The Instigator Podcast

The NHL officially returns in just a few short days and we devote this week's show to previewing and predicting the qualifying round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and offering up our picks for who will play for the Stanley Cup. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

With the finalists announced for the NHL awards, we run through our selections on who we think will win the awards - and who with think should win in a few cases. Also on the show is a discussion about the Blue Jays and Buffalo and a quick rundown of the NHL Qualifying Round. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Julie Stewart-Binks, host of Drinks with Binks and Call it a Night with Julie Stewart-Binks on fubo Sports Network joined the show to discuss all manner of topics, including the NHL qualifiers and playoffs, bubble cities, how COVID-19 has affected broadcasting and a whole lot more. You can catch Julie and Drinks with Binks on fubo Sports Network Friday nights at 8pm and 24/7 on the fubo Sports Network website along with Pluto, XUMO, The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus, Vizio, and to subscribers to fuboTV. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

New details have been released on the schedule the NHL will follow as they proceed with the return to play process. This includes a tentative start date for the 2020-21 NHL season. We discuss just how things will unfold between now and when the Sabres take the ice again in December, the schedule for the qualifying round and playoffs and the abbreviated offseason. We also touch on Lindy Ruff's hiring in New Jersey and other news from around the NHL. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Sabres are picking eighth overall in the NHL Draft after Friday's lottery. We discuss where the Sabres wound up, who they should target with the pick and offer up a reaction to a placeholder team winning the first pick. We also discuss Rick Dudley surfacing as a possible front office candidate for the club and just what his role might look like. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

A quick episode this week highlighting the looming draft lottery, what the Sabres have in store in the top 10 of this year's draft and a brief conversation on Alexander Mogilny missing out on the Hockey Hall of Fame yet again. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Sabres sent shockwaves through the hockey world as they fired Jason Botterill and named Kevyn Adams as his replacement. Much of Buffalo's scouting staff, player development and minor league coaching staffs were also released in the afternoon, effectively nuking the hockey department from the top down. We talk about the decision to fire Botterill, to replace him with Adams and everything else that transpired over the course of 12 hours or so on Tuesday. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Sabres playoff drought now officially numbers nine seasons and as the postmortem on the season began, the team and its ownership has resumed their usual nonsense. We talk about Kim Pegula putting her foot in her mouth, Jason Botterill following suit and just how much work needs to be done to get the Sabres on the right track. We also run through the league's plans for returning to play as they plan on jumping right into playoff action once it's safe to begin action. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The global impact of Coronavirus has been astonishing to follow and the spread of the disease has brought it to America where it has begun to creep into sporting culture. As various events and tournaments are impacted, with many being canceled, it's only a matter of time before the NHL and other pro leagues are impacted. We discussed the current state of the league as the virus has caused changes to be made to press availability along with airing some hypothetical scenarios that could play out as well. The end of the show is devoted to a quick hit on Dominik Kahun's early impact and the potential for the Sabres to wade into the college free agent market. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Goalie Gear Nerd, one of the web's foremost experts on goalie equipment joined the show for the second time as we discussed his new website, some of the latest news and innovations in goal while also sharing some thoughts on David Ayres and the NHL's emergency backup system. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jason Botterill made a pair of additions on Monday's NHL trade deadline, picking up Wayne Simmonds and Dominik Kahun for the stretch run. It wasn't without some selling as Conor Sheary and Evan Rodrigues both went to Pittsburgh in exchange for Kahun as the Sabres hope to transition to contender status. We also run through some of the bigger trades that went down on Monday as the most eventful deadline in years wrapped up. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The trade deadline is next week and the Sabres are in a position where they almost have to make some waves in order to begin the process of finding upgrades to their forward group. We discuss the handful of UFAs the Sabres have to market along with floating a few potential targets Jason Botterill could chase in order to add to his roster. It's a big week for Botterill and the Sabres as the team floats on the periphery of the playoff race while struggling to gain a steady foothold in the Eastern Conference. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.