OverDrive - Hartnell on the Stanley Cup Playoffs race, the importance of depth and the Maple Leafs looking for the next level

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

NHL Network Analyst Scott Hartnell joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Eastern Conference race towards the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the importance of the depth on a roster, Auston Matthews' production for the Maple Leafs and more.

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Switch to Bell PureFiber, Canada's fastest internet, awarded by UCCLA. Starting from $60 a month. Visit bell.ca for more details and to check availability. Here he is, former NHL Network Analyst Scott Hartnell. What's happening Scott? Not much. What's your guys Twitter handle so I can block you right here? You can block me. At Hayes DSM, block me right now so I can say Scott Hardinall blocked me online

because that owes begging people to unblock them. I mean... No, it was just one of those things. I had regrets and I knew somebody that knew somebody. I said, hey, can you reach out and just let them know I want to follow them again. I apologize. Is that a weasel move, Scotty, to do that? I mean, come on.

No, no, it's you know some people have thick skin some people don't can't handle the you know Criticism or whatever it is, but I you know back when I was playing there people with you know Kirby out of the worst gate in the world you suck You know go go eat dirt or whatever right and that just like two little quick sticks a second They see you later, so it's perfect all right was that the go-to chirp against you was your skating? Probably but I played 17 years and then a bunch of cookies and exactly. Played the game hard so I think I did a right for a guy who could skate very good. I love that I love to see the guy chirping you skate.

Dude, that would be the best part. I don't appreciate your edge work. It's like, all right, I've been in this league for a long, long time. You're blocked. Anyway, it's great catching up with you. Feels like, I mean, every day we come in here, we kind of upgrade or update the standings,

and some teams are going up, and some teams are going down. And teams are going down and generally speaking we focus on the east you got Ottawa, New York, the Rangers, the Islanders, the Blue Jackets, Detroit, Boston. Do you have a read or do you have a feeling on on two of those teams that you think have the upper hand for those two wild card spots in the east? Well I think Ottawa right now obviously they've been playing some really really good hockey, created a little bit of separation from the pack as you will even though that could change in a long weekend there's teams playing a couple games or three out of four so they would be

probably I would say the lock but almost as close as you can get to a lock but I picked the Rangers out of that whole group to snag that second wild card spot. Just saying, I think their goal-tending is probably better than anyone in the mix of those teams. They've got the high-end skill up there and can do all his stuff. They haven't played their best hockey as of yet, so if they get in one or two goals a game and they're scoring a few goals, they're going to be on the right side of the game to get some points and sneak it in.

That'd be a team for a Washington that would be fairly scared to play. Yeah, well exactly with their history and within the division and the Leafs are at the garden playing the Rangers tonight. I have not seen the Rangers projected lineup tonight, but I presume that Matt Rampe will play. The last time the Leafs played the Rangers, Barube made sure Ryan Reeves was in the lineup specifically because of Renpy. Well, Reeves is Wave, so he's no longer a part of this team.

Would you expect, like, where are you at with Renpy? Because I saw, was it Calgary they were playing the other day? And he just threw his elbow up again on somebody. It wasn't egregious. It wasn't worthy of a suspension suspension but he can't help himself the forearm the elbow he's getting in fights he's hit willing to hit anybody in sight where do you stand on the Matt Rempey experience well you see the mark man now right it's like I forget what the stat was but he played like maybe 10 or 12

games and he had you know six games of suspension now I guess they've bumped up even more so you know the guy's uh the guy's huge you can't miss him when he's out there so you know everyone's eye especially the referees are honest guy and you know for guys playing against the Raiders and against Renfe you got to know when he's out there right a defenseman going back for a puck you have to you know shoulder checks be like okay I might you know either shoot the puck around to get it away from me as fast as possible and brace for a hit or stop and try and dodge the hit but yeah there's the elbows high the finishing late all that kind of stuff it's you know no one wants

to see that in the game of hockey and he's a marked man right now, which is unfortunate for him, but it's a lot of the self-dealing himself as well. Scottie, my esteemed colleague Jonah Siegel was talking about depth on rosters and the importance of them and your playoff experience, how important is it or what is the importance of the guys after the first and second line? Is it just to create momentum, be physical? Is it key to chip in offensively, occasionally? Like just talk about the importance of depth come playoff time when you have a quality opponent. It's massive right

