The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz
The Hockey Show: Training Camp Is Here, McDavid And Kaprizov's Contracts Are Not
19 Sep 2025
Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Training camps have opened. Preseason starts on Saturday. Hockey is back. You know what that means?
It's time for the Hockey Show.
We got David Drucker, the Hockey News. In the other room, in the shipping container, we got Rosie and Ethan. Welcome back, Rosie. You are not bothering Lucy for college football this week. Thank you very much.
I'm bothering you now.
Yes, unfortunately, you are very much fortunately. Thank God you're here. The Hockey Show has a new YouTube page. You can follow us there at... The Hockey Show DLS. So please go ahead and search for our content on YouTube. We also have TikTok at The Hockey Show 7 and on X, Instagram and threads at Hockey Show DLS. Rosie, am I missing anything?
No, you're not. We're just live right now on TikTok while we do this.
Excellent. We are live on TikTok while we are recording this show. Thank you very much. Anyway, you know the season has started as far as preseason training camps are concerned when this happens. That's right. Brandon Tanev has his head shot. The new Utah Mavericks player looks like a complete lunatic. It is a yearly tradition. We are ready to go, David.
It almost looks like the logo, the Mammoth logo, is looking down like, oh, he's doing the face again. I got to deal with this guy over here. I love those jerseys, guys. I think they're going to look really good when they're on the ice. They've got great colors, and their jerseys were good last year, but now they have a nice official logo on the front of their uniforms.
I think they're going to look great.
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Chapter 2: What updates are there on Connor McDavid's contract situation?
As uncomfortable as that's making us, imagine being an Oilers fan listening to that. It's like, yeah, my wife and I, we love our house. We have a great house here in Edmonton. We don't want to leave our house. The city, we don't want to leave our house.
This is going to drag on for a while, and I'm already annoyed with this, just like I'm annoyed with the Sidney Crosby trademark.
Chapter 3: How is Kirill Kaprizov's contract stalemate affecting the Minnesota Wild?
I'm tired of it. This is going to drag for a long time.
You better get used to this storyline because it's going to stick. I'm with you, Dave. Sorry, go ahead, Rosie. We're going to have an entire show just on Sidney's. No, no, no. Croswalk. I like that. Croswalk. That's good. I think the thing here is, what is going to happen? Is McDavid just going to wake up one morning and be like, all right, we've got enough? That's not going to happen.
He's going to play out the season, or at least a portion of the season, or maybe they're going to trade for a goalie, and then all of a sudden, he's going to wake up and be like, all right, I'm ready to sign my contract. I don't see that happening. They're going to play out this season, and then they're going to go into the offseason, and that's where it's all going to have to happen.
Edmonton's going to have to empty their bank account, figure out a way to make it work with however much they're going to have to give McDavid because he's going to get a lot of money. Let's be clear. I don't think this is anything about money. This is clearly about can he win in Edmonton? Does he think he has a chance to win in Edmonton?
And from what he's saying, when he keeps talking about 25-26, he made it very clear in that quote right there. We have all the pieces for 25-26. Beyond that remains to be seen. I wouldn't buy that comment. If I'm hearing that as an Oilers fan, I'm freaking out. That's terrifying. That's the last thing you want your star player to hear.
Can't you argue that the Oilers are worse today than they were at Game 6? Yeah. Look at their lineups, dude. I don't think he's saying all the pieces are in place to win. I think he's saying literally... The pieces are in place. We know what we have. McDavid and Dreisaitl are here. That's what he's saying. And he thinks they're probably enough to get him as close as he'll ever be.
And right now, if you're Connor McDavid, you have to assume this is as close as you'll get. You can't just assume that you'll ever get closer than you are right now. You've been to back-to-back Stanley Cups. You have another chance to go to a third one. This is terrifying if I'm an Oilers fan.
You've got to keep in mind, Zach Hyman's not going to be in the lineup until November. Like, he's got that wrist injury that he sustained in the Western Conference Final. It's going to be rough, man.
