MEDIA DAY: Déjà vu all over again

April 7th, 2025

For the second year in a row, the Rain City Bitch Pigeons and the Laval Nomads will battle for a Stanley Cup under the bright lights this week, but first they had to survive one of fantasy hockey’s most grueling contests – Media Day.

News conferences are nothing new for elite athletes, but there is nothing quite like the Stanley Cup Finals Media Day and its relentless non-stop questions.

Here are some of the best quotes that we heard…

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QUESTION FOR RAIN CITY FORWARD CONNOR MCDAVID:

The Rain City Bitch Pigeons are the biggest dynasty in AFHL History. Your team won the franchise’s first Stanley Cup in 2019 and then back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2023 and 2024, crushing AFHL fans’ hopes across the country. You guys are now looking to become the first team to ever three-peat this week. How are the players on your team dealing with all the haters?

CONNOR MCDAVID:

“We’re embracing the villain role with full awareness and conviction. We know we will not have an easy matchup against Laval, but we have the belief that we are still the best team in this league given our Stanley Cup track record and diverse talent on the roster. That being said, haters are just noise. Doesn’t bother us one bit.”

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QUESTION FOR LAVAL FORWARD DYLAN LARKIN:

What is the difference between this Finals appearance and last year’s Finals appearance?

DYLAN LARKIN:

“It’s not as overwhelming as it was the first year. I think we know what we are coming into this time and it feels good to be because. But, this means nothing if we don’t win it and that’s the mentality I have this year.”

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QUESTION FOR RAIN CITY FORWARD MITCH MARNER:

You’re one of the veterans on this team. You’ve been a part of all three of Rain City’s Stanley Cup victories. How does it feel to be look up to on this squad?

MITCH MARNER:

“Yeah, it’s nice. The younger guys, and even the guys who have not won it yet, they are always asking me questions and I’m always giving them honest answers and I hope that helps them because that feeling of having this opportunity is something we all want to have at least once… if not more.”

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QUESTION FOR LAVAL DEFENSEMAN QUINN HUGHES:

What is the current hunger level for this squad to win? Several core players have been with this team for many years. Is there a pretty strong desire to finish what they have started?

QUINN HUGHES:

 “I’m not so sure they are here to finish what they started as much as it’s just they want to win. These guys really want to win, man. Everybody in this organization wants to win. Coach Alex Chau stated he wants to win badly and you’ve seen the moves that he has made the last several months and he added top-end players and key pieces throughout the time we’ve been here. These guys will do anything it takes.”

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QUESTION FOR RAIN CITY DEFENSEMAN ADAM LARSSON:

What is the strategy for dealing with Laval’s forecheck?

ADAM LARSSON:

“We know it is going to be a physical series. The Nomads come hard and they finish their checks and we’re aware of that. It’s going to be about having good first touches, getting to the puck first, and making good reads. There won’t be a single play we can rely on every time either, we’re going to have to move our feet and make reads and be smart with where we go on the first touch. They’ve always been a great forecheck team and we learned last year and got better and better dealing with it as the series went on.”

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QUESTION FOR LAVAL COACH ALEX CHAU:

What do you think about the possibility of the next word engraved on the Stanley Cup being Laval?

“It’s a lifetime achievement. You can ask anyone here, what are your dreams if you can have anything you want and winning the Stanley Cup is one of the answers. It’s what I’ve been working on for a very long time.”

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QUESTION FOR RAIN CITY COACH JASON HENLEY:

What is your mentality going into your fourth Stanley Cup Finals?

JASON HENLEY:

“Laser focus. My mindset is all about execution in the Stanley Cup Finals. I’m not thinking about the crowd, the cameras, or the moment. I’m thinking about the first play, the first read, the first hit. Every detail matters. Making sure my guys are prepared — mentally, physically, emotionally — so when we step onto that ice, there’s no hesitation. Just trust in the preparation, trust in the team, and belief that we’re going to win. Period.”

Countdown to the 2025 AFHL Trade Deadline:

February 23rd, 2025

Today is the day that separates the boys from the men in the Amazing Fantasy Hockey League.  TheAFHL.com and TSN will be informing us on all of the rumors and speculation as well as providing breaking news and analysis of the deals as they happen. We will hear lots from Pierre LeBrun, Barry Melrose, Scott Burnside and Scott McKenzie who is at TSN’s studios for Tradecentre.

So, feel free to stay on the page and refresh for updates, which begin below:

10:00 am  Bob McKenzie: Happy Trade Deadline Day!! Buckle up everybody!

10:01 am  Pierre LeBrun: WOO!!! TRADE DEADLINE 2025 LETS GOOOOO!!!!!

10:03 am  Barry Melrose: I just watched Pierre Lebrun drink three large Dunkin ice coffees in the last two hours. He’s pretty fired up right now.

10:04 am  Pierre LeBrun: YES I AM!!!! LET’S ROCK AND ROLL!!!!

10:29 am  Bob McKenzie: I’m hearing most GMs are just starting to wake up and drink their morning coffees but there are already many deals currently in the works.

10:31 am  Barry Melrose: Hey, did anybody watch Rain City pregame last night? They finally had their banner raising ceremony. Normally, the banner raising ceremony takes place at the beginning of the season but the team had to do some minor renovations of their arena to make room for the third banner.

10:35 am  Bob McKenzie: Yeah that was fun to watch. Rain City GM Jason Henley brought his wife and kids with him onto the ice and wore a new shirt with the number 3 on it, one for each Stanley Cup title. Crowd was chanting “We want four!” as yellow, green and black confetti flew through the air.

10:49 am  Pierre LeBrun: I just mentioned this on ESPN – Sounds like the Boston Giants have been searching for a veteran forward to add to their roster for a Cup run this year. We’ll see if they can pull it off over the next 7 hours, but they’re looking.

11:07 am  Barry Melrose: The big fish today has got to be Antigonish forward Mikko Rantanen. Several teams have been making a strong push. GM Pat McKenna looking to fetch bluechip prospects and 1st round picks in return for the superstar forward.

11:15 am  Bob McKenzie: Keep an eye on Fort Drum today. GM Stryska promised his fan base he will be more active today than in previous years.

11:17 am  Barry Melrose: He better be active. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010. That was 15 years ago!! I feel so bad for Killers fans.

11:20 am  Pierre LeBrun: Manhattan Supermen are expected to call up Collin Graf. His name continues to swirl around the trade winds, but for now he’s been told he’s going to be called up.

11:25 am  Bob McKenzie: Tage Thompson meeting the Laval media via zoom today at 1pm. He was acquired in a blockbuster from Washington a few days ago.

11:30 am  Pierre LeBrun: Yeah, that was a great haul for Wolfpack GM Jared Sexton. The full trade was Thompson, Georgiev, Sanderson, and Cuylle to Laval for Leo Carlsson, Sam Rinzel, Jiri Kulich, Dylan Garland, 2025 1st, 2026 1st, 2027 2nd. Wolfpack are now loaded with young, elite talent. Sexton is setting up that team to dominate for many, many years.

11:51 am  Barry Melrose: Vikings GM Phil Svoboda looking to make some moves today. He announced Steven  Stamkos is on the block. The veteran superstar forward has a number of clubs circling. Manhattan, Boston, Laval to name a few. As of this morning, it seems the Supermen have the inside track with Liam Greentree as a centerpiece in a deal. We will see how the day unfolds.

12:10 pm  Bob McKenzie: Just received this text from the reigning champ: “I told every player on my roster to cancel the hotel rooms and buy houses in Rainbow City or wherever we play out of. That said, I get off on lying to my players so who knows what will come to pass.”

12:12 pm  Pierre LeBrun: LOL. Jason Henley always makes me chuckle.

12:15 pm  Barry Melrose: Source telling me Barrie and Long Beach are nearing a deal.

12:17 pm  Barry Melrose: Trade call underway. Long Beach Ice Dogs have acquired Owen Tippett from the Barrie Brigade in exchange for a 2026 1st Round Pick.

12:18 pm  Bob McKenzie: First trade of the day! I had a feeling Tippett was being dealt when I read he left practice early today.

12:43 pm  Barry Melrose: London forward Casey Mittelstadt sitting out tonight. Asset management ahead of the deadline.

1:16 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Hearing that the Sharks and Supermen are very close to a Panarin trade. They are working through the details. Liam Greentree is part of the package. Multiple players are playing tonight which also may complicate timing to some degree. But all signs point to Panarin going to Manhattan.

1:21 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Again, just to be clear, the Panarin trade is not quite done yet. Some final details to be ironed out, but all signs pointing to Panarin heading to Manhattan.

1:25 pm  Bob McKenzie: Yes, talks between Atlantic City and Manhattan are intensifying. I’m being told “it’s getting close”.

1:29 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Trade call just ended. Artemi Panarin is a Manhattan Superman.

1:33 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Full trade: Atlantic City trades Artemi Panarin and Brandon Montour to Manhattan in exchange for Charlie McAvoy and Liam Greentree.

2:05 pm  Barry Melrose: Alex Ovechkin controls his fate in Antigonish with a full NMC. It sounds like a couple of contenders are interested in adding him as a rental considering his age.

2:12 pm Bob McKenzie: Phantoms forward Sidney Crosby might be sitting out this afternoon’s game. Not sure if trade related or injury related.

2:29 pm Pierre LeBrun: Killers GM Steven Stryska has announced he is listening to offers for Mark Scheifele. Some around the situation have believed there’s a chance he can be moved by the deadline as he will be turning 32 next month and Fort Drum is missing the playoffs this year. We’ll see, but talks are happening.

3:45 pm  Barry Melrose: As I mentioned on ESPN Sportscenter, Manhattan has been making traction on another big move for a player on defense. Source telling me the team they are working with is Washington.

4:07 pm Bob McKenzie: Antigonish GM Pat McKenna continues to weigh trade options for Alex Ovechkin, with multiple teams in play. Ovechkin has been told he will be moved by the 7pm ET deadline. #waitinggame

4:11 pm Pierre LeBrun: Jackson Lacombe is believed to be the player Manhattan is close to acquiring from Washington.

4:13 pm Pierre LeBrun: Tommy Novak and Gustav Nyquist have just been scratched from Manhattan’s lineup tonight. Trade is probably happening.

4:21 pm  Barry Melrose: Flower City GM Derek Jedamski has been working the phones all day. Looking to add production on the pro roster. Most conversations revolving around Jackson Blake, Erik Portillo, and Alieksei Protas.

4:22 pm  Barry Melrose: Jackson Lacombe no longer appears to be on Washington’s roster per WashingtonWolfpack.com

4:35 pm Pierre LeBrun: My understanding: Manhattan and Washington have agreed to the basic framework of a deal that will send Jackson Lacombe to Manhattan and Nyquist/Novak to Washington. Work to do, but well down the track.

4:43 pm  Barry Melrose: Correction – Flower City is taking calls on Ilya Protas (not Alieksei Protas).

5:01 pm Bob McKenzie: Chatter is really starting to pick up with only two more hours until the Trade Deadline.

5:10 pm Pierre LeBrun: Manhattan and Washington finalized the trade. Lacombe and Gulyayev to Manhattan. 2027 1st, Novak, and Nyquist to Washington.

5:23 pm  Barry Melrose: Here’s Pierre McGuire with a whammy: pending trade call, Flower City acquiring Ivan Barbashev and Blake Coleman.

5:24 pm  Barry Melrose: Full trade: Barbashev, Coleman, 3rd round pick to Flower City. Jackson Blake and Damian Clara to Atlantic City.

5:27 pm Bob McKenzie: Ivan Barbashev in the Sharks dressing room right now finding out about the news he’s off to Flower City.

5:48 pm Pierre LeBrun: Antigonish GM Pat McKenna is getting settled in. Makes two trades simultaneously – Tye Kartye to London for a 2025 3rd Round Pick and Ryan Hartman to Barrie for a 2025 3rd Round Pick.

5:59 pm  Barry Melrose: McKenna strikes again. Jame Benn is off to Laval in exchange for Victor Mancini and Luke Evangelista.

6:11 pm Bob McKenzie: This is turning into the Pat McKenna Show. X-Men trade Rasmussen and Luchanko to London for Cormier and a 2025 1st Round Pick.

6:20 pm Pierre LeBrun: London has traded Kaapo Kakko to the Boston Giants in exchange for Morgan Frost and a 2025 2nd Round Pick.

6:27 pm  Barry Melrose: Take Vincent Trocheck off the market. X-Men have traded Trocheck to Laval for Anthony Cirelli and Drew Helleson.

6:32 pm Bob McKenzie: Shawinigan has won the Ovechkin Sweepstakes. X-Men trade Ovechkin to Vikings for 2027 1st, 2027 2nd, and three 3rd round picks.

