OverDrive - Giordano on the Maple Leafs looking to make a statement, the star perspective and the defensive approach

Episode Date: April 3, 2025

Longtime NHL Defenseman Mark Giordano joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Maple Leafs' team mentality, the star's imperative skill for the roster, Morgan Rielly's role on the blue line, Chris Tanev setting plays, the power play on the team, the approach to the playoffs and more.

That just happened with me, Vashi Kapelos. Canada decides 2025. Stay informed with my exclusive iHeartRadio podcast, available Friday afternoon, straight through till election day and beyond. I'll have your weekly highlights and my unvarnished analysis of the campaign of a lifetime. The candidates, the quotes, the polls, and the momentum.

That just happened with Vashi Kapelos. Canada decides 2025. every Friday stream on your schedule with the free iHeartRadio app. There's our main man Mark Giordano FaceTime Gio. We love it. What's happening Gio? What's going on guys? How you doing? We're doing very well. Yeah, we were just discussing the idea of the Panthers possibly running out of gas because they've been

just two straight cup finals and they're dealing with injuries. How would you approach that? Like, are you buying it? Do you have to believe it? Do you have to see it to believe it? Where do you stand on that? You know what I thought about that watching the game yesterday. I thought, you know, it looked like a team who played three and four last night.

I thought the Leafs had way more pop and it got me thinking a little bit like, yeah, two finals in a row, long runs, you know, they played a lot of games too, in both playoff runs. So I think that's a huge factor. And then, you know, is Barkov going to be a hundred percent? Is Kachuk going to be a hundred percent? You know, you take those two guys that are lineup and you take Ekblad out for, I think it's what, two games. It's a different team. It's a different team for sure. Yeah, exactly.

And last night, you know, it was significant for the Leafs. And I think it was significant that they won it in regulation, right? Like they end up, they're down one, nothing, they tie it. And then in the third period, it's the Matthews Marner, Nyes line that put them over the top. How significant in your opinion was that third period in particular,

the top guys dragging them to the finish line and the fact that they did win in reg? Yeah, I thought it was big. I think you want to win the division obviously and you want to separate yourself. But I liked what I saw from, you know, Mitchie's been doing it all year. He did it in the four nations. I don't think he gets enough credit. In that final game, he was the reason, those two assists he made, he was one of the big reasons, him and Bennington, why they won the Four Nations. And then last night, I thought he was unbelievable again. I thought a goal and an unbelievable pass,

that stretch pass, you know, to sauce it and land it like that. So he deserves a lot of credit this year for what he's been doing up until this point. And like you said, I liked that the guys threw that third period last night and it wasn't only the goals. It was a six on five play, diving all over the place, blocking shots. To me that shows to your teammates, you want to win.

You know what it meant that game yesterday. So I think it's huge for the Leafs I, I am going to admit, I did think yesterday for a little bit, I was like, who would you rather play in the first round, the thought crossed my mind. Yeah. A Florida Panther team who's missing their top three guys, maybe there are three of their top guys with at Vlad could shock and bark off if, if that's a scenario I've known, I don't making it up or whatever, not really making it up,

but it might happen. Or a fresh Ottawa team with everybody healthy with Almark and Ed who's been playing well. We've been doing this for nine years, even when you were on the team, Gio. There's fears all over the place. There's a hot goalie. There's a hot power play. I mean, there's, I called it fear factor. It's like, what do you fear most, Brady Kachuk or Matthew Kachuk or Vasa

Lapsky or Tampa's power play? There's all kinds of ghosts and goblins out there that can affect the Leafs right here. The goalie did get me yesterday. The goalie, I was like, to start of the game, I'm like, oh no, he's doing it to them again. Like when we played Florida in the second round and we lost in five games, it felt way worse than it was because this guy, we couldn't score on this guy. And he made, you know, he made timely saves.

And at the start of that game yesterday, I was like, Oh my God, he's got it back again. There he is. So I don't know, but I did think about that scenario in my head yesterday. Geo, you talked about Mitch getting it done and playing well, the Four Nations. Do you think it's possible with these guys, and I know you were part of the group for a couple years, after all that time and we just posted a board after all the first round losses and the second round losses, do you think as pro athletes it could click in after

all these years that maybe this is what we need to do? And if the answer is yes, then what took so long? Yeah, I think they can. For sure, I think they can click in. I think there's a bunch of years that go by at the start of your career where you're like, you know, you're trying to find your way in the league, but you're also trying to establish yourself. I mean, they're superstars, so they establish themselves quick quick but I think it takes a lot of different things and I think you know maybe the changes that they made you know you bring in a new coach you bring in some new players sort of a new look to their their team like a little bit

