OverDrive - Dreger on Matthews playing at the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Oilers' roster views and Heiskanen's injury impact

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins to discuss the biggest headlines around the NHL, Brandon Saad's contract next steps, Auston Matthews playing in the 4 Nations Face-Off, the Oilers' roster views, Miro Heiskanen's injury from Mark Stone, Kaiden Guhle out for Montreal and more.

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Let's go. New year, new you. New you. New you. Explore it all. Feel brand new. At iHeartRadio.ca and on the free iHeartRadio app. We're joined now by our TSM hockey insider Darren Dreger. Dreggs, how many teams do you think would be offering a spot to Brandon Saad and do you think one of those teams could be the Maple Leafs?

I do think one of those teams could be the Maplebelis and it's pretty obvious why right because you've got the history with uh craig berubin and the belief from hockey people that have watched him much closer this year than i have that he can skate and he can provide a level of secondary scoring and he can he can flat out play you know the follow-up then is well why isn't it working in st louis um you know he's he's just passed the midway point here of the season on a season that's paying them 4.5 million this year and next year. He has a no trade clause but my understanding is there wasn't a whole lot of trade interest but free you

know you just got to find a way to navigate and negotiate a contract. I think that there will be a number of teams that'll be interested in them because of everything that I've said from a hockey perspective. And sometimes guys, you know, this, you know, change for the sake of change can be good, but talk about a ballsy gutty move by, uh, by Brandon sod, right? Talk about betting on yourself here to mutually agree to have your contract terminated Bob Goodenow would his mind Ask you in the day. What do you do a year because frankly?

There's no guarantee that he's going to recoup that money, but if he lands up on the right team You know chances are it's going to be the short term right it'll be a contract to the end of the year But if you land on the right team and that team goes deep into the playoffs you're a part of it maybe you're really fortunate you win a Stanley Cup well then he's going to rewrite that ticket if he contributes as an unrestricted free agent in in the summer I guess guys just just to follow up on a thought from a Maple Leaf standpoint as much as I think that the ruby definitely has interest in Brandon Saad, doesn't it get more complicated for Brad Trelonky?

Because sure, he could help. They have roster spots because of injury, but they really need a center and they'd like to maybe do something to that blue line if they can. So financially and otherwise, it does get more complicated if the Maple Leafs do decide to take a run at him. So you mentioned a lot of other teams. It's funny, you take a chance on yourself and then all of a sudden there's these teams that potentially, if you can do a deep run, would be interested.

I mean, are there any other Canadian teams that would be sniffing around? Would Ebbinton the one of them i think so i mean i don't know what you guys think of him defensively are on the penalty kill but i know that that's what the lawyers are really looking for it's gonna be interacting again to see which them all of the new items do uh... they need to be that they don't really have a preference center would help them in edmonton

it gives them more versatility but they they really need uh... a forward who's a bit heavier and can defend and can help them on the penalty kill. And then on top of that, you're looking at the near debut here of John Klingberg and there's a lot of hope going on in Edmonton, but for sure, I think the orders would have to consider it. And then you look at some of the other clubs in the West, what about Dallas?

You know, they've got cap space for the Tyler Sagan situation. Um, you've got the Vegas Golden Knights, you know, they, they've got some room and they've got opportunity because of, of injury. I just, I think teams are going to be careful because of what he said earlier. It's not like Doug Armstrong just decided, okay, well, you know, this guy isn't, you know, he's not a fit here anymore. I'm just gonna, you know, trying to convince him to mutually terminate. No, he would have had conversations trade-related with clubs around the National Hockey League. And again, to repeat myself, it didn't seem like there was much interest there,

but free is free. If you're not having to give up an asset and it's simply a roster spot and some money, and that'll attract a lot of teams i would think absolutely with their trigger tsn hockey insider uh... so i guess with bill garin in town he's the gm the u s for the four nations he and austin matthews brad tree living had a little kumbaya this morning and we can't stop here the brunt week now sound like full full go ahead here with austin at the four nations uh... do you is is he risking anything with this decision where what do you make

of it now i think it is if there is any element of risk in every player that played in this thing is risking something right now so i have most of the owners hated the general managers don't like it and a lot of coaches don't like it right especially your contending team sending your superstar star player and, and you know, that player ends up getting hurt. That can happen in anything, anyway, in the walk of life. Um, there's risks that's applied to this, but you know, if Matthews wasn't felt

feeling as close to 100% as he needs to, to be a real strong contributor or a leader in the late second half of the season through the playoffs, then I think that he'd take ownership and responsibility and just say, no, I'm not doing it. It's just too risky. And he's not doing that. And Billy Yaron has done a real nice job of staying in constant communication

with the Matthews camp and likewise with Brad Trovin. So I think the meeting this morning, not to belittle it because it happened and it's newsworthy for sure, had more to do with just Minnesota being around and an opportunity to have the face-to-face discussion and see where everybody is at. Darren, would you say by Saturday there might be a chance of full health on Edmonton? I know you tweeted about it this morning, I believe. Yeah. Is that kind of the gist of where the Leafs are heading?

