Since our last show, lots has transpired and we could have done five-hour show with all that there was to discuss. Regular KDUS 1060am (NBC Sports Radio affiliate) hosts Dave and Greg Isaac are joined by William Grigsby of lastwordonhockey.com. We also have Christina Farooq joining us again. She gives us her take on what the Dallas Stars did in the past week. We have lots to discuss covering the NHL free agency/trades which went down this past week.
Today’s show is broadcast live from the patio of Mrs. Chicken here in Phoenix located at 4011 N 32nd street. We all braved the desert heat as we set up on the patio to do the show. George Fraser, who also owns Frasher’s Smokehouse around the corner made sure we stayed hydrated and filled up with his delicious chicken and tasty fries with a hint of BBQ sauce. Yummy!
So sit back, relax and listen in as we cover the NHL happenings from the past week.
NHL Free Agency/Trades-Real Hockey Talk Podcast #5
First Hour of the Show-NHL Free Agency/Trades
In our ‘What did I learn’ weekly segment William covers the huge move of the Arizona Coyotes in trading for Phil Kessel. Does this help attendance in the Phoenix market? Will Kessel make other young players like Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller be better players?
We cover some of the big roster changes like Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi leaving the San Jose Sharks. Will the Sharks be able to make the playoffs after they committed a huge $92 million contract to one player when they signed Erik Karlsson?
Then, William introduces a new feature of Real Hockey Talk called “Trade of the week.” Each week as rumours fly, he will propose a trade and the panel will discuss the pros and cons of such a deal. This week a Christian Dvorak for Ryan Dzingel trade was proposed. Should the Coyotes entertain trading Dvorak for a perhaps overachieving winger in Dzingel? Give us your thoughts in the comments section once you’ve listened to the show.
Greg discusses the improvement of teams like the New Jersey Devils, and New York Rangers. The battle of the East Coast seems primed to be something to watch next season. What will some teams like the Minnesota Wild should do to improve?
Dave learned that there are 40 NHL restricted free agents going to arbitration. Dave gives us some insight on why most teams don’t like to go to arbitration and what it means for teams and players. Who can file for arbitration? Teams? Players? What are the limits? Dave gives us a lesson in this and we all learned something new.
Second Hour of the Show
In the second hour of the show Christina Farooq joins us to discuss the moves that her favorite team the Dallas Stars made. She is very excited of the prospects going forward for the Stars with the addition of Pavelski, but not so much on acquiring Corey Perry. She feels he brings more offense to an already good offensive team. Chrsitina sees Pavelski as a second-line member but that just gives them some additional offensive options.
She predicts a Stanley Cup Final in the team’s near future. Christina is not so thrilled about adding Perry, but she feels he will add some toughness as an agitator and fills a role they needed filled. Will he score 30 goals? Probably not.
We also get some opinions from Christina on the Kessel trade. On the Coyotes new ownership and how it may help them get a new arena. Also discussed was the Tyson Barrie trade to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
We do disagree with Christina on whether Auston Matthews is the real thing. She feels he needs to do more and we feel he is a top-five forward in the league.
Last Hour of the Show
Offer sheets are very popular this season as a topic of discussion and we go over the Sebastian Aho offer sheet presented to the Carolina Hurricanes talented forward. Will there be more? Will some team offer sheet Mitch Marner?
What about the Robin Lehner signing by the Chicago Blackhawks? Will it affect Corey Crawford‘s performance next season if he can stay healthy?
Then, to bring in the last segment of the show, George Fraser explains to us all about Mrs. Chicken including the process of how the chicken is cooked and transported to the restaurant. He shares the level of spiciness including the hottest spiced chicken called “burn your face off.”
We then catch up with Kevin Guy, head coach and general manager of the Arizona Rattlers. He tells us what lies ahead for this 15-0 indoor football team to win the championship next Saturday against Sioux Falls.
We talk about where the Rattlers will play next season since Talking Stick Arena will be undergoing renovations over the next two years to update the facility.
To finish up the show, Dave starts some funny moments where we discuss hockey player names and we even get a listener call in with his favorite name. We also chat about what line combinations the Coyotes may have with the addition of Kessel.
Be sure to tune in to the show next Saturday from noon-3pm Arizona time. If you have the app Tune-in you may also be able to hear the show live. And if you miss it, we have the link to the entire show for you HERE.
