OverDrive - Ferraro on the start of the NHL season, Maple Leafs' roster overview and Pettersson's struggles

Episode Date: October 15, 2025

ESPN Hockey Analyst Ray Ferraro joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the start of the season in the league, the Rangers' offensive struggles, Elias Pettersson not picking up the steam, the Panthers playing through the injury bug, the Maple Leafs' overall roster and Easton Cowan's role, the style of games and more.

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Here he is from ESPN. The Ray and Dregs podcast, there he is, Ray Ferraro. Mr. Vancouver. Mr. Blue Jay, how are we, how are we feeling about the Jays out in Seattle? Oh, hang on. You know I'm a Red Sox guy. Yeah. This is a sad state of affairs in Red Sox Nation.

Okay. Noodles were saying you're pumping up the tires, Ray. Come on, man. I was watching you on a broadcast. I was watching you on a broad. It must have been a Vancouver. broadcasts or something and you were like going yeah i'm so excited if the jays make it everybody will come down from vancouver or whatever i was like yeah he's pandering to his crowd you never

know well a little bit because in in vancouver like um it's not a guarantee people if they're baseball fans are blue jay fans like the mariners are kind of the closest thing we got and so a lot that people find like they kind of cheer for the mariners and and the mariners never win so it's kind of like when i used to cheer for the red socks and they never won it's kind of like your own club you know it's kind of like honestly it's kind of like leaf fans like you're you can never win and so you're like if if the Leafs ever win it'll be less fun being a fan because the misery is part of the of being the fan i was an exposed guy when i was a kid. I love the Expos. And so the Js were always my second Canadian team, but I'll tell you,

games one and two didn't go so well for them. So they better get on it. No, you're not kidding, man. You're not kidding. And you're right about that scar tissue and the community that you feel, you feel a part of because it's just misery and all these different things you've been through. Nobody expects a win. You expect a loss, right? You're like, how could they do it again? And you're like, oh, well, there it is. They'll find a way. They'll find a way. They'll find a signed away. And yeah, I mean, it gets, what do they say? It gets late quick or it gets early quick, whatever. I'm jamming that up. But if you're in the blue, it gets late. It gets late early. It gets late early. There is Yogi Berra. Yogi Hayes. It gets late early. And if you're the

Jays, man, it's getting late early. And the same thing with the Brewers. They get a flight of L.A. and try to figure that out, which will not be any easier. But what about from the NHL's perspective, like in your career, how quick does it have to be or how quick can it be before you start looking around and thinking, man, I'm starting to panic, whether it's on an individual basis, how you're playing, or from a team standpoint, if the team's not playing so well? Well, I individually, I'd say about four or five games. Like, if you don't have anything and you're supposed to have something in the total columns,

you start looking around and you're like, man, because five games, if you think of it, that's a couple of weeks right so now you're you're near in the end of october and you're like wait a minute i've got one assist in five seven games for a team i think it's 10 games you can you can probably have a pretty good indication of what you got like there's there's some teams that don't have any wins there's some teams that have won three and everybody's high or low and it's for me it's too early for that but man there are some alarming signs when in a couple of plays and even though it is early, you're like, oosh, that's not a good thing. What the hell you do if there's alarming signs three games in Razor, like,

especially like, even like Buffalo. You are sunk. Yeah, like three games in and when I think Tage Thompson came out and said, you guys need to relax. Like if you're a fan, that would be the last thing you would want to hear. 14 or 15 years it's been, and they haven't made the playoffs, and he says that, it would be crazy. So, I mean, I guess what else are they going to say?

But there's also been, like Alex Tuck and Thompson have said, you know, we've got to figure this out. They're not talking about so they can win more. They're like, guys' careers melt away fast. And pretty soon you're in a place for, especially when you're a really good player. When you're, you know, a guy that's just in the league, like, man, you'll play anywhere. I was thrilled to play in Atlanta the last three years my career. We got our teeth kicked in. I was just happy to be in the league, right?

But those guys, they're looking and go, wait a minute. I could play on a really good team. I could be on a team that plays in a way different space than the Sabres. I look at Buffalo and I, you know, I did some, I don't know, some interview like at the start of the year. And I said, my biggest fear or concern in Buffalo is I don't know what they're supposed to be. Like you might think you're a physical team and maybe not quite be good enough at it or a scoring team, but not quite good enough at it. Well, like, what are the Sabres supposed to be? And I think that's, after this many years, that's the biggest problem.