bigger playing a different style maybe that's what it's going to take but you know I mean I'm biased obviously I played with these guys and I know them and I think I think you know, I mean, I'm biased, obviously, I played with these guys and I know them. And I think, I think, you know, the first round exits and the heat that comes down on them is justified a lot of the time. But I do think that they have that desire. I've been in the room. They have that what it takes to win, that desire to win. Like, I think they all look different Mitchie's more you see it more he wears it more but it's like Matthews is more reserved Willie's more reserved But you know, I always go back to like different guys have different attitudes

if you look at Mitchie like he takes a lot of heat sometimes because you know He wears like his emotions like but if you go and watch a five-year-old play who would you rather have the kid who just floats around and doesn't like get mad or get pissed off or like you know that that kid or who or the kid who cries when he loses the kid who cries when he loses cares more you know about winning so I go back to that but I think like it always it's gonna fall on your top players and and I do think they can they can make it happen for sure when when you watch this

team play this year Gio like there there is there are things that look different and you know you spent a lot of time with these guys and you know you would have seen the evolution of them like you think these guys like they're willing to adapt to this style of game and now they're seeing the success. Like did you always kind of think that these guys would be willing to change the way they play in order to get to this point? Or was it like, we gotta stay with what we do

because we know this is gonna work and they just never got the results and now things look different doing things a little bit of a different way? Yeah, you know what I think? I think a lot of the time with skilled guys and super skilled guys and there's three or four of them or five of them playing on the same team, you can outscore your problems a lot of the time, right?

So especially in the regular season, you outscore your problems, things don't look as bad, you look great. But in the playoffs, you're going to have to play the way they're playing now and the way they started the season. I thought they had a little lull in the middle, but I do to have to play the way they're playing now and the way they started the season. I thought they had a little lull in the middle, but I do think it looks to me like there's a big time buy-in. You know, I think Borubi coming in, that's his style of play, right, as a coach. And he's really hammered at home.

And I think you see it. But the problem is, is when you're that good, you're that skilled, it's hard because you know you can just outscore your problems a lot of those games in the regular season. And a lot of the times you play a horrible game and you win, you get the result. So I think that hurt them at times in the past, but I think they're maturing enough and they got a mature coach who's won before and I think it might push them right to the next level. It's a very simple recipe though, Gio, a skilled team.

There was a play last night that the William Nylander passed to Jon Tavares. It was like the skill came after the simplicity. If you remember in the neutral zone, William Nylander, he didn't try a toe drag, he didn't try some stupid pass, he chipped it off the wall and let somebody go get it, and then he got it back. This play right here, that's a chip off the wall to McMahon, and then checking comes into play, hunting pucks come into play, and it pops the puck loose, and the skill can come after that. But the stuff that led to that, to give you that opportunity was very cookie cutter stuff, simple stuff that anybody can do and you just have to work at it and you just hope you get opportunities like that.

So if there's any lesson in that one simple play, that one particular play right there, it's like let's get the simple stuff first and put us into areas where we can be allowed to use our skill and then we can go ahead and do it. But if you start using your skill right where Knee Lander got the puck, you're screwed. Because you turn the puck over, you don't put it into places where you get it back and you're just chasing all night. So that was a great little play started by simplicity. I agree Owen.

And you know the other thing too is like, you gotta, sometimes you gotta understand that you're not gonna score every shift. No kidding. And you gotta put other thing too is like you got to sometimes you got to understand that you're not gonna score every shift and you're gonna put that in your mind and you're gonna put the puck in and you got a you're gonna set the next line up for a shift and I think that's that's that's the mentality and playoffs like you're setting up your next line for a shift like nothing bothered me more when I played when You know like guys would stay out for a minute and a half and get tired and then just Chip the puck and let the other team have a set break out behind the net while you have to jump on the ice

And you're set break out and you know, you're defending for maybe 30 40 seconds, right? so I think I saw that too last night a bunch of times where They they set set each other up and when they didn't have the play they chipped it in their top guys They're their bottom guys. bottom guys they were more aware of okay we're not going to score every single shift let's set each other up here. With Mark Giordano you were one of the many guys over the years that took a turn with Morgan Riley and tried to get you know Mo moving in a certain direction he's had a lot of different partners over the years and now he's got Carlo and the numbers have been great.

The eye test has been great. I thought the two of them played really well last night. Like, and I think they've played collectively well, really since Carlo arrived. What is it about playing with Riley? Because it's a constant conversation. It has been for like 10 years. Who can play with them?

