New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban recently said he wants to bring a Stanley Cup back to Jersey in 2020.
New Jersey Devils defenseman P.K. Subban tweeted out on Wednesday that he’d be a guest on ESPN’s First Take.
There’s no doubt that’s great publicity for the NHL and the Devils, but things got interesting on Thursday morning, to say the least.
The show is notorious for its daily debates on sports, but it’s safe to say that the NHL is rarely, I mean rarely, on the show’s agenda. It would take a global pandemic for an NHL player to finally be a guest on First Take-–a show notorious for ridiculous “hot takes” in sports other than hockey.
It seemed that Subban’s remote interview also entailed a hot take of his own.
“Yeah, well it was kind of floated around — I remember around the pause time when everything shut down, I saw a few things on social media and I like that,” Subban said. “For my team specifically, we were pushing to make the playoffs down the stretch. So I would like to see our team have an opportunity to compete for the Stanley Cup.
“But obviously as days go by — and this is just us talking sports now, there’s a lot of other things going on that have to turn around for the season to happen. But if that did happen, I’d love to see a 31-team playoff and give those pesky Devils an opportunity at bringing the Stanley Cup back home to Jersey. I’d love to see that.”
Subban expressed that he’d like to see the NHL introduce a 31-team Stanley Cup Playoff-format. But that’s not all.
The 2012-13 Norris Trophy winner said that the Devils were “pushing to make the playoffs down the stretch” and that he’d like to see New Jersey “compete for the Stanley Cup” if the NHL resumed action on the ice.
I’m joining @firsttake crew tomorrow at 11:15am ET! @espn can’t wait to get in the mix! #subbaniacs tune in ☝?? pic.twitter.com/8vFHChQwts
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) April 1, 2020
While most, and this hockey enthusiast, can appreciate No. 76’s willingness to stay positive and his enthusiasm towards the community, his perspective isn’t realistic on the Devils.
Let’s not forget that the former Montreal Canadiens’ draft pick was voted one of the worst “trash talkers” in the NHL—he’ll get chirped even harder now after his bold comments on ESPN.
??♂️ Well played you 2…well played??? @connorcarrick pic.twitter.com/tscF5nxpZJ
— P.K. Subban (@PKSubban1) April 1, 2020
Regardless, if the NHL made the unique decision to introduce an NCAA “March Madness” like approach for the playoffs, the Devils were a basement team in the standings this season.
Jersey’s team would likely face off with a team such as the Washington Capitals or Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins during the format’s opening stages.
Yeah, not ideal for 18-year-old Jack Hughes and company.
Is Subban also forgetting that he and the Devils were one of the biggest disappointments in the league this season?
On the contrary, if you’re a Devils fan, you have to admire Subban’s provocative attitude about the “pesky Devils” and his ability to move forward after the team’s forgettable season to date.
Fans might point out that New Jersey was 6-2-2 over its last 10 games prior to the season’s suspension’s but after months of not playing hockey—is that really a relevant aspect for the Devils?
