OverDrive - Boudreau on the Panthers' emerging dynasty, McDavid's legacy in Edmonton and Marchand's prowess in Florida

Episode Date: June 16, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Bruce Boudreau joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers on the brink of elimination and the mindset of the team, Connor McDavid carrying the load in Edmonton, the Panthers looking for a dynasty, Brad Marchand's elite playoffs, Mitch Marner's expertise on the ice and more.

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leadership skills, connect with mentors, and gain real-world experience, all while giving back to your community. Best of all, it's a no-cost program available across Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, and BC. Thoughts are limited, so register now at careerfoundation.com. That's careerfoundation.com. Join today and be part of something amazing. Here he is joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline, TSN hockey analyst Bruce Boudreaux. What do you expect out of McDavid? Hey good Bruce, what do you expect out of McDavid the next, well guaranteed one more game maybe two more games and how much pressure do you think is on him to elevate and be great tomorrow night? Well I think he's gonna be putting all the pressure on himself about being great and everything else. I think he's going to be putting all the pressure on himself about being great

and everything else. I think he's going to play 25 minutes if I'm nablock. I'm throwing him out as much as I can because you got nothing to save it for. Like I mean, I don't care if he's so tired he can't even get on the plane to go back to Edmonton. You got to win tomorrow night. So I mean, it doesn't matter. You play him as much as you can. You play Dreisaitl as much as he can handle it.

Those are your two best players. That's what you're doing. And I don't know if he does anything different. I mean, he's had some good looks. He hit, he scored a goal, hit the post, had a great look, another great opportunity the other night, but if they're not going in, they're not going in. But I would play him as much as you can play him. Bruce, how crazy do you find it that balls are in the air as far as the starting goaltender for the Ebbinson Oilers in a must-win game six? I think the whole thing is crazy that they're not only the goaltenders like I mean

to me that means you don't know what who's going to you're guessing on everything but they're guessing on every different line combination too like I mean at some point there's a reason you got to the finals you put your best the group that was best got together outside of Hyman and the best defense pairings, your best goalie, and you say, we've got to win with you. I can't keep switching you every two minutes. I was hearing a stat today that five on five, that Florida has three lines that have played 40 minutes together. The most Edmonton has got no lines that have played 40 minutes and one line that has

played 33 minutes and that's the most and that's been Dry Settle, McDavid and Perry. So I mean you can't be guessing at this time of the year. I mean, you've got to put the best players you've got together and go for it and hopefully you win. Something that you want brought to you by Boston Pizza, Canada's favorite sports bar, enjoy a $15 lunch at BP where you get an entree, a side and a drink and you'll get it all in 20 minutes or less. A fast lunch doesn't have to be fast food.

See you for a $15 fast lunch at your local boston pizza and that has been our question of the day bruce rasking online i guess will just ask you bluntly who should start in that for the orders tomorrow night it's gotta be a to me it's gotta be stored skinner i mean if you even want to make a good excuse to say with hey listen we started uh... uh... we started the other guy in game five just

in case we lost where we can come back with Skinner I don't think if we had a started Skinner in game five and lost that we could come back with them any any other part of the series you've got it you got to go with I forget his name right now. Pickard yeah. I'm talking too much for the Pickard you got to go with Pickard for game six and seven whether you you like it or not. So I mean, I think to me Stuart Skinner is an obvious choice and it's a, hey listen, you got there with him for most of the year and listen, when he got pulled last game, let's understand that Florida had 18 shots on goal. He made about five, 10 bell saves in that first period. I'm sure

they weren't pulling him because he was horrible they were pulling him to get the team uh uh jump started and it worked. Bruce you mentioned all the mixing and matching that Chris Knoblok has done. I find it really interesting the way he kind of runs the bench what are the pros and cons to being so I don't know, making so many changes throughout the games with your Lions? Well, I mean the pros are when it works you know you're doing the right thing, but I mean I think he's got a really good eye on knowing who's going and who's not going. But I think in the playoffs right now that he's pulling the trigger a

little too quickly I mean used to do it a lot myself but I mean I'd wait to at least half the game before I start mixing and matches and mixing and matching unless one one person on the line was just so god-awful that you have to make a switch right away but But I mean, that's what the coaches do is they manage that. But I mean, once you've had success with it, you start to think I can do it all the time. And right now it's not working. I think the players are having a hard time understanding who am I playing with on this shift? Because every time I see McDavid out there, he's with a different guy. And I mean, if I was Connor

and say, just give me my winger, we'll, I'll make it work for him. But right now we're screwing around with them too much. How much of that do you think is that Hyman's not available? Well, I think it's a problem with Hyman not available for sure. And they're still, uh, trying to find the right combination. But I mean, to me's it's you you stick with that one line if you wanted to load it all up and and even though

