OverDrive - Gazzola on how Ike Howard fits with the Oilers, the level of unease in Edmonton regarding McDavid’s future, and expectations for McDavid’s next deal

Episode Date: July 10, 2025

YEG Sports Talk host Tom Gazzola joins OverDrive to discuss the Oilers’ addition of Ike Howard. Gazzola gives us a temperature check on McDavid’s future in Edmonton, and he shares his thoughts on what McDavid’s next deal will look like.

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The station that champions Canadian music. Loud, proud, and all yours. No passports required. Just press play. Tap into Made in Canada now on iHeartRadio.ca or the free iHeartRadio app. Alright, let's pivot to the Edmonton Oilers. Let's bring in Tom Gazzola now, a YAG Sports Talk host. Tom, welcome. How are you today?

Hey, I'm good, Jim. What's up, Dave? Thanks for having me. Oh, our pleasure. So, Ike Howard Day, right? Yeah, it's been Ike Howard week, I would say, around here. A lot of other fans very excited about the trade and the signing and obviously a lot to prove. But yeah, that's a nice way to put it because people around here are pretty excited. Well, Tom, when you look at this kid, I mean, he's a Hobie Baker trophy winner. He's played the U. u s developmental team represented the u s internationally more than once uh... put up some really good

numbers in michigan state uh... twenty one years old i mean we think about what this team needs and what he may be able to give how do you see the fit i like it and and i'm usually cautious that's just me personally. I do understand what the Oilers are doing. I mean, lots of talk last season about how Edmonton was older.

There was a lot of discussion obviously around here, especially in the early parts of the year that this was the oldest team in the league. So now I think there's a recognition, you know, we saw Stan Bowman and Jeff Jackson recognize this and they're addressing it. So their youth injection, right? We're going to potentially see Matt Savoy come in. But essentially what they've done is flipped a couple of prospects and Sam O'Reilly, who was, you know, first rounder that they traded up for because they really liked him. They kind of sacrificed him to kind of speed up the process and get a guy that they think can step in right now.

And if they put him into a position to succeed with a dry saddle or a McDavid, they obviously have a belief in mind that this guy could have some success. So it's a youth injection and they need guys that can step in and play right away. Now we know that contending teams generally have solid NHL veterans and you know July 10th of this year we're looking at an Euler's squad that yes it's getting younger and less experienced but the hope is that these guys with Isaac Howard or Ike Howard as he wants to go by steps in and can take off right away. So as I look at the starting grid and and obviously everything is subject to change, but on the

left side they've added Howard, Mangiopani, and Frederick was added during the course of the season at the deadline and signed it on the right side. Kaepernick was added, so he's penciled in, and Savoy is there as well. I mean, there's five different wingers there that a year ago weren't there. When they diagnosed why the team fails in the Stanley Cup final, did they feel that they had to be younger? They had to be maybe a little more exuberant in their play? Yeah, I think that's fair.

I mean, although Florida all do respect to them, they were outstanding from top to bottom, especially with the guys that they got back going into the playoffs, and they were just an absolute juggernaut by the time they got to the cup final. Yeah. And listen, the Zach Hyman injury going into the cup final after he got hurt with that

collision with Mason Marchment, that obviously hurt them, especially on the right side. And it kind of exposed the lack of depth on the wings for the Oilers because Corey Perry played game six on the top line with Connor McDavid. He played game five on the top line with Connor McDavid. He played game five on the fourth line. And when Corey Perry at 39 years old, despite how great of a season he had, he had an outstanding postseason as well, is your top line right winger. I think that's a bit of a tell. And obviously Chris Knobloch and his staff tried to do everything in their power to kind of stay alive in that cup final. But I think it did show that the Oilers needed to get some youthful

exuberance in there and obviously high-end talent on the wings and also find guys that would be right for the mix because with Arvidson coming in last year, people heralded that signing thinking that he would have a home beside Leon Drysaddle. It didn't really work out. It was a rough fit from the get-go and they had to move on from them. And then we saw with Jeff Skinner, he played 72 games. He was a healthy scratch at times. Had to fight to get into the lineup in the playoffs and fought to be on the roster. There were some things last year where these veteran signings didn't work out and we saw the mix change up in the offseason here and maybe it is you know a youth and then b

uh guys that might be a better fit for the top guys uh in mcdavid and drysettl and obviously nugent hopkins hyman when he comes back too so tom there's a there's always an elephant in the room anytime the best player in the league does not have a long term deal attached to his name. What is the level of unease in Edmonton at the current moment that Connor McDavid's future is still up in the air to a degree? Well, okay, Dave, I'll say this. I think Oilers fans are getting riled up by Leafs fans right now on social media and I'm sure you guys are shocked to hear that, but I'll get that out of the way, right?

All those McDavid in a Leafs jersey means and pictures that are going out there get people riled up. Obviously the Oilers fans want to protect their star player and rightly so. I think there's a little bit of concern and the more this drags on, it gets people talking. They want Conor McDavid to be secured and locked up here in Edmonton for a handful of years at least, and then hopefully long term, we'll see what happens with the negotiations and all that. Yeah, I can't deny the fact that there obviously is chatter

and discussion among the fan base in regard to McDavid's future, but I think most people understand and recognize the situation he's in and also believe that he'll probably be signing on for a bunch of years more. But yeah, I mean, Waters fans, it doesn't take a lot to get them going and when they do look out because they have a lot to say. And I think Leafs fans recognize that, other fans from other markets as well. But legitimately, I think, you know, McDavid with Dry Cytil signing last year and him having some seeds planted here in the business community as well, probably a good indicator that he's sticking around in orange

and blue. So I don't have fan dual odds on this, but I mean, what works in that marketplace? Is it a five-year deal or does it have to be eight? Well, I think at this point anything, Jim, but I think most people would probably say, hey, we want an eight-year deal from McDavid, lock him up long term. Even a five-year deal, I remember the years when like a three-year contract was a long-term contract for guys, and I know that was the NHL of yesteryear, but if they get them for five, I think there's an understanding that the landscape in the NHL is changing when

it comes to the money and the profit and the revenue sharing and an opportunity to make even more money So that has to be factored in I don't think it would be taken as a slight if McDavid opted to go shorter term like a five-year deal but I think you know obviously the the want would be for an eight-year contract and then If you settle for five, I think it would allow, A, the Oilers as a franchise to breathe a sigh of relief,

and then you'd probably hear a loud sigh of relief from the faithful of the team. But what if some of our analysts, Tom, have hypothesized that maybe McDavid wants to go even shorter than five, and take a two or three year deal, in some ways to obviously benefit from a rising cap as it continues to go up and re-sign down the road

for a bigger number, but also to put some pressure on the oil is front office and say, look, I've been here a long time, this will be my 10th year, I want you to make sure that you are maximizing my cup-winning window here And I'm gonna do that by the leverage of having a short-term deal I'd be a power move. I'd start with that and I could recognize and appreciate that I Think that would come down to his relationship with the franchise and I I think, you know, Jeff Jackson, having been brought in as CEO of Hockey Ops, probably

helps ease any potential tension if that were to be something that does come up. I wouldn't be surprised if, you know, it is discussed. I don't know to what extent, but I understand why McDavid, you know, in theory would do that. I wouldn't blame him. I mean, you're trying to you want to put your stamp on your legacy and you got to do that by winning a Stanley Cup and Edmonton has come close, yes, but they haven't gotten there. I think if he would do that, it would be to ensure obviously that this team is competitive, keep management on its toes, keep ownership

on its toes, and maybe it would be a sign that there's a belief that the management side of things isn't taking care of its end of the bargain. But I think we're seeing some little things here and there, like the Howard pick up and guys coming in. I know there's some discussion about David Tomaszak, what kind of player he's going to be after leading the SHL and scoring last year. I think there's enough signs for him to recognize that the intent is good and the management team is going to do everything in its power to make sure that this team is a contender for a good chunk of McDavid's

remaining years in the NHL. So let me preface this by saying if the Edmont others had not lost the last two stanley cups i probably would not this question but with your goaltenders at the combined three points that that's a bargain is edmonton the only place not concerned about the gold and all this concern uh... fan base absolutely no doubt about it

we talk at the locally amongst the media here and certainly listening to Stan Bowman and his end of year press conference mentioning that he's going to be looking at goaltending. So it is not something that's being overlooked. Lots of discussion about who the goaltending coach going into next year will be. There's been talk about maybe looking at someone who brings in a new voice and maybe a different method. And certainly Stu Skinner has taken a lot of heat. But guys, after three full years in the NHL, two cup final appearances, were they great? No, not particularly.

