OverDrive - Johnson on Matthews' soft launch, Stolarz's iffy consistency and the Canadiens' significant jump

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Maple Leafs' win against the Flames, Anthony Stolarz's start to the season, Auston Matthews' ceiling for the team, the Canadiens' jump to stardom, the surprising groups, Connor Bedard's excellent start and more.

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Joining us here the Maple Toyota Hotline here's our TSN hockey analyst Mike Johnson what's happening Johnny what's going on fellas I think

noodles is right you lose all the flies once you're like okay give me your credit card number I'll put them on COD for you no one no one's calling you no it's like oh it's okay

I don't need to see it that bad as long as it's not free that ends it quickly huh that's it that's it and also I never played this down the cup final and four C I think I would plant my kids

like I think my kids would be in a different hotel room than me. If I, like, if they were, I don't think I'd be like hanging out with my kids after the game. I'd say, I'd say hi to them. But then I'd be like, okay, you guys got to go, because I got to go do some things. I'll see you in a week. That's reasonable. Listen, I hear you. That's reasonable. And I'm sure there's a lot of guys that are. And then there's other guys that are like, ah, they're in my room, you know, bad night last night. No way. Oh, yeah. No chance. There's been, there was an example of that recently. Who was it?

It was, oh, it was JJ Spawn at the U.S. Open. J.J. Spawned, ended up, of winning the USO. Remember the night before on the Saturday night, his wife sent them out to like Walgreens at 3 in the morning because their kid was sick and they had two kids and the mom, they had a newborn, the mom's like, well, I can't leave. So you got to get up,

go to Walgreens, figure this out at 3 in the morning. On the eve of the U.S. Sunday U.S. Open at Oakmont. Well, guess what happens after he won the U.S. Open? There's a nanny guy. He made enough money to pay for somebody to go

do that yes it also works on the positive too my run to the cup final first couple series my buddy and his wife from georgia came up to the first two series and they just kept i asked them to keep coming back and they kept driving back and forth and in the finals game one my best buddy lyler and his wife came to game one we won it and they drove back to guelph and i said you guys want to come back for game two and they did so it works both ways yeah that's fair i guess distractions and who knows i mean we'll we'll see we'll see and baseball is a different game it's a different game it's a different sport. It's a different vibe. But as for the Leaks,

you know, what did you make of it up close and personal last night? That was, I mean, Calgary is obviously not gone off to a good start. They're not a great team, but they're still competitive. They had 96 points last year. That was about as well as I've seen Toronto play this

year. You know, the power play needs work for sure, but just as far as, you know, they were faster. They want to be this sort of dump and chase team and cycle team, they were way better at getting to the puck and stopping it and turning it over on the forecheck and putting almost 40 shots up on the goalie.

That was a pretty good game for them. Not without, you know, it wasn't perfect. There's lots of stuff to clean up, but as far as just sort of the energy and pace required to be effective in the NHL and today's NHL, that was way closer to something. Like, that game would win frequently. And I haven't seen a lot of that this year,

so I thought, generally speaking, a pretty positive game. Johnny, are we kind of past the point of, like, waiting for things to clean up, or do you know what it would look like if it was cleaned up, or can it be, or is this just what they're going to bring to the table? Because I can't remember. I know in years past there's been difficult starts, and they got it back on track, and you had a sense of what it was going to look like. I'm not sure what that is this year.

Yeah, you're right. You're not exactly sure what that good game exactly looks like, I think it looks something more like last night. But cleaning up, to me, would be just being better sort of decision-making. Don't give up as many rush chances. Don't get caught in so much. You know, I think a big part of that is Tenev's being hurt doesn't help, of course. But even before he was injured, Tanev and McCabe, who were, by all accounts, numerically and otherwise,

one of the best defensive duos last year were not good this year together. I don't know what that would be. so those guys get their game together and become the standard really great defensive pair that they can be then I think that goes a long way into cleaning up as you phrased it a lot of the other stuff

that has not been where they wanted this year but I think it's something like last night's game though I really Austin had what five to eight nine shots whatever it was they drew some power plays they got some scoring from different guys they played the office at end a lot

I think that's what they want but noodles I know Storler has put a microscope on himself, but he, I don't know what you thought of the goal, the Farabee goals that I didn't love, and even the Hansig goal was a surprise, but I didn't love either one of them. The Fairbby one, especially, like, you just got to save that, don't you?

