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The Suitcase And The Scribe

Let The Madness Begin

Ep. 44

The madness of free agency is less than 24 hours away in the NHL. Mike McKenna and Scott Burnside are here to give you a rundown of who's available and where they could land.


However, before the free agency talk began, Mike told a great story about his experience at a New Jersey Devils camp when Lou Lamoriello was in charge. It's a story you won't want to miss.


After that, the two dove into the free agency chatter, starting at the top of the board with Johnny Gaudreau. Every passing day makes it seem like he won't be signing there. If that's the case, then where will Johnny Hockey land? Could it be Philadelphia? Could New Jersey still be in the mix? Mike and Scott give their takes on today's show.


John Klingberg is another intriguing name on the market, along with David Perron and Nazem Kadri.


Then, it would not that an episode of The Suitcase and The Scribe if Mike and Scott did not talk about goaltenders. Darcy Kuemper and Jack Campbell look like they have found homes in Washington and Edmonton. Ilya Samsonov is a new name joining the market after the Capitals released him. Mike gave his two cents on why that happened.


You can hear all of that and much more on the newest episode of The Suitcase and The Scribe.

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  • 45. Interview with Allain Roy, Hockey Agent

    49:27||Ep. 45
    Allain Roy joins Scott Burnside and Mike McKenna on the finale of The Suitcase and The Scribe live from the Kelowna airport. Roy is wrapping up his agency camps in the beautiful Okanogan town after starting in New Brunswick earlier in the summer. Roy first spoke about the market this season and its uniqueness. He then discussed the most recent deal with Jonas Siegenthaler in New Jersey. Siegenthaler isn't the only player Roy works with on the Devils. He spoke about his other client Nico Hischier and how his new deal in New Jersey came about. After the interview, Mike and Scott dove into what's been happening around the NHL and what hasn't been happening. The New York Islanders have done nothing so far this summer. Mike gives a prediction on what could still happen on Long Island. On the flip side, they spoke about the sneaky good summer the Pittsburgh Penguins have had. Not only did they bring back Kris Letang and Geno Malkin, but they found a way to move Michael Matheson's contract and Jon Marino to bring in Jeff Petry and Ty Smith. Scott and Mike discussed the situation with Hockey Canada to close the show. Scott has some great work over on DailyFaceoff.com about everything happening. 
  • 44. What's Happening In Calgary?

    56:00||Ep. 44
    Mike McKenna and Scott Burnside are back for another episode of The Suitcase and The Scribe. Today's show is centred around free agency, which we are now one week into, and also the situation in Calgary. After losing Johnny Gaudreau last week to the Columbus Blue Jackets, which caused quite the stir, the Flames are now on the brink of losing Matthew Tkachuk. Tkachuk is a restricted free agent, but all reports indicated that his days might be numbers in the Flames. What does this mean for Calgary? Mike and Scott discuss the situation on today's show. Additionally, they spoke about why American-born players do not want to stay in Canada. Mike talked about his experiences in the Canadian market, and Scott relayed some information he learned from talking with hockey personnel. We are now deep into free agency, and most top players are spoken for. However, two names that are still lingering around are Nazem Kadri and John Klingberg do not have homes. Mike and Scott discussed possible landing spots for those two and why they haven't signed anywhere. Also, on the show, Mike and Scott talked about the San Jose Sharks, the Seattle Kraken, and another current free agent in Nino Niederreiter.
  • Joined by Chris Johnston from TSN

    58:11|
    The play on the ice may be all wrapped up, but the chaos off the ice is just beginning. Scott Burnside returned to the show this week as he and Mike McKenna welcomed Chris Johnston from TSN. Chris is in Montreal for the NHL Entry Draft, which gets going on Thursday night. He talked about the vibes around the draft being in person for the first time in a few years; however, while it may be in person now in a couple of years, that may be changing.He also spoke about the big trade over the weekend, which saw Ryan McDonagh move to Nashville from Tampa Bay. Along with that, he briefly dove into the free agency talk. After Mike and Scott's conversation with Chris, the two of them dove into the other news around the NHL, and there was a lot of it. Many new head coaches are hired, with announcements coming in Detroit, Boston and Winnipeg. On top of that, San Jose brought in the first black general manager in NHL history. Then finally, of course, free agency starts next week, so they had to talk about that too.You can hear all that and more in episode 42 of The Suitcase and The Scribe. 
  • The Suitcase and The Suitcase

    01:01:43|
    No Scott Burnside on the show today, so Mike McKenna was joined by a fellow suitcase Derek Nesbitt.Nesbitt is the current captain of the Atlanta Gladiators in the ECHL and has played over 1000 games in the minor leagues. During his time in the minor leagues, he was coached by now Colorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. Nesbitt told a couple of stories from his time spent with Bednar and also talked about his relationships with his players.Of course, earlier this week, the Bednar won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in game six. Mike and Derek dove into the series, discussing what the Avalanche did to help them win. In the days after the final game, Jon Cooper released the Lightning's injury report, and if you haven't seen it already, you will want to listen to what a few players were dealing with.Also, on the show, Mike and Derek discussed the Chicago Blackhawks' new head coach Luke Richardson along with the other new coaches around the NHL. That list includes John Tortorella, who is back in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers.You can hear all that and more on episode 41 of The Suitcase and The Scribe. 
  • An interview with Emily Kaplan from ESPN + the NHL Awards and Stanley Cup Final