6:50 pm  Barry Melrose: Call underway. Quebec trades Filip Gustavsson and a 3rd Round Pick to Antigonish for John Beecher and Easton Cowan.

6:51 pm Bob McKenzie: Lethbridge trades Gallagher to Sarnia for a 2026 3rd.

6:55 pm Bob McKenzie: Killers fans are burning their jerseys tonight for another quiet deadline.

6:56 pm  Barry Melrose: FIVE MINUTES LEFT!!! WHAT A RUSH!!!

7:00 pm Pierre LeBrun: A flurry of activity at the buzzer including a Rantanen blockbuster!

7:05 pm Bob McKenzie: X-Men trade Rantanen to Rain City for Meier, Othmann, and Kerins.

7:25 pm Bob McKenzie: Waiting a few more minutes to see if any other deals trickle in…

7:30 pm  Barry Melrose: And that’s all folks. We saw a grand total of 20 trades today! Our apologies to those who made trades that did not get posted here as we are dead tired from a long day  and that flurry of activity at the buzzer would have taken a while to post up.

7:35 pm Bob McKenzie: Another amazing and fun AFHL Trade Deadline! Goodnight all!

 

No more Mr. Nice Guy, as Derek Jedamski takes over Royals

Team name changes to Flower City Fury

October 1^st, 2024

Exit the nice guy and enter Derek Jedamski, who was recently described by someone as a John Tortorella type head coach/GM.

Jedamski has everything that the previous coach/GM didn’t. He is a former hockey player, he has experience coaching younger players. He also doesn’t seem to have any issue working with players that are considered to be stars in the league.

If one comment stood out from his the many he’s made over the past week, it’s that he doesn’t feel he needs to micromanage guys like Hughes and Kaprizov.

“I’ve always been a believer that you have to allow your top players the latitude to make plays and act on their instincts,” Jedamski said. “It’s fine line between making sure that you stay out of the way in certain circumstances, but you provide the necessary structure so that you don’t become a high-risk team.”

He also sounds like a guy who has been there, done that and has learned a lot about what it takes to be successful in fantasy hockey.

Jedamski also seems ready to focus on something that was absent under the previous coach – helping the team figure out what they want to be. Or in simpler terms, establishing an identity.

“What are our strengths as a group and how do we play to those strengths to have a competitive advantage?” Jedamski said. “I don’t think it’s any secret that the Westbury Royals are built around speed and skill. That has to be part of our identity on how we’re going to play.”

That again speaks to letting those top players go out and do what they do. Guys like Hughes, Kaprizov, Dobson, and Konecny need to have a longer leash to create offense. They can’t abandon their defensive responsibility, but there should be times during the course of a game where they can focus on putting pucks in the net instead of keeping them out.

Jedamski sounds like he wants to be more of a director. He wants to be the guy to explain processes, correct them when they go awry, but he’s going to put the onus on the players to create the atmosphere of success.

“I challenged them to embrace the process,” Jedamski said. “I told them hockey is a hard game. It’s a hard sport. It’s hard to win. We have to embrace the struggle here. We have to embrace the process. I think if we do that we have the best chance moving forward.”

He’ll get his first chance to do that this weekend when the Royals take the ice against the Long Beach Ice Dogs in their season opener. Some things might look familiar, such as lines during the early going, while others will be completely different.

“Everything’s on the table. I spoke with the coaching staff this morning about that and got their input and the line combinations the defense pairs as they have been through these preseason games. I’m coming in a little late here and trying to get an assessment of what the line combinations have looked like and what kind of chemistry is there and if there is a need to try to tweak things. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to start playing regular season games so I can see for myself and get a first-hand view of how this team can really play.”

AFHL Stanley Cup Media Day

Emotions, experience, legacies, and more

April 8^th, 2024

The big day is here.

In less than 12 hours, the Rain City Bitch Pigeons and Laval Nomads will kick off the Stanley Cup Finals with Game 1 in Laval.

This year’s Finals will make history regardless of the outcome. The Rain City Bitch Pigeons could become the first team in the AFHL’s 14 year existence to win three Stanley Cups. The Laval Nomads , meanwhile, are looking to hoist the first Cup in their franchise history.

As per tradition, players, coaches, and GMs from both teams spoke to the media the day before Game 1. Storylines from the previous rounds came up, as did rivalries between players and comparisons between stars.

Here’s a roundup of the best quotes from media day.

Connor McDavid, F, Rain City:

On comparisons being made between him and team Owner/GM Jason Henley…

“We’ve won two Cups together but he [Henley] has obviously done so much for this league and the city and he has had such an impact. I just have to focus on playing hockey. I’m one guy. I just have to worry about myself. But he has to worry about 50 players. I mean every year he has to choose 50 players for this organization and he has to monitor them on a daily basis and make so many decisions on the fly. Add, subtract, promote, demote, trade, drop, start, don’t start. It’s very different and challenging.I’ll take the greatness comparison as a compliment. But at the end of the day, I just look at this as a fantastic opportunity to make history and it’s not easy to get here so I think of it more that way than trying to compare us.”

Quinn Hughes, D, Laval

On the Nomads lack of experience in the Stanley Cup Final…

“It’s been a great journey. First in the Shawinigan series, we came in as a big underdog and we all know what we did in that round and since then we’ve just been building and building and we’re not done.”

Mitch Marner, F, Rain City

On how fast time has gone since last year’s final…

“It’s been quiet the roller coaster. I haven’t really had much time to sit down and reflect. Basically the past year and a half has been kind of a blur. But honestly I’m just so fortunate to be back with this team and back in the finals again and I’m looking forward to it.”

Victor Hedman, D, Laval

On playing against Rain City’s physical forecheck…

“It’s going to be a physical series. They come fast and hard and they finish their checks so we’re aware of that. It’s going to be about having good first touches, getting to the puck first, and making good reads. There won’t be a single play we can rely on every time either, we’re going to have to move our feet and make reads and be smart with where we go on the first touch.”

Sean Monahan, F, Rain City

On his name possibly being engraved on the Stanley Cup for the first time…

“It’s a lifetime achievement. You can ask anyone here, what’s your dream if you can have anything you want and winning the Stanley Cup is the answer. It’s what I’ve been working on my entire life.”

Alex Chau, GM, Laval

On how much better of a GM he feels today…

“Yeah for sure, I think experience is really important. I felt ready for this opportunity in October based on my preparation through the many years in this league. I felt ready heading into the playoffs because I’ve competed in the playoffs before. This isn’t my first time in this league getting ready for a playoff series. I think when you work your way through, you learn different lessons along the way. That first series against the Vikings, it’s not like it all went smooth and was smooth sailing. There were adverse times. We learned a lot about each other in that series. I thought our habits held up under pressure. So I’m really proud of these guys and I’m super happy and excited to be here.”

Jason Henley, GM, Rain City

On what motivates him to keep winning and his key to success…

“I think it’s a real love for what I’m doing. This isn’t a job. It’s really a true love and I fell in love with it a long time ago. It’s fun and I find it enjoyable. Key to success? There’s so many. I’d say an important one is probably reminding my guys about how things are not always going to go your way, so you have to decide how you’re going to react. There are a lot of things in this game that you can’t control. So it’s more important that you identify those things that will give you your best chance to win and focus on what you want. And right now, we’re focused on making history.”

AFHL Trade Deadline

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Steven Stamkos, Matt Duchene, Sean Monahan — there are some big names in play this year, which should make for a very interesting deadline day. TheAFHL.com and TSN will be following all of the trades today and providing some analysis of the deals as they happen. And we’ll hear lots from Pierre LeBrun, Barry Melrose, Scott Burnside and Scott McKenzie who is at TSN’s studios for Tradecentre.

So, feel free to stay on the page and refresh for updates, which begin below:

8:45 am  Bob McKenzie: Hey everybody! Happy Trade Deadline Day!!

8:51 am  Barry Melrose: I’m predicting 25 to 30 trades today. Hearing lots of GMs are talking to Deer Park about a fire sale that should happen there. Not sure if GM Nellany will actually do that though.

9:01 am  Pierre LeBrun: Keep an eye on the Boston Giants today. They are hungry to make a deal.

9:02 am  Scott Burnside: First trade of the day happened around 8 am this morning between Toronto and Westbury. Toronto got Mikahil Sergachev. Westbury got Casey Mittelstadt.

9:59 am  Barry Melrose: Told Antigonish and Westbury are completing a trade, one is close/near done.

