OverDrive - Ferraro on the Maple Leafs leading the division, the Rangers' downfall and the Eastern Conference close race

Episode Date: January 8, 2025

ESPN Hockey Analyst Ray Ferraro joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Rangers' gradual downfall and the changes to the team, the Maple Leafs' performances and leading the Atlantic Division, the Eastern Conference standings, the 4 Nations Face-Off approach for players 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 here on the Maple Tidal Hotline. You're a Rangers alumni, Ray. Do you have any idea what's going on down there or what?

Yeah, my tenure in New York was quite significant. I lasted 65 games. Does that still make you an alumni? Absolutely. I played four, Ray. I consider myself an alumni. I think I played four games for them. Noodles, they got to throw a banner up for us. All of us that played under one year. Just get us on one banner It's a it really is an odd thing Rangers that's right. Yeah, like so like I did the game there Saturday and The there's a great line. I forget the coach that said it and It was about that their fourth line had a really good game and he said like our fourth line was our best line, good for them, bad for us.

And so, like the Rangers played that game and like we didn't talk about because they didn't have anything to do with the game like Panarin, you know, had a really quiet game, and he's a terrific player. Laffernier scored the other night, but he didn't touch the puck that night. Trocek had a really difficult game. Zabaniad scored once, Fox had a couple assists. But the big guys, they've taken such a step back

from where they were last year. I think they were shell-, like a little bit. They seem exhausted and you know, all three of us have played on losing teams. It's exhausting to lose all the time. And it's like, you know, you, you know, you spring a leak somewhere, you try to plug it and then a leak spring somewhere else. Like you can go through that roster up and down and there is very few guys that you would say oh they've had a really good year to this point.

And to that fourth line thing like Will Cooley's had a really good year, Heedle when he's healthy has been really good. Yeah that's fine but they need Miller, they need Fox, they need Panarin, and Zabaniad, and Kreider, Kreider's got, I think, one assist this year. Like, how the hell do you play half a year and have one assist? The whole, that's all he's got?

No. Well, he might have two, but he doesn't have more than two. That seems impossible, yet probably explains the situation they're in. We brought them up because of the reported rumor out there that the Rangers had offered Zabinijad for JT Miller and that Canucks turned them down. What that says to me though is both teams think the other team is the disaster. The Rangers are like, well, you guys are a disaster in Vancouver

So we'll take Miller and you can have our guy because I I think collectively we'd all say at their best Miller's a better player More effective player. I believe that but Miller's not having a great year he had four points the other night But it's been a mess for him, too So I don't know how Vancouver can really you know sure you shut it down Maybe that's not what you're looking for but JT Miller's not having a great season at this point either. But what gets in that, like I read that thing yesterday and I'm like, but I don't know who's a Banajad's agent is, but Miller's reported through, Pierre Le LeBron had it yesterday, and that nobody's talked to them about it.

Like both of them have a no trade clause. Right. So like how could they offer somebody if they don't know he's gonna go anywhere? You would have to hear. That would complicate things. Yeah, you would have to get a list from the player and say, hey, if I could make a deal

to one of these X number of teams, would you go? And so like all these rumors that are flying around, like I don't know what's based in fact, I think very little actually is my, is my take on it. Um, about the Rangers, like, you know, why don't they make a big move on? Most of the guys you'd move have a no trade clause. That's why you don't make a move. Like you't it would be nice I'm sure that I'm sure they'd love to but they've you're kind of hamstrung with we talk about a guy signing a deal like oh yeah he's got a you know he's got a no move clause or a no trade clause and it doesn't mean

anything on the day signs but we see down the road it becomes a real hindrance. With Ray Ferraro, so trying to determine what means what as it applies to the Maple Leafs. I'm curious your view on this Ray because you know the four of us have talked about the Leafs for a decade and we know their history and the playoffs and all that yet you know they're halfway home here, they're leading the division, they're tied for first in the east, they've won five in a row They've dealt with all these injuries and they just keep plugging along and it feels as if they're legitimately in a race to win They're you know finished with a top seed in the division possibly top in the East. Maybe the president's trophy

Like what is what does that work to you? In the grand scheme of things when trying to evaluate where the Leafs are at? I think to me it means something because it just feels like they win a different way most times now. Like in the past it always seemed to be no matter what we talked about at the end of all that error was yeah but their goal-tenning is just okay or yeah, but their defense is just okay. That's not been the case. And to me, that's what we've seen. That's the playoff

way is that you have to be able to defend and you have to be able to get really good goal-tending. Last year, they get to game seven, they lose two-one in overtime, right? Like, they were starting to get there, yet it felt impossible that they could bring, if we go back to that time, felt impossible that, oh my God, they're gonna bring all these guys back and do it again, like run them back again. Yet, when the Ruby's hired, there is no question

what the style of play is gonna be, or what the goal of the style of play is. Nobody has any question to it. And then I don't know how much gets talked about, you know, like I'm not on every day anymore in Toronto with you guys, but like Chris Tann of change is just about everything for them because they have one guy that doesn't give a damn if he gets one point or a hundred and you'll never get a hundred But he defends he kills penalties. He rubs off on the other D. They find a good partner for him You I don't know

