OverDrive - Boudreau on the Maple Leafs' roster overview, the DNA of the team and Boeser re-signing in Vancouver

Episode Date: July 4, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Bruce Boudreau joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, Jonathan Toews' return to the league and his role for Winnipeg, the Maple Leafs' roster overview and looking to acquire a forward, the coaching perspective of the roster, the DNA of the roster in Toronto, Brock Boeser re-signing with the Canucks and more

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Let's bring in Bruce Boudreau, TSN hockey analyst, former NHL player, coach, and has done a lot of things in hockey in his entire life. Bruce, welcome. How are you today? I'm good. Good. It's a good day. In terms of the Tavs comeback, just a fascinating story where everybody wishes this guy well. He was such a great player. What are your thoughts on that? Yeah, like, I mean, if you think of Jonathan Taves, you've got to think of a winner. And that's what I think of him.

You know, like, I wouldn't say single-handedly but we played chicago in the conference final few years ago and every time they got down they put him on the ice and he'd seem to do something magical to get them back in it and they eventually beat us in seven games and they won the cup and i think he was uh... the essential guy that the reason that they won that so and when i think of him i think of just a winner and that's uh... to me what he was So when I think of him, I think of just a winner. And that's to me what he was.

Yes, so Bruce, when you think about just the reality of what he's going through here, where he's 37 years old, last played a game two years ago, it'll be two and a half years by the time the season starts that he last touched the NHL ice. What are the odds in your mind that that he can actually rekindle that sort of pedigree as as a a winner who can actually help the team compete in this week yeah you know what uh... when you when you say the age and you sit there and you think he's missed two years

it's hard to come back but i mean this is what makes great stories uh... and specially great athletes is is the guy that are capable of doing that. I really believe that there's not a lot of guys that could do it, but watching him over all the years, I do believe that he wouldn't come back if he didn't think he had a chance to be a real viable player. I don't think he'd come back if Chevy or somebody from Winnipeg wasn't watching him skate somewhere privately in Winnipeg and he came up and said, hey, you can do it. So I think he's going to be fine.

I don't know if he could do it for more than a year or two, but I mean, listen, Marchand's 37, he seems to be getting better. I mean, Corey Perry scored 19 goals last year and 10 in the playoffs and he's what, 60? Like I mean, so. Nearly. scored 19 goals last year and 10 in the playoffs and he's what 60 like Nearly I mean Yeah, it doesn't happen all the time But there are these great feel-good stories and I think and I'm hoping Jonathan Tays is one of those feel-good stories Brucie here in Toronto everybody obviously following the Mitch Marner saga and I'm sure that you followed it quite closely as well but I'm just curious you look back on what Brad True Living has done in the last week it's it's still an incomplete

offseason but to this point where he at with the Maple Leafs you know on their quest to try and get over the hump. Yeah it's interesting obviously follow the Leafs quite closely or I think I do anyway. But they're not better today than they were a month ago. I mean, that's just, you know, Nick Roy is a good, they've wanted a third line center. I think he can fill the bill between third and, but he played a lot of fourth line center when Vegas was a really, really good balanced team. So I think he's a good player, but losing Mitch Marner, they haven't, and they probably won't, and it's hard to do, replace somebody, A, that's going to be that

good a penalty killer, that good on the power play,, uh, you know, setting up, uh, your number one score in, in Austin, who will probably be, hopefully be healthy by the time the season starts. And, and stuff. So they haven't, you know, the, the other little things they've, they've done, um, for example, uh, Mattelli, uh, you know what, for whatever reason, I followed him in Arizona because I think because his first year he did pretty good and he was an American league guy getting called up, a smaller type guy that did okay. I just don't see him moving any needle to be quite frankly.

I don't think Pizzetta, I don't think he got a point in Montreal last year. He's a tough guy, but I don't and he grew up, I guess, right around the corner from where I lived. So, you like him to do good, but I don't think that's a real big improvement or help for the team. So, it's going to be interesting where they go. I think Matthew Nise is going to be closing in on 40 goals next year. I think if Stolarz can stay healthy, I think they got a real good goaltending tandem. But as far as them being better right now, they're not in my mind.

I really trust Brad Trelliving to also know this and he's gonna do what it takes to make them better but right now they're not better than they were when they lost in seven games to Florida. Yeah I totally agree I mean even if they'd re-signed Marner they still had to be better right? Yeah and if they had to re-signed Marner, they're still not better than Florida. But I mean, like I think if they stay the same, they'll be hard pressed to be in first place, quite frankly, at the end of next year. And Marner means so much.

I don't care what you say about the playoffs. He still averaged a point of game, I think, in the playoffs. But at the same time they had to change something. They couldn't go with the same group next year after losing basically for all the years that those guys have been together. So they had to do something. I just don't think they've done enough right now and And I hope that somewhere down the road there's another trade to get a top six forward. Because Nick Robertson's not going to do it either, I think, be able to do the job. But we don't know.

We'll see. I still think it's a long summer yet. And teams will be talking right up till the end of September before they start. So we'll see. Hey Bruce, I'm sure you've heard a lot of unconventional ideas about how to help a team get over the hump. What did you make of the Maple Leafs decision to bring in a horse trainer and apparently

an unwieldy colt to show their prospects this week. I guess with an eye, Haley Wickenhuis just said the assistant general manager of player development said that it was an eye toward helping the players understand how to control emotion and some leadership aspect as well. What did you make of all that? Okay, well evidently I'm not in Toronto and I didn't hear that but on first first upon hearing that I'm Thinking that's the biggest crock of you know what? We can talk analytics and I believe in them and that but i mean the bottom line is hockey you tell me what you want

still one by winning battles one-on-one battle outwilling the other team and playing together and you know what uh... uh... i'd i'd i'd got a dig into this horse thing because i've never heard anything like that and the minute those horses put on skates I guarantee all four legs are going in different directions. Bit of a visual isn't it?

