OverDrive - Hartnell on the Eastern Conference close race, Ovechkin's goal scoring run and Miller's trade to the Rangers

Episode Date: February 4, 2025

NHL Network Analyst and Former NHLer Scott Hartnell joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, Andrei Kuzmenko's role with the Flyers, the Sabres' situation around the hit on Tage Thompson, the Eastern Conference's close race, J.T. Miller's trade to the Canucks, Alex Ovechkin's goal scoring run and more.

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So their first ever matchup out there. So I'm just doing a little file room work, looking at their lineup and the Flyers kind of depleted lineup. So. Scottie, how do you think Kuzmenko and Torz mesh? Just give me a little bit of a, give me a Kuzmenko-Torz, how this is going to go down. You know, I don't obviously know Kuzmenko. I know when he first came in the league, he was absolutely on fire, right?

Almost 80 points in a full season in Vancouver, and then he slid a little bit the last couple years. But you know, there's Mishkov here, there's Fedorov, there's Kolesov the goalie, there's Igor Zamula on the back end. So there's really comfortability with those guys. So maybe he comes in, feels really comfortable right off the bat and you know, he's playing for a contract, right? He's up, so going to be a UFA. so it's a little audition for him to be like okay let's see what you can do and I know he's buddies with Matt Fane each cop as

well so you know maybe that helps spark his game a little bit you know gets both those guys in the right track and maybe it could be something great but you know Torrance doesn't as you guys know he doesn't pull any favorites everyone's what what have you done for for me lately right and and whether a young young stud like Bischoff or you're a veteran like you know a Joel Farabee who just got dealt or connect me you know Kevin Hayes a couple years ago you can go right down to his whole coaching career he's done it to stars he's done it to all-stars, he's done it to guys, tough guys, whatever. He doesn't pull any punches, he's in total control. I think

Rasmus Rysmelinen, he's having one of his best years of his whole career and he goes, I wish I would have had him when I was 18. I said the same thing when Torz came in when I was 33 years old, set my ways. I'm like, man, I wish somebody would have had him when I was 18 and I said the same thing when torts came in when I was 33 years old, you know set my ways and I'm like man I wish somebody would have held me accountable for my bad penalties and and maybe you know Do this a little bit differently maybe practice a little bit harder or whatever, right? So you think about those things when you're a little bit older what could have been but you know I think these young kids, you know, he's putting a good impression on it. Some people can handle it Some people can't and that's that's the way it goes with TORUS, right?

Yeah, absolutely. And I'm curious your take on what's going on in Buffalo the last three or four days, where we all saw, you know, what happened in that Jersey game, Tage Thompson gets laid out, and there's no retribution, there's no real reaction from anybody on the ice. And now they've had, I guess, like, you know, a closed-door meeting, and Lindy Ruff has read them the Riot Act, and now all these sabers are coming out saying we're never gonna let that to happen again. Like, are they talking a little bit too much? Are you buying into this, Scott? And if so, like, how

crazy is this gonna get? How crazy is it that you have to have that meeting? Well A that you have to have the meeting B that you have to promote it to the whole league that you're never gonna allow it to happen again. Yeah like I'm curious how you would I know how you would handle that if you're on the ice but what do you like do the Sabres have to do something now to prove to the rest of the league that they're not soft. Is that what you're anticipating happening or what do you make of this? Well you look through their lineup, they don't have any you know, hashtags, meat, if you

will, right? That someone's going to come in, you know, and absolutely, you know, back in the day, Rob Ray and you know, just some guys that you didn't fool around because you know they were coming out next shift right to get you or call you out or whatever and you know it's changed a little bit right and now if someone does have a big hit you see it you see it you know kind of you know the flyers a big hit on Owen Tippett I forget someone from the Islanders hit him and you know, you can't really do it. Sipakov hit Ryan Poehling, he's been in Concussion Protocol for, I believe it's a concussion anyway for a couple, three weeks now and they went after him, took a penalty, took another

