OverDrive - Johnson on McDavid's contract extension, the winning element and the NHL season beginning

Episode Date: October 7, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the start of the NHL season, Sidney Crosby's future with the Penguins, the Maple Leafs' team entering the season, Connor McDavid's value on his contract and his determination to win, the impact on players and more.

Looking for a job, but not sure where to start. The Career Foundation is here to help. We support people from all backgrounds with job search, skills training, career counseling, and more. We also connect you with top employers ready to hire, all at no cost to you. Whether you're starting out, changing careers, or returning to work, we're with you every step of the way. Connect with us today. Visit CareerFoundation.com. That's careerfoundation.com. Changing lives, one job at a time.

Joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Here's our TSN Hockey analyst, Mike Johnson. What's happening? Johnny? What's going on, boys? I'm coming you right from the belly of the beast. I'm in New York. And flying down here today,

everybody going to New York was going to the Jay's game. Like 85% of the flight walking by Jay's gear, Jay's hats on. And I was sitting beside a couple of the people going to the game. And I'm like, you wearing the Jay's hat to the game? They're like, uh, maybe the T-shirt under the over-shirts. just to keep things on the nice and calm. But yeah, it's going to be a little,

but you guys are so right, like just being here for eight hours, the mood of the media is not optimistic at all, sort of realistic, but also ready to flip on them. If it goes badly on New York, the media is ready to pounce and the fans I think are too. Yeah. Oh, they're ruthless down there, and that's it. It's, you know, similar to the way the media up here reacts to the Leafs

if they put themselves in a bad place. you know it's bedlam it's crazy here we go and the yankees get it and i've been reading it and watching clips down there and everyone everyone's got to go everyone stinks everyone's terrible the blue jays have embarrassed them it's awful yet they'll flip because again like the least there's a there's a steep in arrogance because it's new york it's the yankees if they win tonight everyone down there will say the jays stink it was a fluke you know they're cheating up in Toronto, you know, they got the hotel up there, the man in white, you know,

Yankees are going to roll now. It flips quickly. Who's been accused of cheating, though? Is it the Yankees or the Js? Well, somebody... But from idiots, from morons that are, that are... But Max Fried, the pitcher who got lit up

a game to their ace, sort of passive-aggressively, like, well, I mean, they made good pitches, but they were on to everything. Like, sort of suggesting something strange was going on, without actually coming out and saying it. Meanwhile, and I don't even have a problem with this, you got Aaron Judge on second base, every time the side is coming, he's tapping his head.

Here it comes. Here it comes. So, like, I mean, he's doing it in open, I guess if you're not doing it like Houston Astro style with the technology, but they're not. The guy just has a crazy delivery that no one's ever seen before. But yeah, there has been sort of intimations by the media

that the Jay's got something cooking at home versus the road. Well, we'll see. And again, every team, team is better at home and they're on the road. Like, everyone has better home stats than they do on the road, clearly. Bring out the trash cans. Where was that? Houston banging on trash stands?

Houston was doing that. Well, we've got puck dropped down in Florida, Johnny. What the hell is going on here? Can you go talk to someone at the NHL head office? Like, why are the cup winners the team that run the league playing at 5 o'clock Eastern Time to open their season? Are you aware of why this is happening? So that ESPN can have a triple header uninterrupted,

and that the Rangers and the Penguins can be prime time. So it's got to go 5-8-11 or something like that. And maybe you go early because it's got a long ceremony. New York's bigger. New York gets it. Like put Florida at 8 o'clock. It doesn't matter ultimately, but they deserve that. They deserve the 8 o'clock prime time.

game. Have the Rangers fly to New York and play them. If you want New York in the game or you want sit in the game, to me, it's like disrespectful to a team like that. You've got to play at 5 o'clock to start your season on a Tuesday. You know, listen,

give another reason to have a chip on their shoulder. That's all they want. Give it another little fuel for the fire. The entire league doesn't respect them. But you know what it's like. Money talks. You could put Florida at 8 or New York at 8. More people will tune in to watch New York, even though they're not the two-time training champs, and that's why they get the prime time slot.

Ask the Vancouver Canucks fans when the Leafs go out there and play at 4 p.m., 7 o'clock Eastern on a Saturday night. It's how it goes. Money talks. Johnny, Pitt playing the Rangers, like Sidney Crosby, how long do you think he plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season? You think he finishes the whole year there? There's just no way in hell this year, do you?

Feels like I'm in the minority, but I don't think so. And maybe I like to quote, oh, I played a lot. some garbage teams and it's terrible even and i'm you know nobody here at sydney crossey but it's not fun no and for a guy who's wired to win and has done so well he doesn't want to be languishing in 13th place out of it by december and he's like well i got the olympics and maybe another year after like i think he's going to want that competitive juice will start going and if they ever chip away latang go somewhere or malkin go somewhere and then i think it really really would open up the floodgates.

