The DFO Rundown

Latest Episodes:

The Latest on Job Openings Around The League May 22, 2023

Show notes

Frank and Jason are back with a holiday Monday edition of the podcast, at least if you’re in Canada. If you’re in the United States, like Frank, it’s just a normal Monday version of the show.

To start the show, they dug into the weekend results from each of the two Conference Finals. The Carolina Hurricanes can’t seem to solve Sergei Bobrovsky and as a result, are down 2-0 to the Florida Panthers after starting the series on home ice. Can the Canes find their offense or are the Panthers going to coast through this series?

The Stars had a great chance to even up their series vs the Golden Knights but some late-game gaffes cost them and now they’re down 2-0 heading back home. Can they turn it around and save their season?

They then turned to some off-season topics and started with the big moves in Toronto. Jason and Frank both had some passionate thoughts about the way Kyle Dubas exited his job and the stunning manner in which the Leafs moved on from him as General Manager. They also hit on the expected hiring of Craig Conroy as GM in Calgary and what he’ll need to do this summer with the Flames roster.

Frank also had some info on some other openings around the league and the ownership situation in Ottawa.

Tyler also had some fresh Buy or Sell questions before the end of the pod.

1:00 - Conference Finals Recaps

11:45 - Leafs move on from Dubas

19:40 - Penguins GM opening & Sens ownership

25:50 - Buy or Sell

40:42 - Conroy to be Flames GM

44:35 - Blue Jackets HC job

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It's time for the Coyotes to leave Arizona May 18, 2023

Show notes

The Conference Finals are finally getting underway after a few days off. Jason and Frank eventually got to previewing the two series that will decide who ultimately battles for The Stanley Cup but first, they had to dive into the story that has been dominating the hockey world for the past 72 hours: the Arizona Coyotes arena drama.

The league says they’re going back to The Mullett Arena for the 2023-24 season, but why? Frank says it’s not a long-term fix and the league needs to move on and Jason agreed. He also gave his thoughts on some of the rumoured landing spots should the Coyotes finally leave the desert.

Frank also had some new info on General Manager openings in Calgary and Pittsburgh. He thinks they could have their new hires in place by this time next week. Jason thinks the Flame's next GM is already in their front office and explained why Craig Conroy would be a great choice to be their next GM.

Tyler Yaremchuk joined the show to talk with the guys about the upcoming Conference Finals. He got the guys to fill in the rest of the bracket and also asked them about who’s the front-runner to win the Conn Smyth trophy.

1:10 - Coyotes arena drama

16:00 - Latest on open GM jobs

25:35 - Open Head Coaching jobs

32:20 - Fill in the Blank

43:40 - Canes vs Panthers preview

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What changes are coming in Edmonton & Toronto? May 15, 2023

Show notes

The Stanley Cup will stay south of the border for another season. Both the Edmonton Oilers and Toronto Maple Leafs were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the weekend and now, changes could be coming in both of those markets.

Frank started the pod off by talking about a move that could be happening in Edmonton at the managerial level. Gregor took a look at what went wrong for the Oilers in their series against the Golden Knights. Was it a problem of depth? Were their big guns not good enough? The two debated that.

In Toronto, it seems like there could be even bigger changes. General Manager Kyle Dubas and Head Coach Sheldon Keefe are on the hot seat and we could know within 48 hours whether or not they’ll be back. The guys also talked about the roster that the Leafs have and who could be moved this summer.

There are also GM openings in Calgary and Pittsburgh. Frank gave an update on those two situations and talked about the move that the Philadelphia Flyers made last week.

Tyler also jumped in with Fill in the Blank brought to you by Betano. He asked the guys about some other organizations that could make GM changes and some players who will be unrestricted free agents in July.

To wrap up the show, Frank and Jason talked about the future of the Arizona Coyotes with their arena vote looming.

0:40 - Oilers eliminated

16:45 - Changes in Toronto?

29:15 - Flames & Penguins GM searches

32:20 - Flyers changes up top

34:05 - Fill in the Blank

45:10 - Coyotes arena vote

50:05 - Kraken vs Stars

53:55 - Senators ownership

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A New Era in Philly & A Playoff Update May 11, 2023

Show notes

The Stanley Cup Playoffs continue to roll along and every series is going to see a fifth game. The Toronto Maple Leafs were in danger of being swept last night but gutted out a victory in their series. The Carolina Hurricanes can be the first team to move on with a win tonight. Out west, each series is a best-of-three and with almost every game between them being a blowout, it’s hard to tell who has the edge.