penalty and this guy wasn't going to fight, right? So it's like you want to show some pushback, you know, obviously, you know, 15, 20 years ago the guy's going to, you know, probably know 15 20 years ago the guy's gonna you know probably be eating his teeth right if you will in that respect but you know you have nothing going on it's that's you know maybe shows a little bit of the character in the room and I don't know you know many of the guys that are the league a little time now but you know you got to even if you're not a tough guy you got to go do something to somebody and call somebody out

and someone's going to drop the miss to kind of show that you have a little hard, little kind of pissed off-ness, if you will, to stick up for one of your best players, one of the best players on your team, right? Well, even if it's a pack mentality, right? Like, not everyone's good at fighting, comfortable with fighting. But if you know that you and three other guys are gonna jump in there and someone's gonna have your back you walk a little

a little bigger and You know one of the teams that I think was always had that makeup is Tampa Bay, right? Like anything went down with Tampa. It was like everyone's in there on the scrum didn't matter who point Damco's Kuturov Kuturov's in the middle of all kinds of stuff those guys are in boston same deal both those teams out of a playoff spot right now the rangers out of a playoff spot like scott if you're looking at the eastern conference standings which

everyone's doing every day three legacy teams out of the playoffs right now like how many of these teams will remain out of the playoffs in your opinion? I think the Rangers get in somehow. Really? They're only four points in. I think how well they played since they lost 13 in a row or a couple points in however many games. It was dire straits. They stuck with it. I think they're going to be there at the end of the day. You know, having Miller, I think helps them hugely at the middle, had a good start to his first couple of games back. You know,

their goal is too good. Their defense, I think is solid enough to kind of ride the waves. The batting jet can't be as bad as he's been, you know, the first 50 games of the season, right? So I think they'll be there. I think the Islanders will put Fizzle out, you know, know Canadians they had a good card there for a while they're done you know and then you look at Tampa and Boston you know that they're you know who knows how hot the Red Wings can be right they've been playing really great Ottawa those are the two teams Ottawa and Detroit those are the two teams

we've been waiting for for three, probably three years now being like which team is going to overpower one of those powerhouses in that division, right? Tampa, Boston, maybe that this is the year where they they make some strides and get in. So it could throw a little bit of a mix-up in the matchups for playoffs which is great for the league, right? Yeah, you don't want, you know, Tampa winning every year, getting to the conference finals and, you know, three finals in a row, win a couple, no big deal. You know, I like the, the parity is great, obviously.

It's been a little bit of a cakewalk for those, those couple teams that have always been in. Toronto's in there, but they can't seem to knuckle down in the playoffs. I think that might be a little bit different picture this year with, with Craig Barube behind the bench, but I kind of like having some different teams in there even in the mix right these last you know two months of the season what do you got another ten days

left here before the break or you know a week before the break take a couple weeks off and everyone's gonna be ramped up here for the next you know six seven weeks so it's gonna be some great great hockey. Scottie you just mentioned the Rangers and they just acquired JT Miller. How crazy did you find that scenario? I mean I'm sure as long as you played you probably had the odd teammate here or there that you were just like that's not for me but when it comes to hockey where teammates were going to let it slide, like how shocking

was that development out in Vancouver for you? Yeah, you know, once again I'm not not sure you guys correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not sure all the details or what happened or where things went wrong between, you know, two stud players, right? But you know, for me, it's, yeah, if you have a disgruntled couple guys or one guy, you know, somebody has to make the move, right? And whoever's at fault, it doesn't really matter. Your pros, you have to move on and whoever is at fault it doesn't really matter your pros you have to move on right

there are some guys that I you know you know I usually got along with everyone my personality you guys know it's a happy-go-lucky guy a couple guys that I you know despise around my I couldn't I couldn't even look at him in the dresser just because you know what they did you know something personal whatever and yeah easy you know at the rink you're gonna pass to him on the ice if he's open, you know He's gonna do the same but you know as for off the ice You just kind of you know look the other way right and like I said, I didn't do that to too many guys But you know something had to change something had to go on and and you know We'll see see how it works out in the long run

But I think it's a big ad for for jury and the Rangers. So, you know, they're how worked out in the long run but i i think it's a big add for uh... for jury in the rangers so high you know they're keen that kinda there there they have everything to get their actor that he's a copper spot blaster so they'd uh... uh... can get back to their winning ways and i think they'll get their there they are too much high and go panera advantage at miller carter those guys i think they're there there's too much heat up there for them to uh... kind of fizzle out, I believe. Without naming any names, was there ever a guy

on all the teams that you played on that you were just like, the guy didn't do anything wrong to me, I just, there's just something about him I just don't like, something about his face, something about the way he talks, there's just, I can't get over it. I just don't like this guy.

