OverDrive - Dreger on Schenn's trade market emerging, Tanev's injury timeline and Rantanen's possible trade options

Episode Date: February 27, 2025

TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joined OverDrive to discuss the latest around the NHL, the Maple Leafs' win against the Bruins, Chris Tanev's injury timeline in Toronto, Brayden Schenn's trade market in the league, Elias Pettersson's performance with the Canucks, Mikko Rantanen's trade options and more.

Lights camera action the 2025 Juno Awards are hitting Vancouver on March 30th and IHAR radio is your ticket to the stars Hosted and performance by Michael Pooble Plus a final performance by Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees some 41 and more you can win an IHAR radio Experience with tickets flights and a three-night stay at the Fairmont Hotel, Vancouver here's their trigger tsn hockey insider uh... when you think oilers drags like where where how do you see them attacking the trade deadline the people the price one can already discussed earlier today as one of

strutty body This is two for the price of one. Cause I already discussed this earlier today as one of Struddy's buddies. Ooh, very nice. All right. Yeah. Well, I mean, they're bound by the cap. No different than the Toronto Maple Leafs or any contending team that, you know, is a cap spending group. So the Vanderkeen situation ties in here because, you

know, if he comes back before the playoffs, then you know, the Edmonton writers are in one. It's got to be dollar in and dollar out. And, you know, we can all see the needs right now, though. I mean, to say that they're in a funk, I mean, that's an understatement, obviously. And every mistake that's made seemingly ends up in the back of their net. You know, when they're playing better, yeah, they'd like to try and upgrade their blue line. They'd like to add another forward, a penalty kill guy if they can. Lots of things that Stan Moleman would like to do, but given his cap constraints, it's gonna be a challenge. They've got to figure it out internally, I think, first and foremost, and see what the deadline provides us in the next nine days. Okay

Yeah, it is a funk man. They're they're getting beat up. Go ahead. Oh Darren. Is there any update in Toronto about Tanev? Yeah, Nylander with the wrist. I mean didn't let him not playing in Tana didn't go good leaving the ice No, so It you know is noted that Tana either left the the building or was seen after the game with a sling. And not that that tells you anything really, other than he's clearly got something bothering his arm or shoulder. But the news was quite a bit better than I think the Toronto Maple Leaf were even expecting. I mean guys, we know that Chris Tanniff is a tough dude, right? So, you know, it didn't seem like that egregious of a hit by Johnny Beecher, but it took him out of the game. And so there needed to be further evaluation.

And the news they got back, I'm told, is better than expected. I don't know the specifics of what exactly he's dealing with, but Greg Borubey faced the media and he described it day by day. And you know, now automatically we think back to early in the year where Toronto went through other scenarios, including us, Matthews, where it was day by day until it wasn't day to day. Right? So I'm not suggesting that's the case here.

I'm just saying that it's better than they expected. So you know, anyone who wants to get into the deep dive of okay well this guy's even marginal creeping up to next Friday March 7th, well they've got to swing for the fence on the defenseman, pump the brakes. I mean it's still center and defenseman and what is most affordable and if they get the center they want then that's fine they'll maybe sacrifice and add a third pairing D if that player is available if they don't get the center that is perfect then you know maybe they shift over and they try and add a better pedigree D so a lot's up in the air but not because of injury so would Braden-Shinn be considered the perfect center? Like, what does your read on their infatuation with Braden-Shinn compared to other possibilities?

Sidney Crosby would be the perfect center. Yes. Exactly. Get him to town, please. I love that. No, I... Draggs, before you start, if they get pumped one time, he's going to get traded. Like, I'm sorry, he can't keep getting swiped.

That is enough in pittsburgh man like not enough well mark and the next this radio you probably have the best chance of getting into the year so that i feel like we're needs to start so if you can get in in cross the year and face of the archaic cup one more time

then maybe it becomes reality but that obviously what happened to happen. You know, I mean, that would make things a lot easier for Carl Dubas if he were able to move out some of his his bigger future hall of fame contracts. But no, you know, back to the Maple Leafs. And is there such thing as a perfect fit? No, because even if we look at Braden Shen, oh, man, they love the winning category.