It's going to have to be a delicate dance for how the organization would handle it. But I can imagine if they are like, you know, 12, 20, and 3 after 35 games, that he'd be thinking, you know what, there's probably a better place for me to spend the last year and a half of my career. I agree. I think they're, and as the season goes on, like Johnny, do you not think that some of these teams that, listen, everybody's in this, in first place as of right now. And things, you know, 20 games into the season, there are,

teams that think that they're going to be good this year, and it just doesn't work out. Either players don't work out, bad seasons, injuries, you name it. Do you not think that there will be some fallout where teams will start to pick at the carcasses a little bit at U.S. Thanksgiving? And Pittsburgh is obviously open for business. Like, if Pittsburgh is 410 and 2 in their first 16, like, do you not think that people will be, it'll be noisy for Sydney? to move on potentially? It will be if he lets it get there because all he has to say publicly is

I am not going anywhere and then no one will ask him about it. Because he has the full no move protection if he wants to quell any chatter he's like, it's not happening. Leave me alone. And then it'll be left alone. But I imagine behind the scenes, the ownership group, the management group,

they are rebuilding. Respectfully, they would be better off long-term trading these guys including Sid, then they would be having them around for a couple years. So that's what they're going to try to juggle. But, you know, I'm sure he's going to play hard. It's going to get ready for the Olympics. I just, you just wonder.

And then you wonder if he gets the Olympics around some of those other good players and Nate gets in his ear. Hmm. Colorado's looking real good. Colorado, you could be the piece. And, you know, you have those kind of conversations and all of a sudden maybe it plants a little seat as well. So it'll be something to watch.

I think Pittsburgh's probably. preseason picked about bottom three in the east probably yeah yeah so they're going to get 70 points that's going to be a long and sort of miserable season for everyone there

well with the start of the game tonight sid malcolm latang will make NHL history the first trio in NHL history to be team makes for 20 seasons together which is that's insane that's an incredible it's been an incredible run clearly but yeah you got you got three games tonight and then leaps tomorrow and you know outside of scottlotton

and i guess joseph wall but that's not an injury related scenario but they got out of the preseason they're a veteran team they're a bigger team this year um but when you look at this group you know in terms of getting out of the gates where does your head go first like the idea that wall maybe isn't going to be here the fact that You know, Marner's not here anymore. They're a slower team. Like, where do you go first in terms of the potential landmines they have to get around to get off to a good start? Well, we prefaced it by Saturday Experience team, but are any of you guys sort of optimistic by what you saw in training cap?

Not by what we know what they are, but what you saw in training cap. Did anyone, like, I call three of their games, not a ton to be like, oh, yes. Scott Lawton was sort of the reason to be excited. Him and Easton Cowan playing together, Stephen Lawrence. Beyond that, it wasn't like anything really to get too excited about. So you're assuming that it will just work because it has and because they have been good. So that's sort of pitfall one.

Like, can they flip the switch, play with more intensity, play with better execution, play faster, as you mentioned, because they have looked slow at times. So that's my first concern. The other one is, you know, Stolar's was, incredible last year. And he can be still above average and be not as good as last year. And if he has any sort of dip, especially early, because I imagine the games will be close, probably pretty low scoring, that could make them vulnerable. And without a backup there,

that is as proven as well was, that does offer up a little bit of area of concern. So, yeah, I mean, trying to figure out these new pieces, trying to see how it works, is what, you know, They don't want to find themselves 20, 30, 40 games in in the crowd from 5th to 9th. They don't want to be there. They want to be sort of in the upper echelons right away, and they'd be well-served to try to get off to a good start to be there. But I guess we're just trusting them because they didn't show much in training camp to warrants, you know, overwhelming positivity that are coming and coming, charging out of the gates quickly. Johnny, we're talking to Chief about Austin Matthews with no Mitch Marner, and he said he wants him to hang on to pucks more. I don't know whether that means he wants him

to just take it to the net and do different things out there, but how do you see that as far as him still being the best goal score in the game right now? It's interesting, though, because he became the best goal score in the game playing the way he played. And it's not to suggest that he can't, but trying to take guys

one-on-one while he can do that occasionally. I don't know if that makes him any better. We'll see how this shakes itself out. I still think if you're as good as Austin Matthew is, you've got to trust your line mates. They've got to be able to make some plays for you. You got to be able to give him the puck go and do what instinctively feels right. The only thing I would say is maybe through the neutral zone. Not so much in the offensive zone, but in the neutral zone where oftentimes it was like Marna would sort of

stretch it or grab it and transport it up and then everyone else would get in their routes. Maybe he has to do more of that and it's Nize and Machelli that are going and stretching it out and Matthews carrying it through the neutral zone. I did see a lot of that in the preseason. maybe that's what he's talking about and that would be a bit of a change for him. So how big of a surprise when McDavid's contract came across your ticker and you read that 12.5?

