Given the game of musical chairs unfolding in college football, we felt it necessary to play our own version of the game with college hockey programs. This week’s show focuses on the different avenues that could be explored to realign and expand college hockey’s footprint. We discuss opportunities to further expand the Big Ten, to bring in new programs in the west and taking a deep dive into the machinations necessary for UB to add a D1 program.
NHL
The Instigator Podcast 11.39 – Landing Spots for Olofsson
The Stanley Cup Final has wrapped up and we go deep on the series betwen the Golden Knights and the Panthers. We touch on the dominance Vegas exerted in the series and dig into Jonathan Marchessault’s Conn Smythe winning performance.
We also tackle the report that Victor Olofsson expects to be traded this offseason. We discuss the significance of the report and select a few teams which we feel would be good fits for him in a trade.
The Instigator Podcast 11.38 – The First Trade of the Offseason
This week, we take listener questions and offer up some reactions on topics such as the Bills stadium project, arena renovations, choices in goal and Buffalo’s front office outlook. We kick things off with a breakdown of the three-team trade that sent Ivan Provorov to the Blue Jackets and a bucket of players and picks to the Flyers.
Hellebuyck is the Rare Goalie Worth the Acquisition Cost
Finding an upgrade in goal is perhaps the most pressing need of the offseason for Kevyn Adams and the Buffalo Sabres. The sting of missing the playoffs by such a narrow margin is only that much more frustrating when you think of the number of games that slipped away due to leaky goals and below average goaltending.
Devon Levi certainly didn’t wilt under the spotlight after making his NHL debut, and he’ll have the inside track at one of the NHL roster spots come training camp. Who the team chooses to play in tandem with him will be an extremely important decision. It seems unfair to expect Levi to take the bulk of the starts at just 21. Not only would it be unfair to him to add that much more pressure to the situation, but the team would be asking him to take on a workload (45-plus starts) he was ever asked to handle between college or junior.
The incumbents, Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, provide some insurance for the club, though neither truly impressed last year. At even strength, the pair finished with a -5.6 and -7.1 goals saved above expected, respectively. To expect either to share any notable level of workload with Levi – let alone starter’s duties – would be a significant gamble for a team with playoff aspirations in 2023-24.
Assuming the team agrees that neither Luukkonen or Comrie have the ability to provide Levi with a stable partner, they’ll need to mine free agency or the trade market for a suitable option. Perhaps the most notable name that has been floated is Connor Hellebuyck, the perennial Vezina candidate with one more year left on his contract at $6.16 million cap hit. Hellebuyck’s rumored availability has sparked a fair bit of debate over his contract status, workload and acquisition cost.
Continue readingThe Instigator Podcast 11.37 – Catching Up on the Amerks and the Cup Final
We couldn’t catch up on the latest exploits for the Rochester Americans last week, so we devoted time this week to their impressive run in the Calder Cup playoffs. The Amerks have reached the Eastern Conference Final and are in a tough battle with the Hershey Bears. We run though some of the most notable contributors for the team and even look ahead to how the likes of Ryan Johnson and Nikita Novikov will make an impact in Rochester in 2023-24.
This week also includes a brief preview of the Stanley Cup Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers. We offer up our thoughts on some of the most notable storylines of the series and provide our predictions for this year’s Final.
The Instigator Podcast 11.36 – Big Change in Toronto
A BIG week of news saw the Toronto Maple Leafs move on from Kyle Dubas, rumors of move upheaval in the Leafs front office, more movement on the ownership bids for the Senators and continued trdouble in Arizona. We break down each of those stories, speak on the new entry level contract for Nikita Novikov, Matthew Savoie’s assignment to Rochester and more on this week’s episode.
The Instigator Podcast 11.35 – Sniffing Out the Hellebuyck Smoke
The Conference Finals are set to begin and we run through the matchups in the East and West, giving our outlook on both series. We transition to a discussion about Connor Hellebuyck and the fresh rumors connecting him to the Sabres.
The Instigator Podcast is sponsored by Betstamp. Download the Betstamp app by visiting betstamp.app/instigator
Who’s Up Next as the NHL’s Uniform Supplier?
For a league that tends to prefer the conservative approach, the NHL’s jersey partnership with Adidas has brought about a host of boundary-pushing initiatives.
Now, the league will need to pivot as Adidas will not be renewing their contract with the league following the 2023-24 season. This isn’t new territory for the league – or the sport as a whole – as the current agreement came about as Reebok was taking on an even greater focus on CrossFit and training. Similarly, Nike’s relationship with Bauer hockey ebbed and flowed before Nike’s involvement in hockey all but ended in the mid-aughts.
The Adidas era of jerseys should be looked upon fondly by NHL fans. They did admirable work with the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, hitting a couple of home runs with the uniforms for the tournament.
Redesigns over these last seven years have been somewhat minimal, with many teams returning to former designs as opposed taking on new looks. But Adidas has left their mark on the league’s alternate jerseys. Pushing boundaries with the designs in Dallas and Edmonton and finding the right mix of heritage and contemporary design with Winnipeg’s (sadly) short-lived Jets script alternate.
Arguably the biggest impact we’ve seen from Adidas is the Reverse Retro program. The new take on alternate jerseys has brought about a raft of excellent and nostalgic uniforms and is a fairly sharp derivation from the typically conservative NHL. Whether the program continues after Adidas departs is a pretty big question from both an aesthetic and revenue perspective.
Continue readingThe Instigator Podcast 11.4 – The Growing Crisis Surrounding Hockey Canada
The spotlight on Hockey Canada has only gotten brighter in recent days as the investigation into how the organization has handled sexual assault claims continues to reveal deeper and darker issues with their operations. We discuss the nature of the claims against Hockey Canada and how recent revelations and announcements have raised new questions about what’s next for Hockey Canada and whether or not they’re capable of the introspection needed to enact tangible change.
We wrap up the show by digging into the lines the Sabres look set to enter the season with. We touch on the strengths of the lineup and some of the areas where issues may arise. We look at how the roster make up could affect the long and short term roster management through recalls and changes with line combinations.
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The Instigator Podcast – Fantasy Corner with Pete Jensen of NHL.com
Pete Jensen of NHL.com joins the show to offer up a fantasy hockey outlook for the coming season. Pete lends his expertise to discuss which players are candidates to climb up draft boards, players poised for a breakout year in fantasy and which Sabres will carry the most fantasy value this season.
Two in the Box 