The end result, again, they didn't get what they wanted in the Stanley Cup. But Skinner has also been an All-Star. Skinner has also been a Calder finalist. For a 26-year-old having that on his resume so far, even though it isn't a perfect blemish feet resume, it is still pretty good. And I think there's a guy in Stu Skinner that can still improve. He did take a step back last year. I don't think anybody can shy away from that. But I also wouldn't be someone who would say it's time to give up on him. He's gonna be 27 next year at some that. But I also wouldn't be someone who would say it's time to give up

on him. He's going to be 27 next year at some point. And I think there is a goalie there that can be steady, reliable. And as we've seen in the league over the years, you don't need a superstar. And only a few teams have them between the pipes to win a Stanley Cup. So I think, you know, Stu Skinner has done a pretty good job thus far. Needs to be better next year. That's the bottom line. Hey, Tom, circling back to Ike Howard here. I mean, kind of, Stu Skinner's done a pretty good job thus far. It needs to be better next year. That's the bottom line. Hey, Tom. Circling back to Ike Howard here, I mean, kind of funny that this was a kid that was the property of the, or the, drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

And you know, Tampa Bay Lightning in a sunny, no-tag state with, you know, without the crazy Canadian media coverage that Edmonton brings and the cold winters and, and the mosquitoes in the summer. Um, and yet he chose Edmonton. I mean, this to me is an underplayed storyline here. What do you make of the fact that this, I mean, an American kid from Wisconsin had an opportunity to play in a no tax state in Florida and chose Alberta. Yeah. To me, it's opportunity Dave. Um, obviously, you know, you look at the lineup of the Oilers and the star power and I think that's enticing.

And then obviously I think that there's probably some sort of understanding between the team and the player and his camp to, to make sure he's on the NHL roster at the start of the year and gets a full opportunity to make an impact really quickly and And listen, in Tampa, they have a pretty damn good team as well. There's a lot of veterans there and maybe that opportunity or that willingness to provide it without having played any games in the pro level wasn't there. So I think the orders were willing to go to that point and say, we'll ensure that you're getting games with the big club. I don't know what they said about the minor league team, but I'd be champion at the bit

to take that opportunity. And yes, you can handle the Edmonton winters and the Northern Alberta cold. I think a kid from Wisconsin will be just fine in regard to handling that. The summers, he can go wherever he wants to enjoy, although the summers here are great. And the fact that we have seen American kids turn a cheek to Canadian franchises in the past, I think of Rucker McGroarty last year when he went to Pittsburgh from Winnipeg, this is kind of the reversal of that. So that is a good sign, and I think that's going to endear Howard to Oilers fans and maybe

show people that not every American kid coming out of college hockey just wants to play in the US in a tax-free state and on a really good team that there are other opportunities and here's an example of that. So Tom, as you, I'm sure you know the Maple Leafs just bid adieu to the core four era here with Mitch Marner departing for Las Vegas and there's been some talk that yeah there's there's no core four in Toronto anymore but there there is one in Edmonton especially when McDavid gets his raise I mean Dry Cytle at 14 million, Bouchard at 10 and a

half on his new deal, Darnellale-Nurse at 925. And then whatever McDavid's going to make, we assume it's gonna be north of 14, probably 15, 16, 17, who knows. What do you make of that? The fact that these guys are gonna have four players gobbling up the bulk of 50% of the salary cap. Yeah, well, I'd start with thankfully the caps going up in significantly and i