I there's there's a reason he became a free agent and there were a half a dozen teams like in a line trying to sign him Because they know what he is Dallas would have loved to have him back. So that all to me seems like they're just a different team. Knives is a player. Like I said, I was in Washington doing the Ranger game. I look at Cooley and Knives and I'm like, these guys are so big and they skate so well. And Kn nice has got nice hands and he can play with good players. And I'm like, damn, like if you had somebody like that on your, on an entry level or a first year, first contract, that that's just, it's worth more than what they can do because you can pay other people.

The whole thing could have gone off the rails a couple of times. And it just, I don't know, I look at them differently. They're better, clearly they're better than Boston. They're better than Tampa. I think Florida will add a defenseman. And so in the division, you're at the very top. I think Florida and Toronto is the two very best teams.

Yeah. I think they, yeah, go ahead. And I was going to say, see I think the sleeper stuff is out west, like Vegas is really good and they've got cap space and so that means that they're in for something. Like they're going to do their best to improve somewhere because they can and they always do. You mean acquire like six guys that are really good like they usually do? Yeah. And we're all gonna go,

and we're all gonna go like, how the hell did they do that? Yeah, I know, exactly. And they do it every year and so why wouldn't they do it again? Edmonton is, you know, they're on a really great run here and you know they'll add, they'll try to add a defenseman.

I would think of some significance, even though right now it doesn't matter because they're, they don't give up any goals and they score almost four goals a game. Winnipeg's really good and then Colorado, if their goal-tending is really straightened out, holy smokes. Like, like those are are those are four monsters West I don't think the East has the same past this year. It just doesn't feel like it anyway Yeah, I think you know because you got some new blood here like we were saying Washington Playing as well as they are and you know Jersey now that they've got some

Goaltending and added a piece or two Sheldon Keefe has always been a very, very good coach. Especially in the regular season, you know he's got the same history and rep as the Maple Leafs, he's gotta prove he can do it in the playoffs, but he pushes the right buttons in the regular season. Carolina, you know it's, I don't know, I'm with you. Okay, so there's a team, you know what,

that I kind of, I always kind of overlook them and then they're always really good and they don't quite ever seem to be able to get over that last hurdle, but they've got space to make a significant move too. And so it's funny, even just in this conversation, you know, I, I've said like five times, oh, you know, they'd like to add this, they'd like, everybody's trying to add the same, the same five players. And sometimes you get them and sometimes you don't. And, um,

it'll be really interesting. I think in my mind, there's two trade deadlines this year. There's one right before the four nations when I think teams will really want to make a, if they're going to make a significant move, they'd love to do it there because then they've got that 10 days of the four nations to get every, you know, get the player sorted into the new city and organized. And then of course, there's the regular deadline.

Why wouldn't more teams do the Jimmy Rutherford trade deadline, which is if you want some guys, go and get them now, like now. Well, I think, I think because if we look in the East, there's like eight teams think they're gonna make the playoffs and Five of them aren't yeah But you just Toronto and Florida want a defenseman one of them why not just if you're looking at the same guys pull The trigger on it and get it over with I always

Well, what if the guys might matheson? or you know like if I I watched him the other night and I'm like, damn, that guy can skate still and he can play. And I think he would be a guy in Montreal if they decide to move him, they'll get, there'll be a lot of teams that would compete for him. But Montreal is hanging, they're right at the wild card spot. Exactly.

So maybe they don't want to make a move right now. And so all these, I guess I've noticed this most since like when, I think I probably already knew it but you know with Kami working and stuff it's like if if the media is talking about what a team needs over and over and over again do you not think the management knows like they probably got an idea. They knew a month they knew six months ago what they want like that's what we talk about it for five minutes they talk about it for eight hours a day every day.

That's what management does. What else are they going to do? They've probably got up 18,000 trade possibilities. Seriously, each team is going through all these scenarios about, well, if we could get that guy, we could move this guy, but we don't want to touch that prospect. And so they're all talking about the same thing. And then you get down and it's like 10 players, like the 10 legit guys that you might, the teams might be willing to trade or you might really want. And then somehow you got to make the deal work.