You do, and you're right. He put a spotlight on himself. The difference is he has been pressed into, like last year, Wohl, for the most part, was there, right? So, like, if you had a rough start, maybe you got a week to reset or to, you know get your game in order or to prepare for the next start like here it's you're playing a lot you're playing you're playing tonight obviously not because it's back to back but you know

you don't get that time and there's not a lot of practice time early in the season to reset your game or to get it it's just you've got to get into a groove and his groove has just been okay uh you know he is the randy carlough right now okay just okay like he's made some good saves You know, I don't lay some of the losses at his feet. But there is one or two goals that go in, whether it's every game or recently every game, that he probably made those saves last year. And, you know, again, 34 games last year spread out for a full season. He's on pace to play what?

68, 70. He's not going to. Joseph Ball is going to come back. But even if he gets something with a five in it, you're going to see his game. it's not going to be a 927 say percentage. It might be more league average, which, you know, in turn, makes him look more human nightly. That's the thing. That's the difference is there has been a drop-off in his play,

but it's because he's playing a lot more. And the team's got to, you know, pick up that slack. And they did last night. They got the game winner for him, so you move on. But you're right. There's been a couple goals that he would, for sure, want back or should have made those saves. Yeah, yeah. And he said as much himself, but it's just, it's surprising.

And the fact that he took Saturday's game off, and I guess they had to allude to do that because of the cap space, but they brought up another goal to do so he didn't even have to back up. And he's going for a physical rest and mental rest, and we are three weeks in the season, speaks volumes about what you're talking about noodles, about him, you know, dealing with what the grinds like when you're playing as much as he is. Now, you're right, he's playing too much, and he won't play it as much the whole rest of the way. I guess I'm almost like alarm bells go off a little bit, like, hang on, we're three weeks in and you need a mental rest day. I'm not making light of the grindy's on, but that's, you know, you'd like to think it would be fresher than that when we're not even out of October.

Johnny, two-part question, 10 games in, what do you notice the biggest difference with Marner gone, like where's the biggest area where he's missed, and what's your assessment of the new bodies that have come in? the biggest area they've missed Mitch I think is in like zone entries like puck transportation and puck possession he was he was really good at taking the puck scanning some neutral zone getting inside the offensive zone being creative making plays buying time and space and allowing the team to play more on the offensive zone so whether that's five on five or on the power play I think both things hold true that's been the biggest thing for me. It's not on the penalty kill. It's not necessarily the passing. It's his ability to get the

team in a spot where they can go to work offensively. And it's harder to do that now. So that's his miss. As far as the new guys, I think Nick was slowly growing into his role. Trying to figure it out. Third line guy, try to be reliable. I still think

he's gotten a little bit more offense. But again, he's got to be in the offensive zone to play that way. Dakota Joshua, I thought he really struggled early, maybe finding the pace in his game. he felt like he was he's huge but he was he was always a bit of maybe a half step behind he's been better as of late too maybe it's comfort maybe it's confidence um you know he's been he's been okay better lately and mitchellie he shows a little flashes all right like he makes three really good

play the game like to play that results in good chances you don't see him a whole lot otherwise but he makes a few of those really quick read passing plays i sort of give the whole group of I don't know if A would be above expectations, B would be really good. See you sort of just, you know, what you probably thought you might get. They're sort of like in the C plus a category. They're giving you what you think they are, but they haven't really been huge difference makers just yet. So, Johnny, what are you seeing if you apply that logic?

What do you see in Austin Matthews? You know, like his overall game and where you think it can get to? We were talking about last hour. I think there's another layer there, another level. there, but whether it's the Marner effect, the linemates, all of that or, you know, what do you think his game can get to,

or what does it look like when he's at the top of his game, in your opinion, up close? In this system, with this personnel, it won't look like what it looked like when he scored 70, 69. You know, I just don't think he's going to have the puck that many, not much,

but I still think, certainly on the power play, I'd like to see him be able to be more more impactful the ability to sort of take it and just make it work as opposed to you know he's one of five pieces and he hasn't sort of kind of quarterbacked it

and had it run through him and just made it like Caprize off might or you know he just I'm going to make it work because I'm going to make it work at five on five noodles I think he's going to be you know really good defensively which he is he's going to play in his own end because he has to and I think, you know, 40, he's going to be around 50 goals and around 90 points. But the key to mean meat noodles more than anything is he's got to win his five-on-five minutes. He has to win them.

