OverDrive - Button on the Olympic arena construction, the parity in the NHL and the Avalanche at the top

Episode Date: December 3, 2025

TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the parity in the league, the Avalanche's dominance at the top of the league, the shape of Canadian teams, the construction of the arena in Milan for the Olympics and the impact on the league and more.

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Exactly. It's the gift that keeps on giving. Get more for less this holiday season with affordable phone plans and member benefits you'll love. Virgin Plus, obviously. Visit a Virgin Plus store or virginplus.ca for details. joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Here's our good friend Craig Button. How are you doing, Craig?

I'm good, Brian. How are you guys? We're doing it pretty well, trying to get a read on what's going on in the NHL and the ebbs and flows. And, you know, I know you're following it and talking about it every day. It's a challenge, isn't it, Craig? Like outside of Colorado, Dallas on the other side, maybe Calgary, Nashville, although Nashville beat up on Calgary last night. There's like 15, 20 teams in the middle where every night you just don't really know what you're going to

get. Well, it's tight, right? We talked about parity. It is tight. I don't think I've ever seen it this tight in that type of a wide band. You know, last week I was listening to the Ottawa Vegas game. So that game ended up going to a shootout. Ottawa won the shootout.

And now that game started. Vegas was in the first wild card spot. Goes to a shootout. Vegas gets one point. They lose the game and they move up the second place in the Pacific. If that doesn't speak to where the league is right now, I don't know what does. I mean, you lose and you move up in the standings, it's unbelievable. And I think this is what we can expect.

You know, yeah, there's a few teams that are at the bottom and there's a few teams at the top. But I think this is what we can expect. And I don't think it's going to change much. I really don't. And I can't recall the time I've ever seen it maybe in a lockout year, but not in a season where you have a full complement of games. Is there an explanation for it? I was talking to somebody last night, and I've kind of had this theory, and I might be wrong with this, but we all watch a lot of games.

The product is different this year. There's a handful of good games, and then there's some games where they spot in, like, hey, it's a good game, and then it's kind of out. Is the product different for you this year? Is it taken a little bit for teams to settle in, or what do you make of it? Is it just the flat-out parody of the league, Craig? I think there's parity, but I also think it's pacing, Jamie. And, you know, with the compressed schedule, I mean, think about Montreal.

Montreal plays Tuesday night at home against Ottawa, and now they're at home again against Winnipeg. Winnipeg played Monday, now they're sitting there and they're coming play. You have this compressed schedule. Players know their bodies better than anybody else. And you have a little bit of rest. You come back full of steam and you can play close to 100%. If you're playing your third game in four days, you don't got 100% in the tank. and you're not going to be able to do it.

So I think coaches recognize it. I think players recognize it. And I think that's why we get these games. I'll call them kind of just the, they're pedestrian. Everybody's just going through, okay, here's what we got to do. We know you can't push us hard with intensity. We know we can't push. So we're just going to settle in and play the game.

And at the end of it, we might have to settle up with a shootout. And I think that that's the reality of the league and I can press schedule. What I don't understand, and I'm not here to criticize, is that we knew there was going to be an Olympic year. Why didn't we start the season earlier and not have to compress the schedule? Because I don't think it's best for the players, and then you run the risk of injuries.

We've already seen injuries happen. Dollar Sagan, I now with the ACL, you start stressing the body, you're going to get injuries. And I think that we talk about recovery, we talk about nutrition and training, way to do it is make sure you give yourself a little bit more time to recover from the rigors of playing. Because the intensity, Jamie, with the parity, doesn't allow you to just take a deep breath and go, okay, we only have to play a period tonight to win this game. That's not the way

the league works anymore. Craig, we've asked you a bunch in the past teams that are struggling or that need to kind of have a shake-up. What do they do? What do they go get? On the flip side of that, what do you think the position is of management out in Colorado with what they're doing? Like, how do you think they handle that? Do they just sit back and watch and enjoy? Do they say, we have to find ways to make improvements at the deadline? Like, what would it be like as management watching those guys just crush everyone every night?

