Under Further Review – Douglas Smith with Editor Bill Morphy. Regular contributors include Jordan Moss, Rob Wagner, Howard Steiss, Ian MacPhee, Dave Kittle, Peter Hucul, Ted Tait, Bill and Glen Myles, Frank Sullivan, Mark Hughes, Iqbal Grewall and Charlie Frenette.   

Spanning the digital ether to bring you the constant variety of sport… the thrill of victory… and the agony of defeat… the human drama of athletic competition… This is Under Further Review.

NHL Playoff Preview – It’s playoff time! Spring is in the air and there’s plenty of optimism in Edmonton, Montreal and Ottawa. Is this the year a Canadian team finally brings the Cup back to Canada? Can the Oilers take the final step? Will the taste of playoff experience from last year help push the Canadiens and Senators deeper? Hockey fans across Canada are about to find out.

Eastern Conference

Ottawa Senators at Carolina Hurricanes

No team enters the playoffs more battle-ready than the Senators. Seems like they have been playing playoff hockey for months just to earn a ticket to the dance. Carolina has speed throughout the lineup but they lack size up front. Can the Sens wear them down? Ottawa may have an advantage in goal if Linus Ullmark is right. Hurricanes goalie Brandon Bussi has struggled since the Olympic break. The challenge for the Senators will be to penetrate the Canes tough-as-nails top four defence group including Jaccob Slavin, Alexander Nikishin, Jalen Chatfield and K’Andre Miller.

The Senators have three legit stars in Stutzle, Sanderson and Tkachuk. They could turn the series. Expect a bunch of close, one-goal games. This is our upset special although we we are going with our heart than anything.

Prediction: Ottawa in six

Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning

This series has the makings of a crackerjack battle royale. The Lightning have oodles of playoff experience. With battle-hardened veterans Andrei Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Jake Guentzel, Anthony Cirelli, Corey Perry and Ryan McDonagh, it’s just really hard to bet against the Lightning.

Look for Tampa to try and out-physical Montreal with all kinds of garbage after the whistle. The Bolts led the NHL in PIM’s this season and tend to get away with a lot of shit. Noah Dobson was injured in game 80 and is out until at least game four. That’s tough blow for Montreal. The Habs will start with Jakub Dobes in goal. Can he meet the moment?

If the Canadiens can somehow survive this round, you could see them in the Stanley Cup Final.

Prediction: Tampa in seven

Philadelphia Flyers at Pittsburgh Penguins

This series is a toss-up. Based on pre-season prognostications, it’s shocking both these teams made the playoffs. Neither team is playoff-worthy. Give the edge to the Penguins thanks to their veteran leadership. However, Crosby and Malkin will need support from young guns like Ben Kindel and Egor Chinakhov.

We can thank Gary Bettman for a playoff system that pits two of the worst playoff participants in the opening round while the Habs-Bolts and Stars-Wild must go head-to-head resulting in two top teams exiting the post-season in quick fashion.

Prediction: Pittsburgh in six

Boston Bruins at Buffalo Sabres

The last time the Sabres had any playoff success was back in 1999. That was the Brett Hull foot-in-the-crease final when the Sabres bowed out to Dallas. Yes, Lindy Ruff was coaching the Sabres then and he’s back behind the bench now. Hard to believe. The Bruins will try to bully the Sabres who need to match Boston’s toughness. Will it work or can Buffalo find a way to get pucks to the net? The Sabres inexperienced goaltending could be a problem with Jeremy Swayman at the other end of the ice. If the Sabres are to advance, it will be on the strength of their top-four D and their superiority down the middle. Rasmus Dahlin needs to take over the series. Look out for the Bruins fourth line with Tanner Jeannot, Sean Kuraly and Mark Kastelic.

This has the makings of a seven-game series.

Prediction: Boston in seven

Western Conference

Minnesota at Dallas Stars

Two of the league’s best teams meet in the opening round and one will be gone in a flash. Doesn’t seem right. The Stars should get a boost from the return of Miro Heiskanen to the blueline. For the Wild, the big question is whether they can slow down Mikko Rantanen who’s an absolute playoff beast. Quinn Hughes will need to be at the height of his powers for the Wild to advance. Don’t discount the Wild. They are a gritty bunch and may be too much for the Stars to handle.

