NO NONSENSE.JUST HOCKEY.
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When a team shows an unexpected push that not only gains a playoff berth, but actually wins a round, there is an expectation for the trajectory to continue the next season. In Philadelphia, it's been the opposite with the Flyers off to a start of historically bad proportions which has them in danger of becoming an afterthought early in the 2026-27 season. Beat writer Jackie Spiegel from the Philadelphia Inquirer joins Vic to share how things have gone south so quickly...and what has to happen to reverse fortune before the season is lost. We'll also wrap up the Frozen Frenzy with special focus on a few games played not only Tuesday but Wednesday as well. There's the usual injury update and TheLineup Stat of the Week Featuring the surprining start by the New York Rangers. IN THIS EPISODE: [01:08] - Jackie Spiegel from the Philadelphia Inquirer is welcomed to the show and speaks to her experience as a beat writer compared to being in television prior. [02:43] - Coming off a playoff appearance and a series win last spring, the upward trajectory was expected to continue. What's gone so wrong early in 2026-27? [06:03] - More specific to the alarm bells, is the lack of connection and rudimentary hockey. [10:24] - So atypical to the history of the Flyers, addressing how easy it has been for the opposition to play against them in the early going. [13:57] - Continuing on the theme of the characteristics of the Flyers and the management role in the team not living up to its identity. [18:30] - Opportunities for younger players having to step into leaderships and simply haven't...at least not yet this season. [22:09] - The potential fallout of the Leo Carlsson offer sheet being matched by Anaheim and the residual effect. Neil speaks from experience three decades ago. [27:56] - Wrapping up the discussion with Jackie Spiegel and the reality of the math if Flyer fortunes don't improve quickly. [30:32] - Recapping the Frozen Frenzy experience and other notable events from the past two nights. [40:22] - Injury and other personnel news. [45:31] - TheLineup.pro stat of the week. X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/ NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/ #NHLWraparound #NHLWraparound.com #ShortShifts #NYCentric #CelebritySeries #HallofFameEdition #StanleyCupdate #SummerCoolers #Smith'sPix #NeilSmith #VicMorren #NHL #BZZR #UBS #TheLineup.pro #JackieSpiegel #PhiladelphiaInquirer #KeithJones #DannyBriere #RickTocchet #RodrigoAbols #DenverBarkey #GarnetHathaway #NickDelauriers #BrandonPrust #BrianBoyle #MaratKhusnutdinov #ScottLaughton #NickSeeler #MichaelBunting #SimonBenoit #MartyBeniers #PhilippGrubauer #PorterMartone #JohnTortorella #ChrisTherrien #DavidCarle #DylanLarkin #ColinCampbell #PaulHolmgren #DaveSchultz #BobbyClarke #WayneSimmonds #AdamGraves #TysonFoerster #RasmusRistolainen #OliverBonk #TravisSanheim #BrianLeetch#TrevorZegras #TravisKonecny #CamYork #DanVladar #JosephWoll #NoahCates #MatveiMichkov #LeoCarlsson #JoeSakic #ChrisKreider #JaySnider #EdSnoder #BradyTkachuk #MatthewTkachuk #AnthonyMantha #RickBowness #MathieuOlivier #UvisBalinskis #NathanMacKinnon #RoopeHintz #BrockNelson #CaleMakar #ArttuHyry #ColeHutson #LaneHutson #JakubDobes #JordanStaal #MacklinCelebrini #TaylorHall #RodBrind'Amour #JustinSordif #RyanPoehling #CutterGauthier #MikeMatheson #ChrisTanev #OlliMaatta #BowenByram #MavrikBourque #JustusAnnunen #LukeEvangeslista #RasmusDahlin #GageGoncalves #EmilLilleberg #DominicJames #CharlieMcAvoy #AlexDebrincat #MikeSullivan #GerardGallant #PeterLaviolette #AlexisLafreniere #WillCuylle #NoahLaba #AlbertsSmits #MikaZibanejad #PavelDorofeyev #JTMiller #IgorShesterkin #DylanGarand #AnaheimDucks #BostonBruins #BuffaloSabres #CalgaryFlames #CarolinaHurricanes #ChicagoBlackhawks #ColoradoAvalanche #ColumbusBlueJackets #DallasStars #DetroitRedWings #EdmontonOilers #FloridaPanthers #LosAngelesKings #MinnesotaWild #MontrealCanadiens #NashvillePredators #NewJerseyDevils #NewYorkIslanders #NewYorkRangers #OttawaSenators #PhiladelphiaFlyers #PittsburghPenguins #StLouisBlues #SanJoseSharks #SeattleKraken #TampaBayLightning #TorontoMapleLeafs #UtahMammoth #VancouverCanucks #VegasGoldenKnights #WashingtonCapitals #WinnipegJets
