Rinkside with Aarif Deen

Training camp has begun, the preseason starts next week and opening night is less than three weeks away. Aarif and JJ break down everything they've seen from the Avalanche, the in-person press conferences and the positivity surrounding the team at camp. They're then joined by the great Greg Wyshynski of ESPN to chat about the Avs' perception among national media, their offseason moves and competit...

Avalanche's development camp has come and gone and the young guns are ready to take training camp by storm. Aarif and JJ breakdown all the happening around the summer showcase tournament, which players stood out and how it could translate to an even better performance at the main camp. The guys also chat about which of the Avs could have a chip on their shoulder and how the team could build a winn...

Aarif and JJ are back for a special live recording at the Mile High Sports studios! And they're joined by Peter Baugh of The Athletic, who makes his first appearance on the show following Day 1 of the Avalanche's development camp. Peter shares how he got into journalism, covering college football for The Athletic, applying for the Avs job and taking over the beat in 2021. He also chats about some...

We're just a week away from the Avalanche's development camp. JJ and Aarif break down the Avs' camp roster and discuss some of the more notable names on it. The guys then discuss Jack Johnson's PTO and where he could slot in on the team if he gets a contract offer. They then get into offer sheets in light of Jesperi Kotkaniemi's successful new deal with Carolina before predicting who from the Aval...

The guys are back after a mid-August vacation to break down all the latest happenings around the Avalanche and NHL. JJ and Aarif pay their respects to former NHLer Jimmy Hayes, who passed away suddenly on Monday. They then get into the hiring of Peter Budaj as Colorado's new goalie development coach before debating Aarif's recent story on which Avalanche players are primed to have a breakout seaso...

We're officially in the dog days of August. Aarif and JJ recap the offseason that was for the Stanley Cup contenders around the league and discuss how they match up against the Avalanche. The guys also check in on the Central Division and which teams may make the playoffs from that group. The discussion also includes a look at which teams around the NHL may elevate themselves into Cup-contending s...

After signing Ryan Murray, the Avalanche have roughly $3 million in cap space. JJ and Aarif break down Murray's role on the team and Colorado's defensive depth overall. The guys also take a peek at the forward group to see if Joe Sakic needs to make any other additions. The show ends with a read-through of Nikita Zadorov's interview in Russia about Nathan MacKinnon. All that and more on this editi...

The Avalanche traded a first-round draft pick for Darcy Kuemper after all. Aarif and JJ break down everything around that deal and how it makes the Avs a better team before getting into the Philipp Grubauer contract signed with Seattle. The guys also chat about the roster turnover for the Avs, the additions of Kurtis MacDermid and Darren Helm and other moves Joe Sakic could make to fill in the gap...

The expansion draft began a wave of NHL offseason insanity. Aarif and JJ break down the loss of Joonas Donskoi to the Seattle Kraken and how it could affect the Avalanche's depth chart moving forward. The guys also chat about Seattle's picks before looking at Wednesday's opening day of free agency and who the Avs could target. Also, Cale Makar's six-year extension is discussed as well as updated o...

Aarif and JJ are back to break down the chaos around the NHL before the expansion draft. The guys discuss the Ryan Graves trade and how it impacted the protected list. But the main focus around the Avs right now is Gabriel Landeskog and the potential divorce the team and player are heading towards. The guys share their thoughts on the contract stalemate and how it got personal for Landeskog, who h...

The Stanley Cup Final is headed to Game 5 and Tampa Bay is hoping to repeat as Cup champs. What do the Avalanche need to do to measure up to the Lightning? Aarif and JJ get into that before creating their very own Avs expansion draft protection list. The guys then discuss the Seth Jones rumors and if Colorado should actually entertain trading for the young defenseman. The episode shifts to Gabe La...

Aarif and JJ are back with the first 2021 offseason edition of the podcast. The guys start with quick thoughts on the Vegas/Montreal series and discuss how the Avalanche would hypothetically be doing had they been the ones matched up against the Canadiens. They then discuss what it would take to hypothetically keep Brandon Saad as well as Gabe Landeskog after re-signing Cale Makar. Aarif then goes...

JJ and Aarif are here to give their final thoughts on the 2021 Avalanche season that was. The guys break down what happened to Colorado in those last games against Vegas and explain why losing to the second-best team in the NHL isn't the end of the world. They also talk about Jared Bednar's future with the club, Nathan MacKinnon's Game 6 post-game presser and where things could go from here. The e...