Frank and Jason broke down all those series but first, they talked about Keith Jones and Danny Briere being brought in to run the hockey ops department in Philly. It’s a new era for the Flyers, but will it lead to a quick turnaround or will this be a long rebuild in the City of Brotherly Love?

Frank also talked about his experience being sequestered at the NHL Draft Lottery. He raved about the drama behind the scenes and also assured fans that the process is not rigged. That led to some talk about Bedard becoming a Blackhawk and what GM Kyle Davidson could do this summer to try and get the generational talent some help next season.

They wrapped up the pod with some talk about Canes forward Jordan Martinook and his incredible second round. Frank also talked about the lack of drama in round two.

0:40 - New era in Philly

8:40 - Oilers vs Golden Knights

19:40 - Draft lottery

26:50 - Buy or Sell

37:10 - Leafs vs Panthers

39:20 - Martinook: The unexpected hero

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The Draft Lottery & The Leafs 3-0 Deficit May 08, 2023

Show notes

The Stanley Cup playoffs continued to be widely unpredictable as the Seattle Kraken and Florida Panthers just can’t stop winning. Frank and Jason dug into how each of the four second-round series are looking today on the podcast but first, with the draft lottery going tonight they started things off by spinning the wheel at tankathon.com and talking about potential landing spots for Connor Bedard. Tonight will be a franchise-defining moment for one NHL team.

We also got news over the weekend that the New York Rangers and Gerard Gallant have mutually decided to part ways, which Gregor said was a polite way of saying he’s been fired. Who are some potential candidates to replace him in ‘The Big Apple’? Frank gave some possibilities and Jason had a strong take on who should be the Ranger's next Head Coach.

There very well could be a coaching change coming in Toronto as well. The Leafs find themselves down 3-0 to the Florida Panthers in their second-round series. What’s been the biggest problem for Toronto? Their stars have disappeared, their depth looks weak, and goaltending hasn’t been great. The list is long and there could be big changes if the Leafs get bounced.

They also hit on the other series in the Eastern Conference and the two out west before getting to Tyler Yaremchuk, who had some fresh ‘Fill in the Blank’ questions ready for the guys.

0:45 - Draft lottery goes tonight

16:30 - Rangers move on from Gallant

23:05 - Leafs down 3-0

38:45 - Kraken up 2-1 on Dallas

42:20 - Devils vs Hurricanes

44:20 - Fill in the Blank

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Playoff talk & a draft preview with Craig Button May 04, 2023

Show notes

As the Stanley Cup playoffs continued into Round 2, we picked up right where we left off. Only this time around, if a player finds the back of the net four times in one game, it might not guarantee a win for their team. It’s safe to say that the 2023 Playoffs have been full of drama and excitement thus far.

Breaking down the start of Round 2, Frank and Jason started the show by reviewing the four matchups ongoing in the league. Taking a look inside the Western and Eastern Conference, the guys shared their analysis after witnessing each game one.

Later on, in the show, Craig Button of the Kool Button podcast and TSN joined the show. By sharing his draft expertise, Craig was able to share how Connor Bedard compares to the other top NHL prospects in this draft year.

With there being some high-profile forwards in the draft class this year, Craig gave some praise to some notable Defencemen. Craig also shared with Frank and Jason some names that may be considered a mid-round gem, as he shed light on how teams can find elite talent in the middle rounds of the NHL draft.

Where is Connor Bedard going to play next season? That is one question that each lottery team looks forward to as we get closer to the Draft Lottery. To finish off, Craig shared which NHL franchise would be the ideal spot for Connor Bedard as he enters the league.

0:40 - 4 Goal Games

4:06 - Western Conference Round 2 Update

11:00 - Eastern Conference Round 2 Update

24:22 - Craig Button Joins the Show

25:06 - Bedard vs Other Top Draft Prospects

28:28 - Risk Factors in Drafting

35:20 - Top Defencemen prospects

41:12 - Drafting Goalies in Top Rounds

47:40 - Mid-Round Gems

56:41 - Craig’s Ideal Team for Connor Bedard

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Historic Upsets & What's Next in Boston? May 01, 2023

Show notes

What. A. First. Round.

The opening series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs lived up to the hype and then some. Sunday night alone saw the team that just set the record for most wins in a regular season lose on home ice, in overtime nonetheless, and the defending Stanley Cup Champions lost to the youngest franchise in the league.

How did those two teams pull of historic upsets? Frank and Jason started the show by digging into those two series and talking about what could happen over the summer for both the Bruins and Avalanche.

