The DFO Rundown

With just a few weeks to go until the regular season gets started, we began our yearly division preview series and it only made sense to start with the division that features the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. We did a deep dive on the Avs and were joined by their new General Manager Chris MacFarland. He talked about inking Nathan MacKinnon to a record-setting contract extension, his journey to becoming a GM, and how the rest of the Avs roster is looking after a short summer.Jason and Frank also gave their thoughts on every other team in the Central Division. There are two clear 'have-nots' with the Blackhawks and Coyotes both clearly planning to 'suck hard for Bedard' as Frank would say. There are some intriguing teams in the middle of this division though and perhaps no one has more on the line than the Winnipeg Jets, who had quite a bit of off-ice drama over the last few months. Fans of the Dallas Stars are also holding their breath as Jason Robertson still doesn't have a contract. Frank gave us the latest on that as well.Tyler Yaremchuk also stopped by for a new edition of 'Fill in the Blank' delivered by DoorDash.0:40 - How many teams get in?1:35 - Arizona Coyotes5:30 - Chicago Blackhawks8:00 - Winnipeg Jets12:40 - Chris MacFarland joins the show44:20 - Are the Avs better?50:10 - Minnesota Wild43:15 - St. Louis Blues59:05 - Dallas Stars1:02:55 - Nashville Predators Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

26 Sep 20221h 16min

We are back with another Friday episode of The DFO Rundown as Jason and Frank broke down the biggest storylines from around the league as training camps open up. There has been some pretty significant injury news from a few different cities and that's where they started on the pod. The Flyers season is pretty much over before it started with the news that they could be without both Ryan Ellis and Sean Couturier this season. They also hit on the injury that Frank's battling as we head into the season. They also quickly hit on the latest surrounding Patrick Kane, who still isn't expected to be moved until later in the season. Jason had a brand new 'Would You Rather' question for Frank based on the aging cores of the Capitals and Penguins. Tyler Yaremchuk also returned to the show for a new edition of 'Buy or Sell' delivered by DoorDash, which featured some talk about Alex Ovechkin's goal total for the upcoming season. They also hit on the three defensemen who announced their retirement last week.1:45 - Jake Muzzin, Ryan Ellis and Sean Couturier injuries 10:50 - Blackhawks trade targets 14:55 - Would you rather: Pens or Caps core for five seasons?23:05 - Buy or Sell32:10 - Alex Ovechkin o/u 44.5 goals Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

23 Sep 202239min

Special Guest Rick Bowness joins Frank Seravalli and Jason Gregor on this episode of the DFO Rundown. As the new Head Coach of the Winnipeg Jets, Rick describes the organization's decision to remove Blake Wheeler as the team's captain for the upcoming season. He also talked about his decision to join the Jets following a four-year stint as Head Coach for the Dallas Stars and what factors resulted in him finalizing an agreement with the organization. Having shared the unique experiences of being a Player-Head coach, Rick describes the time he coached while serving a penalty during his time with the Sherbrooke Jets. Before the interview with Bowness, Frank and Rick analyze the Evander Kane contract settlement and how it affects the salary cap for the Sharks. In the last segment following the discussion with Bowness, the Restricted Free Agent list is discussed, as many recognizable names are left unsigned leading into training camp. With training camp soon to begin, they give us their key storylines to watch in training camp and what internal positional battles could be in the spotlight. Evander Kane contract settlement - 1:19Rick Bowness joins the show - 6:19Rick Bowness’s thoughts’ on Blake Wheeler - 7:56The factors of joining the Winnipeg Jets: Rick Bowness - 17:26The experiences of being a Player-Head Coach - 26:07RFA Contract Talks - 33:42Training Camp storylines to watch - 47:21 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 Sep 202256min

Frank and Jason, join us again for another episode of the DFO Rundown! With the regular season right around the corner, Nathan Mackinnon contract extension talks are heating up. We break down the ideal term and salary for MacKinnon and the Avalanche organization. From there, we asked the question "Huberdeau or Gaudreau" in our One or the Other segment. With both forwards transitioning to new teams following this past off-season, we questioned which elite player would you rather have over the next five seasons. Frank Seravalli previews his upcoming story for Daily Faceoff, which places NHL players in specific categories and, most notably, what players are defined as franchise players. Pre-season playoff predictions are in discussion on the DFO Rundown as Jason Gregor states why the Vancouver Canucks will clinch their spot in the playoffs for the upcoming season and which player will be the focal point in helping them reach their first playoff appearance since 2020. Is Ryan O’Reilly going to be able to cash in for this upcoming free agency? At 31 years old, Frank and Jason explain why age might not be a factor once his contract expires following a seven-year deal signed back in 2016-17. Nathan MacKinnon Contract Talk - 00:00:39One or the Other: Huberdeau / Gaudreau 00:15:03Franchise Players - Frank Seravalli’s Preview 00:20:03Ilya Sorokin and other elite young Goalies - 00:26:13Vancouver Canucks (Gregor’s Playoff Prediction) - 00:31:26Ryan O’Reilly Upcoming UFA Contract Talks - 00:38:01 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Sep 202246min

