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Halford & Brough in the Morning

Frank Seravalli On The Canucks GM Search

13 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What insights does Frank Seravalli provide on the Canucks GM search?

10.325 - 22.382 Sarah Valley

Sarah Valley. Sarah Valley. Sarah Valley. Frank. Sarah Valley. Frank. Sarah Valley.

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22.562 - 42.423 Mike Halford

Frank. Frank. 703 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Halford, Brough, Sportsnet 650. However, number of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Are you drowning in tax debt? If you are, Sands and Associates can often reduce your debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees.

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Chapter 2: What coaching changes are happening in the NHL?

42.984 - 63.053 Mike Halford

Visit them today at sands-trustee.com. We are now in hour two of the program. Frank Cervalli from Victory Plus is going to join us in just a moment here. Hour two of this program is brought to you by Jason Hominuck at jason.mortgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit him online at jason.mortgage.

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63.073 - 79.853 Jason Brough

We're coming to you live from the Kintec studio. Step strong with orthotics and footwear from Kintec. Guests on Sportsnet 650 call in on the Able Auctions hotline. Email sales at ableauctions.ca to get your business assets sold and your building cleared.

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79.833 - 90.267 Mike Halford

Let's go now to the Able Auctions hotline. Our next guest, our NHL insider from Victory Plus, Frank Cervalli, joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Morning, Frank. How are you? Pretty good.

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Chapter 3: How does the Bruce Cassidy situation impact the Maple Leafs?

90.288 - 110.715 Mike Halford

How are you guys doing? We're well. Exciting times in the NHL coaching front. Shout out to you yesterday, breaking the news about the Bruce Cassidy situation as it pertains to the Edmonton Oilers. And I guess also the Los Angeles Kings. That came out later as well. But now, even more coaching news. For those that didn't hear it this morning, about a half hour ago, we announced it on the program.

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111.075 - 124.273 Mike Halford

The Toronto Maple Leafs have parted ways with Craig Berube. I guess my first question, Frank, is does this have anything to do with the Bruce Cassidy situation? Are they trying to get in on maybe getting an interview with Cassidy or is this something totally unrelated?

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125.434 - 134.967 Frank Seravalli

I can't imagine that it's completely unrelated. Like, look, I think if you were sitting there thinking that Craig Ruby was your guy, that's one thing.

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135.352 - 154.172 Frank Seravalli

but it seems like the response at least emanating from Toronto and their coaching staff is that this is relatively surprising based on where the wind appeared to be blowing that, um, the Leafs new brass, John Chayka and Matt Sundin met with Craig Ruby on Saturday.

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154.232 - 163.722 Frank Seravalli

They talked for hours and hours about where they thought this was heading viewpoints on the roster, important decisions that need to be made this summer.

Chapter 4: What challenges are the Edmonton Oilers facing with their coaching staff?

163.955 - 193.945 Frank Seravalli

And then here we are less than five days later and Craig Ruby's fired. My thought process would be, and the first thing that came to my mind was, well, the Leafs are seeing that Bruce Cassidy, I think unquestionably one of the five or small handful of best coaches in the league is available. And another Canadian team, which has marquee players is,

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194.262 - 213.105 Frank Seravalli

at least at this point, being Heisman for the right to interview Bruce Cassidy. If we're going to make a change, it's to get someone that we believe is better and let's act quickly as opposed to sit around and wonder what we should do.

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213.686 - 218.732 Jason Brough

Does Bruce Cassidy coach a significantly different style than Craig Berube?

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220.855 - 250.166 Frank Seravalli

Um... I think he does. I think everything that Bruce Cassidy's teams do emanates from the back end out. They're very, very detailed in the way that they defend. And he was really kind of one of the, I don't want to say pioneers, but he was at the forefront of The defensive zone coverage that you see so popular around the league now. And so, um, he's known as sort of this defensive mastermind.

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250.186 - 267.148 Frank Seravalli

And as the Toronto Maple Leafs, one of the first things John shake has said at his press conference was we need to vastly improve our defense. I think that means not just personnel, but also the way they defend.

Chapter 5: What updates are there on the Vancouver Canucks' front office structure?

267.719 - 292.081 Frank Seravalli

And so I think his coaching style is different. He's similar in the sense that he has a relatively hard edge to him, like Craig Berube does. Different personalities, too, like totally different personalities. But look, again, not saying the Leafs are hiring him. I'm just saying I can't imagine that these two things are completely unrelated.

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293.042 - 296.545 Jason Brough

So how awkward are things in Edmonton right now?

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298.077 - 326.886 Frank Seravalli

Yeah, I mean, I say relatively awkward. I'm sure seeing that news this morning in Edmonton was a shot across the bow. Like, Hey, if we're serious about getting this guy, we need to press pretty hard today, whether it's on the league office to say that this is a situation where permission should not be withheld under any reasonable circumstances, or, um, you are resigned to the fact that you are.

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327.558 - 351.903 Frank Seravalli

if you're going to be making a coaching change, doing it with someone else. And so I think that's kind of been part of their hang-up here is that they like Chris Knobloch. They recognize that some change is probably necessary. Now it's going to be relatively difficult to put the genie back in the bottle. And also then the next question would be, Okay.

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Chapter 6: How do the Sedins influence the Canucks' new direction?

