Off The Post

Mike Traikos and Paul Chapman get into all the happenings at the NHL draft, look ahead to free agency and offer up takeaways from the Stanley Cup Final. They pick the teams projected be the biggest players in free agency and which Canadian teams have the best chance to emulate the St. Louis Blues next season. Mike even answers which group should have more hope, Oilers fans or Senators fans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Traikos joins Paul Chapman to discuss the Leafs exit from the playoffs and what is the team missing. While Mike thinks the team needs to get bigger and nastier, salary cap issues leaves few options for a fix. They also look at the Flames and Jets and ponder what they need to do to move forward in the playoffs. Fans of all three teams are still rueing the missed opportunity of moving on in a season where most of the major hurdles in front of them have been removed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Postmedia’s national hockey writer Mike Traikos joins Paul Chapman to talk about the wild start to the NHL Playoffs. Why are the Leafs leading the Bruins after lagging behind them all season? Why is there so much hate in the playoffs from Kadri to Ovechkin to Kane? It’s been nasty and violent and fans love it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Traikos breaks down the 2019 playoff matchups. Would it be considered an upset if the Leafs were to beat the Bruins? Which Canadian team has the best shot to go the distance? They also talk about home ice advantage and the New York Islanders, who were considered to have the worst arena in the NHL a few short years ago, being back in their old barn with rabid fans and perhaps the best atmosphere in the NHL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Traikos joins Paul Chapman to talk about the state of the NHL headed into the playoffs. Mike looks at the possibilities the Leafs could go on a big playoff run and reports that the city of Toronto is more excited about the Raptors headed into the playoffs than the stuttering Leafs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Traikos joins Paul Chapman talk about the Toronto Maple Leafs chances for a Stanley Cup run this season. Mike says, something’s not right. Goaltending, defence and overall team chemistry are concerns for the Leafs, so much so he believes the Montreal Canadiens have a better shot at the Stanley Cup this season due to the dominance of goaltender Carey Price. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why the Leafs are the only Canadian team to move the needle. Mike Traikos joins Paul Chapman on the heels of a Toronto Maple Leafs western swing where fans showed how much support the boys in blue have across the country. Mike argues that the results speak for themselves and that the tremendous interest in the Leafs from coast to coast always makes the team a draw. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NHL trade deadline has come and gone, and Postmedia’s national hockey writer Mike Traikos joins Paul Chapman to examine why the Leafs weren’t more active at the deadline, and where that leaves them now we know who has loaded up and who has stood pat at the trade deadline. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In advance of Monday's NHL trade deadline, Postmedia national hockey writer Mike Traikos takes us through the likelihood that the Senators, Canadiens, Leafs, Flames, Jets, Canucks and Oilers are active in changing their fortunes before rosters are locked. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Paul Chapman and Mike Traikos look at Connor McDavid coming up second-best once again in a meeting with Sidney Crosby. In his fourth NHL season Crosby won the Stanley Cup, having made the final in his third year. In this, his fourth season, McDavid is falling further away from making the playoffs, his GM and coach have been fired and it’s fair to ask if McDavid will have the stomach for a full-blown, start-from-scratch rebuild. Will he want to leave the Oilers? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now that the Toronto Maple Leafs have loaded up their salary cap by giving nearly $60 million to Matthews, how small is their window to win a Stanley Cup considering the fact they now have two players who are making $11 million a season? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Traikos joins Paul Chapman in this week’s Off The Post podcast to examine Toronto’s leap into the trade market with defenceman Jake Muzzin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Traikos joins Paul Chapman from San Jose at the site of the NHL All Star Game to talk about the disaster of a season the Edmonton Oilers have had and how they are going to need a “wolf” to come in and clean up the crime scene. Mike has an intriguing theory as to why we have seen such impatience with coaches and general managers from team owners this season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Postmedia’s national hockey writer Michael Traikos joins Paul Chapman to talk about the issues around the NHL this week. Traikos explains that the big, heavy hitters around the NHL are the difference makers that everyone wants. Tom Wilson, Ryan Reaves, Dustin Byfuglien are the prototypes, and teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs want one, and may have to overpay to get one. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Montreal Canadiens beat writer Stu Cowan joins Paul Chapman for the Off the Post podcast where they get into the complaints of Ken Hitchcock about the clutching and grabbing that is holding back Connor McDavid and the game’s skill players. Is the NHL really doing enough to promote offence and get the young stars blazing? They also talk about the next generation of the ‘hockey machine’ kid, who has known nothing but elite hockey since they were a kid and are now taking over the NHL. Stu says the days Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week’s Off The Post, hockey writer Don Brennan from Ottawa joins Paul Chapman as they talk about Alex Ovechkin’s amazing season, and how he stacks up versus the young guns also ventilating goalies around the league this season. Can Ovechkin get close to Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record as he’s on a 65-goal pace for this season? Next the lads put the Canadian teams under the microscope. There are currently three Canadian teams in the NHL’s top five, and the Leafs lead the way. Would the L Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Postmedia’s National hockey insider Mike Traikos joins Paul Chapman fresh from the NHL Board of Governors meetings in Georgia to talk about the process of getting Seattle into the NHL. Traikos explains that while markets like Quebec City, Portland and Houston are now lining up for their chance, it’s more likely that relocation rather than expansion offers the most hope. But from where? Mike suggests Arizona, Carolina, Florida, and potentially Ottawa might be the franchises at risk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Edmonton's Jim Matheson joins Paul Chapman in the latest Off the to talk about the latest firing in the NHL, Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextal. Why have so many coaches and now a GM beingn fired this season? Jim also gets into why Ken Hitchcock won’t necessarily be in conflict with the offensive nature of Connor McDavid. In the second period the talk turns to the new arena conflict in Ottawa. In the final period they discuss new offensive stars in the NHL. WInnipeg’s Patrick Laine scored 5 goals in o Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kristen Anderson, beat reporter in Calgary, joins Paul Chapman to talk about the Battle of Alberta sparking to life, both on the ice and in the press box. They also discuss the aftermath of the Flames-Oilers game which saw Edmonton coach Todd McLellan lose his job, the fourth coach to do so this year, and if four coaches fired already this year is surprising. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senators beat reporter Don Brennan joins Paul Chapman to talk about the controversies and freakish side shows that have plagued the Ottawa Senators. The Senators have had a wild last 12 months from accusations of cyber bullying, trading their biggest star and then having the embarrassing Uber video surface. Don also talks about being banned from the team charter and the team’s attempt to punish the media for the appearance of the video. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices