Episode 0099: Torts Is Back, Vegas’ Rough Start, Underrated Players, Oilers Acquire D-Men, Blues/Bruins Talk Schenn, Vasili Podkolzin, Hamilton On Trade Block, Twitter Poll and More!

After missing our first week in almost two years due to technical issues, the Forecheckers are back. We sincerely hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and enjoyed the Winter Classic.

We lead off the show talking about the return of John Tortorella.  No, he hasn’t gone anywhere, but the persona, the passion that he has shown in the past is back.  We all know how much he loves the press, but when he gets grumpy and starts complaining about the lack of effort or that he has too many passengers, that is when his true feelings show.  Those are the times where we can really believe that he feels the team he is coaching can go far in the playoffs.

We talk about the resurgence of the Vegas Golden Knights.  At the beginning of the season they did not look all that good, and there were a multitude of reasons why that would be the case.  One reason not considered by many would be the amount of away games the team had. 22 of the first 37 games were on the road.  With Schmidt returning from suspension and Fleury holding the net, they have gotten back on track offensively and have now seen their free agent signing return from injury.

Chris brings up a couple of underrated (in his opinion) players around the league.  Cam Atkinson and Rasmus Ristolainen have shown their talent level, yet somehow aren’t considered to be at the top of their positions.

Oilers and ‘Hawks make a trade.  Oilers acquire Manning who injured McDavid last season.  Not only do we discuss the deal, but this leads into a deeper conversation regarding who runs the team, who has the power and whether the boss should ask the employee about moves that are made.

Jimmy Murphy has written that the St. Louis Blues are open for business and one particular deal percolating is between the Bruins and Blues for Brayden Schenn.  There was no mention of who the players are that will be involved, but he does mention that the discussions are “deep”.

We take a quick look at Russian draft prospect Vasili Podkolzin.  At RW he would be a target, we believe, for the Bruins, however he will most likely be going well before Boston takes the podium.  One mock draft has him going 4thoverall to…St. Louis!

Dougie Hamilton appears to be on the trade block.  How is it that this talented defenseman can’t seem to stick long term at one organization? We try to figure it out.

All this and the Twitter Poll results from last week, as well as an open in which we talk about the World Juniors.  Let us know what you think and enjoy the show!