Canucks Mafia: Recent Episodes
Mike Kermode and Darren Prasad
Mike Kermode (@MikeK_mode) and Darren Prasad (@dp85soon) talk everything Canucks and other news around the NHL on a weekly podcast. Proudly part of the Area 51 Sports Network. https://www.area51sportsnetwork.com/Artwork by @Jyrki21https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg1PKZtdxaXFT4IsKcgpSUQhttps://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/canucks-mafia/id1560250362
Mike and Darren discuss the ending to the Canucks season and look ahead to what should be a busy Summer.
Mike is pumped to be joined by the one and only Uncle Laleet to discuss the Canucks-Oilers playoff round.
With Darren on vacation, Mike is thrilled to be joined by Post Media's Canucks Reporter Patrick Johnston. PJ provides his analysis and insight into the Canucks series with the Nashville Predators so far, and how Vancouver has come out with a 3-1 series lead.
Some injury news; what is he hearing about Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith? Is Pettersson injured? Hughes?
This and a lot more in an exciting episode of Canucks Mafia!
Mike and Darren discuss the first two games of the Canucks opening round playoff series against the Nashville Predators and what Vancouver has to do in game 3 and going forward to be successful.
We analyze the Thatcher Demko injury, Elias Pettersson's poor play and who needs to step up!
Mike and Darren are thrilled to be joined by Vancouver Sports Media personality, Jeff Paterson to discuss some Canucks playoff hockey!
Vancouver hasn't made the playoffs since 2020, the bubble season, so this is the first time in 4 years the Canucks have qualified for the playoffs, and the first time since 2015 that they will be hosting a playoff series in front of fans!
JPat breaks down the Canucks first round series versus the Nashville Predators. What will the Canucks need to do to win? What are they going to get facing a Predators team they haven't played since December?
That and lots more on this special Playoff episode of Canucks Mafia!
On a huge day for the Canucks and their fans, Mike and Darren discuss the news of Elias Pettersson's new 8-year contract extension. What does this mean for the future of the Canucks? How does this effect their Trade Deadline and off-season strategy? Check out the latest on this monumental day in Canucks history!
Mike is pleased to be joined by Niq Velji (@NiqhilVelji) to discuss the Canucks new acquisition, Elias Lindholm. Massive news for a team with Stanley Cup aspirations and how getting ahead of the market will pay huge dividends. Are the Canucks done tweaking their roster? Are they legit Stanley Cup contenders? Listen for answers and insights to all things Canucks!
Mike and Darren catchup after a long break and discuss if the Canucks are legit contenders, Jonathan Lekkerimäki and the World Juniors, and the EP40 contract
In this episode, Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks wonderful 6-2-1 start. Is this team for real? Is regression coming? They dissect the start, the numbers, and their assessment of the roster and coaching staff with a new-found tone of optimism and hope!
Mike and Darren are stoked to be joined by Sportsnet650's Bik Nizzar to talk about Conor Garland, Ilya Mikheyev, player point projections and of course, will the Canucks make the playoffs?
With the new season a mere week away, Mike and Darren talk about their takeaways from the Canucks pre-season, the Pearson/De Smith trade, Quinn Hughes as captain and much, much more. Is it too early to call Vasiliy Podkolzin a bust? Who's impressed in camp and pre-season? Tune in to hear our thoughts!
Mike and Darren discuss the NHL Entry Draft where the Canucks selected 7 players, including Swedish Defenseman Tom Willander 11th overall. How did we like the Canucks picks?
We also discuss the Canucks signing Carson Soucy, Ian Cole and Teddy Blueger. Let's just say we aren't pissed, and that's a nice change!
Mike and Darren talk about the big OEL buyout and what it means for the Canucks in 2023 and beyond.
Mike and Darren are thrilled to be joined by the "AMAZING" Jeff Paterson in our year end Canucks episode. Jeff details the Canucks season, his expectations for the team going forward, his thoughts on the perception (from few fans) that the Canucks media is too negative and his very Canucks friendly Stanley Cup Finals prediction (please detect the sarcasm here...)!
You can follow Jeff on Twitter at @patersonjeff and listen to his Rink Wide Podcast (@rinkwideVAN) as well as read his Canucks news at The Hockey News (thehockeynews.com).
On this episode Mike and Darren sigh a lot because the Canucks are a complete and utter disaster. Join us as we have a super positive and happy chat about the Canucks!
In this episode, Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks latest addition, Vitali Kravtsov. Was it a good deal for Vancouver? Also, how many trades do we expect the Canucks to make at the deadline next week? And who do we expect to see leave?
Mike and Darren discuss the big Bo Horvat trade and look ahead to some other names that might be moved.
Mike and Darren are thrilled to have Patrick Johnston from The Province on to discuss the Bruce Boudreau fiasco. Did the organization handle this poorly? Who's to blame? How did we get to this point? We also discuss the Canucks new coach, Rick Tocchet and what the Canucks will do at the trade deadline. Canucks Mafia is also proud to introduce our new betting segment with BetStamp!
In this episode, Mike and Darren provide their letter grades and brief analysis for each Canuck player at the halfway point of a very disappointing season. A couple of Fs and only one A+. Can you guess who? Disagree with any of our assessments? Please feel free to comment or respectfully debate!
In episode 53, Mike and Darren fittingly discuss the incredible season Bo Horvat is having and what the future looks like for him and the team. They talk about the underwhelming season JT Miller is having, his leadership (or lack thereof), the position this team has put itself in and being 8th worst in the league, should they not just give up and tank for Bedard?
Mike's back from Asia! The guys discuss where the Canucks stand right now, the Bo Horvat contract and trade speculation, as well as Ethan Bear, Luke Schenn and Andrei Kuzmenko.
On this episode of Canucks Mafia, Darren welcomes the founder of the Area 51 Sports Network, Sean Warren to the show to talk about the crossroads, the fork in the road the Canucks find themselves in yet again. What should happen with Bo Horvat? Can the Canucks choose the wrong path again?
Mike is pleased to be joined by the legendary Uncle Laleet to discuss the status of the Canucks franchise and their historically poor start to the season. Does the influential trendsetter have anything up his sleeve? Does he see any major changes being made?
With the season upon us, Mike and Darren discuss their predictions for the season. Will the Canucks make the playoffs? Where will they finish in the Pacific Division? Also, predictions for every division and final four and Stanley Cup winners! We discuss Canucks players' points projections and give our thoughts on the Dickinson trade as well as the Canucks impressive cap gymnastics, resulting in getting maximum LTIR relief!
In this episode, Mike and Darren discuss ever-present PR nightmares the Canucks find themselves in, including the serious allegations brought forth about owner, Francesco Aquilini and the uncertainty behind new staffer Rachel Doerrie being let go. They also touch on the Canucks pre-season takeaways, Elias Pettersson's strong performances, injuries, roster battles and much more!
Mike and Darren are back to discuss news and notes from Canucks training camp, including Brock Boeser's injury, the line combos, the first pre-season games and our thought's on The Athletic's projections for the upcoming season!
Mike and Darren discuss the new JT Miller contract, Andrei Kuzmenko's expectations and point projections, what the Canucks forward lines may look like and the possibility of Quinn Hughes playing the right side and how that improves the Canucks defence.
Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks off-season moves and no moves, including their big fish, Ilya Mikheyev, J.T Miller still being a part of this team, bringing back the same defence core and the miscommunication from management. This is still a capped-out team with a porous defence. Will that change?
Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks draft picks, including 1st rounder Jonathan Lekkerimaki. We have two Elias Pettersson's!! They also go in depth about the JT Miller situation, Boeser's new contract and what to expect with Bo Horvat's next deal.
Mike is joined by Malcolm Ert to discuss the Canucks early off-season splash of signing Andrei Kuzmenko out of the KHL. They also discuss what to do with JT Miller, Brock Boeser and how the Canucks can shed some salary and improve the defence heading into next season.
Mike and Darren are finally back with a general review of the season, a discussion of off-season needs and expectations and their thoughts on the Canucks end of season press conference including Brock Boeser's emotional response about his ailing father. Was Ben Kuzma in the wrong for asking about it? What should they do with Bruce Boudreau? We finish off with our Stanley Cup Final predictions!