Despite consecutive .500 nights, Neil's straight up record stands at 69-38, good for a .645 winning percentage, twenty points better than his 2025-26 mark which awarded for overtime/shootout losses. Check out his picks on an 11-game Thursday. X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/ NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/ #NHLWraparound #NHLWraparound.com #ShortShifts #NYCentric #CelebritySeries #HallofFameEdition #StanleyCupdate #SummerCoolers #Smith'sPix #NeilSmith #VicMorren #NHL #BZZR #UBS #TheLineup.pro
The full Monte on Tuesday represented the only day until the final day of the regular season with every team in action. Entering the night with a lofty .674 winning percentage, Neil posted a pedestrian 8-8 mark to put his straight up record at 68-37. Time to exhale Wednesday with just a pair of games on the schedule. X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/ NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/ #NHLWraparound #NHLWraparound.com #ShortShifts #NYCentric #CelebritySeries #HallofFameEdition #StanleyCupdate #SummerCoolers #Smith'sPix #NeilSmith #VicMorren #NHL #BZZR #UBS #TheLineup.pro
Usually injury news is a backend item to shows but, with the season-ending injury to Igor Shesterkin plus a number of other high-profile maladies, it's become an alarming early-season trend. With that in mind, does the NHL really need more teams? With it appearing increasingly imminent that Houston or Austin were about to be next to join the league, a group of owners have expressed concerns about both the depth of the talent pool and competitive balance. Thus, expansion is now on hold. And, with all 32 teams in action Tuesday, Neil offers his Pix and dusts Vic off for a one-night cameo. X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/ NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/ #NHLWraparound #NHLWraparound.com #ShortShifts #NYCentric #CelebritySeries #HallofFameEdition #StanleyCupdate #SummerCoolers #Smith'sPix #NeilSmith #VicMorren #NHL #BZZR #UBS #TheLineup.pro #IgorShesterkin #DylanGarand #SpencerMartin #JoonasKopisalo #JonathanQuick #ConnorHellebuyck #ChrisDrury #ElliotteFriedman #RodBrind'Amour #RasmusDahlin #TysonFoerster #NikolasMatinpalo #AnthonyMantha #NicoSturm #JaredSpurgeon #BrockFaber #MiroHeiskanen #FilipGustavsson #CalvinPickard #JesperWallsatedt #MattDuchene #WIlliamEklund #SimonBenoit #MatsZuccarello #AlexanderRomanov #MikkoRantanen #SamuelHonzek #BradMarchand #AleksanderBarkov #ConnorBedard #FrankNazar #BoHorvat #BradyTkachuk #PaulMaurice #NHLGlobalSeries #BillDaly #DarrenDreger #BorjeSalming #IngeHammerstrom #GaryBettman #RogerNeilson #StuartSkinner #MikeBabcock #MacklinCelebrini #DavidPastrnak #LindyRuff #MikeMatheson #JackieSpiegel #PhiladelphiaInquirer #DannyBriere #KeithJones #RickTocchet #TSN #ESPN #FrozenFrenzy #AnaheimDucks #BostonBruins #BuffaloSabres #CalgaryFlames #CarolinaHurricanes #ChicagoBlackhawks #ColoradoAvalanche #ColumbusBlueJackets #DallasStars #DetroitRedWings #EdmontonOilers #FloridaPanthers #LosAngelesKings #MinnesotaWild #MontrealCanadiens #NashvillePredators #NewJerseyDevils #NewYorkIslanders #NewYorkRangers #OttawaSenators #PhiladelphiaFlyers #PittsburghPenguins #StLouisBlues #SanJoseSharks #SeattleKraken #TampaBayLightning #TorontoMapleLeafs #UtahMammoth #VancouverCanucks #VegasGoldenKnights #WashingtonCapitals #WinnipegJets
Another winning night with Neil winning two of three to bounce the straight up record to 58-28, including 23-7 over the past four days. Another short stack Monday with only three games in advance of Tuesday's Frozen Frenzy with all 32 teams in action. Both Neil and Vic will do picks on the show and invite listeners to send your picks to all 16 games to: neil@nhlwraparound.com vic@nhlwraparound.com X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/ NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/ #NHLWraparound #NHLWraparound.com #ShortShifts #NYCentric #CelebritySeries #HallofFameEdition #StanleyCupdate #SummerCoolers #Smith'sPix #NeilSmith #VicMorren #NHL #BZZR #UBS #TheLineup.pro
Another eye-popping performance by Neil in packed 14-game Saturday. 10-4 straight up for a gaudy 56-27 mark. Even games decided after 60 minutes is now over .500 after prevailing on three of four. A quiet three-game schedule on tap for Sunday. X: https://twitter.com/NHLWraparound Neil Smith: https://twitter.com/NYCNeil Vic Morren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vic-morren-7038737/ NHL Wraparound Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nhlwraparound/ #NHLWraparound #NHLWraparound.com #ShortShifts #NYCentric #CelebritySeries #HallofFameEdition #StanleyCupdate #SummerCoolers #Smith'sPix #NeilSmith #VicMorren #NHL #BZZR #UBS #TheLineup.pro