You've got the history of Craig Berube with Shen in 2019 in St. Louis, the fact that he can play two-center, three-center, whatever you need, not perfect in the sense that you know he's an older player with a bit of terms still left in on his contract but it's 6.5 million. You know, it's not over the top terrible, but he also has a full-mo trade. So does he wanna leave St. Louis and knowing the winning player character that we think Braden Shen is,

then I would say, yeah. I was told earlier today that there's as many as four teams that are seriously interested. I'm not even gonna guess at what the other three are because I might be wrong. I can guess at two, Toronto of course being one. But then after that, you guys break it down. Is Shen a better option given what you're going to have to pay to get them? And it's probably the equal of two first round draft picks. So one of those prospect guys,

when we talked about an insider trading yesterday, Easton Callen, Fraser Minton, somebody like that, Dan Ford, go down the list. And maybe your first in 26, that gets a little bit hefty unless you're sure that he's gonna give you your best chance of winning the Stanley Cup and that has to be what the Maple Leafs are motivated by.

This year, next year, we need to contend for a Stanley Cup. So is it Braden Schenn? Is it Lawton? Who is it? And I think that's what they're focused on. Drex, I'm wondering about the Vancouver Canucks. They've already made a pretty big trade, but they got Brock Bester who's just sitting there going into unrestricted free agency.

They're on the cusp of a playoff spot, but do they look ahead or are they going to hold on? What do you get the sense out of Vancouver with the way they're going to handle a potentially pretty big free agent? Yeah, so you know what? There are two guys that are on everyone's trade bait board and one of them is Brock Nelson, the other one is Brock Buster. I mean, there are lots of players, don't get me wrong, but when you're looking at expiring

contracts, but both kind of fit in the same conversation. That's why I bring up Brock Nelson. It's a difficult one. Lou Lammerle would love to extend Brock Nelson, but I mean, Brock Nelson is looking at the reality of the New York Islanders and he's probably going, yeah, I don't think so. And we've all heard the Minnesota rumblings and the rumors of, you know, him landing with the wild in the off season. I mean, all of that is, is just allegation projector until it becomes reality. So you know there's gonna be a tough conversation that needs

to be had between agent and Lou Amorello, likewise in Vancouver with Brock Besser, same agent by the way, and and Patrick Galvin and Jimmy Rutherford. You know the Vancouver Cubs have not nailed down a playoff spot, so that's priority one. They'd like to think that they've got some juice going into the playoffs if they do that. Can they do any of that without Brock Besser? And I don't think that he is, well, I'm going to say I know he's not interested in talking extension right now. So is that enough for Alveen and Jimmy Rutherford to save between now and next Friday, March

7th? Yeah, okay, we're not gambling on that. We'll roll the dice here. We maybe have enough, maybe we don't have enough, but we need the assets that we're going to get back from Blockbusters. So Scotty, we're going to learn that in the next nine days. Darren, how long can they watch Pedersen perform? Do you think they're still monitoring him, trying to make a call before the deadline

that he might go out the door as well? And to follow that, would there be a team that has been watching him for the past year saying, yeah, we'll take everything, the player, the money, the attitude, all of it, give it to us, we want it? Well, if that team exists, I haven't heard of that team I mean there are teams of course that you know prior to the latest round and prior to JT Miller getting traded to the New York Rangers that of course expressed interest and then prior to Mika Ratner going to the Carolina Hurricanes in Carolina was was deeply interested in Elias Patterson and you know they just

ultimately changed course and focused on Migo Rand and trade with the Colorado Avalanche. You know the last couple of games that I watched Vancouver play, you know it looked like Patterson was playing a little bit harder and there was more in his game and you wonder, you know he missed an epa like two feet on that breakaway. If he scores there, is there a glimmer of hope where it changes everything? And we don't know. I did not like the snipe too. I think it was Ian McIntyre, you know, about, uh, within the media annoys me more than, you know, the lack of confidence. All right, buddy, like you're in one, just figure it out

and play as well as you can play because they're counting on him being their top line center. He needs to be a top player in Vancouver and he's neither. So they're stuck with him and he's an $11.6 million cap hit. I can't imagine the team is going to step up front here between now and the 7th of March Unless you're taking a whole bunch more questions coming back and maybe bad contracts and all of that