351.923 - 367.386 Frank Seravalli

So if not Bruce Cassidy, and now this has gotten to the point with Chris Knobloch that we can't bring him back, which to be honest, I thought was the likely case anyway, even before the news, but then who.

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369.188 - 385.552 Jason Brough

Was it naive to think that they could reach out to Bruce Cassidy and kind of keep that secret with Chris Knobloch still in the mix? Because it seems to me that if they were convinced that they were going to make a coaching change, they would have fired Chris Knobloch first.

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385.772 - 406.749 Jason Brough

But the way it's played out, it looks like, it just looks like that they're like, well, let's see if we can get an upgrade and we'll keep that quiet. And if we can't get Bruce Cassidy... or someone else that we like, maybe we'll just keep Chris Knobloch. But now, as you say, it's going to be hard to stuff that genie back in the bottle.

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407.931 - 425.655 Frank Seravalli

Yeah, the toothpaste is out of the tube. I mean, I think they needed a change anyway. And I think the most simple way to say it is this. This is the last, or potentially the last year of the Connor McDavid experience at Edmonton. Are you willing to bet...

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426.698 - 444.723 Frank Seravalli

the best player in the world potentially walking out the door based on his and Leon's, I settled public criticism of the coach over the course of the season. Are you willing to bet this all important last year to try and get things right on a guy that they've already been critical of?

444.863 - 450.571 Frank Seravalli

I don't know about you, but I don't care if he has a three million, three year contract remaining and whatever's left on it.

Chapter 7: What are the Vegas Golden Knights' strategies in the playoffs?

451.232 - 457.039 Frank Seravalli

I'm not wagering that on, uh, keeping Connor McDavid for the long haul.

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459.302 - 466.628 Jason Brough

What are the big changes that you think the Oilers are going to try and make to the roster, not just the coaching staff, but to the roster?

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468.01 - 493.825 Frank Seravalli

And by the way, I would bet that it's the entirety of the coaching staff and not just one person in Chris Knobloch. I think they need a complete fresh start. I think the first and most important question is goaltending. They haven't been able to get it right. And I did a real deep dive on my show yesterday with Kevin Woodley, the, the absolute man, myth and legend, um, from in goal magazine.

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493.865 - 517.082 Frank Seravalli

And he was so good just working through not just which teams are in the market, but the free agents, the trade targets, all the possibilities. And the guy that we landed on for Edmonton was Jordan Bennington. Um, but no matter what, the most important thing is Edmonton's defensive zone and environment needs to change. So that will start with the coach.

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517.302 - 529.842 Frank Seravalli

And then after getting the goalie, the next thing will be personnel. I think they have to find a way to move on from Darnell nurse at whatever the cost is. He's not just an anchor on their salary cap, but he's an anchor on their end zone play.

Chapter 8: How do injuries impact the Golden Knights' playoff performance?

530.378 - 550.362 Frank Seravalli

And that I know it's a buyout proof contract and you may have to swallow hard to make it happen, but I think you have to do it and you have to look at a different fresh approach for the Oilers in their own end. Um, and then they have some other important questions to answer with their roster moving forward.

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550.747 - 576.265 Frank Seravalli

What happens with someone like Jack Rossovic, who played on a value deal, scored north of 20 again? That value deal ain't happening again. He's going to require term and dollars. And how do you find a competent bottom six forward group that your coach can trust and play after watching a team like the Anaheim Ducks beat the wheels off of you with Jeffrey Vielle and Tim Washi?

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577.595 - 596.244 Jason Brough

Okay, let's move on to the Vancouver Canucks. What are you hearing about the Canucks? The latest reports is that the Sedins and Ryan Johnson will comprise the top of hockey ops in Vancouver, although we're not 100% sure about titles, reporting, structure, etc.

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596.264 - 627.504 Frank Seravalli

Yeah, I think the machinations are going to be interesting to see title and all those things, how exactly it's going to work. Um, not entirely surprised. Um, I mentioned on my, in my conversation with sat and Beck earlier this week that the Sedins were pretty big proponents of Ryan Johnson. Um, and that if they were going to have a larger say that he was their guy, that was their choice.

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628.666 - 653.651 Frank Seravalli

Um, with that. I think there's so many interesting things to look at here because Ryan Johnson has paid his dues. He's worked his way through the organization. He's been at this for 14 years now, but he's never run a team. He's seen how a team is run, but he's only ever seen it from one perspective, really.

653.872 - 663.22 Frank Seravalli

I mean, there have been regime changes and everyone has a little bit of a different style, but He hasn't sat in the chair before, and that can be a positive and a negative.

663.82 - 688.483 Frank Seravalli

I just wonder, in the end, for the Sedins having increased say, who don't have any front office experience really themselves, outside of jumping on the ice and working with players in a development role, there's a lot to learn here, and there's a lot of things to nail. And that starts with the drafting. So they've got some, I think, probably a head start on...

688.835 - 711.703 Frank Seravalli

that spot with how they want to see things come together and obviously have a really good draft pick to begin the process. But I wonder in the end how valuable it would have been to have an outside fresh perspective that hasn't been sucked into the way the Canucks do things.

712.464 - 716.108 Mike Halford

On that note, do you have any idea what happened with Evan Gould?

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