OverDrive - Gill on the Predators' tumultuous season, Brunette calling out players and the downfall in standings

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

Nashville Predators Analyst and Former NHLer Hal Gill joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Predators, the team's tumultuous season on the roster, Andrew Brunette calling out the stars on the team, the foundation of winning for the team, Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault's tenure on the roster and more.

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Made in Canada, played in Canada. On the free iHeartRadio app and that i heart radio dot c a here is formerly from press analyst how kill joining us what's happening now they are not are doing pretty well we're talking about that that team down in nashville and just how disappointing the season's been.

Now Andrew Burnett came out after the game last night and said that he needs more from his veterans and the guys on long-term deals and they need to be more professional and show the rookies and the young players how to operate. What is your interpretation of that and do you think we'll see any change from the Predators as of tomorrow night? You know what? It's a long time coming. I feel like they've needed contributions up and down the lineup and the veterans are supposed

to start it. They have 15 games left, right? They're trying to at least establish identity so that they have something to go in because let's face it, they got good players. Like we got some guys that can, they know how to do the hockey and they're not doing it. And so they need to come together because I think Barry Trotz is looking for who wants to be a part of this and who's part of the solution. And right now there's just a lot of problems. It's just, it's not good.

It was a lackluster effort. And I think you have to look at the veterans. You know, sadly, it's a tough spot for those guys. And Bruno said that. Like, hey, it's a hard spot you're in. You're used to being in a playoff hunt, but now you got to find a way to dig in and, and help the young guys along. And that hasn't happened.

Scalzi, how dangerous would it be for Trotsey to kind of bring back all the same kind of players? And then, you know, we'd mentioned earlier, trying to trying to add to it, don't they need to completely try to mix this thing up as much as they can in the summer because it's been a disaster. That's what it's been. Well, yeah, it's tough. I think, and Barry Trotz is pretty honest talking about Andrew Burnett and growing as a coach. Trotz, he's been through that. He's been a coach and he's had to change his ways. And you know, you think you have all the answers

as a young coach and you want to play this way and then your personnel doesn't match that way. And then you have to adjust. And I think, you know, Burnett has tried to do that. He's tried maybe a couple little adjustments here and there. But he's got to get the buy in from the guys. And I think, you know, you look around and you say, blow up the team and and start fresh. But honestly, I look at all the guys that they have and they shouldn't be good.

They should be a lot better. And if they can play together, they're going to be good and it's couple pieces here or there and you know free agent signing and using some of the draft picks and maybe getting some young guys to step up and then they could be right back in the mix and so I think you have to be careful with either blowing it up or a standing pat. I think it's a valid point that you kept, Barry Trotz kept Ryan O'Reilly and Colton Sissons and Michael McCarran. Didn't let those guys go at the trade deadline because I think he thinks we're going to need

those guys sooner rather than later and those guys will hopefully be part of a winning mix next year So how what have you seen? You know there there's guys that have been there for years the Forsberg guys like that You know Yossi. I know he's banged up Zaris that type of stuff, but what have you seen? specifically from Stamkos and Marciusso? And how difficult has it been for them to really adapt to their new environment? We had Trotzi on the show earlier a couple months back and he said he called them legacy

players from other organizations and it's been a tough adjustment. What have you seen specifically from those two players and how tough it's been and really the difference in their games from where they were in their respective organizations before? Yeah, I think it's tough to try to, you know, you say, okay, I'm going to plug this guy in here and you have, you know, a guy like Steven Samkos, hey, he's gonna go into a spot on the power play and you have Roman Yossi at the top and it's gonna be perfect.

And then, when it all plays out, it's a different pass. Victor Hetman gives him a perfect pass exactly where he wants it and then Roman Yossi is a great player but he doesn't put it in the same spot. So Stephen Samco has to adjust to it. Marcius is used to playing a certain style and then it's a different style on a different team and he's got to figure it out. He's got to adapt.

And so, yeah, you know, I think a lot of it comes down to confidence. You talked about Philip Forsberg, and Phil is a great player. He was playing some great hockey in the beginning of the season, and he was just missing the net. He wasn't scoring. And so then he started changing his game. And then, you know, if you don't score, you change.

But he was doing all the right things. And so he lost a a little confident and then and then again since the way for women i think that's happened with a lot of guys and so i think you can be a quickie you know it and get a little adjustment and then they start going again but we don't know what actually happened without the old leasing national plan the Preds tomorrow, you see all these teams in

the central as a Preds analyst and it's loaded with Winnipeg and Dallas and Colorado, then you got Vegas and Edmonton and LA in the Pacific. As a guy who's in that conference that watches it closely, do you have a team in particular that you think is clear-cut, the best of the bunch in terms of pursuing a Stanley Cup? Who would be your cup favorite out west right now? I don't know. They're all going to beat the snot out of each other. I think it's going to be fun. I hate to say it, but I'm a Winnipeg Jets fan right now. I like Luke Shen, played

with Luke Shen in Philly and we had him and he gets traded off through Pittsburgh and ends up there and I think that's a deep team. Just watching them and the way they play, there's not so many gaps. The goal-tending all the way throughout, they have the depth and they have the size and the skill and the speed and it's's gonna be tough to beat them but you know the shame of it all is I think Colorado and Dallas are gonna beat each other up and sadly one of those teams is gonna go home early and that's the devastating part about this whole thing is all these teams loading up and

what could be great playoff top runs are going to be cut short just because they're gonna they're gonna have to go against each other so I would go with Winnipeg just because of the depth but you know it's hard to cut out like Dallas and what they've done has been exceptional I think Colorado you got McKinnon and McCarr, how can you count them out? So I don't like predicting, but I think from what I've seen,

it might be one thing here. Great catching up with you Hal, we appreciate you doing this. Yeah, you got it guys, cheers. How guilt, I don't know where he was. But it was. Was he sticking his head out of his jeep on the way on the highway? Ace Ventura. Yeah. Ace Ventura style. Uncomfortable at times there but great catching up with time. This is Justin Bieber. Hi this is Terry Clark. We are Nickelback. Made in Canada on iHeartRadio. Rock, pop, hip-hop and when it

comes to country it's the true north all the way. Loud and proud. An all-new digital radio station from coast to coast. Made in Canada, played in Canada on the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca. It's gonna get loud. on the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca.