Author Archives: Jaden Teja

Warriors Acquire Christian Del Bianco From Roughnecks

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The Vancouver Warriors made a blockbuster trade at the National Lacrosse League’s trade deadline on Monday. The Warriors acquired star goaltender Christian Del Bianco from the Calgary Roughnecks in exchange for defenceman Brayden Laity, a first-round pick in the 2025 entry draft, a second-round pick in the 2025 entry draft, and future considerations.

https://twitter.com/VanWarriors/status/1899215104173822019

Del Bianco was drafted 15th overall in the second round of the 2015 NLL entry draft. Since then, he has built quite the resume. He was named to the NLL All-League 2nd Team in 2019, along with winning the NLL championship. However, his best season came in 2023 when Del Bianco became only the second-ever goalie to win the league MVP award. The first was the Buffalo Bandits’ Steve Dietrich in 2006. Del Bianco was also named Goalie of the Year and was selected to the All-League First Team. He also set the single-season record for minutes played by a goaltender (1,080:19).

Christian Del Bianco has established himself as one of the top goalies in the NLL. Del Bianco announced in August that he wouldn’t be re-signing with the Roughnecks and wanted to focus more on his family and life off the floor. In October, Calgary maintained his Franchise Tag under the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), meaning that Del Bianco wasn’t able to sign with another team.

The Warriors have fallen to 11th in the NLL standings and have dropped their last two games. The addition of Del Bianco brings an elite netminder to a squad making a playoff push. Del Bianco has a great relationship with head coach and general manager Curt Malawsky from their time together in Calgary. Del Bianco spoke on what it means to be reunited with his friend and former coach:

“It’s awesome, I’m not going to lie, it’s a huge part of why I wanted to be in Vancouver. Being reunited with Curt, just that level of preparation—there’s never a question I’ll have that he won’t have an answer for.”

All Canucks fans remember when they traded for Roberto Luongo in 2006 and what it meant for the franchise. Luongo is arguably the greatest Canucks goaltender ever and was the backbone of their 2011 Stanley Cup Final run. Curt Malawsky compared the acquisition of Del Bianco to the same magnitude as the Canucks acquiring Luongo and what trading for Del Bianco means to the franchise:

“To be truthful, it’s franchise-changing. I think it’s a parallel to (the Canucks acquiring Roberto Luongo). I’ve known Christian for a long time—we were friends first and foremost off the floor. We won championships together at the world championship stage, and we won in the NLL together. I think we’re very like-minded. I say he’s an old-school throwback when it comes to compete level and how he prepares himself, and his battle fortitude is just off the charts.”

Malawsky also praised Del Bianco as a leader and highlighted how beneficial it is to add a player with his pedigree: “I think, you know, we always say good people make good teams, but I don’t find much better (than Del Bianco). He’s a great person off the floor, he’s a dedicated teammate, he’s very selfless, and the first one to give himself up for the guy next to him. We’ve got a couple of guys training really hard (they’re) up at five in the morning. He’s up taking shots, and he puts the work in and studies really hard.”

“I think that toughness between the ears—his mental toughness that it takes to make the next save when the team needs it—has always been there, and he’s won at every level. There’s something to be said about that pedigree.”

It’s safe to say that the organization is excited about their new star goaltender. However, the Warriors still have some work to do to make their playoff push. Christian Del Bianco will make his Warriors debut this Friday in a huge game against the Toronto Rock.

What The DK Metcalf Trade Means For The Seahawks

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Well, the week of horrors continues for Seahawks fans. The Seattle Seahawks have traded star wide receiver DK Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 second-round pick. The trade comes only four days after Metcalf requested a trade out of Seattle. The Seahawks have already cut Tyler Lockett and traded quarterback Geno Smith. The Steelers also signed Metcalf to a four-year, $132 million extension.

