Under Further Review –  Douglas Smith with Editor Bill Morphy. Special thanks to this week’s contributors including Rob Wagner, Howard Steiss, Ian MacPhee, Dave Kittle, Peter Hucul, Ted Tait and Andrew Glass.

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.

Jets/Blues – There’s nothing to compare with game 7’s in the National Hockey League. Hockey fans live for games like Sunday night’s tour-de-force in Winnipeg between the Jets and St. Louis Blues. Add in double overtime and you have an instant classic.

No team faced a more daunting game seven challenge than the Winnipeg Jets. From the puck drop, they were missing their best player in Mark Scheifele. A few minutes into the first period, they lost Josh Morrisey, their top defenceman. For a team that’s suffered years of first round frustration, this was about as gutty as it gets.

Down 3-1 with just over three minutes to play, the Jets found a way. Cole Perfetti tied the game with a few ticks left on the clock, clearing the way for a knee-knocking double overtime thriller. Adam Lowry, maybe the NHL’s most underrated player, was the OT hero. It’s the Jets biggest win since the team returned to the NHL in 2011. It’s their first game seven win since the WHA days in 1977.

Good on the Jets. They could have found ready-made excuses. Instead, they scratched and crawled their way into the second round. Connor Hellebuyck was yanked in all three games in St. Louis. He gave up two goals on four shots to start game seven. Shows you how quickly the narrative can change!

Dallas awaits. It won’t be easy. At least now, the Jets reputation is intact. No more quick exits. Delighted for the great fans in the ‘Peg!

Leafs/Senators – Error-free hockey carried the Maple Leafs past the upstart Ottawa Senators. The Sens fell in six games but the series was very close with three games going to overtime. Can the Leafs continue to advance by playing it so close to the vest? We’re going to find out pretty quick.

Diehard Leaf fans who view the team from their own narrow prism, often criticize our Leaf coverage as being too harsh. Yes, the Leafs are our favourite pin cushion but for good reason. No team is more hyped, yet deliver less, than the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before eliminating the Senators on Thursday night, the Leafs were 1-13 in series clinching games in the Matthews-Marner era. Does that not speak volumes? They came within a whisker of having the Sens take them to seven. How many chances do they need? The same playoff failures keep surfacing every year. They stink on home ice. The deadly power-play suddenly fizzles. Before Thursday night, in series clinching games dating back to 2018, the Leafs were 1-for-31 with the man advantage. Think they were squeezing the sticks a little too tight? Marner was invisible in those 14 games with zero goals and only five assists. The Leafs have fought more mental demons than Rory McIlroy.

Everything seems to be falling into place for the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. They made surprisingly quick work of the Tampa Lightning in five games. The Lightning had no answer for the Panthers scrappy third line of Anton Lundell, Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen. Florida completely quieted the NHL’s top scoring team. Nikita Kucherov, the NHL’s regular season scoring leader, was held to no goals. Kucherov has now gone 15 playoff games without scoring. There are reports Tampa blueliner Victor Hedman played in the playoffs with a broken leg. If that’s the case, it’s heroic. Shades of Bobby Baun.

The Panthers will pound the Leafs defence at every opportunity. It took five games to eliminate the Leafs two years ago. That sounds about right this spring.

Oilers/Kings – It’s about time ownership in L.A. turned on the lights and made significant changes. Losing to the Oilers in the first round for four consecutive years is unacceptable. Losing four-straight after being up in the series two games to none is as bad as it gets. The whole series changed on the goalie interference challenge in game three. The Kings could have got it to overtime with a chance to go up 3-0 and be in complete control. Whoever made the decision upstairs to challenge the call should be fired immediately.

Kings lifers Luc Robitaille and Rob Blake have had forever to get the team on the right track. The only upgrade they made at the trade deadline was importing former Canuck Andrei Kuzmenko who’s a major defensive liability. He was minus-5 versus the Oilers. Quinton Byfield and Drew Doughty were both minus-7. Robitaille and Blake seem to be bullet-proof with Kings ownership. Why? It’s anyone’s guess.

