a night and where they're you know they're vulnerable it's just that's gonna that's get that can be the kind of stuff that you know that galvanizes a squad and gets them you know really going out on a on a good run here.
• 57:12
  SPEAKER_00: So um it's a challenge for sure but it's one I think everyone in that locker room is looking forward to well I mean when you look at the Griffins um they're built for strong defense.
• 57:24
  SPEAKER_00: I mean Sebastian Cosa is one of the best goalies in the in the league for sure and you've got all these veterans on defense.
• 57:30
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know if people are aware but they've got a lot of experience back there.
• 57:33
  SPEAKER_00: I mean Justin Hall, Eric Gustafson, Ian Mitchell and a whole bunch of guys, these are all veterans for the NHL.
• 57:39
  SPEAKER_00: So I mean you know they and they got guys like Tua Misto and other guys back there.
• 57:44
  SPEAKER_00: I mean they're loaded on the blue.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_00: And you know when I look at you know as the season goes on and the wolves and what the wolves defense could start to look like you know again where you've got veterans like Calfoot and and Valama and then you've got uh you know hopefully you've got uh Lego and and uh Nystrom back uh to go along with Vensori and others I mean all of a sudden the defense starts to look pretty good and and you know that's huge right um in a good sized defense they're you know they're not other than Dominic uh they're they're good sized guys um which is which is important because the that's one of the things I noticed with uh you know again with Grand Rapids they got big players I mean they're you know they're out there heavy and they're you know they're not making life easy for you so you know they're they're the uh they're the standard you know you've got to look at them and say you know what are you gonna do the other team of course uh that I keep my eye on is Rockford of course they're always the ice hogs are they're loaded and Chicago's had some great players down there now luckily Oliver Moore and Nick Lartis are gone so that's good news um but they're still pretty good hockey clubs so uh you know you got Sam Ronzel and other guys that you recognize who are currently playing uh you know in Rockford so it's gonna be fun it's gonna be uh it's gonna be great I think it's nice to have a little bit of a break you know the NHL of course has the Olympic break which is kind of fun and of course there's the all-star break coming up in the AHL as well so um you know it'll be kind of interesting and they'll have some of those individual competitions and we'll see how some of the some of the guys do uh from the from the wolves and some of those as well so um so yeah it's gonna be it's gonna be good stuff um and probably um you know as we as we come on next month it's gonna be really close to the deadline uh you know we're gonna be seeing there might have been moves done there could have been some interesting things happening so I'm sure that uh we're gonna have a lot of fun with the with the coming show that uh we we talk about February as well so as always Andrew it's uh yeah I love talking about the wolves uh there's so much good stuff going on and not like the years where uh you know the wolves tried to roll it on their on their own and uh didn't quite uh do so well uh it's quite a different situation now the canes definitely want this team to be successful and you know they want to groom their young players here uh in an environment that uh continues to help them prepare for for the NHL of course so I think you're right we're gonna see some players added not sure who they'll be but uh I fully expect uh there'll be some players brought in and uh and that'll be fun to see as well.
• 1:00:23
  SPEAKER_00: So lots going on uh great fine as usual and uh we'll uh we'll pick it up uh in a month from now and uh and continue our discussions on The Chicago Wolves.
• 1:00:34
  SPEAKER_00: For those of you who are listening or watching and have spent time with us, of course, Andrew and I are always pleased that you do that.
• 1:00:41
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• 1:00:44
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• 1:00:49
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• 1:00:51
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• 1:01:02
  SPEAKER_00: As always, Andrew and I thank you so much for spending time with us and look forward to getting together with you real soon right here on StormTracker.