There is still one series still going right now. The Rangers and Devils will play game seven tonight and the guys also broke that down before continuing to go through the rest of the first round results. They hit on both the Oilers and Maple Leafs moving on to round two and predicted whether or not they can go even deeper.

To wrap things up, they talked about the comments made by Winnipeg Jets Head Coach Rick Bowness and the players reaction to it. Tyler Yaremchuk also popped in for a fresh edition of Buy or Sell.

1:30 - Panthers upset Bruins

10:50 - Kraken take down Avs

16:45 - Devils vs Rangers Game 7

20:35 - Leafs end drought

31:40 - Cane’s second round opponent

34:20 - Stars vs Kraken preview

35:45 - Oilers vs Golden Knights

41:00 - Bowness calls out Jets

49:15 - Kings summer ahead

52:32 - Wild summer ahead

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Every team is still alive & we have a new trade targets board Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

We are on our fifth podcast of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and every single team is still alive. Now, that could all change tonight and that’s where Jason and Frank started today on the show. The Leafs can put away the Lightning tonight in game five of their series. If they lose tonight, how much pressure shifts onto their shoulders? They debated that. The Winnipeg Jets are also trying to stay alive tonight in their series against the Golden Knights. The Jets are hurting right now with multiple key players out of the lineup, can they still pull off the improbable comeback against the Golden Knights?

From there, they talked about Matt Tkachuk’s heroics last night in game five between the Bruins and Panthers. Frank says that Tkachuk is a top-five player in the NHL, but Gregor disagrees. They also talked about the other series going on right now. The Devils have won back-to-back games and now have a chance to take a 3-2 series lead over a Rangers team that is showing some serious flaws.

Tyler also popped in for Fill in the Blank, where he asked the guys about Frank’s first trade targets board of the offseason. They talked about Erik Karlsson, JT Miller, and more names on Frank's list. They also looked at the updated series odds on Betano.ca.

0:50 - Maple Leafs vs Bolts

13:20 - Jets trying to stay alive

17:08 - Panthers stay alive

24:58 - Avs on the brink

29:40 - Stars vs Wild & Oilers vs Kings

32:05 - Isles force game six

34:40 - Fill in the Blank

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Breaking down one week of playoff hockey Apr 24, 2023

Show notes

Jason and Frank are back with a fresh episode of The DFO Rundown and with one week of playoff hockey in the books, they had plenty to break down. Pretty much every series has been producing some intriguing storylines but officiating has stood out across the board. They started today's show by talking about the impact that the referees have been having so far in the postseason and they debated whether or not the league should allow the media to speak to officials after a game. From there, they talked about the Leafs and Lightning series, which got extra spicy in game three. Does this Leaf's team look different than the team in years past? Or are they doomed for the same fate?

The other two Canadian teams have had interesting weeks as well. The Jets are very much in their series against the Golden Knights, but can they overcome the loss of Josh Morrissey? The Oilers had a wild comeback victory to even up their series against the Kings, do they have what it takes to win what is now a best-of-three? Frank and Jason talked about that and went through some updated series odds courtesy of Betano.ca

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What's Happening in Calgary & Stanley Cup Playoff Controversies Apr 20, 2023

Show notes

We are through three nights in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and there is no shortage of storylines. Frank and Jason went through every series and where things stand right now, but first they dug into what’s going on in Calgary. Frank explained what happened behind the scenes and why Brad Treliving decided to move on after almost a decade in the GM chair.

They then got into the big storylines from the playoffs starting with the goaltending controversy brewing down in Minnesota. After winning game one, the Wild switched up their starting goaltender and then got smoked in game two. Frank thinks this was the right decision and wondered if more teams will start looking at things the way the Wild do.

That wasn’t the only controversial topic from night three. A missed call in overtime between the Hurricanes and Islanders had Isles fans up in arms. Leafs fans are also upset that Michael Bunting was given a three game suspension. Frank and Jason actually sided with Leafs fans on this one, saying that they thought the punishment was too harsh.

They wrapped it up by talking about the teams that are in danger of going down 2-0 despite having home ice advantage. Which team needs a win the most? They gave their thoughts. They also brought in Tyler for a fresh edition of Buy or Sell.

1:05 - What happened in Calgary?

9:10 - The Wild goalie controversey

15:06 - Panthers vs Bruins

17:58 - Canes/Islanders

26:55 - Bunting suspension

34:25 - Favorites going down 2-0

43:00 - Buy or Sell

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