The Hockey News Big Show: What Is The Impact Of Cale Makar Missing Game 1?
The Hockey News Big Show is here to discuss a bunch of big storylines during the NHL playoffs.
Caption: Watch the full episode of the Big Show here
Here's what former NHLer Drew Shore, Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discussed in this episode:
1:05: What is the impact of Cale Makar being ruled out of Game 1?
3:20: How does Makar's absence in Game 1 affect the narrative of Colorado being a big favorite?
4:50: What does Vegas have to do to be competitive in this series?
6:15: Who is the most important player in the Western Conference final?
10:00: Are you buying into the rest-versus-rust theory in the Eastern Conference final?
14:00: Which players are the biggest X-factors in the Eastern Conference final?
18:40: Who will the Vancouver Canucks look to hire after firing Adam Foote, and what's his future in the league look like?
Coach Matchmaking
23:35: Where is the best fit for Craig Berube?
25:20: Best landing spot for Kris Knoblauch
27:20: Will Bruce Cassidy coach for a team next season?
28:20: Will David Carle make the leap to the NHL?
Who Is Better Right Now? Featuring THN's Top 100 Players List
30:30: Lane Hutson (No. 26) or Martin Necas (No. 31)
31:30: Mitch Marner (No. 39) or Sebastian Aho (No. 40)
32:45: Pavel Dorofeyev (No. 91) or Juraj Slafkovsky (No. 94)
Rapid Fire
35:30: Memorial Cup prediction and players to watch?
37:20: Which player in the conference finals has the most pressure on them?
38:25: Yay or nay: Rod Brind'Amour is coaching for his job this series
40:00: Should coaches be allowed to skip media after games?
42:30: Which of the four cities in the conference finals has the best food?
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The Hockey News
This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 12:53 PM.