If the Oilers have designs on going much further, they can’t continue to out-score their problems. The Oilers made a serious miscalculation in thinking Stu Skinner would get his game together. Why the Oilers failed to find an alternative solution is open to criticism. Cripes, they could have had the Canucks Kevin Lankinen for a song back in training camp. The Oilers will likely try to ride Calvin Pickard in round two against Vegas but it’s doubtful he will continue to hold up.

We’ll go with the Golden Knights in six.

Avalanche/Stars – It was billed as a series for the ages and it certainly delivered. Again, we ask – why should one of these teams be eliminated in the first round under the current playoff system? So unfair. What have we been saying about razor-thin margins? With Colorado up 2-0 in the third period of game seven, Cale Makar’s stick exploded on a shot from the point. He was forced to take a penalty to prevent a breakaway. Dallas scored on the ensuing power-play and the game was turned on its head.

Mikko Rantanen was missing in action through the first four games of the series with only one point. In the final three games, he exploded for 11 points. The Stars advanced without Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson in the lineup. Both are expected to return at some point in round two.

Dallas coach Pete DeBoer is now 9-0 in game 7’s. Yes, you read that right. Don’t see that record being broken any time soon. Colorado has now dropped seven straight game 7’s. Avs captain Nathan MacKinnon is 0-5 in game 7’s with just one goal and one assist. Cale Makar is 0-4 in game 7’s with zero points.

Look out for Dallas. They may just be the team to watch in the west. Oh, how things might be different if Stars owner Tom Galiardi had wrested control of the Canucks instead of the Aquilini’s.

A Study in Failure – In a season marked by constant chaos, it is only fitting that Rick Tocchet, the reigning Jack Adams Trophy winner as NHL Coach of the Year, would inform the Canucks he’s no longer interested in guiding the team. His contract runs out on June 30 and you can be sure there will be heavy interest from among the seven NHL teams currently searching for a new coach. Place your bets on the Philadelphia Flyers where Tocchet made his mark as a player and where he’s still held in high esteem by the Flyers fanbase. We’re told Tocchet has a son living in Seattle but we just don’t see the Kraken as a potential fit.

The longer contract talks dragged on, the more likely it was Tocchet was going to depart. We question why it took so long for negotiations to get serious. When you are employing the NHL’s coach of the year, why didn’t they try harder to extend him a year ago?

Looking at the situation honestly, why would Tocchet want to remain in Vancouver? Considering the state of the team, the job is not that attractive. The failure to build a state-of-the-art new practice rink with built-in medical and training facilities has become a huge issue. Tocchet made that very clear. Having to rent practice ice at UBC is ridiculous. The lack of facilities is a big reason why players don’t train in Vancouver in the off-season and why it’s difficult to start workouts as a group in mid-August.

Tocchet certainly looked at the current roster and saw the massive holes up front. If Brock Boeser departs as expected, the Canucks will need at least three top-six forwards and that’s assuming Elias Pettersson returns to form, which is highly unlikely. No GM is going to magically acquire three top-six players in one off-season.

Any reconstruction needs to start with sending Pettersson on the first bus out of town. It’s a classic case of a player needing a fresh start. He’s worn out his welcome in Vancouver and the dour act doesn’t play well in the dressing room. No wonder Miller was so hard on him. Sorry, but we’re just not buying the narrative that the Canucks have no choice but to retain him because it would leave them without a top line centre. First of all, Pettersson hasn’t shown that he’s a true 1C. Secondly, there’s absolutely no assurance he will ever return to the 100-point form that landed him the rich contract in the first place. Yes, it will be difficult to move his contract. Just find a way, even if you have to retain salary. The potential risk of holding onto a bad hand is too great. If you buy a car that’s a lemon, take the loss and sell it right away. You don’t hold onto it until its worthless.

In order to get a deal done, let’s say you have to retain $4 million of Petterson’s contract for four seasons? If Quinn Hughes shows no interest in signing a new long-term contract in a year, you will be forced into a rebuild anyway. Retaining salary at that point would not be that big a deal. It would be more acceptable than sitting on $11.6 million for seven seasons with a player who’s not delivering anything close to star value.