Yeah, it's starting to look that way for sure. In fact, I had to circle back a little bit because early this morning it looked like Queenberg's debut would be against the Maple Leafs. And then I said, now information is trickling in, he could be good to go as early as tomorrow, but yeah, we know Patrick Redding is back in the mix, expected to play tonight and they're sure hopeful, they believe that Matthew Nyes is going to be good to go on the weekend in Edmonton as well. So that will be a big boost because you know there are a lot of stories

around lack of offense with the Maple Leafs and and I get it I mean it's real I can appreciate whatever level of concern there is but the game is different with the Rouvaix on the bench when you take two big bodies up front out of the mix in Matthew Nyes and then of course Patrick Reddy. So we'll see if Patrick Reddy can have some impact tonight, you know They feel somewhat limited up front again If they're not driven by Marner and me Lander and Matthews Then they feel a little bit limited and much smaller when guys like that are out of the lineup Drex were where do the Leafs and Brad tree-living and Craig Bar based and on on the play of morgan riley this year and what they need from him or think they'll get from

him the rest of the way well i i think that they would be concerned for sure you know brookley initially kind of took responsibility for some of the sagging play so just acknowledging that you know he out morgan Morgan to play somewhat of a different style, right? And we've talked about this on the panel before, you'll be a guy that's hard to

play against, defend harder, take some of the risk out of his game. He doesn't always have to have the green light, but it's almost like he's tried to flip too far the other way and seems to be lost somewhere in the middle. So there's constant communication. I know that between Barube and the other coaching staff of the Leafs and Morgan Rielly. And he's trying to work through it. But would there be concern? Should there be concern?

Sure. Because he is a big part of the Maple Leafs success and how far they can go moving forward. Because we talked about the idea of them bolstering the blue line. I mean we're not talking about somebody that's gonna fit in that stratosphere in the well if that top four piece is available then it's probably gonna come up at the cost of doing something significant in other areas because they don't have unlimited resources in terms of trade bait or obviously

in money. Are you talking about trades, Dreggs? The ranting in trade has certainly sent shock waves throughout the league. Have you sensed increased chatter after that? Is this the first domino of potentially major moves throughout the league? Well, it certainly rattled everybody did not i mean we knew that vancouver and and carolina were

is not closing in on something they were in the heavy discussions of of something that could be real impactful obviously that would have been peterson and on the carolina hurricanes uh... but i don't think that vancouver new or any of the teams that are in the backs including made in new york York Rangers and talking with Vancouver, Buffalo talking with Vancouver, that Miko Ratnam was officially in play. So that's pretty shrewd work by Tom Dunn and Eric Tulski. They deserve a ton of credit for that. You know, look, we're all focused still on Vancouver, right? You know, I mean, Jimmy

Rutherford came out, talked to me, talked to the Golden Mail. So the messaging is pretty evident now from the top offices of the Vancouver Canucks that change is needed, whether it's Miller, Pedersen, or both. So that's probably more in the area that we're still looking, but we also are drawn to the idea of, okay, well, we keep hearing rumors around the Buffalo

Sabres. You know, is Kevin Adams going to step up to the plate? And what does that look like? So it's still relatively early. I'm not counting on anything big happening, but I said that maybe a week or so ago and got burned pretty hard on that Reddian deal. Wow, with Darren Dreger. So it was a pretty wild game.

Vegas last night, Vegas and Dallas, Dallas ends up winning in overtime. But the Miro Heiskin in Mark Stone play was a weird one. I don't know if everyone would have seen it or not. Hopefully Joe from the Bridge, if we have it, we can roll it on TSN2. Or it fell into his leg. Well, Rupe Hinch trips him. He puts a stick there. It looked like a trip in lunge, though, to me. Like, he does trip him, but then why is he diving at his leg

like that? Yeah, he never dives in the neutral zone. That was a weird play. It was. And high skin, it's hurting. Dallas is bent out of shape. Hang on, James. Before you answer this, Hayes, I want you to come clean on what you, because

I know you think there's something more to this. What do you really think of that play? I thought it was a very peculiar play. I mean, it looked like a football play. Like it's, yeah, he got tripped and Hintz has to be a hero immediately and go up, hey, what are you doing? Hintz, I don't know why Hint hints was going at his leg there I don't right but it is a weird play for him to kind of dive at high skin in the way that he

did I I don't know I don't know how the league's supposed to handle that and and Pete DeBoer was pissed off after the game loves Mark Stone knew him from Vegas yeah he's like why wasn't that a five-minute penalty dove at his leg and took him out of the game. Yeah, well, I mean, the Department of Player Safety doesn't look at it through the lens of Pete DeBoer, obviously, right? Sure, of course. They do look at the sequence of events, as you guys have illustrated here. I mean, I had to watch it a few times, you know, just to recognize, okay, well, first of all, what is Mark Stone doing there? And then when you watch it in the longer version, you're right.

You see that Rupay Hintz trips him up. Um, and it does look like he's lunging or at least sweeping with the stick to the puck, but there's full weight contact on Mero Haskin's knee. Yeah. I mean, full weight contact there. So could it be accidentally on purpose? I mean, I weight contact there. So could it be accidentally on purpose? I mean, I don't know. I don't know what Martin Stone is seeing there,

but I mean, he was launched like a projectile off that trip and hit that defenseman full on. So I don't think we're gonna hear anything. It certainly, I didn't get the sense today from proposal around that there was much coming from the department player safety but i i'm had to mind that there a little bit of feeling clear heard something like that and i said i mean that's a serious player for the last time and like that's

fine serious player uh... and i would say you know different players differences situations but kate gulie last night, Lasserie, he said surgery and he's out indefinitely. Right. Like that's going to be tough. Harvest for them. No. Yeah.

Like he did it himself, too. Right. Like that. They ran into the boards. It was just an awkward play. But, you know, you know, you hope he's all right. But that's that seems like that's curtains for the season. How long could he be out for?

Yeah, exactly. Could it be done for the year or what? Yeah, and you automatically now we go over to the protection angle in the discussion and the argument, right? And I don't even know without knowing specifically what the cut looks like, where exactly it is in the quad, whether or not there'd be any layer level of protection, any of the cut resistant stuff that's available, all of that.

But I know that safety department, which is aligned with hockey operations, every time there's a laceration. And I'm not being critical. I mean, they stay on these things, be it in the NHL, junior hockey, the women's league, college, you name it, they investigate it and they just build a stronger case for just advocating that the Players Association and the National Hockey League do more to promote the fact that there is protection

available so this could jump into that territory. Yeah, well I mean individual players can wear whatever they want too, right? Yeah. It's not like you need the league to mandate that. And you already see it with certain guys with the turtlenecks and... For sure, more and more. Yeah. But those socks, and like, you know, there are like, protective that don't get cut. Like, they wear them, the sleeves now and the socks and... Yeah. You should almost have a body suit like that it it critical areas on your body like a one piece that is is made at camera so i can't lower

material isn't it is it drags again i think that i'd be i'd be i'd be a couple are but i i don't know if the new stuff like now it's almost like that you this kevlar threads that are sewn and won't through yes the fabric one eight you know I'd get car online one because I mean can't grab me got everything figured out so you don't know what's going on there's a beef jerky too has got everything to watch stop convenience store is a long time

he is not a beef jerky hill hookup i'd be a maybe he can drop you a box of the gym that you work out i am working hard that's my concern is that i think you just got to tell me be honest and it's not a slight because there's different options and i don't know if this guy was a serious tweeter but he some guy sent me a tweet and said I saw Hayes at the massage station and he fell asleep is there a massage station yes Planet Fitness they have a beautiful station it's like at the mall those chairs there's not a masseuse like on call it's like at the mall with the chairs in the middle no no no they have

they have the massage chairs though. You sit in there and they radiate like all up and down. Absolutely they have that. It's not like a back street in Montreal or anything like that. No, no, no. It's all in the up and up. That's probably accurate. I might have fallen asleep. I probably was grinding, putting in a tough workout. That's all that matters. And I probably had the headphones on. I probably shut the mill down for half an hour. Whoever that is, tell them to say hi next time. I will. I don't need people creeping around

when I'm out playing fitness, but I'm in there doing my thing and I'm working on the body. I've had a couple of wimpy pals who may or may not work out there. Yeah. And I mentioned they've spotted you a few times. I'm in there. Lots of looking at the phone, lots of scrolling. There's a lot of that. There is a lot of

phone action which I know and that's what's awkward is I kind of sense I'm like people are looking at me like this guy hasn't done anything in a while you know. It's a lot of downtime here. That's why I love that massage chair, man. They got the hydraulics back there. I haven't even heard of a massage chair at a gym. Yeah. Just sitting there? Oh, it's brilliant. I got to hook you up, Noodles.

I will hook you up. A tanning bed. Is there a tanning bed there, too? There is actually a tanning station. Yeah. Come on. I'm going to have a tent going for deadline for the train deadline I'm gonna be decked out. It looked like the guy behind the Leafs bench there. I can't remember that guy

Yeah, he owns that restaurant. The guy behind the Leafs bench is always was it octagon or something like that Yeah, I don't know what he owns. Just a handsome guy all tan. Looks like a million bucks All right Drex, we'll leave it that i think you're doing this let the company to leave it yet again we'll do our best to have regular tsn hockey and center