Mike and Darren discuss and dissect the Canucks trade deadline moves. Are they happy? Did the team do enough? Then they get into what would make the rest of the season a success? Are the playoffs still an option?
One year since inception of Canucks Mafia, and on our 40th episode, Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks recent play, including going 7-2-1 in their last 10 games and how they've realistically clawed their way back into the playoff picture. Does this change their Trade Deadline strategy? How about off-season strategy? How can this team realistically make some cap space?
Also, we touch on last week's fantastic interview with former Canuck player Aaron Volpatti, as well as share some hints to our next guest - another former Canuck player - who we are very, very excited about!
Canucks Mafia is THRILLED to be joined by former Vancouver Canucks player Aaron Volpatti. Aaron describes his unlikely journey from undrafted free agent to the NHL, overcoming a very serious accident that resulted in over 40% of his body sustaining 2nd and 3rd degree burns, his NHL career with the Canucks, including the 2011 Stanley Cup Final run, his time with the Capitals and lastly, his new business venture in visualization and coaching.
Check out his website at www.aaronvolpatti.com
Mike welcomes Sean Warren to discuss the Canucks season, the upcoming trade deadline, and the newest exciting venture for the Area51SportsNetwork team!
Mike and Darren discuss the home run hire of Cammi Granato as Assistant General Manager, the cringey All-Star Weekend, the Canucks performances without Quinn Hughes, evaluating this roster for trade deadline day, our Super Bowl predictions and previewing our next episode with an amazing guest, our first former Canucks player to join us on the pod!
Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks 5 game road trip, Petey's resurgence, the 4th line and answer the question, "Should we trade Tyler Motte or re-sign him?"
They also opine on whether the Canucks make the playoffs, Horvat and Garland's status' for the upcoming home stand and finally, Jim Mathieson's "Why are you so pissy" comment to Leon Draisaitl and if he was in the wrong or not.
Mike and Darren are excited to be joined by The Province's Patrick Johnson. Patrick discusses the Benning Era's lack of communication and support of their players, as well as the Canucks remarkable run of late, Jim Rutherford's stamp on the team, the GM search and Elias Pettersson's poor start to the season.
Mike and Darren are thrilled to be joined by friend of the show, @Jyrki21! He discusses his BenningOnEmpty cartoon series which will be coming to an end with the new management regime and his history of Canucks fandom. Then all three discuss the hiring of Jim Rutherford, the team's recent success and the Omicron Covid variant that is running rampant through the NHL and sadly, everywhere in the world.
Mike and Darren discuss the wholesale changes within the organization as Jim Benning and Travis Green are fired. Are we optimistic? Should Canucks fans be? What were our thoughts on the Franceso Aquilini and Stan Smyl Press Conference? Listen for all our takeaways and thoughts on this exciting new era of Canucks hockey!
Mike welcomes Darren back as they discuss their Canucks player grades through 22 games this season.
With Darren still on the short-term IR, Mike is joined by Canucks Mafia favourite, Uncle Laleet to discuss the state of the Canucks season and franchise, what needs to be done to finally spark some change, the role of the Canucks media in all of this and much, much more. After the successful banner-flying campaign, is anything on deck to further demonstrate the frustration of the fanbase? You'll have to listen to find out! We will say, we expect fireworks!
With Darren still away due to life priorities, Mike is joined by Area51 Sports Network Founder Sean Warren as they discuss the darkness that has become Canucks hockey. With fandom and spirits at an all-time low, where do we go from here? What changes have to be made and where is this stemming from?
Dissecting some of Francesco Aquilini's quotes from the start of the season, to potential GM replacements, to JT Miller trade targets, Mike and Sean had no shortage of topics to passionately discuss.
With Darren away due to the birth of his beautiful baby girl, Mike talks with Malcolm Ert (@malcolmert) about the 4-6-1 start to the Canucks season, how the newcomers have fared, the Travis Hamonic situation and which player the Canucks should look to trade in order to improve the team!
Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks opening 6 game road trip, the home opener, our assessment of the team and players through the first 7 games of the season, the disturbing and sad Kyle Beach/Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault situation and finally, an interview with Adam Kierszenblat, a Canucks fan who shares his story of his disappointment at the lack of Covid protocols at the Canucks home opener at Rogers Arena.
Mike and Darren are thrilled to chat with Vancouver sports media legend Matt Sekeres. They discuss the Travis Hamonic situation, the Canucks ownership and management, Bo Horvat and what he means to the franchise and much, much more!
Mike and Darren discuss the Olli Juolevi trade, the Canucks putting Zach MacEwen on waivers, the Alex Chiasson signing and then they dive into their detailed predictions of the Pacific Division. Where will the Canucks finish? Will they make the playoffs? They also predict the standings of the other Divisions as well as their Western Conference Finals prediction, Eastern Conference Finals prediction and of course, their Stanley Cup Finals predictions!
Mike and Darren announce an exciting partnership! Also, they spend probably waaaaayy too much time discussion losing Jonah Gadjovich off waivers to San Jose, and debate why it is and isn't a big deal. They talk fighting in hockey after the injury to Zack Kassian as well as the preseason debuts of Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes and if there's anything enticing on the waiver wire that could help the Canucks.
Mike and Darren discuss the Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson deals that finally got done. They also talk about the blurry Travis Hamonic situation, who's stood out good and bad for the Canucks in training camp/pre-season, as well as who are the best in-house options to replace Hamonic, Motte and Sutter in the opening night lineup.
Former Canucks scout Jonathan Bates (@Batesy523) joins Mike and Darren to discuss the inner workings of the scouting department, his role with Vancouver over a 13 year span, the Jake Virtanen and Olli Juolevi picks, Judd Brackett and much much more!
Mike and Darren are extremely excited to record with the great Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) of ChekTV's Donnie & Dhali! We discuss all things Canucks; Pettersson and Hughes' contract talks, what to expect from the new acquisitions and much more!
Mike and Darren are pleased to be joined by Sean Warren (@seanwarren234), founder of Area51 Sports Network. Sean shares his thoughts on the Canucks off-season, including the Pettersson and Hughes contract negotiations, the Oliver Ekman-Larsson/Connor Garland trade and more. Sean also provides his predictions for Podkolzin's rookie season and where the Canucks will finish in the standings!
Mike and Darren - once again - discuss the Pettersson and Hughes contracts, as well as critique the new Jason Dickinson contract. They answer fan questions, some Canucks related and some personal including point projections for the Canucks new players. They finish off with a quick prediction of where this team will finish in the standings, and I think most of you will be surprised with their answers! Also, a bit of foreshadowing for a big guest we have coming up in the next month!
Darren and Mike discuss the flurry of off-season moves the Canucks have made, including their thoughts on all the free agent signings, buyouts and trades. Also, should you be concerned with the Pettersson and Hughes negotiations? And is there actually reason for some optimism for the upcoming season?
Mike and Darren discuss and dissect the Canucks blockbuster deal with Arizona, the effect on the salary cap now and going forward, as well as the other off-season moves made thus far and some options going forward as Free Agency approaches.
Mike and Darren extensively go over their Seattle Kraken expansion draft - team by team - while staying under the salary cap, and hitting all the minimum position requirements and other expansion rules.
Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks underwhelming unveiling of their new Abbotsford farm team's name and jersey, as well as the upcoming Expansion Draft Protection List and reports, rumours and speculation surrounding the Canucks off-season.
In this episode, Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks hiring of the Sedin twins and their roles, the Sam Reinhart debate, then shifting gears away from hockey, they discuss nightmare tenants, awful roommates, and a couple hilarious stories from their past. All we can say is oversized Pituitary Glands and Junction 12.....
Mike and Darren discuss today's Canucks news of re-signing and bringing in some new coaches, the upcoming Pettersson and Hughes contracts, the Stecher vs Myers debate and just how far away the team is from competing with the elite franchises in the league!
Mike and Darren discuss the Podkolzin signing and what our expectations are for him, the NHL Draft Lottery where the Canucks will remain at 9th overall, the Seth Jones rumours and speculation as well as the questionable Mark Sheiffele hit in the Canadiens-Jets series.
