Hello to all the hockey fans, episode 166 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast has arrived with a litany of topics to keep you up to date with during these long hot summer months.

#1. The Montreal Canadiens do not need Joey Kyrou.

#2. Yes, trade Patrik Laine now

#3. Montreal signs former first round draft choice, center Joe Veleno, a perfect replacement for Christian Dvorak.

#4. No thanks on acquiring Sydney Crosby after the 2026 Olympics, unless Montreal can get him for Kirby Dach and Oliver Kapanen straight up?

#5. In what way is Nazem Kadri even remotely the answer to the Number 2 center role in Montreal? He’s in his mid-thirties, he’s slower and he’s on the back nine of his career.

#6. Nazem Kadri bring an extremely bloated contract with, which has 4-years remaining on it.

#7. Montreal has a plethora of internal options at a far cheaper price for any and all positions.

#8. Of course, the Calgary Flames would not only love to unload Nazem Kadri, but even more, the Calgary Flames would love to get their hands on as many of Montreal’s outstanding prospects as possible.

#9. Nope Montreal Doesn’t need center Anthony Cirelli of the Tampa Bay Lightning and take on that bloated contract either. Nor does Montreal need to make the Tampa Bay lightning a better team by sending them A-prospect talent, that’s used against the Montreal Canadiens for years to come that haunts them relentlessly.

#10. Montreal is not facing tremendous trouble in replacing David Savard. His game was clearly in a steep decline since January 1st, 2024.

#11. Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia were role players that Montreal has a plethora options to replace them with at a lower cost.

#12. Let Jayden Struble go to arbitration and is he’s rewarded an excessive amount, trade him and keep the assets pouring into Montreal

#13. It will be extremely interesting to see if the excitement around prospect center Oliver Kapanen translates to the NHL Level.

#14. It’s challenging seeing Oliver Kapanen as a 2nd line center in the NHL.

#15. I’m far more excited about what Aatos Koivu can do than Oliver Kapanen.

#16. Hage is the undisputed 2nd line center for the Montreal Canadiens. Michael Hage

#17. Owen Beck is a solid 3rd two-way center to me, that can play it any way you want to. But I think that Florian Xhekaj is the Dark horse in the role of 3rd line center, and it remains to be seen if Vinzenz Rohrer’s style can translate to the NHL’s game?

#18. I won’t even be remotely surprised at all if Adam Engstrom makes the Canadiens roster after the completion of training camp.

Hello hockey fans out there. Episode 165 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast has arrived. Take a listen and keep up on things happening in the off-season summer months that will affect the coming regular season.

#1. Hello! Carey Price can’t be voted in to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He’s not officially retired. He needs to be retired for 3 years at a minimum before he is even eligible.

#2. What is with the continuous trade insanity in Montreal?

#3. The definition of stupidity is?

#4. Players will want out of and prospects will reenter drafts if the is no path or roster spots for them in Montreal.

#5. Enough Trades in Montreal. Neither the Dobson or the Bolduc trade has made the Montreal Canadiens better. These trades appeased people. They were not hockey trade or for the betterment of the team’s roster.

#6 The Montreal Canadiens better hope that the trade of Logan Mailloux doesn’t haunt them for the next 10, 13 or 15 years!

#7. At the amount of Money Zack Bolduc is making he better be a minimum of a point per game player, which translates too a minimum of 82, soon to 84 points per season player, and that’s at a minimum. His contract value and yearly payroll impact should have expectations of a 100 point per season level.

#8 The soon to arrive prospects that there better be roster spots for in Montreal, starting with the forwards include, Alexander Zharovsky, Hayden Paupanekis, L.J. Mooney, Ivan Demindov, Michael Hage, Tyler Thorpe, Florian Xhekaj, Luke Tuch, Jared Davidson and Sam Harris. On the defensive side, prospects include David Reinbacher, Bryce Pickford, Owen Protz, Bogdan Konyushkov and Adam Engstrom. Anyone of these prospects are better than anyone else, on any other NHL club, that Montreal could obtain.

#9. Not fan of Grant McKenna signing with Penn State of the NCAA. I don’t see how, in any way, this prepares Grant McKenna any better for the NHL.

#10. The CHL is a far better league and player development system than the NCAA is.

#11. NCAA players are ready for the NHL any sooner.

#12. NCAA players are not any better developed.

#13. NCAA players do transition to the NHL game or its physicality any faster.

#14. Hockey is Canada’s sport. Always has been, always will be. Every other country is a guest at the table. Just like Baseball, Basketball and Football are America’s sports, always have been, always will be. Soccer is, always been and always will be Europe’s sport and no one else’s. This has been and always will be the reality for every one of these sports

Hello Hockey Fan’s, out there. The 2024/2025 regular season, playoffs, Stanley Cup Championship, 2025 NHL Entry Draft and Free Agent frenzy may be over, but the topics to discuss continue at a relentless pace.

The topics of Episode 164 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast include-

#1. Was trading the 16th and 17th picks in the first round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, plus NHL roster forward Emil Heineman the right move to acquire Right-Handed Defenseman Noeh Dobson.

#2. The highlight of Noeh Dobson’s career in his first 6-years, has been one 70 point season?

#3. Noeh Dobson is not a physical defenseman.

#4. Mitch Marner goes in a sign and trade with the Las Vegas Golden Knights that net’s the Toronto Maple Center Nicolas Roy

#5. The Montreal Canadiens trade goalie Cayden Primeau to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 7th round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

#8. Michael Pezzetta signs a 2-year free agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leaf’s

#9. The Edmonton Oilers have lost free agent winger Corry Perry to the Los Angeles Kings.

#10. The Montreal Canadiens trade Logan Mailloux in a 1 for 1 deal to the St. Louis Blues for Forward Zack Bolduc.

#11. Congratulations to the many people who just couldn’t see or understand how the Montreal Canadiens could draft Logan Mailloux.

#12. Better hope trading Logan Mailloux to the St. Louis Blues doesn’t haunt the Montreal Canadiens for the next 13-years.

#13. Imagine if Logan Mailloux has a lights out Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens, eliminating them, and holds up the Stanley Cup in a victory lap around the Bell Center in Montreal.

#14. No idea what the signings of free agent forward Alex Belzile, defenseman Nate Clurman and forward Samuel Blais for 1-year contracts bring to Montreal other than veteran depth players for the Laval Rockets.

#15. One signing that does make sense is the signing of goaltender Kaapo Kahkonen as it provides Jacob Fowler in Laval with a legitimate back with experience.

#16. David Savard, Emil Heineman, Christian Dvorak, Michael Pezzetta and Joel Armia are gone. Hopefully it opens up roster spots for internal prospects.

#17. Rapheal Harvey Pinard signed by the Pittsburgh Penguins.

#18. Fortunately, the Montreal Canadiens still have David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom, 2024 4th round draft pick defenseman Owen Protz and 2025 3rd round draft pick defenseman Bryce Pickford.

#19. Left Wing Nikolaj Ehlers has signed with the Carolina Hurricanes.

#20. It would be fantastic if the Montreal Canadiens traded Patrik Laine and center/left wing prospect Oliver Kapanen to the Carolina Hurricanes for Nikita Artamonov, Bradly Nadeau, Alexander Perevalov and Ryan Suzuki.