And so if some, you know, all this fire Kevin Adams stuff. So say you fire them and you bring in a new guy, the first thing they have to do is identify what the hell they have there and what are they trying to be. Right. Yeah, but that's five times over. For the life of me, I can't tell you. Like, what are they? Yeah, there's a collection. They've got some good players, but you're right.

There's a culture and no identity, Ray. That's the biggest challenge. And I think you did the New York game last night against Edmonton, right? Like, what are the – that team's been shot out. Oh, no, I was in Wash. Sorry, I was in Wash. I've got Edmonton the next one. I did New York opening night.

They're a team in the middle in a lot of ways. Like they're, they've got two lines that can score, well, two lines that could score and two lines that will never score. They've got some older players, no middle, and some younger players. You know, so like they're, it seems like they're trying to step into where the young guys take, you know, take a bigger chunk of the team, except all their better players are, they're older guys, they're an older team. And the young guys, they sent them all to the American League. which is probably the right spot. But could you imagine, like, Noodles you played there, and they haven't scored a goal in three games at home.

Like, like, that, you would feel that in the arena, like, halfway through the anthem. Like, you'd feel people getting nervous. It's like, they're, like, J.T. Miller's, like, you know, relax, it's three games, and he's totally right, except I don't know, like, Like, what exactly, yeah, what are they going to be? Like, are they going to score enough to be good enough? And I don't know that they are. Well, on an individual basis, Elias Patterson, I guess, came out today and say, you know,

I've got to take some ownership for my slow start. Speaking of his slow start, he's got one assist, and, you know, they're panicking Vancouver. I've picked up on that, that people aren't sure where Adam Foote's going with his team and what's going to happen. And like with Patterson, you know, we've talked about him so many times over the years. The three of us and the four of us when you join us, Ray, and I'm getting concerned from afar of like whether or not this guy can get out of the rut. And you see him up close and you know the market, you know how they feel about him. Like give us the glass half full, glass half empty approach to him on why you think he could return back to stardom, super stardom, or why maybe this is who he's going to be. And if so, that's going to be serious trouble for Vancouver.

Well, if this is who he's going to be, they've got enormous problems. Because he's their highest paid guy. They're not strong in the middle of the ice. He has to be their best setterman. And if this is how he can play, then they're sunk. I mean, like, how are you going to work around that? The glass half full is that he's healthy. and he was really engaged and skated quite well in training camp.

It's like the game overwhelms him right now at times. And it's not like he had a 50-point year, and you're like, oh, maybe he could get to 70. He had a 90-point year. Didn't he have a hundred-point year one time? Did he get it? Close. He was tipping up on it, for sure he was.

I'm pretty sure that had 100 points in the National Hockey League. like how where does it go like how do you go that this is the thing i just cannot get from him is like it just it can't just disappear can it like i just i don't i don't understand i don't i can't think of anyone that i would compare to that sort of thing you know other than injury take you know take a guy right out of commission but he used to He used to get the puck, and he's not a super fast guy, but he'd go north with it. He'd get himself into a position to shoot it. He'd shoot it.

You know who's not fast, and a great player is Wyatt Johnson? Yeah. He's not fast. He's not big. He's not strong. Like, none of those things you'd go, you know, like, oh, this is why he's a really good player. He's just a really good player. I call it a Goals in three straight games.

Like, Wayne Gratsky, he was not like a bullet skater, but he was just quick and he was on everything. Yeah. And so I think if people are, you know, in Vancouver, of course, you know, the panic buttons at 11 already. And it's because of

what Pedersen has not been able to do out of the game. And so they can talk about the depth of the roster and, you know, oh, they've got really good goaltending and Quinn Hughes hasn't had a very good start either. You know, he's such a fabulous player. But you can talk

about all those things but if if peterson doesn't get out of the mud there i i just don't i don't see what the solution is with ray ferraro um florida got hit again today i guess kulikov which was not technically today i think the last few days they knew this was coming but he's out for five months and barcov's done and hugh and kuch is out and yet they've won games and they've they've kind of hit the ground running um but they've played more hockey than anyone else the last three years. They're still the prohibitive favorite. If everyone's healthy, they're still the best team in the league.

But where do you see this going in Florida? If your other top-end teams in the East or top-end teams in the league, are you starting to gain some confidence that maybe the wheels are going to fall off a little bit, considering everything that they have to go through already? Well, I mean, we put our picks in at the start of the year. I had Florida as a Stanley Cup winner again, even though I'm like, how could anyone possibly win three years in a row? And then Barkoff got hurt.

