Central Division Preview

Today, Jason Gregor and Frank Seravalli continued their division preview series with a fresh episode of The DFO Rundown. Today’s episode focused on the Central Division, which saw a handful of teams that made some major offseason changes.Before they got into that, they welcomed a new partner into the show: Fountain Tire. That led to some questions that Frank had about how winter tires work up in Canada. They also talked about the news of James Van Riemsdyk signing in Columbus. Frank says it’s the first of a few expected moves by the Blue Jackets.They kicked off the division preview by talking about the Chicago Blackhawks. What are expectations for Connor Bedard? How many rookies will be in the lineup? Did GM Kyle Davidson handle the offseason correctly? They answer all of those questions.They then jumped into the NHL’s newest franchise: the Utah Hockey Club. GM Bill Armstrong had a pretty busy offseason as he basically revamped their entire blueline. Will that along with a collection of young forwards be enough to push them into the playoffs? Also, could their new home give the players a boost?They also hit on the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild, who were both on the outside of the playoff picture last year. Neither made massive waves over the summer and are banking on internal improvement. The guys broke down whether or not that was the right play.Tyler then jumped in for a new edition of Fill in the Blank, where he asked the guys about Mikko Rantanen’s next deal, Utah’s look heading into year one, and the chances of their being four 100-point teams in the division.To wrap it up, they went through the four playoff teams from last year, starting with the Nashville Predators, who spent big in free agency and brought in Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei. Winning the offseason doesnt always translate to winning in the regular season, could that be the case in Nashville?They then moved on to the Winnipeg Jets, who are running it back once again with the same core group of players. Then there’s the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche, who are both once again looking like the class of the division.4:20 - News of the week (JVR in CBJ)6:40 - Chicago Blackhawks15:55 - Utah Hockey Club23:23 - Minnesota Wild32:15 - St. Louis Blues39:30 - More offer sheets coming?42:30 - Fill in the Blank49:00 - Nashville Predators56:30 - Colorado Avalanche1:01:00 - Winnipeg Jets1:07:25 - Dallas StarsWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the NHL futures action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.comShoutout to our new friends at Fountain Tire: https://www.fountaintire.com/promotions/?utm_source=tnn&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=fountain Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the NHL regular season just a month away, Jason and Frank began their division preview series. Today, they took a look at the Metro Division. They started at the bottom of the division and broke down the Columbus Blue Jackets. It’s been a heartbreaking few weeks for the organization and it will be an emotional season following the passing of Johnny Gaudreau. The guys talked about their outlook heading into the season.From there, they talked about the New Jersey Devils, who seem primed to be one of the most improved teams in the NHL coming off a miserable 2023-24 campaign that saw them post just 81 points. Their offseason was busy, but did they do enough to be a legitimate Stanley Cup contender?They then moved on to the two teams that reside in Pennsylvania. The two were split on what to expect out of the Philadelphia Flyers, who surprised a lot of people last season. The Penguins are desperately trying to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but is their roster good enough to compete in a strong Eastern Conference?Tyler popped in for a new edition of Buy or Sell where he asked the guys about legendary play-by-play voices, the new PWHL names, and how balanced the divisions are across the NHL.To wrap it up, they talked about the four playoff teams from last season in the Metro. Which one has the best chance of missing this season? Who deserves to be the favourite to win the division? They hit on those questions while breaking down the Islanders, Capitals, Hurricanes, and Rangers.1:35 - Unsigned free agents2:55 - Blue Jackets preview8:50 - New Jersey Devils22:00 - Philadelphia Flyers32:30 - Pittsburgh Penguins41:20 - Buy or Sell49:25 - Washington Capitals55:30 - New York Islanders1:00:40 - Carolina Hurricanes1:05:45 - New York RangersWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the NHL futures