OverDrive - Dreger on Canada and USA's Championship Game, Matthews' performance in the tournament and the Blues in the trade market

Episode Date: February 20, 2025

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, Canada and USA's matchup in the Championship Game, Auston Matthews' role with Team USA, the replacements for the United States, Seth Jones requesting a trade, the Blues in the trade market and more.

Still thinking about Conestoga College? Come to our Spring Open House, Saturday March 1st. Search Conestoga Open House for campuses and start times. Spring Open House, Saturday March 1st. Discover career-focused education. Connect life and learning. Here's Darren Dreger, a TSN hockey insider. What's happening, Dreggs?

Hey guys, you know, I'm in need of a TV repairman. Like, Hayes, you had, what was it, Jiffy? Jiffy, yeah. you know i'm i'm in need of a tb repairman paid to add that will be jiffy jiffy i was a while ago i'm still i'm not up there get on it jiffy at pro sports i think the colors off of my tb good you look like a pomegranate like this i don't know what's going on with it idealism really answers some not going on my td car

yes and regs it is a way this guy looks and we got the red like the tsn red everywhere to and i'm more red than the name of the drinks they're talking about yeah how do agents like you must hear hockey agents where that the team is so willing to pay free agents and then their own client comes up in the right i don't think so like that must drive them nuts

in my uh... but the you know it depends on the individual you talk about here right like can and again we always work circle circle around the maple leaf and obviously got marion you have to bararner and you have Tavaris. And I think it's different approaches from the agents. And then that goes hand in hand with the players. Certain agents would rather get their deals done

and then other agents would rather test the open market. What do you have to lose? You know, you see what the money is and you go from there. And I think that that is where the challenge comes in. Where does your athlete fit into that dynamic? Guys, I don't know what you thought, but I mean, back in the day, I remember Ray Ferraro talks about this all the time. He didn't he never wanted to go into free agency

because he didn't like the insecurity of it all and the stress and all of that. Well, that has changed over the years and now we're approaching decades where players have the intestinal fortitude, right? All right, well, let's see what free agency looks like. I can always sign with the team or they hope that they can sign with the team that they're potentially leaving, but they're willing to wage it all to go down that sort of path. And certain agents will talk them out of that. You've got security, you've got your family, you've got all of that.

And I think it's a back and forth and it takes some pretty big gonads by that player to stand up and say, okay, here's what I'm doing. Either one way or the other, leaving money on the table potentially, or going to free agency and then looking back behind you and saying, okay, the door is now closed and I've got to go somewhere else. It is, it's a gamble from every different layer for the player. Like, you know, using again, if we're using Vladi as the example, I'm sure that Jay's offered him a lot of money. Yeah.

He's turned it down. He might suck this year too. Well, he doesn't play well, exactly. You're probably not going to get that money and maybe he is just completely, he's way off on the market. Like, that is possible. He thinks 500 million is waiting for him or whatever and he gets there and it's not. You know, that's the song and dance, but as you know, Dreggs is is a is hugely valuable to the

players man because when they're when they're young it's team control this team control that RFA this arbitration that yes it's a it's one hell of a drug that free agency man the idea getting there and having other teams call you wine and yeah I mean and yes that's very enticing as well. It is but it's obviously much easier when you're on a struggling team or team that's an on-playoff team you're having a heck of a year you're in your free agent year and you're going into the open market and you can choose where you want to go and obviously you're going to choose where the money is and if it's the perfect recipe you've also got an

opportunity to make the playoffs and potentially win. That doesn't happen very often in pre-agency. If you know where all of those ingredients come together in the same recipe. Normally when guys hit the pre-agent market, you're normally looking at mid-level guys or players who are approaching the latter stages of their careers and the other looking for the best fit, but they're also looking for a longer term so that they're dealing in security.

So it's never a perfect formula. It just isn't. And when you look at Toronto and you look at some of the coveted free agents that may drop into the market this off season, there's going to be some real interesting conversations internally that we're probably not going to know about. We shouldn't know about between the player, their family, their agent as to where they go. Not between now March 7th. For some players, that's obvious. If you're a pending and restricted free agent, your your team the non-playoff game we are on

you're on the trade date board that's where you're at but if you're a playoff team if you're a contending team and you're going in the free agency and you like the look of your team you you're intrigued by the market that's where you get to look too precarious for me so drags where you at with this game tomorrow night's uh... unite we all concluded we don't know if there's going to be fireworks to start the game, but you know, where do you think

the level could get as far as, you know, intensity and, you know, it being as good a game or close to it at Saturday night? Well, we're going to have special moments in that game tomorrow night and what they look like. You know, if it's a Connor McDavid and Ann Rush, if it's Sidney Crosby doing something dramatic, if it's the Kachucks, as I said the other night, just indulging their Kachuckiness. I mean, that's all part of it. I mean, it could be Connor Helbuck, you know, standing on his head. It could be, uh, Bennington doing something that the entire country is hoping that he's capable of doing yet he continues to face the criticism. I, I, I don't know.