Yeah. Yeah I'm with you Bruce but I guess the you know when the player development department starts grasping at straws for different ideas I mean have you have you been involved in those conversations where someone thinks they're creative and wants to try something outside the box with the hockey team? Not that far outside the box, I don't think. We have different ideas at development camp and such, but if it works, hey, listen, I'm all for it.

But I don't know where the idea came from and I really haven't studied the idea, so I really am not a good person to believe in it or not. I just think it sounds like the stupidest thing I ever heard so far. Well, you spent a long time in the NHL, obviously, behind many, spent many years on the coaches bench, many different franchises. And I'm just curious to get your, you know, pick your brain a little bit. Like, you know, maybe get us in the headspace of where Berube might be at and all the other coaches around the NHL.

What is that timeline between, you know, when the season ends, all leading up to July 1 free agency where your team is going under a transformation. What's it like for the head coach in that situation? Does the coach have some say in the matter? Are they involved in those types of discussions? What was that experience like for you in that really wild week that most NHL teams transformed? Well, I think with Craig it's a little bit different

because since they got rid of Shanahan, then him and Brad are working much closer together, so he might have some say. I think it all depends on the relationship with the GM. If you've got a good relationship with the GM, he will ask you, or, you know, and he, you know, and like, for example when

I was with Chuck Fletcher or George McPhee I would be in on meetings and that and so my voice could be heard but a lot of times it's not but and in the summer I had nothing to do with I could give my ideas on hey listen we we're not strong at this position or that position and then they go out and do it But there's really not a lot for coaches to do in the summer even though their mind never really completely winds down because soon as they might have a little bit of July off, but once they start Once August starts up there They're coming again and they're

probably getting back ready to get back into town and get the coaches together and prepare for the next year. So there's not a lot of downtime anymore. Bruce, I hate to nail Mr. Treeliving on this statement about changing the DNA but based on what you know about the Leafs, when the general manager says changing the DNA, what does that mean to you? To be quite honest, when I first thought of it, I thought it'd get bigger and tougher.

And I don't know if that's what they need or if that's the case, just thinking right now. And not that I'm just answering your question, I would think that things, you know, change the heart of the team and I don't know if they need that change. I'm not there but that's the first thing that I thought of when I first heard that statement of talking about the DNA. Okay, so I mean everybody understands how Florida plays. This is a really, really good, gritty, tough, just any word that you would associate with truculence Florida has in overabundance.

If you're not built that way, how do you transition to that or do you even try to do that? You know what? You can't change the player's spots a lot of times. You can make them a little more defensive. You can't make them tougher. You can't make them want to get into the corners more. I think, I mean, you gotta find those players somewhere. If you wanna change the DNA and you've got a player

or change, if the DNA is even the right word. If you want to change the type of player you want, you're going to have to change some of the guys you have on your team to other teams, and to get that kind of player. That's the way you change it. I mean, if you, like I would have thought that they might have really wanted a guy like Bennett

or Marshan, even though once Marshaan signed his contract, I didn't think anybody'd sign him for six years, but in Florida they get away with an awful lot of things, but I think a guy like Sam Bennett would have been somebody that, boy, I would have really liked to have gone after, but when you're happy in one situation, it's hard to pluck those guys out of a great situation and they could and and they weren't given the time because they weren't allowed to talk to them until July 1 and Bill Zito did a great job in getting them all done before then. Bruce you spent time a couple years in Vancouver you know the group pretty well how surprised you to see

Brock Besser you know go to, but then ultimately decide to just circle back and resign in Vancouver on July 1st. I was shocked, like everybody else. I mean, I think everybody was shocked because they've been talking for two years about trading them. They didn't, you know, from what I gather. I know when I was there, they'd asked the agent even, they said, hey, listen, if you can make a trade or facilitate a trade with Brock, go ahead and do it.

And then at the trade deadline this year, they said they got no good offers. And so I don't know whether it was Brock's love for Vancouver that wanted him to bring them back or whether he didn't get, his agent didn't get the offers that he thought he would be getting somewhere else and decided to come back to Vancouver. So I mean, I'm surprised. But when you look at what they've lost as offensive scoring power in the last couple of years, it's hard to lose a potential 40 goal scorer and not get anything back in return.

So I'm glad he came back. I hope he has a great year, but pretty surprised that it happened. Rose, thanks very much. Really appreciate it. Enjoy your weekend. And you guys enjoy your summer. There's not much more left, I don't think. So I mean as far as Leafs talk or hockey talk for a little while, so enjoy it and hopefully we'll get a chance to talk again next year. Absolutely. Leafs talk is like rust. It never sleeps. We'll find a way to chat Leafs sometime mid-August. Doesn't matter. Okay, sounds great. Talk to you later.

Thanks, Bruce. Okay, thank you. Bruce Boudreaux, GSN Hockey Analyst. Unmistakably Canadian. It's the music that raised you. TSN hockey analyst. in music. Loud, crowd, and all yours. No passports required, just press play. Tap into Made in Canada now on iHeartRadio.ca or the free iHeart Radio app.