The media may enjoy the openness from the Canucks front office but it’s a dubious strategy when it comes to the team’s best interests. At the Canucks year-end news briefing, team president Jimmy Rutherford once again let it all hang out in discussing the Canucks drama-filled season. We question why it was necessary to be so brutally honest. Why let everyone know there was tepid interest in Boeser at the trade deadline? Why spread the word that Pettersson has poor training habits? Why suggest that it may be difficult to extend Hughes because he may want to play with his brothers in New Jersey? Why plant that seed? Brian Burke once said, “I will lie to the media if it helps us win hockey games.” He was right about that!

While we’re at it – Can the Canucks please stop the infatuation with Swedes and former Pittsburgh Penguins? You don’t win Stanley Cups with one or two Canadians on the roster. The Pens have one of the worst rosters in the league. Why keep importing players you once acquired when they’ve done nothing but lose for the past several years?

On top of all the other noise, the front office has still not been able to reach a contract agreement with top prospect Tom Willander. As of now, he’s rejected an entry-level deal and plans to return to Boston University next season. The Canucks have so far stubbornly refused to agree to several bonus clauses in the contract. Nothing like alienating a player before he even joins the team. Don’t be surprised if the Canucks deal Willander in order to acquire a top-six forward. And don’t be surprised if the Canucks trade their top pick this summer in a futile attempt to find another centre.

We’ve been largely supportive of Rutherford and Canucks GM Patrik Allvin. Mark it down. The support is wavering.

Breaking News: Paolo Aquilini has stepped down as part owner of the Canucks. Can you blame him? A statement from the team said the Canucks are not for sale. Probably means they will be shortly.

NHL Playoff Takeaways – The Washington Capitals won a playoff series for the first time in seven years, sending Montreal Canadiens to the sidelines. The Canadiens had the youngest team in this year’s playoffs. The Habs have a bright future but the series showed size still matters. The Caps size won out. The Canadiens have the foundational pieces in place but need to add more push-back. 

NHL Notebook – The NHL Draft Lottery is set to take place on Monday night from the NHL Network studios in Secaucus, New Jersey. The San Jose Sharks have the best odds of landing the number one overall pick at 18.5%. The Chicago Blackhawks are next at 13.5%.  Nashville’s odds are 11.5%. Philadelphia and Boston round out the top five. Defenceman Michael Schaefer is the consensus choice to go off the board first.

With Vancouver now in the market for a new coach, a total of seven NHL teams are currently conducting a job search. Anaheim, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Seattle all have coaching vacancies. Some of the available coaches may field multiple offers. The Canucks are going to have to get in line. One thing is for certain, there’s urgency to get something worked out in a hurry.

Mike Sullivan was an obvious choice to replace Tocchet in Vancouver based on the Pittsburgh connection but he’s already agreed to terms with the Rangers. Don’t be surprised if the Canucks coaching search leads back to Manny Malhotra who, from all reports, has done an outstanding job in Abbotsford.

Let’s get this straight. The Seattle Kraken stink the place out this season and General Manager Ron Francis gets a promotion to Director of Hockey Operations. Nothing like rewarding failure, similar to what just happened in New York with the Rangers. Dan Bylsma is the fall guy as he gets fired as coach after just one year. Jason Botterill takes over as GM despite being an utter failure in Buffalo. Only in the NHL do lifers like Francis survive despite zero success.

The Kraken had everything going for them when they entered the league – a great market, incredible refurbished arena, a favourable expansion draft that provided the opportunity to bank additional draft stock. All they have accomplished is managing to build the most nondescript team in the NHL. The early momentum has vanished. What fanbase is there has little to get excited about.