Maybe a little bit, you know know guys that you trade for at the deadline deal and you're like, God, we got this guy? Geez, I just absolutely fought him or he sticked me in the teeth. Last game we played him in, or it might have been two years ago. And you're like, oh God. And then you get to meet him and you're like,

this guy's the best, this guy. I'll tell you his name, Max Talbot. Yeah, he came to the Flyers. And I'm like, me like this guy the best this guy i'll tell you the next element he had he came to the flyers and i'm like man this guy is so funny this guy's hilarious so you're go for dinner this and that and and uh... it is this is funny right and then you hate playing against them but you know what i would have on your team just kinda you know i was a little bit of a rat playing he was a rat so we we got a lot pretty good him and i thought that

was what that was funny yeah you see that all that you usually hear the guys that fought or used to hit or chirp each other all the time and then they just become buddies like immediately right when they're kind of acquired or on the same team or in the same room it's amazing we Scott it is true so OV I think Ovechkin's 18 off Gretzky right 18 off with 13 with 30 games to go and they're cruising towards the playoffs They're gonna be likely the top seed these How do you see him play in this in other words?

Is he chasing Gretzky this year or load management down the stretch preparing for the playoffs? What do you think's gonna happen with Alex Ovechkin? I don't I don't think, I think load banishment is a phrase they use in NBA, a little bit of Major League Baseball, things like that and maybe a little bit of NFL like when you're cruising into the playoffs you don't want your big dogs to get hurt. You know, Ovechkin, he's a different breed as we all know. He's an animal, he hits, he fights, fights or not fights but he hits hard you know he scores he battles he's out there you know in almost every situation I don't

think he has that in his DNA to be like hey I'm gonna take a couple a couple off ones here maybe you'll see it on a back-to-back but you know just looking ahead he plays the Flyers here in Philadelphia on Thursday I bet she'll be just chomping at the bit to play, to play Philly. Not to laugh at the Flyers, but you know, they haven't scored many goals lately. They've given up quite a few.

So, you know, one of those games, he's gonna have circle on his calendar. So, you know, I'm not sure if you'll get it here in the last, you know, what do you got? 30 games left, something like that. Yep, 30. Yep. Yeah, so it's, it'll be exciting, right? It's the goal every two games almost and, and you know, it's, he's been on a pace probably almost like that his whole career. So,

doesn't see in the way he started this year before his broken leg that he was on that pace. So, I wouldn't put it past the, the absolute beast. When you look at the best teams in the Eastern Conference, you know, does the ranting and trade change anything for you, how you view those teams? Does Carolina become, you know, the leader of the pack because they have him or you feel like it is anyone's race at this point when it comes to the top teams? I definitely do like Carolina. You know, it was a trade. I don't know if anyone saw coming but you're adding this guy for the short term. This is all it. I'm sure they're going to try and

sign him and he's going to want 14, 15 sheets. But I think the team for me is Florida. They just seem to keep getting better and better. Bob Roski is unbelievable. It seems like they're getting depth scoring from their top three lines. line so you got to beat the best team right they've been the best one of the best teams the last couple years you know in the Eastern Conference and winning last year so you know Capitals I love what they're doing they're playing great you know I think if they get a seven game series against the Caroline in the second round, it's going to be tough for them, I think anyway.

Okay. All right, Scotty, we appreciate you doing this as always, man. We'll do it again down the road. Thank you. Yep. Perfect. Anytime, fellas. Love you.

There's Scott Hartnell.