OverDrive - Demers on the Maple Leafs' lineup outlook, the Panthers dominating the league and McKenna's college direction

Episode Date: July 9, 2025

NHL Network Analyst and Former NHLer Jason Demers joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the league, the Maple Leafs' lineup priorities, the next steps without Mitch Marner, the needs for the roster, the Panthers first in the rankings in the Eastern Conference, Gavin McKenna taking the college route and more.

Unmistakably Canadian. It's the music that raised you. The artists raising the bar. Hi, this is Bryan Adams. Hey, my name's Brett Emmons. I'm from the Glorious Sons. Hi, I'm Nellie Furtado. Made in Canada.

The station that champions Canadian music. Loud, proud, and all yours. No passports required. Just press play. Tap into Made in Canada now on iHeartRadio.ca. Or the free iHeartRadio app. Jason DeBurns is here, NHL Network Analyst and host of the Unscripted Podcast. Jason, welcome.

How are you? I'm doing great now that I'm talking to you guys. What's going on? Well, we just did like a top three for each of us like who won uh... sort of the offseason the free agent frenzy if you want to call it that the trades all that stuff and i think our winners the number one we did three teams each gains panthers and habs

were number ones would be number one for you uh... i mean look and you got to you got a really appreciate what the gold Gold Knights do year in and year out. I think getting the smartness huge, but I mean, what more can you say about the Panthers? I feel like that has to be number one. You bring back almost the exact same team that won the Cup.

It's pretty impressive what Bill Zito and the culture of that team has done. And we can argue and yell about state income tax and stuff like that, but at the end of the day, they've built a culture where these guys want to come back and are willing to take pay cuts and to do so and keep the team together. So it's hard to argue that Panthers are not the number one team for me. Jason, when you look at that Panthers team, I mean, the Hurricanes got better with Ehlers and Kay Andre Miller, the Leafs are trying to get better whether they can you know pass the whole the

marter left the a hundred five points in their leading point get over the last nine years is is up for debate in this town will debate uh... for many many months to come but you see any sort of any sort of vulnerabilities with the path is a good or is this team just go march to another recent conference championship another cup final and maybe a third straight cup I mean I did not to quote a night's tale if you've seen that with Heath Ledger

But you know the only way to beat them is is when they're sleeping with a stick in the middle of the night, so You know, it's one of those It's one of those teams that I think injuries, if they're healthy, it's gonna be very tough to beat them. And now listen, I like what the Toronto Maple Leafs did this off season. I think it was time to blow up that core four. I had said John Tavares needs to prove that he really wants to take a hometown discount, he did that.

Nick Was is a great centerman, great depth centerman and can play up and down the lineup. He's really good. So I, and they got their goal-tenning that listen, if, if, if Stolars doesn't get hurt, Toronto had the opportunity to beat them, beat the Panthers and take them down. And I think if Stolars is healthy, I think it's, it's, you know, they most likely do it. So just because I think they, they're the only team that really look like they have their number, but for the Panthers, I mean, it's just going to be, you know, I think it's going to be based on injuries and we keep asking the question, how many games is too

many for this team before they run out of gas? And it seemed like they got stronger as the playoffs went on. So I'm interested to see if there is a limit on this team and when they do finally kind of hit that wall because you do need so much luck. Your skill is such an important piece in winning a Stanley Cup. But luck is also equally as important because you need to stave off injuries,

you need to stave off those bounces and they just seem to have gotten it and seem to keep their energy levels up. So, you know, for me it's really going to be about how can you attack their depth and, you know, really make sure that, you know, they're not healthy going into the first, second, third round. So I think you got to play physical on them in the season just as much as you do in the playoffs. So you bring up the fact that you like what the Maple Leafs did by blowing up

that core Mitch Marner exit stage left and they haven't really found a replacement for him yet. There's still tons of time before we get to training camp but you know if they don't find that replacement or they don't get a hotter point guys we don't expect to happen at this point. Like are they gonna have to change the way that they go about things? Like is this team gonna look different without having such a dynamic player out there who plays like 25 minutes a night for you? For sure, there's gonna be an adjustment and you're gonna have to have guys that step up but I do think that they have four solid lines and I think that they have a

really good decor and goaltending and you look at Craig Barupa and the style he's implemented, you know, they're just going to have to continue to get even tighter defensively and play that hard nose system. And I think guys will buy in and you know, listen, you can win a cup without having a hundred point goal scores. It's, it's been done as possible. Uh, and this is just a team that's going to have to figure out a way to kind of do that. And you know, I, I think, you know, tree living has been really good and

really active and I could see them, I know they have enough right now to get themselves to at least the trade deadline or at least Christmas with, you know, with a solid record. And I think from there you look at a team that might be looking to sell and you can make a move and bolster your lineup kind of down the stretch. So I feel like that should be the way and the method that the Toronto Mapers should be looking to implement this season. And I think it definitely it's a possibility that it can work for sure. Yeah, I think there's a lot of optimism that they could find their way. But I think we always sort of end up as you as we started like how do you deal