With these transactions, the Seahawks have freed up $68 million in cap space, and with all the holes on offense, they need it. By the looks of it, general manager John Schneider and head coach Mike Macdonald want to focus on building a strong defense and a run-heavy offense—the same recipe that Seattle used to win a Super Bowl in 2013. Macdonald helped turn around the Seahawks’ defense last year and is looking to build off that. They had big years from Leonard Williams, Devon Witherspoon, and Ernest Jones. The offense, however, is a different story.

The Seahawks fired offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after just one season. The offensive line—boy, where do I begin? Outside of Charles Cross, they were not good, especially the guards. John Schneider has a history of not spending big money on offensive linemen in free agency, and that has been part of the problem in Seattle for the past decade. This year, with the amount of cap space he has, I don’t think he has a choice. You need to have a good offensive line to have success in the NFL. Look at teams like the Eagles and Chiefs. All the Super Bowl-contending teams have that in common. Plus, you need a great O-line to protect your quarterback.

Oh right, who’s Seattle’s quarterback? Remember what I said about Seattle having $68 million in cap space? Expect about $48 million to be spent on a quarterback. Who, you may ask? Sam Darnold. Yep, that’s right—the Seahawks are reportedly the favourites to sign Sam Darnold in free agency. If you told a Seahawks fan two years ago that Sam Darnold would be their quarterback, they might have thrown up. I can attest to this because, as a die-hard Seahawks fan, I would have. But in 2025, that might not be horrible. The quarterback draft classes coming up aren’t the greatest, and do you expect Sam Howell to be QB1? I don’t think so. Seattle already has some very solid pieces on offense in Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Kenneth Walker. If they add Darnold, a few O-linemen, and have a solid draft, these offseason moves may not be so horrible.

Vancouver’s Trade Deadline Horror

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Are you shocked that the Vancouver Canucks didn’t trade Brock Boeser at this year’s trade deadline? As loved as Boeser is in the city, I think everyone thought he was going to be traded, because he should have been. The Canucks and Boeser haven’t agreed to a contract extension, as Boeser is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season. Boeser reportedly rejected a five-year deal at eight million dollars per season; Boeser is looking for a contract of about eight years. Neither side is going to budge, so it’s looking very unlikely that the Canucks will extend Brock Boeser.

This year’s trade deadline was the ultimate seller’s market. We saw second and third-liners go for first and second-round picks. I’m sure you saw some of the other trades that were happening and thought that the Canucks were going to get a king’s ransom for Boeser. I don’t blame you, but according to general manager Patrick Alvin, that wasn’t the case. Alvin had this to say about the offers he received for Brock Boeser: “If I told you what I was offered for Brock Boeser…you would not believe me.”

Personally, I don’t know if I buy that, considering players like Jake Walman and Scott Laughton were traded for first-round picks. This could mean Alvin’s asking price was way too high for other teams or that the rest of the teams didn’t value the 40-goal scorer. The asset management by the Canucks was brutal, and it’s not just Boeser. Reportedly, the Canucks aren’t close to a contract with center Pius Suter either, and he wasn’t moved at the deadline either.

The thing that is bothering Canucks fans the most is that we’ve seen poor asset management in the past. Jim Benning did the same thing. I know you don’t want me to remind you, but remember when the Canucks didn’t trade Radim Vrbata and Dan Hamhuis at the 2016 trade deadline? Yeah, me too, and we lost both of them for nothing. Unfortunately, the same thing is probably going to happen with Boeser and Suter. A lot of Canucks fans have lost faith in this management team because the last thing we want to see is Boeser leave for absolutely nothing. The Canucks are in need of a top-six center, and the draft picks or players received back in a trade for Boeser could have helped. But instead, we are hit with déjà vu with a terrible trade deadline.

Unless the Canucks go on a deep playoff run and somehow find a way to re-sign Boeser, this year’s trade deadline might end up haunting the Canucks, just like in years past.

NFL Free Agency Preview

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, we’ve already seen some huge moves in the NFL, and free agency hasn’t even started yet. So far, we have already seen DK Metcalf traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Davante Adams sign with the Los Angeles Rams, Myles Garrett re-sign with the Cleveland Browns, and Josh Allen sign a huge extension with the Buffalo Bills. While some people like the draft or combine more, free agency is by far my favourite NFL off-season period. The last two off-seasons have been very eventful, so should we expect the same this year?