Mike and Darren provide and discuss their end of season player grades for the whole Canucks roster.
Mike and Darren discuss the dysfunctional state of the Canucks franchise, Benning reportedly returning, the Sedins rumour, Green's reported new contract as well as takeaways from the players' interviews today.
Mike makes a major statement against the Sedins that Darren disagrees with vehemently, and the first major disagreement between the two occurs.
Lastly, a shoutout to a pupil, and special friend.
In this episode, Mike and Darren are extremely excited to interview Pat Byrne, the former sleep doctor/analyst/consultant of the Vancouver Canucks. We get insight into what exactly he provided for the team, what it was like working for the organization and much much more!
Pat currently runs Byrne Fatigue Consulting and works with athletes all over the world and in the major North American sports. You can find out more about the business at
www.byrne-co.com and find his amazing book, Inconvenient Sleep; Why Teams Win And Lose at all major book stores both in paper and online.
Mike and Darren touch on the Jake Virtanen sexual assault allegations, the Canucks 6 game losing skid, the highly anticipated debuts of Kole Lind and Jack Rathbone and the mysterious Elias Pettersson injury. Also, they talk about their thoughts on the Tom Wilson saga and where the league got it wrong, as well as introducing a very special guest that will appear on a special episode next week!
Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks disappointing 4 game series vs the Ottawa Senators, then ask the question; who will be a legit contender first? The Canucks or the Senators? Then they touch on Vancouver's game vs Toronto tonight and the excitement surrounding Kole Lind's NHL debut.
In this episode, Mike and Darren follow up with Uncle Laleet about the #FireBenning banner that was flying around the city yesterday and the resounding success of the campaign and all the money it raised - directly or indirectly - for Canucks related charities as well as the hype and media attention it has received, including the backlash that has resulted in unintentional marketing of the event/fundraiser.
Then, Mike and Darren discuss the Canucks two big wins over the Leafs, the upcoming 4-game set with the Senators, and are playoffs a realistic possibility?
On this special episode of Canucks Mafia, Mike and Darren are joined by Canucks Twitter legend Uncle Laleet. Uncle and the gang discuss #BannerGate; Uncle's fundraiser to get a banner to fly over Vancouver to promote firing Canucks GM, Jim Benning. Also, they go over the management and ownership issues the team faces, as well as thoughts on the current Covid situation. Lastly, Uncle answers some questions from members of Canucks Twitter.
Mike and Darren analyze the Canucks trade deadline moves and discuss some of the other meaningful deals around the league. Also, further analysis and discussion about the Canucks Covid-19 situation and what the rest of the season will look like given the condensed schedule and Covid crisis.
Mike (@MikeK_mode) and Darren(@dp85soon) discuss the Tanner Pearson contract, the Canucks continued Covid-19 crisis, how the NHL's Covid protocols failed the Canucks and what the future of this season may look like for a team dealing with a Covid outbreak.
This episode brought to you by Darren's Dad's Bartending School: Why pour 12 drinks when you can just pour one using the same amount of booze?!
Mike (@MikeK_mode) and Darren (@dp85soon) discuss the ramifications of the Canucks Covid-19 issues, Demko's new contract and what it, along with Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes' upcoming deals will mean towards the team's already present salary cap woes. The importance of re-signing Ian Clark, more on the trade deadline and a funny story about meeting Darren's dad!
Thanks to @Jyrki21 for the awesome artwork!
Mike Kermode (@MikeK_mode) and Darren Prasad (@dp85soon) discuss the changes to SportsNet650's radio programming and staff, the Tim Peel/NHL reffing controversy, another waiver claim from the Leafs in Travis Boyd, where the Canucks stand after 2 losses to the Jets, a special shoutout to @Jyrki21 for the amazing artwork and more!
Canucks Mafia Episode One - Mike Kermode (@MikeK_mode) and Darren Prasad (@dp85soon) break down the latest Canucks news including the Jimmy Vesey waiver claim, Tanner Pearson injury, the team's winning streak and much more!