think the projections probably internally or that uh... it's gonna continue to trend that way but you're right it is a significant some money gave uh... that is not lost on the fan base here in us in the media and uh... that means that the pressure is going to be on the scouting staff to find good pros to fill out the the n h l roster to make sure that the amateur side of things is digging up good players in later rounds because they've traded away a lot of their first round picks and

then to develop these guys that they do bring in. And that's something that this franchise has kind of been spotty at in the last couple of decades. They have had some hits. Obviously losing Broberg and Holloway last year is a perfect example of that. Kind of a game of chicken there between the Oilers and their former players and the Blues coming out on top in that regard. But yeah, it's going to come down to finding different

ways to acquire and accrue talent. And we're witnessing it. We did see it this week, you know, in that trade for Howard. We saw it last year when Edmonton traded for Matt Savoy, who I think is going to factor in here next year. And they've also gone after some college free agents as well. And they dipped into Europe, like i mentioned earlier but uh... yeah you're gonna have to have your thoroughbreds getting the big chunk of the money

and then obviously get some uh... uh... pressure release when when the cap goes up but uh... i think it's on the scouting staff both pro and amateur to really find good players in uh... it's gonna kick into high gear here if it already hasn't for them you would hope it would work because there's two forwards into defense but unlike what we we live through here this one is is retrospective uh... based on skinner and uh... just get a renaissance not working out was there any kind of wanting to relive roberg hallway

now yeah i mean that that we hear it every day jim i mean the the broberg hallway thing and it's interesting to because because at first the loss of Broberg was what really drew the ire of Euler fans. But watching Holloway do what he did last season, 60-point guy, I know he got banged up again late in the season, but that really kind of irked Euler's fans. So it also cost Stan Bowman, not Stan Bowman necessarily, but more so Jeff Jackson, some trust from the fan base. We would see it on our station, people

talking about how Jeff Jackson did not have a good July 1st last year when in actuality, everybody was praising him. So it's easy to have that revisionist history, you know, kind of commentary. But yeah, it did sting, especially the way Broberg started the season and the way Holloway played while he was healthy. It was a surprise that Holloway did get left to go to St. Louis. We thought that they would match on him at least because Broberg's price point was a bit steep considering he hadn't played a heck of a lot of hockey in the NHL. But yeah, that still comes up I don't think it's gonna go away for a long time people here in Everton remember things

They bring up stuff from the 90s for crying out loud from the 80s surprise surprise. So here it goes Yeah further back. Yeah The thing about the oil is fans is the the 80s were good memories, not so much for the Leafs. That's the difference. Good point. Tom, but you know, just going back to the goaltending, there's been some talk that maybe the Oilers haven't had the infrastructure of a goaltending department like some other

teams in the league have built out. I mean, is that a fair criticism and do you sense any sort of movement to rectify that if it is indeed fair? It's interesting with these like goaltending excellence departments. I know Roberto Luongo heads up Florida, Sean Burke in Vegas and it's a copycat league. So if that's working for those franchises, two obviously really good franchises, then I think we could see something like that implemented here at Edmonton.

And it's really just been Dustin Schwartz for the better part of the last decade. And he had Sylvain Rodrigue for a little bit and it really was a two man show. So that might be something that the oilers and management looks at investing in. I think at first when we heard about Luongo heading up the goalie department of the goal, not the Golden Knights, the Florida Pathers and Sean Burke taking over in Vegas, it was new, it was different. It's like, why do you need

a department for a goalie coach? But we're watching hockey ops evolve. I mean, every team's got like seven assistant GMs these days and you got cap specialists and this and that. So yeah, that might be something that does happen here and maybe a new voice and some different opinions on how to play the position helps out the goaltenders here in Edmonton and then on the farm and then the guys that they plan on bringing up eventually that are in the system. So you know, it is a copycat league and I wouldn't be surprised if we see some semblance of that here in Edmonton.

Tom, thanks for your time. Seasoned gamer or just video game curious? This Week in Gaming is the podcast for you. We break down the latest in the world of video games from basics to beyond. The hottest gaming news, insight and industry leaders and more weekly. Join me Naomi Kyle and stay ahead of the game with all the latest updates even if you're a total newbie. Stream this week in gaming on the free iHeart radio app or wherever you get your podcasts.