For the first time in 31 years, no Canadian has been nominated for the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP. The Hart nominees are Leon Draisaitl, Nikita Kucherov and Connor Hellebuyck. MacKinnon was surprisingly overlooked. This year’s Vezina Trophy finalists are Hellebuyck, Darcy Kuemper and Andrei Valsilevskiy. All were almost knocked out in the first round. Can’t believe that Jets centre Adam Lowry was not one of the finalists for the Selke Award as top defensive forward.

Victoria Royals fans are familiar with centre Cole Reschny. He put up 25 points in 11 playoff games. The Royals knocked out Tri-City Americans before losing out to the favoured Spokane Chiefs in six games. Reschny has followed that up with a shining performance for Canada at the U-18 World Championships. He’s listed at 5-foot-10 but has a strong lower body and is strong on his shakes. Think Joe Sakic. Reschny is rated in the middle of the first round of this year’s NHL draft. Based on his recent play, he may go much higher. The Canucks at #15 should be interested. The Canadiens hold the 16th and 17th picks. Montreal could use help down the middle and would be crazy to let him slip by.

Why do NHL teams feel it’s absolutely necessary to lock up young players on long-term contracts? Coming off a 24-goal season, the Flames just signed 22-year-old Matt Coronato to a 7-year deal that averages $6.5 million per season. One decent season and he gets rewarded? Very dangerous wager by the Flames.

Shedeur Part Deux – Like father, like son. How can you look at the dramatic fall of Shedeur Sanders in the NFL draft and not trace it back to Big Daddy Deion. It was a hard lesson in humility.

Deion Sanders was a Hall of Fame talent but he made more than a few enemies with his showboating antics on the field. Who can forget the “Deion Shuffle?” Former Chicago Bears great Dick Butkus was once asked what he would do to NFL players who celebrate excessively. His response? “Well, after they wake up…”

No league puts more time and energy into scouting than the NFL. Pre-draft interviews play a huge role in a team’s final evaluation. According to numerous reports quoting league executives, the interview process with Shedeur Sanders was a complete disaster. Several clubs were so taken aback by his entitled attitude, they took him off their draft board entirely. The slide had everything to do with his “unprofessional” pre-draft meetings. One AFC executive said, “It didn’t go well in our interview. He wants to dictate what’s he going to do and what’s best for him. He makes you feel small.”  Another chimed in, “It’s going to be a culture shock when he learns how a locker room operates and how things work inside the building. Everything’s been catered to him. When you walk inside an NFL building, no one gives a s— about that. No one cares who your father is.”

According to one team exec, Sanders showed up smelling of so much cologne, they had to take him outside for a walk before starting the meeting. He reportedly showed up at one interview wearing headphones that he didn’t take off until after the interview started. As is custom at these pre-draft sessions, Sanders was given what’s called an offensive “install” and he reportedly failed miserably. You will remember in a similar interview with the Kansas City Chiefs, Pat Mahomes aced the “install’ including knowing what each receiver was expected to do on each passing play.

It became clear in the interview process Sanders lacked respect for those conducting the interviews. Some suggested, on the advice of his old man, he was sandbagging the process to try and control where he might land. Where Dad went wrong is he refused to speak with NFL talent evaluators and get an honest assessment of his son’s draft standing. Some guidance could have helped his son prepare better. He could have had a more realistic view of the potential draft outcome rather than building him up to be a top-five pick.

Daddy Deion gave himself the moniker ‘Prime Time.’ Son Shedeur has granted himself the handle ‘Legendary.’ Prior to the draft, Shedeur had a jewelry maker craft a chain necklace with a large diamond-encrusted banner spelling out Legendary. Hey, why not? Sanders had his jersey retired at Colorado for going one game over .500 in his two seasons in college. He’s a legend!

The draft plunge was certainly costly. Had Sanders been selected third overall by the New York Giants as projected early on, he would have been looking at a first contract worth about $44 million. As a fifth-round pick, he will be lucky to earn $4 million total through the life of his first contract and that’s IF he makes the roster. That’s $40 million out the window.

It all boils down to humility. Shedeur Sanders has none. He’s the ultimate entitled punk and that’s thanks to Deion.