It's going to be a bad start to the season, Rosie. And they're not good starters. They haven't gotten off to good starts the last few years. I actually like David's take. He should go to Florida if he wants to win.
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Chapter 4: What insights were shared from NHL media days?
Or maybe they are fighting for more dollars. With the way that the salary cap is going up, it's projected to go up to $104 million. It's at $95.5 million now. Next season's cap is projected to go to $104 million, and the following year is projected to go to $113.5 million. I keep saying projected because there's a good chance
that based on how revenues go over this season, that that may increase. If that continues to increase and the numbers continue to go skyward, and with the prospect of the league expanding, which doesn't contribute to HRR, the expansion fees, but everything else does, the cap may jump significantly more within a five-year period, within at least this next CBA.
So he may say, well, okay, I'm willing to commit long-term, but if I'm taking $16 million now, that's going to be equivalent to like $19 million in six or seven years. So let's find a happy medium.
There's a possibility that that's part of the equation as well, and that's what his agent, Paul Theofanos, may be fighting for, to say, look, yeah, $16 million looks big now, but in a few years, not so much, given the caliber of player. And if they believe... him and the team believe he's going to be around a 100-point guy consistently. Maybe it's 17 that they're pushing for.
So let's say they can't get a deal done in Minnesota. I'm looking at Carolina, and they seem to want to be aggressive with their roster. Could we see ā no? No, they're not going to ā are they going to try to trade?
No, no, I was agreeing with you. I was agreeing with you.
My apologies there. Do you see Carolina possibly trading for Kaprizov?
I think so. Some teams have reached out to say, hey, if you get to a point where you want to trade them, give us a call. And I think Carolina is one of those teams. So I think there's an appetite to do it. It comes with an extension, kind of like I think they've learned that from the ranked in scenario where if you're trading for that caliber player, it's got to come with an extension.
So we'll see kind of, I mean, obviously where this unfolds first, they got to figure out if they can get a deal done. If it's concluded that they can't, then I think Billy Guerin, their GM, and everybody in Minnesota has to go on the offensive in terms of trying to move this piece out. But I think Carolina would definitely have significant interest.
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Chapter 5: What are the implications of Anze Kopitar's final season with the LA Kings?
They need to stop lowballing their goaltender.
Okay, the last question. Ah, the goaltender's union. Last question for me, Roy, if you'll forgive me. He's getting there. Dave, when we get to April of this season, what color jersey will Sidney Crosby be wearing? It won't be black and gold and white. Stop that! Stop it! Where's Crosby playing when playoff time rolls around, Dave?
Man. Where's he playing? Whatever golf course is close to Pittsburgh. Maybe he goes home to Halifax. He's not getting traded. Ooh. I'd be... I'd be surprised. Very, very, very surprised. Because there's a few factors here. One, it hasn't been official yet, but the strong belief is that this is Gino Malkin's last season.
And I can't imagine that he's going to play his last season and Sid not be a part of that for the whole ride. The other factor is there are going to be a lot more changes coming out of Pittsburgh. More guys are going to get moved out. They're going through a full rebuild. Even with Sid and LeTang's got more term on his contract. Sid has one more year after this one.
If they finish last and the balls drop where they do and they end up winning the draft lottery and get another potential generational player in Gavin McKenna. Oh, God. I mean, to have Sid there for one season to usher Gavin along is very reminiscent of when Mario did the exact same thing with Sid 20-odd years ago.
Bullshit. Bullshit.
They're going to do this again?
They weren't the worst team in the league, though, when they got that lottery ball, first of all. The NHL will make it happen. Sidney Crosby is going to get the benefit of the doubt. It's just hard to imagine Crosby and Malkin, especially if it's supposed to be Geno's last season, going through a we're-trying-to-get-the-best-lottery-ball situation. If that's what they're doing, fine.
But it's just like, really?
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