Prospects and chiclets

September 14, 2023·24 min·2 clips

Stanislav Svazul blew out his ankle playing tennis with his grandfather, derailing his offseason plans.

This episode of Cannon Fodder focuses on the Columbus Blue Jackets' prospects camp and the controversy surrounding new head coach Mike Babcock. Host Mike A. Race is joined by beat writer Brian Hedger, reporting from Traverse City. Hedger details the four-team prospects tournament featuring the Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Dallas Stars, and Detroit Red Wings. He highlights top prospect Adam Fantilli, who stood out at development camp, and defenseman Stanislav Svozil, who is recovering from an offseason ankle injury. Svozil is paired with Corson Ceulemans, while David Jiříček is paired with Denton Mateychuk. The massive Russian forward Dmitri Voronkov also draws attention for his size and skill. The Blue Jackets have historically performed well in this tournament, which begins with a game against the Maple Leafs. The hosts then dissect the story from the "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast, where Paul Bissonnette alleged Babcock demanded to see captain Boone Jenner's personal phone photos. This ignited immediate backlash given Babcock's past controversies, including accusations of bullying from Johan Franzén and the Mitch Marner rookie ranking incident. The Blue Jackets' PR department and players, including Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski, quickly issued statements framing the incident as a mutual effort to build relationships. Hedger notes the NHLPA inquired but was told by players the story was misrepresented. A key insight is the stark contrast between the "Chiclets" portrayal of an intrusive power move and the team's unified description of a voluntary sharing moment. Hedger's attorney brother and HR-professional sister-in-law reacted negatively to a coach asking for family photos, regardless of intent. The hosts speculate the leak itself suggests potential internal dissent toward Babcock's methods. The episode concludes by emphasizing the need for actual hockey to shift focus from this off-ice drama. The tone is conversational and insider-focused, blending on-the-ground reporting with analytical commentary on media narratives. This episode will appeal deeply to Blue Jackets fans and NHL media watchers interested in team dynamics and front-office crises. Listeners seeking only game analysis or those fatigued by coaching controversies might find the second half less engaging.

As heard by us

A useful camp check-in for Blue Jackets followers, with a brief detour into off-ice controversy.

Brian Hedger keeps this Traverse City segment pointed at the Blue Jackets' prospects, with Adam Fantilli and Dmitri Voronkov doing most of the work.

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Why you'd press play

You want the Blue Jackets camp read before the Bissonnette chatter takes over the week.

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