We are back to two episodes a week on The DFO Rundown! Frank and Jason are gearing up for the start of the NHL season and there was plenty to get to today on the show. To start things off, they talked about a few teams around the league that are in some interesting situations when it comes to the salary cap. With a lot of teams preparing to use LTIR to start the season, there are some moves that still could be made. From there, they talked about Nick Suzuki being named the youngest Captain in Canadiens history, players around the league that are being signed to PTO's, and what could be next for PK Subban as he sits unsigned with training camps just around the corner. Tyler Yaremchuk also stopped by for an awards-themed edition of 'Buy or Sell'.Today's guest was Edmonton Oilers Assistant GM Bill Scott. He's the team's salary cap expert and joined the show to give us a bit of insight into how teams strategize with the salary cap, how LTIR works, and he also gave us one idea for how he'd change the salary cap system.1:40 - Teams in cap trouble5:30 - Nick Suzuki is the Canadien's Captain9:25 - PTO season15:30 - PK Subban19:45 - Looking at the four major awards39:27 - Oilers AGM Bill Scott44:40 - How his career got started49:30 - The challenges of LTIR59:47 - A look at arbitration Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Sep 20221h 9min

The summer interview series wrapped up on today's episode as the guys sat down with San Jose Sharks forward, and two-time Stanley Cup Champion, Nick Bonino. He talked about being a veteran on a team that's heading into a season that most view as a transition year. He also talked about his career, which has featured many ups and downs. He was traded before ever playing an NHL game and by the time he had played 300 NHL games he had already been traded a total of three times. He talked about life on the move and whether or not it gets easier to stomach being traded. He also touched on his two Stanley Cup runs with the Penguins and his favourite memories from those. Before getting to the Bonino interview, Frank and Jason talked about JT Miller's surprising extension with the Vancouver Canucks. What allowed these two sides to find common ground? Frank shone some light onto that. Jason also shared why he thinks the Canucks will take a step forward this season. They also hit on Kirby Dach's new deal before getting to a new edition of 'Fill in the Blank' with Tyler Yaremchuk.0:55 - JT Miller's new deal5:55 - Why the Canucks will bounce back8:55 - Kirby Dach's new deal11:30 - Will Slafkovsky or Wright play in the NHL next season?17:20 - Fill in the Blank23:30 - Nick Bonino joins the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7 Sep 202253min

Today on The DFO Rundown, Jason and Frank were joined by former NHL tough guy Shawn Thornton. On the ice, he was known for dropping the mitts but in his post-career life, he’s actually turned to the business side of the sport as he’s now the Chief Revenue Officer of the Florida Panthers. He spoke about that role, some of his more memorable moments on the ice during his career, and also the book he wrote about his life. His path from being a steel worker to a two-time Stanley Cup Champion is quite remarkable. Before the interview with Thornton, the duo broke down some of the recent news that we’ve gotten from the last seven days around the NHL. From the Golden Knights adding Phil The Thrill and shoring up their goaltending to the big extension that the Buffalo Sabres gave to Tage Thompson, there was plenty to get to on the pod. Tyler Yaremchuk also popped in with a new edition on Buy or Sell. 5:00 - Vegas adds Kessell and Hill 8:34 - The Rangers & their mindset 11:40 - Tage Thompson’s new deal 16:45 - Norris, Thomas, or Thompson question17:25 - Buy or Sell delivered by Door Dash! 24:50 - Shawn Thornton joins the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

31 Aug 202252min

Jason and Frank were reunited today on the pod as Frank returned from his summer holiday in Italy. He started the show by talking about his time there, and the food he ate. He also gave some travel tips for those thinking of going. It was a relaxed episode of the pod as they really didn't get into much hockey talk for the first five minutes but hey, it's August. When they did get to the hockey talk, they started with what's going on in Calgary as GM Brad Treliving made another huge splash last week landing start free agent Nazem Kadri. Are the Flames now back to being the team to beat in the Pacific? Or is it the Oilers' division to lose? Frank and Jason debated that. From there, they hit on the Canes getting a bargain deal done with Paul Stastny, the situation in Vegas, and the Islanders not doing anything this summer after missing the playoffs in 2021-22.They also brought in Tyler Yaremchuk for Fill in The Blank delivered by DoorDash. He asked them about some remaining free agents, which rookies they're excited to watch next season and their all-time favourite arena names.6:33 - The Flames make more big moves10:30 - The Battle of Alberta & the Pacific Division14:25 - Stastny to the Canes16:00 - Lehner's injury & VGK17:50 - Lou swings & misses30:40 - Future of Patrick Kane Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

24 Aug 202248min