10:01 am  Barry Melrose: Westbury acquires Kaapo Kahkonen, James Van Riemsdyk, and Evgeni Malkin. Antigonish acquires Philip Grubauer, a 2025 1st Round Pick, and a 2024 2nd Round Pick.

10:51 am  Scott Burnside: Just got off the phone with Pierre McGuire who has been reaching out to all of the GMs. Said some guys are still sleeping lol

10:56 am  Pierre LeBrun: Yeah, I’d imagine most guys are up late on a Saturday and like to sleep in on Sundays.

11:00 am  Barry Melrose: Spoke to Antigonish GM McKenna about his big trade for Grubauer this morning. He needed to make some roster space to permanently bring up Pospisil who has been “so legit” and he thought his roster was starting to look like Rick Charron built it with so many aging players so he really wanted to offload some older players. He also wanted to handcuff the Seattle goaltenders. Very happy with the deal.

11:15 am  Scott Burnside: Multiple GMs considering “blowing it up” today. I would say to those who are on the fence, you might want to take a good, long look at your competition. Look at a roster like the Shawinigan Vikings and really ask yourself: Can you defeat that team in the playoffs?

11:41 am  Bob McKenzie: Speaking of the Vikings, they have a lot of irons in the fire right now. I’m expecting GM Svoboda to make a number of trades today.

12:05 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Manhattan GM Tony Furino just announced he is now taking calls on Nikolaj Ehlers. Says his team “needs a shake-up” and wouldn’t mind a simple one-for-one trade if it makes sense.

12:21 pm  Barry Melrose: Chatter is starting to pick up. I’m guessing a lot of the guys are awake now and getting dialed in.

12:30 pm  Scott Burnside: The defending champs, Rain City Bitch Pigeons, may need to get a little creative today. Henley doesn’t have much in the form of picks or prospects so he might have to do something like Draisaitl for a package of two star players and picks or prospects.

12:36 pm  Bob McKenzie: Toronto GM Jordan Carbone: “We are excited to add a 25yr-old left-shot D who handles the puck well & possesses a dynamic offensive game. He has steadily progressed throughout his time in Westbury to show he is a top pairing D. We are happy to continue to add younger pieces to build (our) core.”

12:40 pm  Pierre LeBrun: The Quebec Voyageurs have received a lot of interest in Charlie McAvoy today and have been weighing their options but GM Lucas Persell says the asking price for McAvoy is high. 7 hours to go til the deadline.

12:50 pm  Barry Melrose: Big trade is brewing between Moncton and Quebec…

1:01 pm  Barry Melrose: The Voyageurs have traded Alex Lafreniere to the Moncton Black Bears in exchange for Alexander Holtz, Mattias Ekholm, Rickard Rakell, and a 2024 2nd Round Draft Pick.

1:08 pm  Scott Burnside: Hearing it’s very busy right now. Lots of balls are in the air.

1:59 pm  Pierre LeBrun: News coming from trusted source in Buffalo – GM Daryn Beckman is now fielding offers for Sidney Crosby. Says he doesn’t want to trade him but if the offer is good then he might have to pull the trigger.

2:49 pm  Barry Melrose: Quebec GM Lucas Persell: “On behalf of the entire organization, I would like to thank Alex Lafreniere for everything he did for the Voyageurs on and off the ice during his time here. Alex is a tremendous person, a true pro, and a class act, and we wish him all the best in the future.”

3:45 pm  Scott Burnside: Aside from the Grubauer trade, the goalie trade market has been quiet so far. I wonder if Long Beach GM Lucas Main will look to move the aging John Gibson today.

3:56 pm  Bob McKenzie: Source telling me London and Laval were close to pulling off a trade involving Sebastian Aho but trade fell through due to London having cold feet. Laval now looking elsewhere.

4:08 pm  Pierre LeBrun: I need a drink.

4:19 pm  Barry Melrose: Sidney Crosby did not participate in Phantoms practice today. No injury to report. GM Beckman might finally be looking to trade him…

4:45 pm  Barry Melrose: Source in Buffalo telling me Crosby sat down with GM Daryn Beckman today to “discuss his future” in Buffalo. I’d imagine a big part of that conversation is about how he wants to win an AFHL Stanley Cup before he retires.

