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Josh Elliott-Wolfe talks Sportsnet 650 memories, Leo Carlsson, and more: Canucks Conversation

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Clarke Corsan

Jul 10, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 10, 2026, 02:51 EDT

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On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal discussed the Anaheim Ducks matching the Philadelphia Flyers’ massive offer sheet for Leo Carlsson, then were joined by Josh Elliott-Wolfe to talk about the shuttering of Sportsnet 650 and the Canucks’ future.

The Ducks matched Philadelphia’s five-year, $18 million AAV offer sheet for the 21-year-old centre, a decision Harm believes they simply couldn’t avoid.

“Anaheim had no choice,” Harm said. “This is a team that, before finally making the playoffs this year, was stuck in a seven-year playoff drought. It was a long, difficult, painful rebuild at times. Now you finally feel your franchise is on an upward trajectory. It would have been a devastating blow to say goodbye to the best piece of that future.

“Especially knowing even if you get those four first-round picks from Philly, if you add Leo Carlsson to that Flyers team, they’re probably a perennial playoff team in a weaker Metro Division. Those picks are going to be mid-to-late first-rounders and those aren’t that valuable. The odds of landing a player that comes even close to Carlsson’s level of impact are slim, especially at a position that’s as premium and difficult to find talent in as centre.”

While Anaheim kept its franchise centre, Harm noted the deal creates a new challenge.

“They had to do it, but no question this puts them in a bind,” Harm said. “PuckPedia has them with a little over $9 million in cap space; they obviously still don’t have Cutter Gauthier signed, and he alone is going to eat up a lot more than $9 million after scoring 41 goals this past season.

“They’re not just in a cap bind, they can’t just move a few contracts out to be cap compliant. The state of the Ducks’ blueline right now is in a really rough spot. The dropoff after Jackson LaCombe is pretty extreme. I’m not sure how they take the next step with the cap situation and a blueline that looks like this.”

Later in the show, Josh Elliott-Wolfe reflected on Sportsnet 650 being shut down after spending years with the station.

“It was awesome working there, and it’s obviously a tough blow,” Elliott-Wolfe said. “There’s a lot to look back on though. I worked with a lot of great people, and it felt like we were building something really special. Hosting a show over the last year was kind of a dream come true.

“I can’t say enough good things about the people there and everyone I worked with, it felt a lot like family. I’d been there since I was 19 so looking back on that first day compared to where I am now, so much has changed both with me and with the station over the years. It was awesome to get the opportunity to cover a team I grew up loving.”

The conversation then shifted to the Canucks’ future, with Elliott-Wolfe asked whether Vancouver should look to sign Zeev Buium to a long-term extension as soon as he’s eligible.

“I think it would be wise to be aggressive,” Elliott-Wolfe said. “I really think when Manny Malhotra comes in, a lot of these guys are going to look so much better than they did last season. Obviously Buium is going to get another year of development, which helps, but the environment is going to be so improved.

“We’ll be seeing more from Buium, Willander, Pettersson, Ohgren, so when I look at Buium and the fact he was a highly touted prospect, and when you look at the contracts being given out, if you can find a way to get him locked in for seven or eight years for $9 or $10 million, I’m all about it.

“If it doesn’t work out, you have to find another number one defenceman anyway, but if it does you’re laughing with a potential number one locked up for four or five years in his prime at a good price right as you should be coming out of a rebuild. That’s the type of move rebuilding teams make to be successful as opposed to be put in the spot they were in with Elias Pettersson with the bridge deal and now his contract being what it is.”

You can watch the full show below!