Are you on the off side? Does it have to be a right shot defenseman? Does it have to be someone who's a quote-unquote stay at home guy? like what what do you think works with Carlo in particular that has Riley poppin and What what does Riley in particular seem to need in terms of who he's playing with? He yeah, it seems like with mo he needs I like when mo gets a lot of puck touches But he needs a guy who's simple. I found when Shen was here, he's a really simple, big right-handed shot, too, like Carlo. But just simple, just predictable and simple plays.

And I think you've noticed Mo, it looked like to me, too, the last few games, he's up in the play a lot more. He's jumping in. He's back to his old skating self. So that's going to be great. But I think it's the predictability for him. I think he's better with a partner who's more defensive-minded and makes simple plays, and let him run with the offense. He doesn't need a skilled guy beside him or a puck mover beside him for whatever reason. But I think, yeah, I thought they looked as a pair. They had a sneaky, quiet, great game last night.

They didn't give up much. Um, they were good. They were simple. They made plays in the ozone when they had to, but they didn't force anything either much, much like the team. So it was good to see and, uh, uh, uh, happy to see it for Mo. Cause I know it's been, you know, a year, a tough year, a tough start. But, uh, the last time Mo had a little bit of a tough season

was that playoff where he really lit it up and was probably one of our best players, if not our best player. So, you know, hopefully he can repeat that. Gio, how do you explain to people what Chris Tanev does extremely well? Like when you watch, you get an appreciation for him because there's all these subtleties to his game.

And I think sometimes when you see it in person, you really get more of an appreciation for him because there's all these subtleties to his game and I think sometimes when you see it in person You really get more of an appreciation for it But like some of the stuff that he does that maybe would fly under the radar. How do you explain all that? Yeah, it's hard it's hard to explain like it's hard to explain to the I don't want to call it like the average fan But like a lot of times in hockey what you see on TV or what you see when you're watching the game is the big player, the goals and the assist. With Tani it's just like, it's stick position, it's gaps, it's knowing when to get down and make the block and it's like he closes time and space at the right time. There's you know, there's closing time and space sometimes and some guys do it too early where okay the guy's just not gonna pass it or

guys like Tan have actually when I played too and Tan I played with Tani sometimes you're giving the pass up on purpose because you know where it's going and you're as soon as that pass is maybe you're gonna close and stick check the guy and it's a turnover so he does that a lot he reads the play like unbelievable, but I played against him for my whole career and then got the chance to play with him for like 25 games in Calgary as a partner. And I was like, wow, he's sneaky, underrated as a puck mover. Unbelievable. An unbelievable puck mover makes a lot of plays through triangles. But yeah, it's just his hockey IQ. It's hard to explain, like you said, but he's been a great defenseman his whole career.

Yeah, he's had a great, great year. I mean, you talk about a first impression. Like Leaf fans know him, he's from the city, but man, he's played so well. With Mark Giordano, in terms of playing the role of a defenseman, I'm curious how you approach what the Leafs have now with their top two lines where they've got Matthews and Marner together, Tavares and Nylander, but the importance of having Nyes and McMahon,

both guys with size, both guys that can move, both guys that forecheck, both guys that go to the front of the net. Like how does that, it's a very different element of the game, different component in terms of their skill set and the style that they play. How does that maybe affect negatively the opponent when they're trying to defend against it because you got to keep your eye on 16, 34, 88 but then

there's you know this absolute moose and Matthew Nives or McMahon coming down on you and doing whatever they're gonna do as well. How does the mixture of those guys with the other four affect the affect the way teams in the defendant quads it's they're hard to defend right now bobby looks like he's on another level he's skating he's finally i think he's finally feeling like a hundred percent or close to a hundred percent i think the last couple years he's had some injuries at the wrong times and then you see it he has an extra step out there he's flying around he's making

plays he's getting in on the four check and then nice he's been doing it all year so it's it adds a huge element let's hope pray that they stay healthy and everything's okay because it's a huge difference uh... when those two guys are in the lineup and and play in the top six it's a huge difference as good as a top

four guys on the team are, they need those complimentary big bodies that go to the net and make hard plays. You still like the five forward power play? I feel like as defensemen. Wow. Like listen, I feel like as defensemen. I don't like it in a playoff series, especially against a Florida or Tampa,

I don't like it at all. But how can you argue the results right now? It's been on fire for a long time, and I think as a defenseman, we a duty to almost like not like it just because we have to have a defenseman out there but how can you argue with the results that they're getting? It's been unbelievable, Gio. Yeah they look great but I'm never going down that road where I'm saying that there shouldn't be a defenseman on the power play. I think you need a D-man out there and I think that short-handed goal is the big momentum killer and you don't want to give one up

in playoffs. So find a way to get Mo back out there and get him his touches, let get him feeling good, you know, and you get that safety net back there, the defenseman. Okay, but let me ask you this. So if you were to put a defenseman back on that power play, who comes off? Is it Tavares or is it Nyes? Because I think Nyes at net front, he's more of a handful than Tavares, but Tavares has always been in that spot, right? Like someone's got to come off. John's hand and eye and his ability to tip.