And I'm like, well, that changes everything. Because you can say, oh, they can, you know, Lundell can move up. And they've got Bennett and Rodriguez used to play center. And so they could put him there too. But it's just not the same team. It's like you take your best all-around guy. And even if he were able to come back, like at what percentage is he going to be able to come back at? so i i i don't really care how many guys they've lost they're a good team they're going to make

the playoffs i would be worried about playing them because you might get into a series and then you get no chances and they win every game three two or two one like they could do that um i do it definitely brings them back to the pack though like no no question i i i i don't uh i remember talking to Paul Maurice. It was actually here. I'm in New York now. And last year, and he said, you know, they've gone through a rough stretch. And he goes, I'm a little bit worried, but I'm not concerned. I said, I'm worried because we're given some points away and we're not playing well. And so I keep thinking of that each time I read home. Here goes another guy for what's Kulikoff, five months or something or other. Right? And you're like, but they're kind of like, you know,

the old tortoise in the hair. And teams are going to race. out and get into a lead and they're just going to plug along and just, you know, eat up points and get enough points and get to 96 points and make the playoffs and then everybody's got a problem again. Ray, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but the talk of the National Hockey League is Easton Cowan and the Toronto Maple Leafs and his plot in life. I didn't know that. Yes, it is.

It's accurate. Everyone is buzzing about it. What do you think needs to happen? We were talking about it earlier in the show about him staying on a line with. Austin Matthews? Does Matthews have to continue to produce? Does Cowan have to continue to look comfortable? Like, what do you think the odds are that he could stick on that top line with 34?

Well, two things. One, I think, is going to depend on, like, you know, at what can level of consistency can he play? Like, can he, because when you're playing with those guys, like, right? You see the other team's big boys. all the time. You get the other team's best defense pair all the time. And you're like, it's hard. And what if he goes 14 games with two points? Like, you can't keep him there. It's no good for him. The other part is, if it's not him, who's it going to be? Right. And so that's

really the, you know, the trouble that you get into building a lineup is, okay, So it looked good for one game. And so, of course, you go back in another game. But what if in two weeks it doesn't quite look so good? Who are you going to put there and feel confident that that's the right guy? A heater road trip with matchups and really good teams would be fascinating to watch relatively soon because then you're going to see what you're in for on the road. Well, just think of what Edmonton had to do last night.

Same sort of thing. It's easy to play McDavid and Drysidal at home together. but when you get on the road you get the other team's best D you get their best matchup line and they broke them apart first game really on the road that they were in a little bit of a

blender a bit and they split them apart because it's hard to play on the road and I love to be in like a number two center because the other guy had to play against the other team's best guys that was perfect for me that's I mean that was the place I belong he's so young like

I don't know what he what do you think can he can he maintain a pace that would say yeah this is a first line winger i think it would be really hard and we're expecting a lot from a kid just get this feet wet yeah well he's you know listen he's looked good the first two games but to your point they're both home games and they're not against the greatest teams in the world you know Detroit and Nashville um and he's not the biggest guy in the world either and you know one of the kind of sub stories about the last couple of games have been he's taking a couple of hits and there's been some scrums that have kind of surrounded him and the role of Austin Matthews in that as the leader, the

captain, you know, he hasn't been exactly flying into the scrum to kind of protect them or to be a part of it. I have, my theory is I'm curious if Matthews is still thinking about the injuries he suffered last year and does he want to put himself at any position where he might, you know, trigger that again. I hope that's not his mentality, but I'm curious if you think it could be to an extent, you know, have you ever came back from injuries and you're just weary of that, but also just, you know, the role of Matthews in making sure Cowan is comfortable, but also feeling somewhat protected. Meanwhile, you know, he's Austin Matthews and he's the marquee guy. I think if you're expecting Austin to do that, you should find somebody else on the ice to do that.

you got a couple of knuckle draggers on the blue line like jump in there like what would that that would be like you know what um you know yari curry got slashed and grech should jump in there and like all they just i know it's a different time they stuck dave samanko there and so if if you're looking for matthews to protect him like how's that going to happen like that he doesn't he doesn't well i'll say this kind of weird he doesn't protect himself like when there's a scrum he just kind of skates away from it it's not like he's going to dig in and you know and get into a scrum it's just not his way and so when i don't know i think that's a crazy expectation to think that he's going to jump in the middle of the scrum and what if he does

and somebody grabs him and feeds him one then that's now you got another problem right and then that probably ends any idea of him doing it, you know, again in the future, if that ends up happening. But, you know, from, from memory, getting punched in the face is not that much fun. Not general. It's really, no, it's just, and trust me, when I fought 12 or whatever times, there was a little bit of that going on, and it wasn't, it wasn't me punching anybody. That's for sure.