With the Panthers because they they break you down. They exploit things They targeted Tanev and clearly Marner in that series and you know I think everybody agrees that they won game three we'd be looking at this differently the Leafs But the Panthers story is you almost have to let it play out. Don't you? Yeah, you do and and you know my funny thing with the Panthers story is you almost have to let it play out, don't you? Yeah, you do. And you know, my funny thing with the Panthers is, you know, I just feel like they get given a lot of free rein in the season and no one plays them typically

as hard as they do in the playoffs. And you know, the Panthers ramp it up come playoff time. And yes, they do play physical in the season, but not nearly as close to what they do in the playoffs. So I always wonder with all the trash talk and they've been doing, if I'm around the league and these guys are running all over South Florida, I would be playing them physical all season long

and not especially, not just Toronto, but every team in the league. If this is the team to be, why would you wait till the playoffs? Why would you try to get, you know, I say pound to flesh, I don't mean in a literal sense, but you should be making it as difficult as possible for them in the season. I just don't feel because the NHL season is so long that teams try to do that and they kind of play a different style, but it's like if this

is the team to be come playoff time and they wear you down well try to wear him down in the season so you know and they're definitely gonna have a target on their back because they are the team to beat and until somebody does so that will stick that way until you know it finally happens but yeah I I'm always shocked that teams give them a pass in the season as much as they do. Jason, the big news from yesterday was Gavin McKenna electing to go to the NCAA for going what could have been a couple more years, at least a draft year in the WHL. You played in the CHL in the queue for many years. Like how do you see this playing out in the future? Like you know

put yourself in your shoes back back, like would you have considered the NCAA route and do you think some more 18, 19, 20 year olds will go that route moving forward? Well, I'm a perfect example of that kind of system, how it can hinder players in the sense that I got drafted as a 16 year old and I had a full ride to go to a prep school in the States. To then, my goal at that age and that time

for whatever reason was to go play at Harvard as well and university, but after you spend more than two days at training camp in junior, you lose a year of eligibility. So I went for the two days in Moncton with the Wildcats and they kind of convinced me and it was my choice ultimately but they convinced me to stay to attempt to make the team and then I lost a year of eligibility. So that kind of went out the window and I feel like now you'll see more young kids starting in junior which I think is great. And you might see kids leave at 18-19 if they don't get drafted and go play maybe to D3 D2 school and you might get some

you know 18-19 year olds come and play junior if they're kind of highly touted and it's just one of those things I think if it's done right and in the right way I think it could benefit both leagues and it's gonna make junior major a little bit younger and you're gonna have these 19 20 year olds that will go play college that will improve the the skill and talent level at the university level but it'll also make you know I don't want to say a safer place in junior but they've been trying to kind of reduce the the injuries and reduce fighting in junior well now you're gonna have a really young league and I think that can benefit the young guys that are playing, because they're gonna be

able to play with kids their age. And if they, you know, the good players are able to grow, and I think it will ultimately help both leagues. It just has to be done the right way. And I think there could be a really good sharing of prospects between both the university NCAA and junior. prospects between both the University NCAA and Junior so you know for me I would have probably if I did not get drafted my 17 year old year if this was in place I probably would have went and played in and in

In college and figured something out from there, but yeah, you're gonna. I think you're gonna see less players also Get in dragged into the NHL or the AHL at a young age and they're going to be able to go develop for maybe 20 to 22, 23 and come into the NHL as men and be more developed. So I think it's going to really create a good feeder system, you know, for the NHL. And I think, like I said, if it's done right between junior and college, I think it can only be a positive thing's done right between junior and college, I think it can only be a positive thing.

Jason, thanks for your time. Appreciate it. Hey, thanks guys. Have a great one, all right? You too. Thank you. Jason DeMare's NHL Network Analyst, host of the Unscripted Podcast. Unmistakably Canadian.

It's the music that raised you. The artists raising the bar. Hi, this is Brian Adams. Hey, my name is Brett Emmons. I'm from the Gl that raised you. The artists raising the bar. Hi, this is Brian Adams. Hey, my name's Brett Emmons. I'm from the Glorious Suns. Hi, I'm Nellie Furtado. Made in Canada. The station that champions Canadian music. Loud, proud, and all yours. No passports required. Just press play.

Tap into Made in Canada now on iHeartRadio.ca or the free iHeart Radio app.