And it all, you know, all it's gummed up in the cap and all that stuff too. But it's, yeah, I just think like that as much as I don't like the cap, cause I wish the players were able to make, you know, what other sports can make and stuff like that. But there's obvious reasons they can't. The cap is done what it's intended and that is compact the league. Like it's just, I don't know how, can you guys tell like before they used to be like look at that team, they're way better than everybody else, you just can't do that anymore. No, that's the truth.

They're just so much parody and that's the reason why you see so many teams lumped up and you know that's, it's going to be, a team goes on a five game winning streak or a five game losing streak, a five game losing streak. They put themselves in a way different spot in the standings just based on how things are lumped up. It's funny you say five games noodles. I just came across this today.

Least of one five straight, Bruins have lost five straight. Yeah. Yeah. Ten points each. Yeah. Gone the other way. And now, you know, Boston is like 40 miles from Toronto. But five games ago, it wasn't that way.

It happens quick. It happens quick. That's the thing. I meant to ask you, Ray, we brought up four nations. What's your stance on if a player is laboring with an injury or if you're in management, do you lean in towards, hey, the player kind of sitting this one out or, you know, what do you make of that? If, if the discussion is almost game to game or more or less game to game, hey, can he

go, can he not go and he's playing, I, I, I would lean to pulling him or to holding him back. Like if, if you've got to make almost a, not a game time decision, but a daily decision, whether the players okay to play on that day, I, I think I'd want to hold them back. I don't know if the player, like I don't know how that even conversation would work because could they hold them back or does he say, no, I want to play so I'm going to play.

Like I think it's more complicated, but if the guy, like if Matthews is back and he's playing every game to the, up to the break and he's playing 18 to 22 minutes a game and every day the next morning he comes in and he's feeling great, well then he's healthy and you play. I'd be scared to death that he comes back and he's feeling great, well then he's healthy and you play. I'd be scared to death that he comes back out of the thing and isn't. But I mean that's, I guess it's like the Olympics next year.

Guys are going to go and probably get, somebody's going to get hurt and they're going to lose a significant player. Right? They're going to lose a significant player. But how do you, if they've all signed off on it, how do you hold them back? Exactly. And it's a league run event. You know, the league, they wanna make money off this. They're selling it, they're promoting it.

And again, it may be a little bit different if these guys have had an opportunity to play best on best for the last decade, but they haven't. I know, Hayes, but it's not the Olympics though. And when you're paying a guy 13-something million and you're trying to make a move in the playoffs, like that would

Be on top of your mind. It is very it's very complicated. There's also there's You know different rules for different players and using Matthews as an example What you know the truth is what are the Leafs gonna do? What are they gonna do sit them bench them trade them? No, he says he's going he's. And that's the end of the story. If he wants to go, he's going to go. There's nothing they're going to do about it. You would hope that with the medical staff, you could take a clear sort of decision at it and go, okay, where are we at?

Each game you come in, or the next day, are we dealing with a half an hour of prehab to get you just on the ice? Because if that's the case, then you would hope that the player would realize, hey, you know, like I got some responsibility here too, to my team, because in the long run, it's probably playing in the Olympics next year anyway. I'm not talking about Matthews, of course he is, but I mean, another player. Like, you know, I think you've, I don't know, it would be tough. I mean, I'm just trying to think, like if I had that chance,

and you know, you're kind of banged up a little bit, would you, it's four games. Like, would you not think like, man, I can do that, I can get myself through that? It would be a, it would be hard to walk away as I think about it. Yeah, especially for the perimeter guys because they'd be fearful they'll hold that against you at the Olympic Games next year. Someone else steps in and plays great, all right, you're out.

What do we need you for next year? We won without you and and i would think that there's as much as we maybe picked over the rosters a little bit now uh... can you imagine for the olympics well that like that's draft in there focus on each pick is going to be ten times greater than it was for for for nation well that's that's one thing that needs to be considered

is you know we can call whatever we want manufactured made up not as important if canada doesn't perform well the pressure is going to be crazy for the olympic games all right right like it'll be crazy anyway but with the world junior stuff the last couple years people on edge to begin with hockey canada we know what's happened with the whole program the last few years. If Canada shows up the four nations and loses, you know, every game or whatever doesn't make it to the final, by next year at the Olympic Games, it will be, it'll be a completely different feeling. Like it'll be, you have to win. Like you have to find a way to win that. Well, I do think the way that they picked,

and again, or let me not again, let me just say like, I didn't know a lot of the roster before they picked the world junior team. And so I talked to a couple of people and they went, ooh, they've left some really good players off. And as it turned out, they left some really good players off.