I think so. While it may not top the last two years, this year should still have its fair share of excitement. Last year, the big movers were running backs, we saw Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs all change teams, and they all worked out. This year, the big fish in free agency is… Sam Darnold. Yup, it’s Sam Darnold. If I told you that in 2021, there’s no way you would have believed me. But there are a few teams that will be throwing the bag at Darnold. The Seahawks, Steelers, Giants, and Vikings could all be contenders to sign Darnold.

While Darnold is the big fish at quarterback, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson are the constellation prizes. With DK Metcalf now in Pittsburgh, I think the Steelers may be more inclined to keep Russell Wilson. So that may be something to keep an eye on. It’s been a tough week for Seahawks fans, but by making all those moves, Seattle does have a ton of cap space. There are multiple quality guards that will be in the free agency pool, and the Seahawks HAVE to at least sign one. Teven Jenkins, Will Fries, and Mekhi Becton are all great options to sign in the Pacific Northwest.

On the defensive side of the ball, there are some veterans available. Khalil Mack, Von Miller, and Justin Simmons will be looking for new homes. I can’t wait for tomorrow. I’m expecting more big moves from teams, and I can’t wait to see where some of these players end up.

Brock Boeser’s Best Moments As A Canuck

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Unfortunately, reality is starting to set in that Brock Boeser’s time as a Canuck may be coming to an end. As he hasn’t come to an agreement for a contract with the team, and with the trade deadline approaching this Friday, it’s looking like Boeser will be moved. For me personally, this really sucks, as Boeser was one of my favourite players. When Boeser arrived on the team in 2017-18, he brought something to this team and city that we hadn’t had for a while. That was hope—his electrifying play on the ice showed Canucks fans that the dark days were coming to an end and that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Boeser is currently the longest-tenured Canuck and has been with the team through thick and thin. He has been a part of some huge moments, so I thought I’d look back at some of the Brockstar’s best moments in Vancouver… so far.

#5 2018 All-Star Game MVP
In Brock Boeser’s spectacular rookie year, he was named an All-Star. It gave Canucks fans some excitement, as the team wasn’t going to make the playoffs. At the skills competition, Boeser won the accuracy shooting competition, which, for Canucks fans, already made the weekend a success. At the All-Star Game, Boeser capped off the weekend by winning the All-Star Game MVP, adding to what was already a special rookie season.

#4 First NHL Goal
Every player’s first goal is special, but for Boeser, his was a little extra special. Boeser’s first NHL goal came in his NHL debut and in his hometown against the team he grew up cheering for. The ultimate trifecta! This was a sign for things to come, and Boeser started off his career on the right foot.

#3 First NHL Hat-Trick
I was fortunate enough to be at this game, and it was one of my favourite Canucks games I’ve been to. This was the game Boeser put the league on notice. Hockey Night in Canada, against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Boeser lit up the Penguins for his first career hat trick and showed the league that the Brockstar had arrived.

#2 4-Goal Game vs Edmonton
After a few rough years and dealing with the passing of his father, Boeser was dealing with trade rumours before the start of the 2023-24 season. In the first game of the season vs their division rival, the Edmonton Oilers. Boeser had the best game of his career, scoring four goals. If anyone needed a game like this, it was Boeser, and it was the start of a career year for him, as he scored 40 goals and put up 73 points.

#1 Playoff Hat-Trick vs Predators
Canucks fans will still have very fond memories of this game. The Canucks were not playing well and were down 3-1 with just under three minutes to play. It looked like the series would be heading back to Vancouver tied 2-2. That was until the Brockstar came to the rescue. Boeser had scored the lone goal for Vancouver, and then he scored two goals with the goalie pulled to tie the game for Vancouver and sent the game to overtime, where Elias Lindholm would eventually score the winner and complete the improbable comeback for the Canucks. It was one of the best Canucks games I’d ever watched, and it only makes me wonder if things would have been different if he had been able to play in Game 7 vs. the Oilers in the second round.