action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jason and Frank are back! After a summer hiatus, the boys returned to begin covering their fifth NHL season together on The DFO Rundown. Today’s pod began on a somber note as they remembered the lives of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. The two tragically lost their lives last week and the last few days has seen some very touching tributes from the Blue Jackets and Flames organizations.Frank, who is from the same area as the Gaudreaus, explained the special connection that the local community has to the brightest star they’ve ever produced.They then got into some of the big transactions that have occurred over the last few months. They started with the Leon Draisaitl extension in Edmonton. The superstar forward is committing to spending the remainder of his prime with the Oilers and while the number is significant, both Frank and Jason explained why this signing isn’t a big surprise and what this means for the future of his “ride or die” Connor McDavid.That then led them to the Seth Jarvis extension in Carolina, which came with a unique structure as it featured deferred money. Could this become a trend in the NHL? Frank had some insight into that.They also hit on the Patrik Laine trade, the Jeremy Swayman contract negotiations, and Tyler popped in for a new edition of Fill in the Blank.0:15 - Personal summer recaps6:32 - Remembering Johnny & Matthew Gaudreau17:30 - Draisaitl extends in Edmonton28:50 - Jarvis takes deferred money39:40 - Fill in the Blank (Laine deal, Sharks get Askarov, no extension for Crosby)47:05 - Swayman & the RFAsWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all NHL futures action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Frank and Jason are back after taking a few weeks off to enjoy their summers. While news hasn’t come in at any sort of rapid pace, there have still been some big stories that have dropped over the last two weeks and the guys wanted to pop on the podcast to break everything down.To start the show, they talked about what they’ve been up to so far during their summer breaks and both of them have been dialled into the 2024 summer games. They talked about their favourite events so far and Gregor talked about trying to do a little bit of diving on his own.To kick off the hockey talk, they dug into what’s been going on in Philadelphia so over the last week or so. After months of uncertainty, Matvei Michkov finally landed on American soil and will be with the Flyers for next season. It will no doubt give the team a big boost but Frank says that fans needs to be cautious when it comes to their expectations of the young Russian forward. GM Danny Briere also extended Travis Konecny, giving the forward an eight-year deal. Both Frank and Jason like the player, but did the Flyers pay too much for what his ceiling is?From there, they got into another Eastern Conference team that has been making moves: the Columbus Blue Jackets. They’ve signed a handful of young players and also filled their Head Coaching vacancy by hiring former Wild Head Coach Dean Evason. Can the team take a step forward next season? Or will there be more pain coming in Ohio?The other big story that broke last week was up in Edmonton, where the Oilers announced that Stan Bowman will be their new General Manager. This was a controversial decision by the Oilers and Frank wanted to explain why he thinks Bowman deserves a second chance.Tyler also popped in for a new edition of Fill in the Blank where he talked about the trade market, Patrik Laine’s future, and coaching hot seats heading into next season.6:05 - Flyers make moves (Konecny, Michkov)15:55 - Blue Jackets hire Evason18:50 - Bowman lands in Edmonton28:50 - Fill in the Blank (Laine, Necas, coaching hot seats)Want to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a quick one-week hiatus for the holidays, Jason and Frank are back with a fresh episode of the DFO Rundown as they look back at the week that was around the NHL.To start things off, they looked back at the early stages of free agency and gave a few teams that stuck out in both a positive and negative way. Both the guys really like what the New Jersey Devils have done so far this summer and that led Frank to make a very bold prediction about how next season will play out for the Devils. They also talked about the busy few days for the Washington Capitals, who got very aggressive in their attempt to re-tool their roster.On the negative side of things, they had takes on both the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators, who both made some puzzling moves.They then got into the Steven Stamkos situation. The