He always has. He's never not won his five-on-five minutes at any point in his career. And he's, you know, barely treading water now, even see him when he's out there, not in the goal count, but in sort of the possession, the expected, and all the rest of it. And that's where I think he's got to get better. even if he doesn't score as much, when he's on the ice, they can't be in their own end so much. He's too good to be playing down there all the time. And that's where I think when he gets playing at his very best and sort of everything works together,

then he'll be in the offense of the end more, and then the numbers will come. Yeah, it is kind of difficult to figure out, like, is it that he's just, you know, last year he was injured, this year different linemates, is it him, is it his surroundings, is it Barube, you know, because he's still only 28. Like, he's had injuries. But he's only 28, you know, like, you got to believe he's going to play another 10, 12 years in the league. And I don't, I don't think he's looked that close to breaking out to me. I mean, I get it.

We do this all the time, like shot attempts, and hey, he had a bunch of shots, and hey, he hit the post last night. Like, for him, he's got to break out. He's got to do it because that can change the whole complexion of things, too. you know like matthews just turns into a top five player in the world it changes everything and i said that 15 20 times last year even when they were winning and you're like it just feels different i'm like because of that guy because when he like when he's the best goal score the most dominant player you can't take your eyes off the guy on the ice you know it's the same for all of them mckenon exactly macdavid mcgit everything if the best player who is a superstar is

dominating you're like look how good this team is look at that guy and like that is what can flip quickly for me, five, four, and one pick up some wins. If this guy gets cooking and starts scoring at the rate you know he can, all of a sudden you're not looking at who's on the wing on the fourth line? You know, like, oh, is Philippe Myers playing tonight? Who cares? The big dog is chugging.

So it's all good. And I still think that's a possibility. But, you know, with the linemates, with Barube, with the system, and I think that's a really good point. You know, he's bought into it. He has to as the captain, right? He's got to. he's not going to cheat

he can't and there's credit he's not but I don't know because that it's the easiest thing for me goaltending and your superstar you know one A guy just going on a heater

in terms of the focal point the only difference would be though for Hayes is like think about him even when he was on his best was he a guy that you sort of envisioned skating with the puck a lot you know he was more a guy that like, you know, he'd give and go

and then once he got on the offensive end, he was like impossible to get it off of, and he needed a puck on a stick for a millisecond, and then he had a shot that had a really good chance of going past the goaltender. I just he's not a transporter. You know what I mean? Just not a guy who skates it up.

And that's why I think when he plays with Neelander, it is so much better for him. Because, you know, Matthew Nye is a bull, for sure, but he's not quite as skilled as Nielander. When Nielander goes there, it gives him all that freedom to let Nielander get in the offensive zone and drag another, you know,

possessing, let Watson do his thing and get it up the ice. So, yeah, you're exactly right. Hey, I just, I just don't know, with, without someone on his line to help get the puck you know, in the offensive zone, I don't know if you're going to see sort of dominant performances.

So Montreal won again last night and O was, you know, proposing this question earlier, like if the Atlantic Division is it's go ahead it's your question i just may i want to make sure i want to make sure you say it properly go ahead hey no no you go ahead it's your thing i was i was setting you off it wasn't my thing it was just it was just we're a sports radio show like it was all right johnny here it is we were talking about the atlantic and how it's bungled up and you know everyone seems to have

their ups and downs montreal kind of looks good and tampa doesn't look good although they played better lately if you could fast forward to january first in the atlantic and and you could predict a couple of separators, like Tampa and Florida and maybe Toronto have done in the past. In the Atlantic, who would they be? Separator, I think. Like get out of the muck. Get out of the muck and kind of separate.