Evander Kane hasn't been good when he has been good he was with McDavid put him with McDavid put dry saddle on the wing and but a lot depends on Nugent Hopkins how bad is he is he just is he playing on one leg? Is he, is he, is he really, we won't know how hurt he is until the end of the, end of the series I guess, but I mean, I would just load up the line and play them all night long. Brucey, if the Florida Panthers get this done, do you think they'll go down as, and it's difficult to compare eras and teams and teams with Gretzky on them, but Do you think they'll go down as, and it's difficult to compare eras and teams and teams with Gretzky on them, but do you think they'll go down as somewhat of a modern cap era

destiny? And if so, like why are they regarded as that in Tampa Bay that has done this just not too long ago or not, they didn't get that same love? I don't know, but I do believe that that if Florida wins today that I could look at them and say hey they could win again next year. I mean they're major players or and to me they would do anything they can to sign Bennett and and Marshand and and go at it again because I think they could do it. But the thing that really is amazing to me is a lot of these players that Florida has

in other teams were not so good. Kulikov had a lot of stops between his two Florida's, and now he looks like a really solid player. I mean, you can go through all the guys that have left that haven't done as well whether it's eckman larcen whether it's montour but you see the bennett coming and you and all of a sudden becoming a star reinhardt coming becoming a star uh... cool account who'd be there big defense in number seventy seven there

mclaugh eight e uh... the uh... he was uh... nobody until he's come to Florida. Now he's a stud. So, I mean, there's something in the Florida water. And you can't tell me that Marshand hasn't looked 20 times better than what he looked like in Boston this year because he has. And I mean, all of these guys come in, there's something in Florida, whether it's the management,

whether it's the coaching, whether it's's the lifestyle I don't know what it is but they become better players when they come to florida so I think they've got an opportunity to become the modern day oilers the modern day um New York Islanders and if they win this one could possibly win a third or more like I mean they're like Detroit Red Wings or the Pittsburgh Penguins were in the early 2000s. Bruce I was gonna ask Jeff and Brian this but I'll ask you first if the Panthers win is Brad Marshann in the

Hall of Fame? What a great question eh? I mean you'd have to put him in the Hall of Fame for things other than numbers. He's had great numbers, but I think it would be, it would be, you know, the two Stanley Cups, it would be the the Olympic teams, it would be the Four Nations, it would be everything else, the longevity, just the fact that he's done all of those things, because his numbers are good, but there's good numbers and then there's Hall of Fame numbers and I don't think he has Hall of Fame numbers, but boy, as a player, he's a Hall of Fame player in the big moments. So I think it would be a real close thing, but I mean, I would have him on my Hall of Fame team.

Bruce, if the Edmonton Oilers can't get this done, and you know, we were talking earlier about McDavid and his legacy and how the great ones, excuse me, usually get a cup. If they don't get it done, how would they kind of go back and circle the wagons being to the finals two years in a row? Like what would you do as far as the approach to the roster to supplement those two great players if it doesn't work again? I think they would, if I'm Edmonton, no matter what, I've got to try to find a different goalie because we don't want the same situation happening again.

As much as I love them, Corey Perry and Adam Henrique, the older guys, I would try to get different guys in there because you can't expect them to continue doing, you know, Corey, he had a great year, 17 goals, he's got 10 playoff goals, but he'll be 41 next year. At some point, you've got to turn it over and and go go younger a little bit I mean Evander Kane I think he's a free agent next year what would you do with all of these guys but I mean I think they would have to have a little bit of a makeover

in the lineup and get younger because they are one of the older teams in the league. With Bruce Boudreaux so with each passing day it becomes more and more clear that Mitch Marner is gonna be playing somewhere else next year Bruce. Yeah. It's interesting like you know throughout sports you always see a scenario where in one wherever the player has been playing forever maybe that markets turned on them maybe the team doesn't see them in the same light and then we always hear Coaches and GMs with other teams saying well, we want that guy because we know he can help us

And I'm curious how you view Marner like if you're the head coach of a team that is right on the precipice of winning How do you look at the idea of signing Marner considering what he does in the regular season, but also You know, unfortunately what he's done in the playoffs. Like how do you, how do you, how do you look at him if you're the coach of T-Maxx who believes you're one player away from winning the Stanley Cup? Can Mitch be that guy based on his playoff resume and his playoff reputation? Yeah, I'm probably a little different than most, but I wouldn't look at the playoff reputation. I would look at my team and who I have surrounding him. And look at him, he's a hundred point player.

Played against him a lot and I think he's one of the most dynamic players that I've ever played against. And I would just, if I was one player away, away I mean if I've got the other things it's like say if you're Florida and you say okay we got the grit and everything else but we're not not winning he would be a guy I would I wouldn't care about the grid or anything else because I think he'd be great I think he'd be great in Vegas I mean that's the rumor I think him and Eichel would Eichel pass him the puck to him because who knows what's going on with Mark Stone I mean that's the rumor. I think him and Eichel, would Eichel pass him the puck to him because who knows what's going on with Mark Stone. I mean he's getting a

little older, he's always beat up, but I think I would take a chance on Mitch Marner every single time because I would always think that no matter what that he can help me win the cup if I'm only a player away and he would be a good guy to have. Well that's gonna happen wherever he signs you know he's gonna get a lot of money a lot of term and that team's gonna expect him to elevate them to that promised land. I mean that ultimately is what happens. Brian I think like if you're one of the 16 teams that didn't make it you're expecting him to if you sign him that you're gonna make the playoffs like if you're one of the 16 teams that didn't make it, you're expecting him to, if you sign him, that you're going to make the playoffs. If you're one of the 16 teams that made it in the playoffs, I think you're expecting

him to put you over the top to win a couple rounds at least or get to the finals. That's what I think you're thinking. But there's teams that haven't made the playoffs that would just want him to all of a sudden say he elevate me we haven't won the made the playoffs in seven eight years he's gonna be the guy that does it for us well we will be crossing that bridge soon maybe only one game left in this NHL season hopefully two because I wouldn't mind seeing a game seven on Friday night he is Bruce Boudreaux great catching up with you, Bruce. We'll do it again soon.

All righty, thanks guys. Great catching up. Bruce Bujo joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Drive the built in Canada fuel efficient, fun to drive Toyota RAV4, gas or hybrid models available. Visit mapletoyota.com. The biggest songs in the world.

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