News flash. The Toronto Argonauts just acquired his CFL rights. He can always come up here and fail.

Seahawks Draft Analysis – The Seahawks were universally praised for their draft. With $29 million remaining in effective cap space, they are far from done with the roster makeover. Expect more moves before training camp opens. We gave the Seahawks draft a top grade, but keep in mind, the top three selections were all at non-premium positions – guard, safety and tight end. It’s not like they took a left tackle, quarterback, wide receiver or pass-rushing defensive end. Let’s wait and see if any of the top picks are All-Pro level difference-makers.

The Seahawks were intent on bolstering the offence. The nine picks on offence matched the entire output of the rest of the NFC West. What’s worth remembering is there may be growing pains before everything to falls into place. The new offensive staff is going to need time considering all the personnel changes including Sam Darnold taking over at quarterback. The Seahawks are banking on internal improvement along the offensive line. We’ll believe it when we see it. Defensively, Mike McDonald had the group playing like a top-10 unit by the end of the season. Further growth would make the group very formidable. Trey Hendrickson is on the outs in Cincinnati after failing to land a contract extension. He’s 31 but remains one of the NFL’s top pass rushers. With money to spend, could he be a target?

Meantime, the Seahawks rookie minicamp got underway over the weekend at the team’s practise facility in Renton, Washington. The arrival of third-round rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe was such a contrast to Shedeur Sanders. Milroe is respectful and it was obvious from his comments. “Any guy that comes in — no matter where you’re selected, the first pick in the draft to Mr. Irrelevant, it doesn’t matter — you’re trying to earn the respect and trust of everybody in the locker room and organization. With that comes being a good teammate as well. Showing that I care, I’m studying. Other goals come with that, but the (heart) of everything is that.”

Milroe has been working privately with quarterback guru Jordan Palmer, brother of long-time Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer. Throwing mechanics have been the focus. If Milroe can clean up his footwork and decision-making, he’s got a chance to reach his lofty potential.

Blue Jays Notebook – The Blue Jays have slipped a couple of games below .500 and you wonder if that’s where they will say. The bullpen has been surprisingly solid but appears to be overworked already. Jeff Hoffman has been near perfect as the closer. Yimi Garcia has been outstanding in the set-up role, at least until surrendering a grand slam on Saturday. Brendon Little has been a surprise.

It’s a different story when it comes to the anemic offence. The Jays have hit only 23 home runs. The New York Yankees have belted 56. Bo Bichette waited until May to hit his first home run. Seven players who have had their name on the lineup card this season are hitting under .200. In 2023, the Jays were 14th in runs scored. Last year, they were 23rd. So far this season, they rank 27th. Jays GM Ross Atkins says “it has to get better.” What would make anyone believe that?  This is a terrible hitting ball club and has been for over three years.

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge of the Yankees is hitting .432 with 11 homers and 33 RBI’s. He’s also walked 21 times and has an on-base percentage of .520.

Random Leftovers – What an incredible run for the Vancouver Whitecaps. They hold the best record in MSL and are on the verge of being the top team in North American soccer. The Caps punched their ticket to the CONCACAF Champions Cup final after crushing Lionel Messi and Inter Miami 3-1 in the second leg of their semifinal. The Whitecaps held Messi without a goal in the two-game aggregate. The Whitecaps will now wait to face either Cruz Azul in the Champions Cup final on June 1.

Nice work by Canada Basketball signing Penticton native Gordie Herbert to lead the men’s national basketball team. Hebert replaces Jordi Hernandez who’s now head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Herbert is head coach of Bayern Munich of the EuroLeague and led Germany to a gold medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He is familiar with the Canadian program as both a player and former assistant coach.

Goodbye LeBron. The Minnesota Timberwolves made quick work of the L.A. Lakers in the NBA playoffs and LeBron James may be done after 22 seasons. The Lakers are 2-12 in their last three playoff series. They may be left with only Luka Doncic who’s eligible to sign a five-year, $296 million dollar extension. Not sure about paying an out-of-shape Doncic $60 million a year.

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