Lightning couldn’t find common ground with their long-time Captain and now, he’s off to Tennessee to join the Nashville Predators. Frank says the Bolts have made a huge mistake and Gregor agreed. Have the Lightning lost the plot a little bit? The guys discussed.They also hit on the New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres before talking about a few of the more active teams out West. The Predators obviously came away from the day feeling like winners while the Utah Hockey Club did a great job building up their blueline in just a couple of hours on day two of the draft.Tyler then popped in with a new edition of Buy or Sell where he asked the guys about the two teams in Alberta and who they have as their Stanley Cup favourite out in the Eastern Conference.5:10 - Free Agency standouts (Devils, Hurricanes)10:00 - The Capitals' big load up15:55 - Stamkos leaves Tampa22:30 - Were the Sabres too quiet?25:00 - McLeod for Savoie trade34:50 - Who had the best summer in the West?Want to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are about 12 hours away from the beginning of NHL free agency and there are a number of major storylines that are really coming down to the wire. From Steven Stamkos in Tampa Bay to Sam Reinhart in Florida, there are a number of negotiations that are still ongoing that will have a major effect on how things play out on Monday as the market opens up.Jason and Frank kicked off today’s podcast by digging into both of those situations. From there, they got into some of the big moves that we got over the weekend, which led them into some talk about the Utah Hockey Club and their blueline reconstruction. Could they keep making moves? Frank seems to think so and he threw in a couple of other teams that could surprise the hockey world on July 1st.They also talked about some intriguing value options including the recently bought-out Jeff Skinner and some non-qualified RFAs who could find ways to bounce back next season.Tyler then swung by for a new edition of Fill in the Blank where he asked the guys about a few teams that have big question marks heading into free agency.After that, they talked about Patrick Kane re-signing in Detroit. The news broke while we were recording, so they gave their thoughts on that and more from around the league to wrap up the podcast.1:05 - Lightning make moves7:55 - Utah’s future9:40 - Surprise teams for July 116:45 - The market for Jeff Skinner19:55 - Non-qualified RFAs23:10 - Fill in the Blank35:25 - Expectations in Nashville38:30 - What could the Oilers do?Want to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup Champions for the first time in franchise history after taking down the Oilers in Game 7 of the final. Frank and Jason started the show by congratulating the Panthers on the win and talking about what will go down as an all-time Stanley Cup Final.That of course led to some conversation about what the Panthers could get up to this summer and the biggest question that GM Bill Zito needs to find an answer to is whether or not they can find a way to keep Sam Reinhart in south Florida. The guys talked about what Reinhart’s next deal could look like and whether or not the Panthers will pay up following his 57-goal campaign.After that, Jason and Frank went around the league and discussed some of the big offseason storylines that are popping up around the league. They started with Steven Stamkos and his situation with the Tampa Bay Lightning. From there, they hit on the cap-clearing trade that the Canucks made yesterday and what they could do with their newfound flexibility and whether or not Jake Guentzel could be a hit. They also talked about some new trade targets on Frank’s board (Jacob Trouba) and updated a few situations that we’ve been keeping an eye on for a while (Mitch Marner).Tyler then popped in for a new edition of Fill in the Blank where he asked the guys about Jeff Skinner, Darnell Nurse, and Martin Necas.1:55 - Panthers win the Stanley Cup4:00 - Reinhart’s future6:35 - Stamkos & the Lightning9:40 - Canucks & Guentzel13:55 - Future of in-person drafts15:30 - Trade Targets: Jacob Trouba18:40 - Other Trade Targets (Marner, Islanders cap situation)27:25 - Utah’s plans31:00 - Fill in the BlankWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It all comes down to this! Game 7 in Sunrise, Florida between the Oilers and Panthers for The Stanley Cup. For Edmonton, they’ll be looking to make history as just the second team in NHL history to complete a 3-0 series comeback in the final. For the Panthers, it’s a chance to lift up Lord Stanley on home ice.Gregor kicked things off with a quick vibe check from down in Florida, where he downloaded