If Boeser is moved by the deadline, I wanted to express how lucky we were to have a player like him, and he left us with a ton of happy memories.

Should The Canucks Be Sellers At The Trade Deadline?

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To say that the Canucks’ road trip was a disappointment may be an understatement. The Canucks went 1-5, dropping close games to the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club. However, the concerning part was losing to the Seattle Kraken and Anaheim Ducks. Those losses were inexcusable, and the Canucks are losing ground in the playoff race. To make matters worse, Quinn Hughes didn’t play the last 9:05 minutes against the Kraken on Saturday, and his status is uncertain for Wednesday’s game against the Ducks. With the trade deadline quickly approaching on Friday, March 7th, the Canucks’ recent struggles have had people wondering if they should be sellers at the deadline.

The Canucks were on the cusp of heading to the Western Conference final last season, and now they may be sellers at the trade deadline. There are plenty of reasons for that—the J.T. Miller drama, the Thatcher Demko dilemma, and Elias Pettersson, which is what I’m going to get into. Elias Pettersson has been the talk of the town recently, but for all the wrong reasons. His $11.6 million cap hit and play haven’t aligned. Petey has looked like a shell of himself. Forget scoring and putting up points,he’s not even getting shots on goal. For Canucks fans who think he has mailed it in after getting his payday, that is simply not the case. He hasn’t lost his skill either,he is still only 26. Pettersson is hurt; it’s the same knee issue that hindered him in the second half of last season and during the playoffs. You can clearly see that he is not 100%, and if you ask me, he shouldn’t even be in the lineup. He should be resting, otherwise this is only going to get worse.

So, what do they do at the deadline? The Canucks are barely hanging on to a playoff spot and they have more questions than answers. I don’t think it’s time for a fire sale, but you have to look ahead to next season if Hughes is out long term. Brock Boeser is the biggest question mark. He rejected a five-year deal worth $8 million per season. I think if you can’t get a deal done with Boeser, you have to move him at the deadline, because you can’t let him walk for nothing. The Canucks have said they want to add another forward, so I could see them trading Boeser for a top-six center. Otherwise, I’m not sure they will do much. What do you think? Should the Canucks be sellers at the trade deadline?

The Not So Great 2019 NHL Draft

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Nearly six years have passed since the 2019 NHL Draft. Early on, this draft seemed pretty solid with players like Jack Hughes, Cole Caufield, Matt Boldy, and Moritz Seider. While those players are still very good, they seem to be some of the few hits from the draft. Spencer Knight, who was taken 13th overall, was seen as a can’t-miss goalie prospect. He was just traded to Chicago, but he is one of the few misses from the 2019 NHL Draft. So, let’s rewind to 2019 and look back at some of the not-so-great selections thus far. I want to remind you that these players are still only 24 years old, so there is still time for them to turn their careers around.

Kappo Kakko – 2nd overall, New York Rangers Believe it or not, there was actually some debate about who should go first, Jack Hughes or Kakko, after Kakko helped lead Finland to a gold medal at the 2019 World Juniors. Looking back at that now, you must be laughing, and rightfully so. After six lackluster years in the Big Apple, Kakko was dealt to the Seattle Kraken earlier this year. He has started to turn it around in Seattle, but he hasn’t produced as a second overall pick should have.

Kirby Dach – 3rd overall, Chicago Blackhawks Kirby Dach has battled various injuries throughout his NHL career. When he has been healthy, he still hasn’t produced as expected from a third overall pick. Dach was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in 2022, but the injury bug followed him, as he only played two games in the 2023-2024 season.

Alex Turcotte – 5th overall, Los Angeles Kings Similar to Dach, Turcotte has battled his share of injuries. He didn’t make his NHL debut until 2021 and has only played 85 total games in his career. Hopefully, he can stay healthy, perform, and live up to his potential, but as of right now, Turcotte doesn’t look like a great pick, especially at fifth overall.