So, Ray, as it pertains, we've been talking about, you know, the first, just over the week of NHL hockey, I mean, is it been, I think the games have been incredibly sloppy. Is this different than other years, or is this just maybe more focus on it? But I just, I feel like the games have been different this year as compared to other years in that first week and a half two weeks because every game I've watched has been really sloppy. The game I did last night was Tampa and Washington, and we walked away and went, Wow, that was a surprise. Like, it was really good.

It was physical. It was, like, it was intense. And we're like, where did that come from? Because I'm with you. Like, it's been a turnover fest in each game that I've done and watched. And some of it, I guess, is early on. I got to thinking, though, like, so, like John Cooper told us, you know, Vasilevsky and Kuturoff and Point, they only played like a game, a game and a half of preseason.

And I'm like, yeah, what's going to happen next year when there's no exhibition? Yeah. Right. Like that first three weeks of the season is going to be like this. And, I mean, early hockey is so different than even a month from now. It just doesn't look the same. It is messy right now for sure. Yeah.

I can't imagine coaches are overly happy with the idea that every other coach is going through the same thing, but you're right, I mean, like we said off the top, like there's some teams that are skating through it. I think Carolina won again last night. They're on the West Coast, I believe. You know, like, what can happen here is a team that is dialed in.

You can start your year 8 and 2, 9, and 1, and you're cruising, right? Like, it seems like such an easy, obvious message, but you take again... Brian, that's a great thing to think about because every year we are all, it's early,

it's early it's early and then you get down to the last 10 games of the year and here's a team with eight overtime losses and five of them were in the first month you're like you just threw away five points i mean you can say in october they don't matter but man the league's different than it used to be those points do matter yeah and um even if you're not a great team and you can jump out fast you feel good maybe you can build some momentum hey calgary did it last year. They got out of the gate really good. And then all of a sudden they felt like they were a good team and they almost made the playoffs. Now they're, you know, they've stumbled coming out of the gate and it's hard for you to make up ground when things have to be

right at the red line for you to make it. And these points are sloppy or not. I think coaches will just, they'll take the points and run away right now. Absolutely. If you get them, you don't have to explain anything. Marty St. Louis last night probably wasn't ecstatic. Damn it up, man, that damn it off, kid. Have you seen him live yet, Ray? He looks pretty good, man, Bell Center. I saw him in the playoffs last year, and I was like, oh, my God, this guy's played five games. He's not scared of anything.

Like, he was taking the puck and, like, diving into the traffic. And I'm like, man, he's just a kid. Like, he's a player, man. And remember when he was drafted, nobody was unsure was he going to come over. and Dan Milstein, the agent had him down in Florida. He has a camp down there every year for his Russian players. And, you know, there's a whole whack of head scouts go down to watch the camp because all these prospects are skating in one place.

And they all came away and they're like, yeah, that guy's different. He's a player. Like, he's a rookie of the year, you know, serious candidate. Yes, for sure. for sure. I mean, like, his ability and all, you know, I get, I'm at the Islanders tomorrow. I can't wait to watch Schaefer play. You know, when, when Scott Arneal says, yeah, he skates like Kail McCar, I'm like, oh, my God, I got to go watch this guy play. So pretty pumped to watch him. And there's, there's two of the guys that'll be up here at the top of the Calder race.

Absolutely. Well, enjoy New York. Enjoy it tomorrow. And enjoy the Js against Seattle tonight, Ray. We'll do it again soon. Thank you, buddy. Who do we have on the Hill today? the hill you get shame beber the stash beber's gonna he's gonna be lights out today and shurs are going to beber will be good beber will be good oh yeah you better win game three yeah i know sherser scares me tomorrow but uh hey you got to win one and then the rest will be history we'll find out starting tonight that's that's why you're the host of this show you put things together like that exactly i point out the obvious you two guys are really lucky you two guys

are really lucky i think it sound good and look good that's all it matters fake it to make it right you know that well you got half of it right you got half of it right that's right all right buddy good seeing you enjoy it tonight take care guys good to see you there he is rick for our uh ESPN hockey analyst and of course one half of the ray and dregs podcast the newest tracks and the next big thing baby what was that and your first place to hear it all i heart new music your digital station for brand new drops fresh vines and tombs and Tomorrow's bangers. Updated daily.

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