So two parts of this, I saw. I was in Colorado for the Montreal game Saturday doing the broadcast. I was talking to Mark Moser, they were play-by-play guy. And he was talking about how well, they had a great game against Minnesota the day before that they lost in a shootout. and he was just saying he goes this looks like a team now that's not going to have to do very much at the deadline that's the first part and I think that you know when you get out

in 1999 Jeff our team in Dallas was a wagging we were rolling along and we were at the same mindset okay we don't have to do anything here and then here's what ends up happening you get pumped in the first round no no we won we didn't get pumped we won but we didn't know this at the deadline

so we're comfortable we like their team we're not going to do anything you know a couple little gut moves, that's it. And Colorado makes some big moves. Detroit makes some big moves and we're standing there going, oh, maybe we should have done more. And, you know, it ended up good, but I'll tell you what, you feel a little bit of the pinch

thinking maybe you didn't do enough. Now, I think there's other teams that probably have gone in with the same attitude, but, you know, have gone out in the first round, probably the Boston Bruins a couple years ago. You know, we're on this great. And I think that's the thing you have to guard against if you're Colorado. this might come down more to coaching

and when you don't have anything to play for down two weeks in the season three weeks in the season how do you push your team Scotty Bowman always said I pushed my team the hardest when we were winning he goes after they lost we were a good team he goes I knew they took it hard

but when we were winning he goes everybody's happy everybody wants to be together I could push them harder I could be a little bit more demanding in practice I think a team like Colorado Jared Bedner and his coaching staff if they're continuing on like this and they don't make any significant moves, you've got to push the team. When Boston got into the playoffs, even they got up 3-1,

it was like, yeah, this is where it was supposed to be. Before you knew it, they were out. Yeah, this Colorado team, they are something else. You know, they really are. And Nathan McKinnon, I'm not, I don't think you can say he's getting better because he's been phenomenal for his whole career and certainly the last few years. But, you know, with him and McCarr,

and, you know, they've got depth. They defend incredibly well. Their goaltending's been great. It is kind of astonishing. And you look at that division, we were talking about Winnipeg earlier, Craig, with them obviously struggling in Hellibuck's hurt and they're at the Bell Center tonight.

Dallas is great. Colorado's great. Minnesota's on an absolute heater right now. They seem to have two goalies they can trust every night. Like if you're in Winnipeg or in that central division in general, like how do you keep hope alive considering how good these teams are above you. Well, you're now fighting for the first wild time, right?

Or the second wild time. You're taking yourself out of the top three positions in the Central Division. And, you know, we look at the absence of Conrad Alibut. Hey, he's the reigning MVP of the league. He's phenomenal. But that team right now is terrible defensively. And that, I think, is what's most surprising to me. it's that for two years previous,

this has been a top defensive team in the league. They've been disciplined. They've been structured. They've been hard. And it's all gone. I mean, when you look at all the numbers that tell you the story, they've gone from a top 516 to a bottom 516 in the league. And, yeah, maybe Hullabuck saves a goal here.

So you don't lose, you don't lose 5'1 to Buffalo. You only lose 4-1. Like, if they don't approve that, I don't care what else. I don't care if Holog's back in the net, they're not going to win. They're not good enough playing that way. And so I think that's the number one thing they have to improve upon. One thing I want to say really quickly here when you talk about McKinnon, too,

like, we do all the polls at the beginning of the year. The best plan on the planet right now is Nathan McKinnon. There's nobody better than Nathan McKinnon right now on the planet. Yeah, the way he's playing. It's unquestionable. Like that's he's dominant every single night Every single game He's leading the league in goals, points

Everything It's unstoppable And he's a leader and he's a chugger And he plays every situation The guy's an absolute beast And it's such a luxury for Canada Like, you know, we talked about it last week You get McKinnon and McDavid

As you're one-two And I don't know how you beat that, Craig And four on four you could put them out of the ice at the same time Yeah And the rink may only be about 80 feet long, so it's even better. It's going to be 80 by 80. 80 by 80. These guys will be flying, Craig, in Italy.

It would be like playing on the outdoor pond in your backyard. Right. I mean, again, you know, the NHL shuts down the league and sends their best players over to the Olympics. The ILC gets to take advantage of the best hockey players on the planet playing. The NFL really doesn't get anything meaningful. I'll be honest with you like the NHL and the NHLPA

you just say listen we're not playing there like we've given you everything you give us very little we're not we're playing in a different venue we're not playing at a subpart venue in 06 in the convention center where they put the other rink like six inches

from the boards wasn't frozen it was all slush because they didn't put the freezing they didn't put it underneath the rink I think it's abysmal it had many years to put everything in the place I think it's terrible. I think it's terrible. Craig, wouldn't they have sent a guy over there,

like somebody with hockey knowledge to say this is your project for the next two years to make sure this is... It's just one of those things, Craig. We asked the standard question. How do you screw that up? Well, it's a great question, right? And so the IAHF runs the Olympic tournaments. Like, to me, you know, they've made the regulations,

known that this is how the rink has to be built it has to be done in a certain fashion I mean Italy's only known they're having the Olympics for what seven years and now we're down now we're down to like like two months and we don't know if the ring's going to be ready like give me a break like you know

it's just it's just object failure as far as I'm concerned so you know I don't think you blame the the NHL says here's what we're going to do the IOC and the IEHF have to take the organizing committee they have to take responsibility for this and like I said I would be very open to just say