But I wonder if that, now you've already picked the four nations, but I wonder if their failures in picking the team leak into how they have those discussions, you know, Doug Armstrong and his group for the Olympics, about putting together, you know, where you nitpick your roster or you just put the best together where you nitpick your roster or you just put the best, more of the best players on. I wonder if that becomes almost like a lab experiment that went wrong and you go, okay, we've got to do something different. Well, and the truth of that is Ray, that that may affect different players than you think

in terms of even legacy guys. And I'm thinking Sid, who's still great would be is on this team this year clearly and he would be even if he didn't get the automatic six But let's say next year, you know, he's a year old or not having a great start and there's a lot of pressure to bring your best Like would it be possible? You imagine hey Crazy to be a haze call Sid and tell him he's not included. I know. Could you imagine?

Who's making that call? Doug Armstrong? It'd have to be Doug. Every other assistant. Is that even a possibility to call one of the guys and say that you were originally named but you're not on the team? Well, not for this one. Not for the four nations.

You know what, Ray and Brian? You should make Brian have to call Sid and tell him that. I would have to do it. Because wasn't it like 12 years ago that you guys had the argument between Kessel and Kross? Wasn't it a manufacture? Yeah, it was Phil versus Sid the rest of that season. I wasn't even on the show then, but Hays was saying Phil was the better player.

For the rest of that year, it was a hypothetical. hypothetical i took out i don't know working eight in here over the stupidity of that argument was a great i don't know if there was no context to it other than that for the rest of this year would you take a look at the city cross the and that's not going to take a nice it was the right answer.

It drew out for weeks we were talking about that. It was great content. Oh my god. It was so fast. When I look back or think about it, I haven't thought about that in a long time, just how idiotic that hypothetical was. It really was. It was one of your greatest moments.

It was amazing. It meant nothing. It led to yelling and people stopping me in the hall saying, wow man, I couldn't believe you and Ray buzzing about that topic. It was a good one. It was a really good one. I gotta say before I go here, not often I learn like research and stuff just kind of listening, you know, like the people babble around, oh, your research yesterday on Duffy? Oh, Forbes. Forbes, Duffy. Okay, so I text him today and I said, hey, Forbes, he didn't answer back.

So I am going to text him every day, Hey Forbes, until he answers me. Good. Let us know how long it lasts because this could be a world record of getting iced out. This was spectacular work. Right. I almost passed out when the guy said to me, he goes, where's Forbes? And my eyes lit up like dinner plates. I was like, excuse me? He's like, where's Forbes? And I said, my eyes lit up like dinner plates. I was like, excuse me? He's like, where's Forbes?

And I knew there was a nugget at the end of that. And I loved it. He goes, that's Duthie's name. It's Forbes. I don't know how would you, how am I even gonna call him James or Jimmy again? No, you don't. Because the other 50% of people in Ottawa call him Jamie.

That's another one. The people were like, Jamie, hey Jamie. And I'm like, Jamie. That's what they call him. They call him Forbes and Jamie. One of Cammie's friends married this guy who went to school with him. And so, I don't know, 10 years ago he goes, hey, you work with Jamie Duffy, right? I'm like, who? Jamie. Wow. Wow. It's like we don't know, 10 years ago he goes, Hey, you work with Jamie Duffy, right? I'm like, who?

Jamie. Wow. It's like we don't even know the guy. No, nobody knows my guy. Oh, I think he's in a secret service or something too. He's got to be. That's what's disappointing. He'd be too, no, but he'd be too much of a disaster to be in the secret service. Right. He's in the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. he's got the key to the city, and there was announced when we were there, there's a James Duffy day. Wow!

A James Duffy day in Ottawa. This guy's a legend. They're really proud of him in Ottawa. Dude, they are. I love the guy, but you gotta admit, it's too much. That's a lot of love. It's a lot. It's too much.

This is a guy that worked with like a, remember that hand thing he had with the little cat? A hand puppet. And then one time he came in limping because he pulled a hamstring and flaked football. And you're like, what a gamer. How are these guys on the ice doing it? Look at you. Sports Hall of Famer. Oh, that's him. Sports Hall of Famer. That's, hey listen, I credit him. He's got a hometown that loves him. Mine would love me to leave, I think. Toronto doesn't want me around half the time. I don't know about you, King City and Trail BC and St. Albert. Maybe you guys would love to be in your hometown. Yeah, there's no parade there. No?

Noodle, you've got a parade anywhere, oh? No, I got like an 8x10 plaque at the arena. Me too. Something at the arena. Me too. Something in the arena, something in the high school. That's about it. That's all you got. That's all you got.

The high school? Oh, you never were there. I don't get it. I wasn't there a lot, man. I was not there a lot. Quick pit stop every once in a while. Just to make sure everyone's aware that you're still around. All right, buddy.

We'll leave it there. Good catching up with you. Happy New Year. We'll do it again soon. Yeah, awesome. Great to talk to you guys. Hope to see you soon. Yeah, you got it. There's Ray Farrar joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline.

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