I think it's Montreal. And the reason I say that, I think they score. Which is why I would have said Tampa? Because they can score. But without Nick Paul there and Hengel's gone off those slow start, their first line scores, but not much behind them. And Florida is going to grind, and I think the injuries are

an issue for them, and they're going to grind for that few months and be competitive. And I don't think Toronto is going to take off on a great, you know, 12-and-2 run or something. I don't see Detroit doing it, Buffalo, Boston. Even Ottawa, they're pretty good, too, but

I think it's Montreal, because they have offense throughout their lineup. And they're really good in close games. They're really good in overtime where they can pick up extra points. I don't know if they're going to do it, but if I had to say one team that could, I think it would be Montreal.

Yeah, that'd be pretty fascinating if they ended up like comfortably winning the division. Like how quickly that happened. This time last year they were bottom two or three team in the league. They had a horrible start. Terrible stuff. Terrible. They're awful in October.

Awful last year. And now a year later, it's a reasonable projection. You know, with the way Caulfield's playing Suzuki's been great. Deminow's been really good. Hudson has doubled down. You know,

Dobsons fit in well. Yeah, they keep winning, man. They're an explosive team. They're fast team, too. They've got skill. They've got a little bit of everything. My whole thing, Johnny, is I think at some point there might be a market correction with them.

Like, everything is just, it's almost too perfect. You know what I mean? Like, it's, they've had the, you know, when, when, when, when good teams have good luck, they go on these massive runs. And that's why I'm calling them a good team. Like, they don't get me wrong. But are they this good, or is there going to be, you know, some correction, shooting percentage, all of that type of stuff.

Puck luck, you know, they almost gave it away last night. They were up three nothing comfortably, and then it's, you know, they find a way to win in overtime, like that type of stuff. When that switches to the other side, some bad luck, like that's what. I want to see how they can dig themselves out very quickly. And are they having some injury piled-ups? That's the other thing, too. You know, line A coming out, it seems fine.

They're fine because they've got enough depth there. But, you know, that's, you never know how things unfold. I still want to give them another 10 games before I weigh in on that. Both of these guys, Johnny, both of these guys want to give them another, to everyone, everyone another 10 games. Well, it's the same thing about Detroit. No, I know, well, let me ask you this, John. I think Pierre had a piece where he was talking about there's like new blood in the

NHL. Who do you think of the old blood is like cooked, where they're like, you're not good anymore? Like you're fooling yourself if you think you're still good, Johnny. Oh, that's a good question. I'll run through them in my mind real quick. Like who would you tap on the shoulder and say, just for your information, you guys, your fun is over. Like, you might start wanting to do something different.

Oh, boy. I mean, I mean, I would say, I can't say Boston because they were terrible last year, but, you know, Boston would be the one thing. Rangers weren't good last year, but they weren't good last year, but they might be fall in that category. The one that, it's not that they're not good, but last year they were elite, I don't think L.A. is going to do it again this year. L.A. last year was really good. They were the best defensive teams in the league. They were quitting byfield chip out of winning the first round against Edmonton, and then who knows where they go. Copantara's perch

They are older I don't love the moves they made this summer Bringing in some older guys That might be a team where like Slower, older I don't know if they're window To be really competitive in the playoffs And go, you know, two, three rounds

That might be one that I would Prematurally say I don't see it this year Okay Good question Last one for John Hasey You gotta have one You gotta have a team Hazy

Or you can say Toronto. I mean, let's be honest. Yeah. I mean, I'm like, what's not very the league here? Yeah, the least. The least have got to prove that they're not over the hill. Like, even though they haven't won anything. They've gotten slower. They don't look at it as dynamic.

Now, I think we believe, you know, we've seen enough with the team that I believe that they have the ability to pull out of what they've shown. But what they've shown through 10 games is not sort of elite level stuff. We know that. Yeah. I would say

same applies to Florida and Tampa though and are you going to say that about them? Well, Florida is injury related, right? So like if you give me Bark off a good shot back in the lineup maybe I'll need to see right, I don't see huge injuries I mean Joseph Wall I suppose but

injuries haven't been the story and Tampa yeah Tampa would be part of the conversation too. Tampa would be kind of similar to Toronto to what they're shown early just hasn't been good enough although I kind of believe that the star offensive players in Tampa

I could guarantee their production more than the star offense like I know Kutrov and points and Gensel are going to get a bunch and you know with the way Matt like Matthew's going to get 90 hundred points I don't like I don't know if you will sure where does Edmonton fall on this list yeah

emminton is the thing about Evanton though is that they're largely driven by those two guys that still buy those two guys Those that hasn't changed. I understand they have holes, but they had holes last year. And when it comes down to it, those two guys are so great that they can make it happen. But, yeah, they get Hyman back in a week, too.