I, I can't imagine that we see the fireworks that we saw off the drop of the puck. Uh, Mike convinced that we're not going to see something similar at some point in the game. No, no, I'm not convinced of that because, you know, there's been enough time between Saturday to now, guys are talking about it, you know, and not necessarily in a good-natured way. I wonder about the two days off as well. I like it from a rest perspective. I think, you know, aside from, you you know Brady can chuck nuts, skating and certain guys needing a little bit more time. They're gonna be wired for sound tomorrow night. They really are and how does that manifest? So does it does it you know evolve into the spirit of just a fierce competitive physical battle or are we going to see

competitive physical battle or are we going to see just a special challenge that is on display tomorrow night? I don't know. I don't have an answer. I certainly didn't expect that we saw a Saturday night off the hot, but I do know that we're going to see something special. It could be one for the ages. It could be. Yeah, that's the hope for sure.

It sets up that way. In terms of the American team, where does Auston Matthews rank in terms of your anticipation or your projection as the guy that you would think would have that impact that will be the best player on the ice for the Americans tomorrow night? Well race high in terms of his capability of being that player. Whether or not he is, I mean, go through both lineups and anyone who's capable there being the hero. And then of course he elevate on star status. And again, Matthews will be near the top of the list,

whether he has that opportunity, whether it's there for him, we'll see. But I'm also like, I'm reminded of all the great games that we've seen historically internationally. And, you know, the teams that have been put to ice, where top end guys are just put in roles, right? So if you can be a top level performer, on your club team, captain as Austin Matthews is, but you play a different role. Whatever that role is, like it's you know being top end on face-offs and doing whatever he can do defensively to be as strong as he is. I know that's not what

Leaf fans expect. They expect Austin Matthews to be an offensive juggernaut well if he isn't but somebody else is and he contributes to that is that a fail i don't think it is i don't think it is i i think that's a recognition of both teams and the talent level that they're putting out there and how tight that game should be tomorrow night defensively it should be really really stuff drags the fact that the u s is bringing in Tage Thompson and I believe Brett Pesci, does that signal to you that there's going to be guys that aren't playing tomorrow night?

Well it puts it out there for sure, but the one thing that I would be critical of, and it's somewhat unfounded and probably unfair, and we talked about this in Montreal. You know the whole idea of the Four Nations Face-Off was basically fabricated by the NHL Employers Association. So they made their way through the restrictions and the rules and all that as they went on prior to the start of the event and then the event happened. And you obviously hope for best case scenario no matter what level of the NHL you're involved with certainly as an owner, a manager, a coach or a player that injuries don't happen. But all of a sudden it was like spontaneous combustion and the level of play, we all knew

that it was going to be competitive. Did any one of us think it was going to be competitive as we saw Saturday night I didn't I mean I I thought that you know these guys would play for their flag I feel I mean you guys step on the ice that's what you do so I think that if they could do it differently they'd be in the NHL the players Association they would have allowed for extra players like Quinn Hughes alluded to this yesterday after his practice with the Canucks, like a taxi squad. But then you put yourself guys in the world of Marty Walsh and the

Players Association. Is it as simple as just putting a blanket open? You know, okay, guys, we don't want to have to ask you to come to Montreal or Boston and just sit on the sidelines. But if you're willing, you know, sign up here. They didn't want to put those players in the position to have to make that decision, but here we are, right?