Prediction: Dallas in seven

Los Angeles Kings at Colorado Avalanche

The Avalanche are loaded and the prohibitive Stanley Cup favourite. They have no real weaknesses and now boast big-time depth down the middle behind Nathan MacKinnon. Brock Nelson, Nazem Kadri, Nick Roy and Jack Drury are all ready to line up behind the big dog.

With only 22 regulation wins over the entire season, it’s a joke the L.A. Kings are even in the playoffs. This could be the shortest series in the opening round.

Prediction: Colorado in four

Utah Mammoth at Vegas Golden Knights

John Tortorella has the Golden Knights playing with confidence since taking over the team. They are the favourite despite shaky goaltending. Will Utah be happy just to be there or can they fashion the upset? Don’t see it happening. Vegas remains a heavy team and they have a big edge in playoff experience.

Prediction: Vegas in five

Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers

The Pacific Division was an embarrassment this season. The Oilers seem to be getting hot at the right time and word is Leon is set to return. It would not take much for Edmonton to reach another conference final despite sub-average goaltending.

The Anaheim Ducks return to the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons. Any team would like to be building around Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke. The Ducks can score but they give up far too much to be considered a playoff threat.

Prediction: Edmonton in six

Club Foote – Mercifully, this train wreck of a season for the Canucks is finally over. All that is left is to tidy up the mess and the first shoe dropped on Friday with the dismissal of general manager Patrik Allvin. Someone had to fall on the sword.

Canucks president Jimmy Rutherford is already greasing the skids for his own exit. Rutherford says he will cede full decision-making on hockey-related matters to the new GM including a decision on the head coach. Don’t be surprised if the Canucks stay in-house and promote Abbottsford GM Ryan Johnson.

When you review the Canucks sordid history, you can understand why the diehard fan base has so little faith in Canucks management. The entire plan for this season seemed to be based around “Win for Quinn” in the hope the team could convince their franchise defenceman to re-sign long-term. If there was a plan, it was an utter disaster. The Canucks dished out $200 million on lengthy extensions for Brock Boeser, Kevin Lankinen, Thatcher Demko, Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor and Conor Garland in the hope of keeping Hughes in Vancouver. It had no effect and the Canucks plummeted to the NHL basement.

The Canucks must stop airing their business in public. We are already hearing the front office may consider trading some of their surplus draft picks for young players with “upside” who may boost the team’s fortunes next season.

What a mistake that would be.

Short-term thinking has repeatedly set the Canucks back. Just check the record. As the Canucks embark on a full-blown rebuild, the team needs to add more draft capital, not trade picks away. Need we mention the wasted second-round picks for Linden Vey and Sven Baertschi? How about giving up second-and third-round picks for Alex Auld and second-and-third round picks for Steve Bernier? Just a few of the ghosts in the Canucks closet.

We keep referencing the Montreal Canadiens rebuild for good reason. Lane Hutson, Oliver Kapanen and Adam Engstrom were all second-round picks. As of now, the Canucks hold two second-round picks in this year’s draft, three second-round picks in 2027, and two second-round picks in 2028.

Hold onto them you idiots!

The biggest single issue to be addressed in the off-season has to be the status of the Sullen Swede, Elias Pettersson. How can you trade a guy who went the final 35 games without a 5-on-5 goal? Pettersson had only two goals during that stretch, both on the power-play. Who would be foolish enough to show any interest?

The best approach would be to sit Pettersson down and figure out what options may be open. Lay the cards on the table because you can’t have this cloud hanging over the team for another year. Is he willing to move on? Let his agent talk to other teams. There has to be a solution.

How embarrassing is it to count 17 former Canucks on playoff rosters this spring? And that doesn’t even include J.T. Miller, Horvat, Sherwood and Garland.  What an indictment of this sorry franchise!

If that’s not bad enough, three former Canuck coaches are guiding playoff teams including Torts, Rick Tocchet and Travis Green.