Vasily Podkolzin – 10th overall, Vancouver Canucks As a Canucks fan, this one hurts, especially seeing Cole Caufield and Matt Boldy taken just a few picks later. At the time, Podkolzin seemed like a steal because he fell to number ten due to being under contract for two more seasons in the KHL. Podkolzin played 79 games in his rookie season but only managed to register 26 points. He spent the next two seasons bouncing up and down between the NHL and AHL. He was traded to the Oilers before this season and added to the long list of Canuck draft busts.

Who do you think was the biggest miss of the 2019 draft ?

Which Current NHL Players Would Make The Hall Of Fame

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At the time of me writing this, Alexander Ovechkin is only 11 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. Whether you want him to break the record or not, it’s inevitably going to happen. I think it’ll be really cool to see an all-time record get broken. With Ovechkin adding to his legacy, it got me thinking about the legacies of other current players. We hear so much talk about players’ defining moments and how winning an award affects their legacy. Being named into the Hall of Fame is the most prestigious honour any player could receive. So it got me thinking,if the star players retired today, who would make the Hall of Fame, who is just on the cusp, who has potential, and who is just in the Hall of Very Good?

100% Hall of Fame Locks

Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Connor McDavid, Nikita Kucherov, Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, Steven Stamkos, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman, Anze Kopitar, Sergei Bobrovsky, Evgeni Malkin.

You cannot debate that any of these players shouldn’t get into the Hall of Fame. They all have the accolades, elite primes, and longevity to get in. For players like Crosby, Ovechkin, and Kane, those were no-brainers, they’ve won Cups, MVPs, and scoring titles. You may think it’s a little questionable to call Kucherov or Drew Doughty a lock, but Kucherov has 413 points in only 266 games, and Doughty has won a Norris Trophy, 2 Cups, along with international success.

https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/status/1895927590172442694

Just on the Cusp of Getting In

Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, Connor Hellebuyck, Aleksander Barkov, Roman Josi, Auston Matthews.

All of these players will be Hall of Famers but just need to add a tad more to their resumes to get in, whether that be another major award or a Stanley Cup. Every one of these players is an elite player right now, and by the time they retire, they’ll have the stats to back up their Hall of Fame case.

Have Potential of Getting In

Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, David Pastrnak, Mikko Rantanen, Artemi Panarin, Kirill Kaprizov, Adam Fox, Igor Shesterkin, Brayden Point, Mitch Marner.

All of these players are on track to make the Hall of Fame but need at least five more elite seasons. Some of these players already have some hardware, but they need the longevity to add to it. At their current paces, they should find themselves in the Hall of Fame.

Hall of Very Good

Jonathan Quick, Brent Burns, John Tavares, Corey Perry, Claude Giroux, Ryan O’Reilly, Jamie Benn, Ryan Suter, Brad Marchand, Kris Letang.

For these players, I was on the fence about, but I couldn’t justify putting them in. While a lot of them have great cases, they lack major awards or a high peak. For example, John Tavares has been good for a long time, but he only has one 40-goal season and zero 100-point seasons. I was very close to putting Jonathan Quick in, but he didn’t win a Vezina Trophy and fell off a little too much after 2018.

All in all, this was very fun but very difficult to make. What are your thoughts? Who would be a Hall of Famer, and who shouldn’t be?

Warriors defence shines in loss to Rush

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The Vancouver Warriors record fell to 5-6 following a 10-7 loss to the Saskatchewan Rush on Friday. With the loss, Vancouver falls out of a playoff spot. The Warriors are tied  with the Philadelphia Wings and San Diego Seals. The Ottawa Black Bears sit at 5-5, and all four teams are battling for a playoff spot in a race that will come down to the wire.

Despite the disappointing result, head coach and general manager Curt Malawsky was quick to praise the play of some of his squad.