I I'm not throwing this kid under the bus I I think talent level is there and maybe that you know with a different environment or whatever He finds his path, but I think that we're probably talking about this in the summer we're doing trigger uh... what is what is the actual likelihood that carolina will trade me go ranted in before they really even said that comment that is crazy but i think that's not last night in montreal the guy he doesn't he hasn't scored like a shun percent is way down and all reports from last night were

He was a ghost right playing out there and rots playing a baton He's playing 20 minutes 21 minutes a night. It's not like he's sitting at the end of the bench the guys playing Right. He just he cannot find a fit. They can't score They can't win and he hasn't committed to a contract extension They can't score, they can't win, and he hasn't committed to a contract extension. No. Well, I mean, okay, and I've shared this before, and I think that we're all in agreement. How do you make that trade from Carolina's perspective without having any contract certainty? You know, you're not talking about a throw-in player, an expiring contract, or any of that. You're talking about

one of the top players in the National Hockey League who's proven he's a top player in the NHL, and you gave up some pretty good assets. Marty Nates is a quality hockey player, and he's delivering in Colorado. So that part doesn't make sense to anyone that I've checked with around the National Hockey League. So automatically, you're sitting there going, okay, it didn't make a whole lot of sense. And now the way things have gone in Carolina, I honestly, the guy I think that's ranting and is floundering a little bit

because of everything that's happened in his life over the past several weeks here. And when he spoke about not having the opportunity to even really talk discount, what his contract would look like at a discounted price with Colorado, I think that was 100% sincerity. I think he was being very honest

and he is deeply, deeply rattled. And you go from playing for Jared Bednar in Colorado where you've got Nate McKinnon going a million miles an hour, and all of the offense and how they play the game there, and how Roddy demands you play the game for the Carolina Hurricanes, well that is a full shift. And so, what Brantman has as the hammer here,

is a contract that expires at the end of the year. I don't think that he's certainly not going to tell them between now and March 7th that he's signing or he's 100% going to free agency. Why would he? So you let an asset like that just walk out the door after everything you've given up. I mean based on how we've seen a fit or misfit of Mika Ratan in Carolina I'd be surprised if they're not eager to have trade conversation by the middle of next week Well, that is so crazy. They did against the last year to say yeah, we're against so and see you later down to Tampa Go ahead strut. It's crazy, but I guess I know this is for the everyone here

Is that you know his head is spinning that is clear That does that the contract can even think about signing a contract if everything that's happened with everything's not to him I'd be like you know what no I understand what you're feeling here You want to do it, but I can't even think about signing this stride I don't care where your headspace is out of somebody digs up a hundred million dollars and I was gonna get it get your head At what he'll get it get your head at what he'll get it somewhere out he'll get I know he can only get seven years but he'll get the money like he's already made a lot of money okay then he's already back channeled

him and the agent have already back channeled where he wants to end up then if he's scoffing at a hundred million dollars which furthermore to the point why would you trade a guy if you know you're not going to lock him up? That is brain dead management. I'm sorry. Okay, but you're missing a rung on the ladder. They can negotiate a deal where it's a sign and trade, so he still gets his eight years, which gets him over $100 million, roughly, or around $100 million. Maybe if you're Carolina, you get more coming back because that team gets them for that each year

Like that's that's part of the scenario that could unfold here now I you know don't ask me what I like that all the money that I got there that doesn't happen Well, I know it's being discussed though. So whether it happens or not I I can't be sure but that's most definitely one of the scenarios that's being discussed or at least the player is open to if it gets to that point and listen to even if ranted it doesn't sign a long-term clearly that that would be a mess but the east is wide open and if he gets his head on i don't know

it's still a great play it's an upgraded roster right needless is done what he's done in Colorado good for him But if if you get the prime ranting in which we have seen for almost ten years now That sets up very well for Carolina to go on a run and so there Yeah, it could be a scenario where they go on a run. Yeah walks and they say, you know what we gave it a shot I mean, I kind of, I like the gamble. I appreciate why they did it, but I'm sure they were obviously they're hopeful

he'll accept their contract offer. So we'll see, but the idea that it's even being entertained that they might flip him again. And that has to do probably as much with the way he's fit in, right? Drugs, like maybe they just don't think he's gonna get comfortable in Carolina. Yeah, I mean that's part of it for sure.

