The Hockey PDOcast

We adopt the Florida Panthers, whose stars are either incredibly young or are defying age by remaining productive will into in their mid-30s and 40s. They're on a nice run right now that has them sitting atop the Atlantic Division, but will they be able to keep it up as the year goes along? Every episode of this podcast is available on iTunes, Soundcloud, and can also be streamed from our website....

Craig Custance, who was a Friend Of The Podcast well before it was cool to be one, makes his triumphant return to the show. We adopt the St. Louis Blues, who are approaching a fascinating crossroads with regards to balancing making a run this season while keeping an eye on the future financially. We also discuss the compelling case Cory Schneider is making to be be Team USA's number one goal at th...

With the NHL in the midst of its Christmas break, we decided to use this newfound free time to go through our awards ballot (roughly) midway through the 2015-16 schedule. Can 'The Stars Guys' combine for one vote in the Hart Trophy race? Can anyone even make a legitimate case for stealing the awards that Erik Karlsson and Patrice Bergeron respectively won last year? And if you're a coach, do you e...

Jeff Marek stops by to show off his hosting chops and preview the upcoming World Junior Championship tournament. We look into Canada's goaltending pipeline, the young squad they're sending this year, and the novel idea of bringing the best players you have at your disposal. We also discuss who their biggest competition will be this year, and some notable names to keep an eye out for. For people th...

Friend of The Podcast Mike Johnson joins the show to gush about the Dallas Stars after having just called one of their games for the first time this season. We also discuss whether the perceived 'East Coast bias' is a real thing, where Drew Doughty stacks up in the Norris discussion, and the psychology of what's going through a player's head when there's a coaching change. Every episode of this po...

We set our sights on the situation unfolding in Columbus in which John Tortorella has, to the surprise of absolutely no one, healthy scratched his best player in a misguided attempt to try and prove a point. We also discuss whether there's been any tangible difference in their level of play since the Blue Jackets made the coaching change, and wonder much of the blame Jarmo Kekäläinen should be tak...

Jen Lute Costella joins the show to discuss the tracking project she presented at the RIT Hockey Analytics Conference earlier in the season, and the main takeaways she gleaned from it about how different player types work together. We also look into how Artemi Panarin and his creativity have been a breath of fresh air for the league, and how the Chicago Blackhawks stack up against some of the othe...

We adopt the Los Angeles Kings, who are not only quickly distancing themselves from everyone else in the Pacific division but doing so by controlling 5-on-5 play at a historic rate. We also discuss the recent trade between the Blackhawks and Penguins, how no GM is immune from making bad decisions, and whether the Jets should aim to keep Dustin Byfuglien or Andrew Ladd (or potentially both). Every...

Jonathan Willis takes some time from his frenetic writing schedule to discuss Taylor Hall's ascension towards becoming one of the league's most dominant wingers, and what Edmonton's most optimal forward deployment will look like once they're fully healthy up front. We also look into how the blame for the struggles in Pittsburgh this season should be divvied up, and the precarious position the Ligh...

In this episode of the podcast we eventually get around to adopting both the Coyotes and Capitals as promised. But before we get there, we take some time to discuss Alex Semin's departure from the NHL and how his brief stint in Montreal is hardly an indictment against analytics. There's a meaty conversation about roster construction, taking calculated risks, and how easy it should be to incorporat...

Kent Wilson stops by to discuss how and why the Calgary Flames have fallen back down to earth this season after last year's playoff run. Beyond just their expected rudimentary possession struggles, we take a deeper look at a few other other factors doing them in including goaltending, and a highly questionable transition game out of their own zone. You can listen to every episode of this podcast o...

We look at the NHL's reignited plans for expansion from as many angles as possible based on the information we currently have. How will the draft itself differ from the one held all the way back in 2000, which types of rules can be put into place to even the playing field for the new organizations, and will the looming possibility of this actually coming to pass influence how teams approach this c...