Like here we are, you know? So it's Tade Thompson, it's all the turmoil that went around Team Canada prior to Saturday's game with Thomas Harley standing off the bench in the hallway between Team Canada's dressing room and the bench. It's easy to be critical now, but if they do it again, and they won't because the World Cup will take over, then the Olympics, then the World Cup every two years and all of that, I think they'd do it differently and there would be an expanded roster, a different timeline

and when they have to finalize the roster. With Darren Drager at TSN Hockey Insider, in terms of the league starting back up, I'm seeing that I guess Seth Jones of the Blackhawks has now gone on the record saying he wouldn't mind a change. Yeah. What do you make of that? He's an intriguing player, Hazy. He's an intriguing player. is now going on the record saying he wouldn't mind a change. Yeah. Yeah. What do you make of that? He's an intriguing player, Hazy. He's an intriguing player. You can get him

at a different number. Yeah. The price is too high right now. Well, you make him a $5 million defenseman. If Chicago can chew on that, that looks a lot different, right? Okay. Yeah. You see that happening, Trix? Or what? It was possible, right? And this is going to heat up in the next few weeks, obviously. But I did a segment on this when I was in Winnipeg traveling out west like a month or so ago, right? And I threw it out there, the possibility that Seth Jones could be in play. Okay, well, if you're the Chicago Blackhawks and you've got, you know, Seth is a good defenseman. I think he gets a pretty bad rap based on the contract, obviously, and the team that

he's playing around. I don't begrudge him even a little bit for throwing it out there and saying, I want to be on a winning team and I want to win. That's stopping short of asking for a trade, but I do know that Pat Persona represents Seth Jones. I'm sure he's having conversations with Kyle Davidson, the GM, and probably fielding some inquiries through Kyle and others as to what the possibility is. There are scenarios where I could 100% see Seth Jones traded between now and Mark Selma. I could. And that makes

sense, I guess, from where Chicago's position is, unless you're kind of a guard and you're wondering, okay Where are we going here, but I can see it happening Yeah, and it then it opens the door to what the market is, you know And how many again like like noodles said oh you jumped in like not at his price tag. So no 5 million. I think that's what he's getting paid. It's a lot of money It's also a tribute to Zach Rwinski because Zach Zach Rwanski you played with them that corns He's a little player. We talked about him. That's very true He is so good and you put him on you put a big right-handed shot with Zach Rwanski all the sudden

You're gonna be looking like wow what a you take Zach Rwanski away. I get it. You're a little bit more exposed. Yeah Yeah, yeah. Well, exactly. If they're willing to chew on money, then how many teams... I mean, you can come up with a number of teams that would want the player, but it's... Just ask them the question. Would the Leafs be sniffing around? I don't see how the Leafs would make sense. We can't have here...

It's not even the Leafs. I'm thinking aloud on the fly here. I don't know what the market is. I think Edmonton would look at them. Yeah? OK. I think Edmonton needs a four on that right side. John Klingberg is just a flyer.

That's a free try. But Edmonton, I would argue, is in the market for a top four defenseman to play on that right side like I've and And if you go you got to go big game hunting if you think you can go deep into the playoffs I don't know if Jones is big game, but he's a player. Yeah, he's a good player You know he is and I can I can appreciate how he might fit They've got Evan Luchard coming up to right like no fit they've got Evan Bouchard coming up too right like so like there that's way way way too much money for me and now it's all dependent on what's going out

and how much Chicago is willing to retain I can't envision a place where Toronto would would happen they might have interest in the player but there's no way of making that work you know the other kind of crazy rumor that I heard recently here is, and again, lots swirling around the St. Louis Blues. I mean, Braden Shen, his name has been out there since we put it out there a couple of weeks ago. And I wouldn't say there's much progress there, but speaking of Team Canada and what they're going up

against, every year, and this year included, every year, in the last four or five years, Pareto's name surfaces as a potential trade guy. Wouldn't be in year three of his eight year deal, but if you're St. Louis and you're willing to have conversations on the possibility of trading your captain, who's what, Braden is 33 and I think Colton Perreco is 31,

32, then all bets are off, right? And they're an equal cap hit at 6.5. You know, and I don't, you know, I'm not saying we measure the quality of player of Colton Perreco in what we're seeing here in the four nations face off. It's just weird that especially in a St. Louis, Perego's name keeps surfacing year after year. So I think,

I mean, if he were ever in play, of course there'd be teams that would be interested. I'm just doing a juxtaposed to Seth Jones. That's a way bigger contract. But if I'm a manager and I'm looking for a defenseman in this case Perico the right shot man okay let's have that conversation yeah big time well we'll get to that soon man as of you know once tomorrow night hits we're back playing out and show games on Saturday and we're a couple weeks away from the trade deadline all right Drex we'll leave it there. Thank you for doing this. Hey boys, have a good night. Darren Dreger, a TSN by Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees, some 41, and more. You can win an iHeartRadio experience with tickets, flights, and a three-night stay at

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