we're not playing in that venue we're not going to a subpar venue the players are used to something that we think about the game being so fast and so intense and the Olympics are going to be all of those things and now you're going to compromise the playing surface not happening for me it would not happen

it would not happen the World Cup draws happening this Friday they would not allow that in the World Cup so why are they allowing in here no you're right that's absolutely a fact it has to be pristine conditions they would never accept anything less yeah it would never be expected that there would be anything less you know there great point brian great point yeah and you know you're right like the nchel does a lot like the NBA doesn't shut down their business they play in the summer games you know they're not

doing that and the nchel's doing it they shut it down and you've known they're coming for a long time and, you know, hopefully it all works out because it'll be a gong show. Like, the players want to go. You know, that's the thing. Like, the players, they feel like they have a responsibility to their countries now. And I don't know. I don't know how you get out from underneath this problem. But the fact that the rink may not be appropriately sized is in and of itself.

That's scary, actually. It's just crazy. The rink's just not the proper size. Like, I don't know. Like, Craig, you're wired in over there. You go to a lot of those tournaments and stuff like that, and you go to countries that take a lot of pride in hosting these things. Like, this hasn't snuck up on them.

Like, I don't know, like, are you assuming they get it done? Or, like, what, you know. They hosted the games 20 years ago. I know, but they've been through this rodeo before. I just don't know where, where's the disconnect? I guess that's what I'm trying to figure out. Where's the disconnect with all of this? Yeah, and I think that'll be the examination, Jamie,

in terms of like how did this happen, you know, like how did we arrive at this point? Like, we're not talking about, okay, four inches, okay, we're a little bit off. We're talking three to four feet. And like that's significant. Like, imagine Jamie, you're a goaltender, right? And you go, jeesh, this net looks a little bit bigger. And they measure it and it's like two inches taller and two inches wider. Right?

They go, well, you know, like we're just going to keep playing, well, that's what we have. Well, wait a sec. Like, it's 4 by 6. Like, the rink needs to be these dimensions. So I don't know how it happens. I just think it's wrong. And I'm not saying that there's not the Olympics, but maybe the Olympic men's hockey competition isn't in the land. Maybe it's elsewhere.

Well, quickly, Craig, before we get you out of here, the World Juniors, like Canada's doing it differently this year, right? They're just going to announce the team on Monday. No, there's a change. There's a change to that. So this is good. I'm glad you brought it out. Okay. So the idea was, the plan was, was to name a team on Monday. And that was their plan, get everybody there and everything. But with the uncertainty of NHL players and who may be available and who is not available,

they felt that, you know, what are we going to do? If we get players back that we know can help us, are we going to cut players that we've named to a team, are we going to go short and then hope we get these guys and have the call and have them come in? I think they've harnessed their inner Lou Lambrillo. Llamarola said you always have a plan, but if circumstances change, you better be ready to adjust in five minutes. I think that's what Hockey Canada has absolutely done.

So there's going to be more players to the camp than just the team, and I think that they have to understand that there may be some NHL players coming, there may be not. So a little bit more of a competition. They're only going to play exhibition. They're not playing any games against you, new sports or anything.

but the idea was to name a team, but given the reality of where they stand with the uncertainty around some of the NHL players, they decided to have a few more players at the camp than they originally were going to have when they just named the team. Where is their pre-camp at, Craig? It's going to be at Niagara, and then they're headed to Kitchener. They're going to play an exhibition game, a pre-tournament game against Sweden and Kitchener on the 17th, and then the 20th in London. So they're playing Sweden two games, which will be good competition for them,

but they're going to be training out of Niagara at the outset. Perfect. Yep, that's going to be great. Tournaments in North America this year. It'll be awesome. We can't wait. And we'll see what comes of it. And I'm sure we'll break down the team once it's officially announced.

Well, I think, too. I wish Jeff all safe travels because I know he's traveling over to Europe to do all his pre-scouting on the junior team. Always does. Yeah, he does. So safe travel. And Jeff, hop into Zurich, talk to the IHF, and ask them, how the hell would this happen in Milan with the shortness rink? Please do. Yeah, I can't wait to hear their excuses over there.

Rene Feschel would have never let this happen. Never. That was your boy. That's your guy. It is. Some guy named Anthony at the rink said, go across 70 feet instead of 80. Don't worry about it. No one's going to notice.

Insane story. All right. All right, Craig. It is insane. It is insane. It's hard to believe. It is. We hold hope.

We're hoping they get there and they get it done. Thank you for this as always. Okay, thanks. Have a good day, guys. There's Craig Butner, TSN Director of Scouting, joining us here on the Maple Toyota hotline. Get in and go where adventures take you and a new 2025 Tacoma from Maple Toyota near Canada's Wonderland.

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