“Aden Walsh was okay coming off the flu and not practicing this morning or going to shoot-around. He was in bed until he got to the rink at three o’clock, so he’s around 70 percent. I like the way he played. I thought Ryan Dilks was outstanding, and, I thought Keegan Bal was really good. (Alec Stathakis) battled against a tough face-off guy from Duke, he was really good too, and played hard. Our defense has been great.”

The Warriors have played games for eight weeks in a row, and with so many consecutive games, injuries are inevitable. Fortunately for Vancouver, it has a bye this upcoming week so they can get players back healthy. Malawsky says the bye week is important to his team.

“We are so beat up. We didn’t think Owen Grant was (going to play), (Jeff Cornwall) wasn’t going to (play), our goalie didn’t practice today, (Aden Walsh) went home and went to bed, and he came back here. (Cornwall) could barely run last night, and we put him back in the lineup because he played well the other night. So, we’re chopped up, and (Brayden Laity) is nicked up now.”

Defender Steph Charbonneau scored his first goal of the season in the fourth quarter as the Warriors started to make a comeback after falling behind 10-4. Charbonneau explains how Vancouver needs to stick to its game plan and put in a full 60-minute effort to be successful.

“(We) just need to keep putting together a full 60 minutes. Maybe we lapsed a few times, we had our game plan and stuff that we prepared for, but we slipped up. So just sticking to the game plan, keeping that stuff in mind. But we’re great defensively, and our goaltending is great when we play our way. So just a matter of, like I said, sticking to the game plan, playing where our feet are, and playing a full 60.”

Just like his coach, Charbonneau also noted the play of the defense as well as Walsh. He added that being a tough team to play against is important if they want to have success the rest of the season.

“We’re playing well defensively, goaltending was great. (Walsh), as always, is outstanding. Just being tough to play against, playing a full 60, we know our job, and we know what to do. It’s just a matter of doing it for a full 60 and being tough to play against.”

After the bye week, Vancouver heads down to San Diego to face the Seals on March 7th.

NHL Trade Deadline Watch

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I don’t know about you, but the NHL trade deadline is one of my favourite times of the year. Even though some years are quiet, other years have seen big-name players get moved. This is one of the years I could see some star players getting moved. Whether it’s because of their contracts or their teams not performing, I think we’ll see a ton of action before the March 7th trade deadline. So, who do I think gets moved? Let’s see.

Trevor Zegras

The ninth overall pick in 2019 has struggled the past few years after putting up 65 points two seasons ago. Zegras has been battling injuries while struggling to put up points. He has a cap hit of $5.75 million until the end of next season. However, he is only 23 and could be a great buy-low option for a team if the price is right.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1893463254573138236

Jordan Kyrou

Kyrou has been a very solid player for the St. Louis Blues for the last couple of seasons, putting up back-to-back 30-goal campaigns in 2023 and 2022. However, the Blues haven’t been able to get over the hump, and Kyrou is making $8.125 million for another six years. This year’s deadline could be a great time to move salary and get a solid return for the Blues.

Pavel Buchnevich

Buchnevich may be a more realistic option for the Blues to move at this year’s deadline. Buchnevich will enter the first year of a six-year, $48 million contract next year, and the Blues are looking to shed salary. A team in need of a top-six forward may be licking their chops at Buchnevich on the trade block.

Mikko Rantanen

Rantanen was a part of a huge deal last month, sending him from Colorado to Carolina. It has nothing to do with him as a player. We all know Rantanen is elite, which means he is going to have a big payday, and that’s the problem. Colorado couldn’t afford to pay him, so they shipped him off. Do you think Carolina does the same thing? If Rantanen’s price tag is too high for Carolina as well, I could see him being moved for a second time this year.

https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1884417527863787671

John Gibson

The Ducks have a young goalie in Lukas Dostal, making John Gibson see fewer starts. He has a cap hit of $6.4 million until the end of next year. Could we see a team get desperate and try to trade for Gibson at the deadline? (Cough, cough Edmonton.) He may not be elite as he once was, but he is still a very solid goaltender in the NHL.