5:08 pm  Pierre LeBrun: A lot of smoke surrounding Manhattan and Quebec right now. Source telling me they are cooking up a blockbuster.

5:20 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Done deal with Manhattan and Quebec. It’s a big one.

5:24 pm  Pierre LeBrun: They broke it up into two parts. The first part is Barkov and McAvoy going to Manhattan in exchange for top prospects Chaz Lucius, Isak Rosen, Oskar Olausson, Emil Heineman, three 2024 Second Round Picks, and one 2024 Third Round pick. The second part sees Marchand to Manhattan in exchange for Matvei Petrov, Marcus Johansson, Evgeni Dadonov, and another 2024 Second Round Pick.

5:31 pm  Bob McKenzie: Wow. That’s a blockbuster for sure. Looks like Manhattan is now all in on a Cup run and Quebec is now all in on a high draft pick.

5:49 pm  Barry Melrose: Quebec is stealing the show.

5:58 pm  Bob McKenzie: Antigonish gets in on the fun. GM McKenna has just acquired Boeser and Trocheck. Waiting to hear what the return was…

6:00 pm  Bob McKenzie: Boeser and Trocheck to Antigonish. McGroarty, Silovs, Stromgren, Grans, and a 2025 Second Round Pick to Quebec.

6:02 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Hearing Rain City GM Jason Henley just made his first trade of the day.

6:03 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Chris Driedger to Rain City for a 2024 Third Round Pick and a 2026 Third Round Pick.

6:11 pm  Barry Melrose: Washington has just traded Marc-Andre Fleury to Sarnia for a pair of Third Round Picks.

6:22 pm  Bob McKenzie: Buffalo and Manhattan are finalizing a deal.

6:24 pm  Bob McKenzie: Scott Wedgewood to Buffalo for Cole Guttman and a Third Round Pick.

6:42 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Kaapo Kakko is heading to London for a 1st and 2nd Round Pick.

6:54 pm  Bob McKenzie: It’s pandemonium right now! Phones are ringing off the hook!

7:01 pm  Barry Melrose: Vikings GM Phil Svoboda is on the board. Svoboda has acquired Tyler Seguin and Jacob Trouba from Quebec for Ryan Francis, Cole Schwindt, Hugo Alnefelt, Graeme Clarke, and two Third Round Draft Picks.

7:07 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Debrusk to Washington for a 2025 Second Round Pick.

7:11 pm  Barry Melrose: Lethbridge trades Kunin to Laval for a 2026 Third Round Pick.

7:13 pm  Bob McKenzie: Crosby is taking warm-up in Buffalo.

7:15 pm  Barry Melrose: Washington acquires Jeannot from Antigonish for a Third Round Pick. London acquires Bjorkstrand from Toronto for a 2024 First Round Pick. Westbury acquires Brossoit from Lehtbridge for a Third Round Pick.

7:29 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Boston trades Perfetti, Girard, Pekcarcik, and Korpisalo to Atlantic City for Hronek and Kyrou.

7:38 pm  Bob McKenzie: There’s about 500 Killers fans on the internet currently trying to organize a riot on the website Reddit if Fort Drum doesn’t make a move today.

7:51 pm  Barry Melrose: Oliver Ekman Larsson to Atlantic City for a 2nd and 3rd.

8:00 pm  Bob McKenzie: Ron Burgundy just announced the trade deadline has been extended by one more hour!!! Deadline is at 9pm EST!!!

8:15 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Moncton trades Lafreniere, Snuggerud, Sanderson, Nikishin, and a 2025 1st to Washington for Jeremy Swayman, Owen Tippett, and a 2025 2nd.

8:18 pm  Barry Melrose: Drouin to Laval for Romanov and a 2025 Third Round Pick. Fowler to London for a 2025 Second Round Pick.

8:55 pm  Bob McKenzie: Freddie Andersen to Manhattan for a 2nd and 3rd.

9:00 pm  Pierre LeBrun: Pencils down!!! The 2024 AFHL Trade Deadline has arrived. Let’s see if any last minute deals trickle in…

9:01 pm  Barry Melrose: Antigonish and London with the last minute deal – X-Men acquire Linus Karlsson and London acquires Killorn.

9:05 pm  Bob McKenzie: And that’s all she wrote, folks. 23 total trades today! Another epic deadline! Goodnight all!!

 

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