A Failing Report Card – The Athletic polled NHL agents and published their list of the best and worst run NHL franchises. Guess which team was dubbed the worst? Yes, it was the Vancouver Canucks. Agents criticized the Canucks lack of direction in particular.

Many of the comments were damning.

“They’re a mess,” one agent said. “I don’t know what their plan is,” groused another.

“They really don’t have the infrastructure that the players need to remove excuses,” added a third agent. “It just seems there’s a lot of soap opera stuff going on around there. I just think management needs to do a better job of keeping things in-house.”

From another agent. “No alignment with what’s happening in the organization. It just can’t get going anywhere. Just a discombobulation. Good people, nice guys, but it’s just not working. So, it makes it difficult for you to manage to bring a free agent there, hypothetically.”

“Vancouver’s hard because they have no plan. How do you sell players on an organization where you can’t get a grasp of what they’re actually trying to do?”

NHL Notebook – Is there a more underrated player in the NHL than Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki? Nick became the first Montreal player since Mats Naslund 40 years ago to record 100 points in a season. The 2018 deal with Vegas involving Max Pacioretty is proving to be one of the best in Canadiens history.

Ever notice how Hockey Canada always seems to throw a bone to fired NHL GM’s? It’s happened again. Former Leafs GM Brad Treliving has been selected to lead Canada’s management team at the 2026 world hockey championships in Switzerland. Side bets on whether Canada wins a medal?

Gotta love Rick Bowness for going off on the Columbus Blue Jackets after they were eliminated from the playoffs. Bowness ripped the team for a lacklustre effort in one of the team’s final games in which the Blue Jackets had only three hits and 23 turnovers. Wisely, the team quickly announced Bowness will be back next season.

The Maple Leafs certainly mailed it in down the stretch in order to try and retain their top pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. The Leafs lineup in their final game against Ottawa included such luminaries as Luke Haymes, Michael Pezzetta, Jacob Quillan, Ryan Tverberg and William Villeneuve. At least the Leafs know how to tank.

Just a thought but where would the Maple Leafs be today if they had just hired Mark and Dale Hunter to run the hockey club?

Can anyone explain why the Chicago Blackhawks would give general manager Kyle Davidson a contract extension? As we’ve mentioned many times, it’s easy to tear it down. It’s a lot more difficult to build it back up. You simply cannot construct a team through the draft alone. Davidson has done little to add complementary players to the Hawks lineup and he’s had plenty of time to find a running mate for Connor Bedard.

NFL Draft Preview – The 2026 NFL Draft is fast approaching with the first-round on Thursday.

With only four selections, it would not be surprising to see the Seahawks trade down at least once in order to accrue additional picks. Seattle GM John Schneider has never needed an invitation to trade down.

Reflecting on the commonalities of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seahawks, the past two Super Bowl champions, what stands out is their dominance at the line of scrimmage. If there’s a lesson for teams leading into this year’s draft, it’s to focus on the trenches.

We expect a minimum 14 offensive tackles and edge rushers to go off the board in round one including Canadian-born Miami Hurricanes defensive end Akheem Mesidor.

Here’s how we see things going 1-through-10:

1. Las Vegas – It’s no secret, the Raiders will select Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick. Is he the best player in the draft? No. Will he have a solid NFL career? Maybe. The Raiders are desperate for a quarterback so Mendoza is the guy.
2. New York Jets – Talent-wise, selecting Ohio State edge Arvell Reese is the right pick. Can the Jets create a scheme to showcase his talents or do they make a safer choice and go with Texas Tech pass rusher David Bailey?
3. Arizona – Look for the Cardinals to take whichever player is still on the board. Bailey has the size and speed to make an immediate impact. The Cards whiffed on defensive lineman Walter Nolen in the first-round last year.
4. Tennessee – Picking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love should be a no-brainer for the Titans. He will take the pressure off quarterback Cam Ward. The Titans should run to make this selection.
5. New York Giants – This may be a tough choice for the Giants. Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles would immediately become the heart of the defense. Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa is a road-grader and a potential Hall of Famer.
6. Cleveland – The Browns have the worst receiving corps in the NFL, hands-down. Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate would provide instant impact.
7. Washington – The run on Buckeyes continues with safety Caleb Downs. Many scouts believe he’s the best safety in the draft since Eric Berry. Downs instantly upgrades the Commanders defense.
8. New Orleans – The Saints need help everywhere. The choice here is between receiver Jordyn Tyson and cornerback Mansoor Delane.
9. Kansas City – With the release of offensive tackle Jawan Taylor, the Chiefs need a replacement. We lean to Utah’s Spencer Fano. The Chiefs also need corners but that position can be addressed later in the draft.
10. Cincinnati – Who knows what the Bungles will do? Delane is the choice if he’s still available. Reuben Bain, despite the short arms, would add punch to a punchless pass rush.