because the teams as farther you go in the playoffs the more depth each team has right especially on the back end right so you want to be able to make it hard for those guys to come 200 feet all the time. If your third and fourth lines turnpucks over and you're not as reliable as, say, your top couple lines, that's when you're gonna get all those little turnovers somewhat back to haunt you. So you need to obviously have the third four

finds chip in as well. You know a big goal, you know to start a game with all the energy and stuff like that. That stuff really fills us through the locker room. You know I remember you know in 2010 there was Blair Betts and Darryl Powell on our fourth line and you know they got a goal like one of the first games. It was just like you know we lost those two games mind you but it was just awesome to see those guys you know chip in and be a part of the you know almost the run that we had. With Scott Hartnell of the NHL Network you accept that breakdown Jonas? I do. You're a believer in the depth scene. Yeah. Scott he knows what he's talking about. And even Scott Hartnell that run to the final, I'm looking at it right now, 17 points, 23 games.

Pretty good. Pretty good. Pretty good. Pretty good. Yeah, yeah, there you go. A little tire pump there halfway through the interview. We love it. In terms of, you know, the Leafs and, and obviously we were talking about them last night and their depth, but the top line is going to have to drive the bus and Austin Matthews has been such a topic of discussion because his stats just don't add up to basically every other year of his career. Yet the last few games, he scored in his last three, he's really starting to chug.

His last two games are probably the best two game stretch of the season for him, where he's really leaning on the opponents in terms of his ability to elevate in the playoffs are you are you a believer that that can still happen for him and even if he's not going to score close to 70 goals this year he can still end up having a very successful season if and when he plays the ways capable of down the stretch and into the playoffs. I think he's going to be fine, right? I think these games, you know, correct me if I'm wrong, but the last couple years, the

years it's always been set stone, like, you know, one, he's going to play the wild card, two, three, it's always been set of stone. But now it's a wild race, and who's going to pick up that one seed to maybe play in Ottawa or whoever is going to be in that search volunteer spot. So it's going to be a battle. You want to have home ice, right? So that's the second place you're going to play in Tampa. You want that home ice advantage as well.

So out of that, the landing division, it's wild how tight it is, but the positioning is going to be the key for these teams. And that's why I believe Craig, we're going to be seeing everyone on the field. So that's the key. So that's the key. So that's the key. So that's the key. So that's the key.

So that's the key. So that's the key. So that's the key. So that's the key. So that's the key. So that's the positioning is going to be the key for the heat. And that's why I believe Craig, we're going to have everyone on the point, everyone dialed in, defensive and stripping that he's brought to Maple Leafs. That's going to be first and foremost. And maybe that's the reason why Matthews has not been kind of good at planting. He's got a little bit more structure in his game.

He's always been a two-way centre-man, but, you know, has a little more focus on that, and, you know, he looked back through time, but, you know, Stevie Lye, he was getting 100 points and 120 points, whatever it is, in the, you know, mid- and early-90s, and then, you know, he's got a little structure, so he got a moment, came in, and his points dipped a lot,

but they ended up winning championships, so that's, you know, maybe something that his team has tried to bring into that team as well. went off his back. Okay, you saw that. I'm glad. Have you ever, everyone like O said, he's been around the game, played forever, never seen anything like it. Everyone on TV last night. Have you ever witnessed anything like what we saw in Toronto with Kelly Sutherland last night? First of all, Kelly Sutherland is one of the best referees. He's been there a lot of years that I've played. A very approachable guy. You can kind of have a little sparring match with him verbally if you wanted to. Tell him to wake it up or whatever and he can give it right back. So I really appreciate

that. But to do a belly flop in the neutral zone, I had to rewind it because I didn't know what was going over his head or what happened. But I watched it a couple times and I was giggling to myself last night but yeah, it's a top shelf for a big crowd. I've seen him hit the shithead pad or a skeet, he goes right into the slot one timer and you're like, come on, rap really? And you give it to him but this one was almost too good for it. You can't even be mad at that.

Right, you almost got to just say, hey man, all good. Because you know he's embarrassed by that. That was a tough look, a tough one last night. Anyway, Scott, we always appreciate you doing this. We'll do it again down the road. Thank you. Yeah, sounds good, guys. Cheers.

Scott Harton on the line. Meet him, interview him, an iHeartRadio experience you'll never forget. Turn up the night like that radio. With flights, hotel, and $500 included. Be like that. How we feelin' tonight. For your best chance to win,

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