The pressure is on as the Avalanche return to Ball Arena for Game 5 after two uninspiring performances at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas. JJ and Aarif break down what's gone wrong and what the Avs need to do to bounce back and re-take control of this 2-2 series. The guys discuss Colorado's home-ice advantage and the energy the team could feed off before getting into the top lines struggles over the past...

The Avalanche were outplayed in Game 2 Wednesday but still came away with a 3-2 overtime victory. Aarif and JJ dive into everything that went wrong, Philipp Grubauer's spectacular performance and the Avs taking a 2-0 series lead. The guys also share their thoughts on Vegas coach Peter DeBoer's post-game comments about the overtime penalty and accusing Colorado of embellishment. They then get into...

The Avalanche steamrolled the Vegas Golden Knights 7-1 in Game 1 thanks largely to their top line and stud defenseman Cale Makar. JJ and Aarif break down the importance of Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog constantly showing up for playoff games and the depth that supports them. The guys then discuss the curious decision to start Robin Lehner. They then dive into Ryan Reaves'...

The Avalanche are prepping for Game 1 at Ball Arena on Sunday but they still don't know who they're playing. With Minnesota and Vegas set for a Game 7 winner-take-all Friday, JJ and Aarif share their thoughts on who comes out victorious. They also break down the rest or rust aspect of having a week off and playing against a team that has played every other night for two weeks. The guys then discus...

The Avalanche finished off the Blues in four games with a 5-2 victory on Sunday. It's Colorado's first sweep in 20 years. JJ and Aarif recap Game 4, the series and how this team was able to successfully sweep a strong opponent in such dominating fashion. The guys then look ahead for what could be the series of the year between the Avs and Golden Knights, assuming Vegas closes out Minnesota. All th...

There's a lot to break down after the Avalanche's first two games against the St. Louis Blues. Nazem Kadri is likely facing another suspension, Gabe Landeskog has been the heart of this team so far and Nathan MacKinnon is scoring all the goals. JJ and Aarif dive deep into all of it as the Avs take a 2-0 lead into Enterprise Center for Game 3 on Friday. The guys also chat about Ryan O'Reilly, Jorda...

The Avalanche smoked the Los Angeles Kings to lock up their first Presidents' Trophy in 20 years. Aarif and JJ share their in-game experience from Thursday's 5-1 victory and discuss what the Presidents' Trophy means to them. The guys then compare the 2021 Avs to that Stanley Cup-winning team in 2001 and give a line-by-line comparison. Colorado and St. Louis drop the puck for Game 1 on Monday night...

The Avalanche defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in perhaps the biggest game of the season to continue their pursuit for first place in the West Division and the NHL. JJ and Aarif break down the game, Colorado's fight for first and look ahead to the L.A. Kings series that starts Wednesday. The guys then preview the playoffs and a potential second-round matchup against Vegas. All that and more on th...

Aarif joins JJ on Mile High Sports Radio's "The Hockey Show," subbing in for co-host Ryan Boulding. The guys take their podcast to the airwaves in this special edition mashup episode. Segment one dives into the Tom Wilson fiasco before turning to the playoff picture for the Avalanche and around the league. The guys then chat about the Avalanche's recent stretch of games and close out wit...

We're just seven games away from the end of the regular season and the playoff-bound Avalanche are hoping to get healthy before the Stanley Cup playoffs begin. JJ and Aarif break down the recent two wins at home against San Jose and have a long conversation about Nathan MacKinnon's elevated play. The guys then discuss the two main goals this team has in these last seven games. All that and more on...

The Avalanche are back from their second COVID pause of the season and needed one game to clinch their spot in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. JJ and Aarif discuss Colorado's potential playoff matchups then break down the Blues series and the star-studded matchup Saturday that featured Nathan MacKinnon and Ryan O'Reilly going head-to-head. The guys then talk about Aarif's new feature called "D...

The Avalanche were paused because of COVID for the second time this season and three games were postponed. JJ and Aarif are here to talk about just about everything but Avs hockey. The guys start with the latest COVID news, including Mikko Rantanen joining the protocol list Tuesday. They then talk Patrick Marleau, golf, boxing, UFC, soccer, and just about everything that comes to mind. And at the...