Blue Jays Notebook – By reaching the World Series, the Blue Jays built up a lot of equity with the fans. It’s hard to jump on them for the slow start to the season.

Injuries have played a big role. There is some good news on that front. George Springer is taking batting practice for the first time since fracturing a toe. He could come off the injury list by Friday. Addison Barger has been out since April 5 with a bad ankle. He’s about a week away. Among the rehabbing pitchers, Trey Yesavage is closest to returning. One more start in Buffalo and he may be ready to be activated.

The Jays had better get things turned around soon. They’ve dropped five straight series. The bats are ice-cold. Time to wake up.

The Sim Card – What is Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim smoking? Sim announced he’s bringing a motion to council aimed at advancing a major league baseball expansion bid.

Can we assume this is just a publicity stunt because the chances of this ever happening are slim and none and slim just left town.

First off, the team has nowhere to play. Renovations made to BC Place Stadium have made the 54,000-seat stadium unsuitable for baseball. Who has the money to build a new baseball-only stadium?

Is Sim even aware of the expected franchise fee for an expansion team? It is sure to be in the three-billion-dollar range. Couple that with the cost of a new stadium and you are looking at some serious money. We’ve heard this nonsense in Montreal for years. Dream on Ken.

MLB Notebook – Since when did parity come to MLB? Outside of the Dodgers, no team is dominating their division. It’s crazy to see every division separated by only a few games. How are the owners going to argue for a salary cap when the small-market teams are outperforming the big spenders?

Do you think the San Francisco Giants have buyer’s remorse after acquiring Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox? The Giants picked up the entirety of Dever’s 10-year, $313,500,000 contract that runs through the 2033 season. The deal pays Devers $31.35 million per year. He’s hitting .221 with two home runs and an OPS of .583. Talk about addition by subtraction for the Red Sox.

The Los Angeles Dodgers payroll is so obscene it’s hard not to cheer against them. We were delighted to learn that closer Edwin Diaz is struggling out of the gate after signing a three-year, $69 million free agent deal with the Dodgers. Diaz has experienced a big drop in velocity early this season. He’s averaged 95.8 mph on his fastball through the first six appearances, down from the 97.2 mph he averaged a season ago with the New York Mets. It’s so upsetting.

Altogether now, let’s all shed a tear for those free-spending Mets who have now lost ten in a row.

Winning has Privileges – Winning the Masters has its advantages. Here are the top perks afforded champions at Augusta.

• The Green Jacket – You get to keep the green jacket for one year before it stays at the club. However, there are very strict rules around what you can and what you cannot wear with the green jacket.
• Trophy Engraving – Your name is engraved forever on the Masters Trophy which stays at the club. However, the Masters champion is presented with a smaller, replica trophy to take home.
• Gold Medal & Gold Locket – The Masters winner is given a gold medal and a gold locket traditionally presented at the Champions Dinner the following year. The gold locket is a gift for the champions spouse.
• Champions Dinner – An invitation is sent to the Masters Champion to host the Champions Dinner. The champion gets to select the menu.
• Honorary Membership – The Masters champion is extended an honorary membership to Augusta National Golf Club with all the perks that come with it.
• Champions Locker – The Masters champion is given their own locker in the Augusta champions locker room. A very prestigious honour indeed.
• Champions Driving Range – As champion, you are allowed to warm up and practice at a driving range reserved for champions only.
• Lifetime Invitation – One of the biggest perks of winning is a lifetime invitation to play in the Masters.
• OWGR Points – As champion, you get a ton of world ranking points.
• Winner’s Cheque – The winner receives a tidy payday of $4.2 million dollars. Not bad for four days of work.
• Five-Year Exemption – The Masters champ receives a five-year exemption to the other three majors and the PGA Tour.
• Special Tee Time – Every Masters champion gets to return to Augusta annually and play the course with a guest on the Sunday before the tournament begins.