    57:16|
    The Suitcase and The Scribe are back for another Stanley Cup Final edition of the show as the Colorado Avalanche head into game four tonight with a 2-1 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning. There's no better person to join the guys on the show today than somebody who sees the final take place down at ice level.Emily Kaplan from ESPN dropped by to chat with Scott Burnside about what has happened not only in the Stanley Cup Final but also throughout the playoffs. She discussed how she became an on-camera person at ESPN, her relationship with coaches around the NHL, and also her parting words to players in interviews.Before the interview, Mike McKenna and Scott Burnside broke down last night's NHL Awards. There were not many surprises, but some hockey fans were unhappy about Auston Matthews winning the Hart Trophy over Connor McDavid. Mike and Scott justified the award by explaining why Matthews was a deserving recipient. They also discussed the Vezina Trophy, Norris Trophy and the Ted Lindsay.They dove into game four of the Stanley Cup Final and answered the lingering question over the Avalanches camp right now: should Darcy Kuemper start game four?Finally, they talked about the coaching changes around the league, and Mike gave an update on the AHL's Calder Cup Final.
  • 39. Stanley Cup Final Preview, The Goalie Market, & Coaching Changes

    52:54||Season 1, Ep. 39
    Ladies and gentlemen, we have finally arrived at the main event. The Stanley Cup Final gets going tonight in Colorado with the Avalanche taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning is becoming very familiar with playing hockey this late into the year. Meanwhile, Colorado is back in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2001, when they beat the New Jersey Devils in seven games. People are calling this series the best finals matchup we have seen in a long time, and rightfully so. Two of the stars in this series are between the pipes. Of course, Tampa Bay has one of the best goaltenders of all time in Andrei Vasilevskiy, and, on the other side of the ice, Darcy Kuemper will likely be the Avs guy as he is expected to return from injury. Mike McKenna broke down the goalie duel on today's show and how it might be more of an advantage for one goaltender than the other. Scott Burnside also gave his thoughts on the series. Specifically on the five-on-five play from both teams. Another question looming over this series is the health of Brayden Point. How does his return impact the series? What if he doesn't play at all? Mike and Scott discussed those thoughts on today's show. In other hockey news, we had some coaching news with Bruce Cassidy joining the Vegas Golden Knights and John Torteralla likely signing on with the Philadelphia Flyers. Plenty of discussion on those two decisions. They also talked about the other openings around the NHL. The show then ends with a talk about the NHL's goaltending market. A bunch of names of come up in rumours over the last week, including John Gibson (Anaheim Ducks) and Matt Murray (Ottawa Senators). Where do they fit, and should teams even want them? You can hear all that and more in episode 39 of The Suitcase and The Scribe.
  • 38. An Interview with Chris Wideman, Montreal Canadiens

    50:54||Season 1, Ep. 38
    Welcome to episode 38 of The Suitcase and The Scribe with Mike McKenna and Scott Burnside.  The Western Conference finalists are set after the Colorado Avalanche took care of business against the Edmonton Oilers. The injuries became a little too much for the Oilers to handle, with two of their stars, Darnell Nurse and Leon Draisaitl, caring significant damage.  Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Lightning have clawed their way back into their series against the New York Rangers in the east and are now tied up at two. The bottom six has shown up in the last couple of games for the Bolts, proving that depth matters again.  Also, on the show, Chris Wideman from the Montreal Canadiens joined Mike and Scott to talk about his new two year extension. They also dove into his time in Russia, having Marty St Louis as the head coach and how he once interned on Wall Street. The interview also contains a brief cameo from Wideman's dog.  Mike and Scott dove into the coaching news to close out the episode. Of course, this week's big news was the firing of Boston Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy had a winning record in every season in Boston and guided them to the Stanley Cup finals in 2019 when they lost in game seven to the St Louis Blues. The question now lingers, what is going to happen next in Beantown? 
  • 37. Avs and Oilers go wild + an interview with former NHL official Dave Jackson

    59:23||Season 1, Ep. 37
    There was more controversy in the NHL playoffs last night. Edmonton Oilers fans were left stunned that Cale Makar's goal counted after what looked like a for sure offside. After that occurrence, there was no better guest to have on The Suitcase and The Scribe today than former NHL referee Dave Jackson. Jackson broke down the play by play of why that goal stood, and the officials made a great call on the ice.  That wasn't the first talked about decision made during an Oilers game throughout this postseason. In game five of the second round, Blake Coleman thought he had given the Calgary Flames a late lead by that goal was disallowed due to a kicking motion. Jackson also talked about that play and shared his initial thoughts.  Mike McKenna and Scott Burnside also spoke with Jackson about his transition to a media role, the life of an official, and the personalities of the people in stripes.  Mike and Scott dove into last night's wild Western Conference Finals following their chat with Jackson. The game came as advertised, with 14 goals scored within the 60 minutes. A big question now heading into game two is the health of Darcy Kuemper. Mike talked about why Avalanche should not be overly concerned.  The Eastern Conference Finals get underway with the Tampa Bay Lightning travelling to the Big Apple to face the New York Rangers. Mike and Scott talked about what they expect to see from the last two teams in the east.