the Uber app for the first time and had quite the experience. He talked about how Oilers fans are feeling and how into The Cup Final Florida is. He then gave us some Game 7 numbers.Frank then looked back at what was a nightmare Game 6 for the Panthers. Rogers Place in Edmonton was rocking and the Oilers responded to their home crowd appropriately. It was all Oilers, all night. Will that momentum carry over for the road team tonight? Or will the Panthers finally find their game?They also talked about Sergei Bobrovsky not being at Panthers practice the other day. Is it a sign that Bobrovsky isn’t healthy? Or do the Panthers feel like he’s out of gas? The guys talked about that.Tyler checked in for Buy or Sell where he asked the guys about Matvei Michkov coming over from Russia earlier than anticipated, Patrick Kane’s plans, and the Leafs' goaltending situation.They wrapped up the pod with an update on the Rutger McGroarty situation in Winnipeg. Frank gave some insight into what is going on with one of the Jets top prospects.7:48 - Vibes in Florida9:40 - Game 6 thoughts14:50 - What’s up with Bob?24:00 - The legacies on the line32:00 - Buy or Sell (Michkov, Kane, Leafs’ goaltending)44:45 - Rutger McGroartyWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a wild Wednesday full of activity around the NHL, it’s safe to say that the offseason is officially here. Jason and Frank kicked off the podcast by breaking down the biggest shocker of the day: the deal that sent Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Darcy Kuemper.For Dubois, it’s yet another change of scenery in his young career. Will this finally be the wake-up call that he needs to become a more consistent player? Jason talked about that. Is this a good move for the Los Angeles Kings? Frank explained why he likes the move for GM Rob Blake.From there, they dug into the Jacob Markstrom trade that went down earlier in the day. This is a deal that almost went down at the trade deadline, and Frank explained that, but now the trade is official and Markstrom is a member of the New Jersey Devils. Did the Flames get enough for a legit 1A starting goalie? The guys debated that.Frank wrapped up the trade talk with an update on how the rest of the goalie market could shake down.They then dug into the Barclay Goodrow situation that played out this week. The player is reportedly upset with how the New York Rangers handled things, considering he had a no-trade clause. The guys explained why he shouldn’t be and talked about the other trade that the Sharks made yesterday.To wrap up the show, Tyler hopped in for a Stanley Cup Final themed edition of Buy or Sell where he asked the guys about McDavid’s Conn Smythe case, Bobrovsky’s struggles, and whether or not this series is ending on Friday.1:50 - PLD for Kuemper14:20 - Markstrom to the Devils25:30 - Goalie market update32:40 - Buy or Sell on the Stanley Cup Final41:40 - Hronek stays in VancouverWant to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Stanley Cup Final is still alive as the Oilers ran the Panthers out of the building in Game 4 on Saturday night. Frank and Jason kicked off the podcast by talking about the 8-1 beatdown in Edmonton and if the Oilers can roll any amount of this momentum into Game 5 back down in Florida.From an Oilers perspective, they may have started to figure out how to beat Sergei Bobrovsky and they scored eight goals with a few of their big guns, namely Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, still staying quiet. They could have more to give but the same could be said for the Panthers, who can likely rely on a much better goaltending performance in Game 5 and have a few of their stars who will be looking to bounceback.The guys focused in on Matt Tkachuk, who has been very quiet all series. Has he been a disappointment or has he done enough away from the scoresheet to be a factor? The guys debated that and talked about which star players will come through in Game 5.From there, they got to Tyler and a new edition of Buy or Sell where he asked them about the future of Leon Draisaitl in Edmonton, this years free agent crop, and a handful of General Managers in the Eastern Conference who are facing some pressure this summer.0:45 - Oilers win Game 411:35 - Game 5 expectacions13:40 - Conn Smyth race28:20 - Fill in the Blank (Oilers extensions, Eastern GM’s, big free agents)Want to hear more from Frank, Jason and the entire DFO team? Subscribe to our YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dailyfaceoff2563You can get involved with all the playoff action over on bet365 by using the promo code DAILY365 at bet365.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.