LIV and Let Die – It appears as though the end is near for LIV Golf. Reports have been swirling that the Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund is close to pulling the plug on the rebel golf league, now in its fourth year. It always seemed like LIV was destined to fail when you had a pariah like Greg Norman at the helm.

LIV has been running up massive deficits. The Financial Times reports LIV lost $590.1 million in 2024 alone. Never been a big fan of Golf Channel commentator Brandel Chamblee but you have to love his comments after word surfaced the project is in trouble, “given that the product was so ill-conceived and ended up being worse than anyone could have imagined – with shotgun starts, initially 54 holes, a team concept that was nothing but laughable and tournaments that meant and continue to mean nothing, and such a paltry number of viewers, losing billions along the way – would it surprise anyone if the Saudis came to their corrupted senses and finally euthanized the whole lame-brained tour.”

Once LIV does indeed fold, it will be like rats jumping off a sinking ship. The players will want to make a mass exodus back to the PGA Tour but will they be welcome?

LIV Career Money List – Now that LIV Golf is close to imploding, it’s a good time to reveal the career money list. Here’s the top-10 money earners since the circuit began in 2022.

1. Jon Rahm – $87.8 million
2. Joaquin Niemann – $71.7 million
3. Talor Gooch – $68.7 million
4. Dustin Johnson – $64.1 million
5. Bryson DeChambeau – $58.4 million
6. Cameron Smith – $50.9 million
7. Sergio Garcia – $46.4 million
8. Brooks Koepka – $44.7 million
9. Branden Grace – $39.3 million
10. Patrick Reed – $37.5 million

You will be shocked to know that Talor Gooch has earned more money from LIV since 2022 than Jordan Spieth in his entire PGA Tour career.

The Barefoot Goliath – At a party in Los Angeles in the mid-60’s, Wilt Chamberlain and Jim Brown got into an argument about who was faster. They decided to race on the spot. Barefoot.

Wilt won.

At the time, Brown was the NFL’s premier running back with nine Pro Bowls and 12,312 career yards. He was commonly referred to as the most physically gifted athlete of his era.

Brown insisted on a rematch so they raced again.

Wilt won the second time as well.

All Brown could do is just shake his head. He had been beaten by a 7-foot-1 basketball player. They went back inside to the party. Brown never publicly disputed it.

Another reason why we always include Wilt in the list of greatest NBA players of all-time. He was a physical marvel who once averaged 50 points and 25 rebounds in a season.

The Name Game – Our favourite new basketball player is Providence guard Dink Pate. I had a chance to try the dink pate while on vacation in the south of France. I said NO.

Random Leftovers – The number one overall pick by the Dallas Stars in the WNBA Draft was UConn guard Azzi Fudd. Her Dad Elmer must be proud. After the Wings made the selection, they were heard to say, “Look out, she’s a wascally wabbit!”. 

And finally, we leave you this week with a classic line from Leslie Nielsen in one of the Naked Gun movies. While working undercover at a prison, Nielsen quipped, “this place is crawling with pimps, rapists and murderers. It’s like being in the stands at a Raiders game.”

YouTube Music Video of the Week – Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant is still going strong at 77. Even at his advancing age, he continues to evolve. Witness his recent appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, performing the classic Zeppelin tune “Ramble On” with his new band Saving Grace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca3VI4aGDjc&list=RDCa3VI4aGDjc&start_radio=1

We hope you are enjoying Under Further Review. If you have friends or family members who enjoy sports, please take a moment and direct them to the website at https://underfurtherreview.ca/ and encourage them to subscribe at no cost.