LOADED show today!  I take a look at the crazy mess surrounding the Vegas Golden Knights.  Will Pietrangelo work?  Will Lehner work?  Will trading core players out to give UFA's monster deals work?  Are they tampering?  There is just a TON to get into with the Knights!   I look at every team and how they look going into next season at this point (a lot can change in the next 2-3 months).   I zone in particularly on the seven Canadian clubs and how things are looking for them so far this off-season.   And as you know, there is one Canadian club I always give the most time to and that would be the Edmonton Oilers.  Not only do I look at where the Oilers are at, but I take a deep dive into the intriguing storyline that will surround Oscar Klefbom, Caleb Jones, and the Oilers protection list as we are now under a year from the expansion draft taking place.  Finally with the Oilers, I admit something that I recently feel I got very wrong.  Even though I may still turn out to be right on it, I feel as though I wasn't and I wanted to take some time and not only correct that, but tell you why even though I'm not the biggest believer in what this team will be in the future, it's a future that excites the hell out of me!

As I'm writing this, it's very late, I'm very exhausted, as an Oilers fan I'm once again VERY depressed.  I recap the first round, go on some rants, bash some GM's, praise some others, and I save the best for last as I give my take on the Oilers pick at 14.  Good?  Bad?  What's the outlook on Holloway?  Give it a listen and find out!

I call this a draft preview, but it's really just a draft preview for the Oilers with the 14th pick, coupled in with a rant on Marc Bergevin that last's a good hour or so.  I badly wanted to do two shows: one show looking at the draft as a whole, and one show looking at the Oilers.  I didn't have time for both, so since I did a mock draft that looks at what every team might do, the Oilers got an in-depth look at the 14th pick.  I look at three players in particular who I believe COULD fall to them (who I believe would be home runs anyway, more possibilities than just 3), who I would be looking at with the 14th pick, trade back options, who to take should those trade backs happen, and who might be decent bets with picks 76, 138, 169 and 200.  Spoiler alert, I have zero clue who they might get with those last three picks, it becomes a complete crapshoot after the 2nd round.  First podcast back after over a month away, felt a little rusty, but hopefully this is well worth the listen leading into tonight's draft!

With the 2nd/1st round of the 2020 Covid coin flip playoffs now complete, we move on to the 3rd/2nd round of the 2020 Covid coin flip playoffs!  But first, we take a look at those who are going home and the outlook of those teams moving forward.  Then...it's back...the 3rd/2nd round predictions.  This time, there is no pulling from the hat.  This time, we do it right, with an actual coin flip to predict each series!  If you enjoyed the last episode, you should enjoy this one as well.  And if you hated the last episode, you're a tool and I likely would have never enjoyed having you as a listener to begin with!  #yerfuckindunbud

Two big topics on today's show: Tonight's 2nd phase of the draft lottery A.K.A. the Lafreniere lottery, and a very special preview of the 2nd round...1st round...whatever round of the playoffs the final 16 is considered to be (starts at 41:22).  Trust me on this, if you don't listen to anything else I do, listen to the last about 20 minutes of this show.  I got on a completely unscripted roll, and it might be the best segment I've done on the show (even though I don't really do "segments").  

The 19-20 Edmonton Oilers season officially came to an end on Friday night.  What in the bloody hell happened?!?!?  Well, give this a listen and I'll tell you what happened.  

A much different, and much better game from the Edmonton Oilers in game 2 of their play-in series vs the Chicago Blackhawks.  It's crystal clear that the Blackhawks aren't going to go away in this series, but the Oilers played hard for 60 minutes, got better in their own zone as the game progressed, and have it evened up as they head to Chicago for games 3 and 4...right?  Isn't that how it works?

After several attempts to fix the issue, I BELIEVE I have it figured out.  So, for the close to 100th time in the last 24 hours...my review of game 1 between the Oilers and Hawks isn't really a review.  What do you say after a game like that?  It was dreadful.  The Oilers played horrendous, didn't get one bounce, one call, anything.  It just wasn't their day.  So why am I not feeling too bad about it?  Listen to the show and I'll tell you.

It's here!!!  It's ACTUALLY HERE!!!  The 2020 NHL playoffs are ACTUALLY HAPPENING!!!  Nearly five months after the pause, the NHL returns tomorrow, and to hell with what the league wants to call it, the 1st round of the playoffs starts tomorrow.  Off the top, I talk a little Philip Broberg for you Oilers fans, talk a little John Chayka, and then I look to break down each series and give you what I believe will shakedown.  I have an upset in here that nobody else has (outside of that particular market anyway), I have an upset that everyone else has, it's all good stuff to get you ready for the 2020 playoffs! 

Well...it's the 2nd one I've done for this draft class, the 1st one I've done a podcast for, and definitely won't be the last mock I do with the draft now set for October 6th (and the fact that so much of the draft order is still up in the air, won't be remotely accurate), but why the hell not eh?!  If you prefer to read this rather than listen to me lay it out, go to soupsonhockey.com to check it out.  But if you have two hours to hear me lay it out, then by all means, I hope you enjoy it!