Like what was, you know, a guy like you, I saw you on the preview show last. I was like, you looked flabbergasted still after absorbing it after many hours. I was stunned. And I think we, none of us were not surprised by two years. I think we all knew it was probably going to be short. and we sort of heard it's not going to be pushing the limits.

So to me, that's like, oh, he'll take 15 instead of 19. Like, that was already an enormous concession, two years at 15. And then when I saw it 12 and a half, immediately you check, is that a fake account? Is that actually real information? And, you know, you guys flesh it all. I was listening to you guys yesterday. You talked it all through. He's happy, so it doesn't matter.

As long as he's happy, who are we to say that's a good idea, bad idea? As long as he's, please, good for him. It offers up more flexibility, like $7 million extra to the team for the next couple of years. Basically, they get Jake Walman on their team versus not having Jake Walman because of the sacrifice he made. That's a really big deal. The only thing I don't like, not a joke. Now, no, and it's true, no, you're right. You know me well enough.

I wouldn't do that. But if I had 130 in the bank, I might. I might. It is a little bit different than, like, if I've already set for life and life and life, then maybe, you know, you can shave three or four million and it doesn't seem quite the same thing. But the only thing I don't like, and I sort of heard it from multiple people, including you, Mr. Hayes, was the idea that him doing this is proof positive that somehow he cares about winning more than guys who didn't do this. And I'm okay for celebrating him for making a really big decision financially to help his organization to try to better their chance of winning.

But does that mean Leon Dry Settle is not committed to winning? He didn't take any discount. He got to be in the highest pay playing league. Would you say that's true about Dry Settle? Should the dry Settle shouldn't have done that? I think we got to celebrate the guy who did it, but don't come down on Capri's off. Like, he doesn't want to win because he got full value for his contract.

I just, it's this notion. And then Austin's getting asked about it today at practice. And like it's already setting up for him to say, well, if you don't do it, you don't care. and that I don't want to see it go down that way because I don't think that's fair it did come off a little bit poor on Austin where he goes I guess he just wants to win like so then right away people are like oh well this guy doesn't want to win like so now he's got to defend those comments

I know you know that Toronto got a hold of that comment where but Austin left easily a million and a half plus on the table last deal easily he could have pushed it if you wanted to so the idea that he took every cent. Not true. Yes, he became maybe the highest paid, I think, at the moment. But he left money on the table. Not as much, but a little bit. So, yeah, and I just,

Haysey, I see you chuckling over there. You're smirking. You're like, I don't think so. These guys, I've been saying it for years. Who says you've got to take all the money? Here we go. And celebrate Connor, but don't crucify the other guys. Listen, it's not about crucifying

the other guys. It's just proving the point that they can if they really want to. And I would push back on the idea that this doesn't prove that he doesn't want to win more. I think it's clear if he had a cup already, he would have signed for $20 million. If he had a cup, he would sign for $20. So you're going to separate cup winners from everyone else. And that is different. That is why McKinnon would be different.

Although, I believe, did McKinnon signed before or after he won a cup? I can't remember. But he signed after. I think he had signed after. And he still was like, I'm just going $100,000 over Connor. I don't want to get too crazy. And the reality has always been that it's up to the players to determine. And it sucks.

I get it. I understand it. And we use other examples in other leagues and say, well, this guy's making that. That guy's making this. Like Andreas Jimenez is going to bat 9 tonight, probably go 0 for 5. He's making $15 million. You know, like that's the truth as a Blue Jay. And there's guys with the Rapplers who will play on average eight minutes a night tonight,

yeah, or throughout the year and they're going to make more than him. but it's all the reality is it's a fixed cap it's a hard salary cap that's just the way it goes so every penny you're willing to give up to your team to possibly help you improve your chances is a smart play if winning is the highest priority that's just a fact it's just a reality maybe they screw it up maybe stan bowman doesn't get it right maybe maybe that happens Maybe in three years, Conner's going to look back and say, I should have taken the 20 because it wasn't going to matter anyway. Jake Walman didn't help me. He might have regrets, but I don't think he will if he wins.

And if Jake Walman factors in or whoever else factors in significantly to help him win, he's not going to have those regrets. And that's just the nature of the hard salary cap. That's always been my point. I'm not anti-player. How much is enough? Well, exactly. How much is enough? You can't argue the fact that this is the only guy in the world.

is that much to them? Well, here's what I would say, Johnny, is if his current deal wasn't 12-5, if it was 10, he'd sign for 10. If it was 8, he'd sign for 8. He just continued his current deal. You think so? I believe that. Yes. I think he knew, I'm not. I can't go back below 12-5. I've established I'm 12-5. Why not? If he wants to win, if he wants to win, if he cares about winning in a fixed tab league, it's all the players. Maybe he'll do it next time. McDavid taking a haircut. Come on. Maybe he'll do it next time. Well, there are people, there are people out there.