Go ahead, Joe. How would you answer that? Nyesy's coming off. Sorry, Nyesy, I love you, but you're not... I'm not taking Johnny off the power play. I think Johnny's so good around the net and I think he's, you know, he's proven through his career that on the power play he can bury the biscuit. So we'll just go with the game's played, game's played number here and take Nisey off. I don't think it would be as an easy decision for the coaching staff as we're making it out to be because you just defer to

Tavar as the points as long as he's been around Matthew Nyes has been pretty valuable in front of the net and down low like he's He's I think it would be a decision for those guys to look at that and say What are we gonna do here if they ever went back to it? That's the difference. I don't think they are. Well, think about this. Two big guys at net front. Now if you were defending that, Gio, you would know, okay, there's a guy in the bumper or

I can leave a guy to the goalie, let's say, or the defenseman who's playing the strong side, he can come down. But with those two guys kind of parked out there, you have more decisions to make in short periods of time, and then that split second that you get on the wrong side of Knize, you're screwed. He's too big. Like, he's too hard to get around after. Yeah, you're right.

He's made such a difference this year with that net front presence. I mean, yeah, you get on the wrong side of him, but a lot of the times, if you watch him, he's so smart at how he positions his body, he boxes out, he's boxing out the defenseman. Like he's actually playing, it looks like he's playing defense and he's boxing the guy out. But again, they have so many threats on that power play.

It's like, and you know what they're, they don't get enough credit for is like, they're so good at finding the open guy and finding the right option. The whole unit, all five of them, they make the right play all the time, it seems like, especially when they're hot. You know, when they weren't going there at the start, they were forcing it a bit, but now it seems like they're hitting the open option

and there's no defending that. You're a man down, like you're literally a man down and if they hit the open option, it's usually in the back of your net or a quality scoring chance. Yeah, I'm not sure they're going to change it man. I don't think they're going to put Riley out because you know that was an issue the last couple of years.

You were there Gio, like the power play went ice cold down the stretch for some reason and then come playoff time that just it couldn't come alive and I know it's a new coaching staff this year but I'm sure they're aware of the history and the importance of special teams come playoffs if you have a power play that's cooking and it's been cooking for months I don't know I don't think they're gonna change it like I think it'd be difficult for them to justify changing it outside of thinking on the negative side of things which is what you're pointing to you give up a shorthanded goal it's so deflating but they would probably counter by saying

well if we score a power play goal it's incredibly inflating so like are we gonna gamble and push forward are we gonna play on our heels and I think that's probably what's at stake here if it's 2-1 in the third with two minutes left they're throwing out a D man I think but other than that if they need a goal if they need to put you know the nail in the coffin I think they're gonna stick with it and you know the other thing is I think they really truly believe in you know they tried it when I was there they put Mitchie on D in a regular regular for a regular shift when I was there so they believe his hockey

IQ is that good enough where he can defend if he has to if it comes down to it what was what was that like, Gio? Like when Michi came down the bench, and he's like, okay, boys, I'm filtering in on D here for a couple shifts. Like what gets said there on the bench? Not much. I think it gets kind of crowded down there

when you have, you never really have six guys sitting on the bench and it gets a little crowded. And, you know, in the preseason, when they did it in the preseason, you're kind of like, come on, maybe let the other team get one here so they don't try this again so we get our ice type back. No, I mean, I think, I'd never seen it in my career until when did it start? Like a year ago or maybe two years ago?

Like it was the first time a team tried it and I was like As a DMA, you're just like you're a little bit sour in the back of your head Especially if you're a power play guy, but then I mean, I guess it's these new trends, right? It's offenses. That's right. Just gaining steam. Well, that one wasn't a trend It was two shifts and it was over with yeah, sorry Although remember the Bruins used to put char in front of the net on the power play. I mean, like, did anyone chirp Big Z? I doubt it. I don't think any of the forums were saying, got it.

If it was a delayed penalty, Chara would just like abandon where he was and just go right to the front of the net and stand there. And it was just known that on a delayed penalty that's what he's doing. No one's touching this guy. Like, good luck, man. Alright, Geio, great catching up with you, man. We appreciate the insight. Let's do it again soon. Thank you for this. Okay, boys.

Take care. You got it. There he is, Mark Giordano. All new, all Canadian. The best of our great nation, one song at a time. This is Justin Bieber. Hi, this is Terry Clark. We are Nickelback.

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