And I think your point is well made, Brian. You know, we're having this conversation the way we're having it, because the trade deadline is nine days away. That's, you know, that's why. If the trade deadline were three weeks away, we probably wouldn't even be talking about it, because there's more sample size

of what Ratnam has done with the Carolina hurricane. So anything is possible and that own rental theory is legit. And look, I'll submit this, you know, like how is that different than Marner other than the longevity of Mitch Marner, you know, being drafted by the Maple Leafs and everything that has been invested, both the player and the team in him, but at the end of the day you're talking about two coveted potential unrestricted free agents. Well Toronto's not trading Marner between now and March 7th, right? So maybe that's Carolina's position given the uncertainty and the openness that does look like it is in the East.

Big time. Well and you know you look at these, Carolina's not at risk of missing the playoffs, Toronto's not, but that kind of middle ground in the East is pretty wild. When you look at what Ottawa's dealing with, they got Winnipeg in town tonight, and there's no Kichuk, there's no Pinto, there's no Norris. I'm curious how we forecast their game plan between now and next Friday where there's no certainty. They're gonna make the playoffs Yet you've gone this far. You got to get in at some point The fans are dying for it same mentality in Detroit same in Columbus But these injuries popping up at a bad time man, they're losing. Yeah, they don't look great all marks uncertain and net

What do you what do you see in Ottawa? What's your read on that situation? Well, I think they're willing to be patient with the injuries because they know that they're not overly serious. And the information I got at the start of the week was that Brady would be good to go for tonight. Obviously, he isn't. You know, there was question marks around Pinto and Norris.

So again, they want to make sure that everybody is healthy and as much as the game matters tonight against the Winnipeg Jets it's about making sure that everybody is as healthy as they can be so that when you're really deep into that final stretch wherever that number of games is that they've got a full compliment and I I think it is going to be interesting to watch this. Now, the messaging I get out of Ottawa is that they have an appreciation for the experience factor and they want to see Kachak and Tim Stutzla and Pinto and Norris and Batherson

and Chabot. Go down the list of all these young guys. Go through the mud here a little bit, earn that playoff spot, and then see what happens in the playoffs. As opposed to spending assets to acquire maybe a rental that helps, maybe the rental doesn't help as other teams have experienced, and there's a chance that Nick Cousins will come back and that'll feel like an athlete in the year as well. So I wouldn't be surprised if Teos has some depth, but I think he wants to make sure that his core guys go through the developmental process here so that they're more ready.

Dangerous, though, Dreggs, because if they don't make it, it's just another year, no playoffs. So it's great to be in the fight, but if they don't get in ultimately it's like yeah Hey, there's probably gonna be people questioning Well, why didn't you try to add to it and then final comments gonna be yeah Why couldn't the goalie perform and why didn't you not get in again? That's just all that base all of that and then on top of it I know you know fans eyes glaze over and we bring up salary cap stuff But Winnipeg Ottawa Ottawa, these smaller market teams,

with that salary cap going north of 90 million dollars, that's tough based on the way the dollar is now. So you do have to take advantage of playoff opportunities as much as you can. All right, Drex, we'll leave it there. It'll be a fun one in Ottawa tonight. Enjoy that game and we'll do it again soon. Okay boys, have a good one, thank you.

Darren Dregg or a TSN Hockey Insider. This February, IHER Radio celebrates Black History Month by amplifying the voices that define black excellence. Select upon and celebrate history and culture. From curated playlists, celebrating iconic black artists, to powerful podcasts. My grandmother marched with Martin Luther King.

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