Yeah, yeah, getting Hyman back in massive health. That'll be part of it. Huge, huge. I know we've got to go, Johnny, but where are you at with Pittsburgh? That's the biggest question for me. And I know it's kind of an outlier, but. Let me add this before you answer. Yeah, go ahead.

I'm all in on Pitt, Johnny. All in on them being really good? Yeah, I love them. Playoff team type of thing? Playoffs. Playoffs? Playoffs, Jim Morris. Johnny, are you playoffs for Pitt?

Hashtag? I want to be. I think everyone would want to be. I can't see of getting Malkin being this good. I can't see Justin Brazzles 4 and 50. Like, they got some stuff happening there that I cannot see continuing. Sid? Yes. Malkin going from 1.30? I don't think so. Um, so I think there are some some evening out of the way things have gone so far, but I will give them credit. They are

way more organized and way more attention, attentive to defense, which they have been in years past, and that's helped them go off the good start, but I'd love it. Oh, but I can't buy it just yet. Yeah, I think that's very reasonable. That's where Hayes was at. He bet him 500 bucks yeah i think the wheels yeah i was got them making the playoffs playoffs and making noise i didn't say making noise you morrow hayes is adding that that that i just think it's a great story we've just been burying them it's a great story it's a great story all for three years it's like we've been praying for sid to either get traded and now they're good so i'm embracing it you're right it's great story uh you know utah's a great story logan cooley's got paid right

Right. Cool, you make it $10 million a year, I believe it is. That's a good player, man. Really good start, really good player. Seattle's been, you know, a good story early on. Badaard and Chicago are not a disaster. Like, Chicago's not a disaster. You know, they're young. That's a story.

That's nice for Bred. Totally. People wrote him off hard last year. Like, he was, like, a terrible player. He had some more, he had some improvements to make. But he had 67 points on a awful team with nobody around him. Like, I'm happy to see him doing well, like, for him. mining people. Again, he's not perfect, but he's still really, really good. I'm glad he's

showing it. Yeah, his shot is so lethal, man. He is so gross. You know what it was cool to see, like, you forget, like, Nathan McKinnon, it took him a year or two to settle into the league, right? I'm not comparing Bedard to McKinnon. What I'm saying is not every superstar hits the ground, like, just running. That's it. Like, there's still an adjustment period. What I've seen in that player, and I saw him live yesterday, like, he's special. Oh, you've loved him for many years. He just hasn't arrived. I think he's arrived.

He's a really good, good player, a special player. And now they've got better players around him. They're a young team, young defensive core. They got a goalie there who's pretty good. But, you know, I don't think they're a playoff team, but I think they're fast. And they're really coached well. That Blaschel's a good coach. Like, he's known as a good coach.

Credit. Yeah, credit words do, man. Chicago's off to a good start. Like, full credit to them. All right, Johnny, I'll leave it there. Enjoy the games tonight. All right. Hey, I love the bow tie the other day. Now, I want to know, was it a clip on? And did you have to go buy a bow tie? Because did you actually own one? I do own one that's like an official one.

That was not the one I was using. This one, it was like a dollar store wrap around the head. It wasn't even a clip on. Lip-on would have been. Velcro. No balls open for not having it on today. I'm not wearing it every day. I wore it the one time.

Well, did they lose? Did the Jays lose? They lost on, yeah, and I was getting blamed. They lost in 18 innings, and it's like, well, you wore the bow tie as if there was any connection. So what the Jays were doing in L.A. in my bowtie. But I wore it. I'm man of my word. I said I would, and I did.

All right, Johnny. Thanks, buddy. All right, fellas, enjoy the games, and chat soon. Yep. Mike Johnson, joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Get in and go where adventure takes you in a new 2025 Tacoma from Maple Toyota near Canada's Wonderland in the Maple Auto Mall. Visit MapleTorita.com. Introducing Brian Adams Radio on I-HeartRadio. Hosted by Brian Adams himself.

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