And they always use, what is it, the Korea, Salani, you know, didn't they go with Colorado for like a million bucks? Korea took a one year, one million dollar deal. Let me ask you, and I know this is probably somewhat unfair because it's the type of that. We can't actually know the answer. Right. Do you think McDavid is more rabbit about winning than Kiro Caprisov? Do you think he is? Not when they're playing, no.

Oh, I think he is. I don't think there's any. I think he's obsessed with winning. And I think the negotiations are proof. When they're on the ice, Hasey. When they're on the ice, there's no difference. They're both doing everything in their possible power to play. Well, you think Caprizov takes it home?

You think Caprizov takes it home like David does? No, there's just no way in home. But David lives and breezing every single second of his night. I don't think that's not. But maybe him not taking it home makes him better than someone. when taking it home. He was better than almost, he was a better goal score than McDavid

the first half of last year. So it's hard to say, well, if only he cared more. Like, how much better do you want him to be? And this is what I'm saying. Like, this, and it's okay. Like, not everyone can be the guy who cares the most.

Not everyone can be the hardest worker. Only one guy can be the first on, last off. You can't have seven guys a team that are the first on last off. That's not how it works. Only one guy. I wish I was more. more like Sidney Crosby. I'm not. My career was okay, could have been better. Don't come down

on me that I'm not wired like him. And so I think when they're playing, then yeah, I think they are both doing everything that they can possibly do and they care about winning as much as they possibly can. Now, does Connor manage his business different than Carol Caprizo? Clearly, but I'm not going to come down on Caprizo for doing that. Not at all. I think he took care of himself and the idea i am also probably more hesitant than brian hayes to trust the owners and the general manager to manage the money i'm giving you out of my kids pocket and do something smart with it because we've seen probably more instances of them not doing something smart than actually being really astute with the money i'm giving you so there is that too like i'm i'm giving

you're i'm giving you opportunity i'm cleaning up your mess i'm getting you know you're you're relying on me to manage your job to do your job and I'll do mine and I'll get paid accordingly if I want to I'm not you don't have to do but David is great caprice off's great I'm just saying I as an athlete don't like the idea that Austin Matthew is going to get criticized or capris off or whoever goes big next he said a precedent that they don't do what McDavid did I know but he said what I'm saying I don't like it I and I get it why you wouldn't and I get why those players won't like it But the fact of the matter is, it's been established now because, you know, again, McKinnon went 100 grand up.

Then it was Matthews that went up because he was the next one up. Then dry, subtle. It was like, all right, well, I'm back up. This is the first guy who said, I'm not playing by those rules. I'm not doing it. So now, if it applies to McDavid because of something he's established, whether they like it or not, it's coming. It's coming for those guys.

Like, and it's coming again for the non-cup winners. I think it's different for the guys who have won. but like in Austin's an example We're getting way out in front of this Because Austin's not up for years Ask him Why didn't you do this Leon? Why didn't you do this Leon?

Because he kept playing by the rules That guys like you established And the PA established That you have to take more When you say it's coming Hayes What are you saying that the question is going to come up Saying why didn't you take less to make this work? Let me set the example here again

This is way out in front of it But if the Leafs have not won anything In the next three years this will be these questions are going to be applied and the standard will be applied to Austin it's just it's happening it's coming I can guarantee

it now he may not care he may leave who knows like it's his right it's his career but if this happens with the Leaves where they haven't won and he comes up again it will be expected all right 13.25 just keep going

man you got to keep rolling until you win because that guy did it and he's better than you so that's that's That's what's come. And again, it's his choice. It's his career. It's all the players, it's their lives. But a precedent has been set by the man in the PA, not by someone else. The face of the league established that. Let me jump in here quickly, though, because I think McDavid, we should treat this like it's

on an island. Why? Because, well, here's why. Because Sidney Crosby said, I need 8.7. He's superstitious. He's superstitious, noodles. But you know who's not superstitious? Gino Malcolm that said, I want a heart and I'm going to take 9.5 or whatever. And they won cups. They already won. But what I'm saying is I look at it individually. Like, you know, if Connor McDavid wants to do this, I see what you're saying.

But it's, it's, Connor McDavid signed a two-year deal. Caprisoff signed for, what, eight? Eight, and that is different. So keep in mind. A dry-siddle signed for eight. Drysida was coming off a long-term deal at eight and a half where he was grossly underpaid. So I think that's why we've got to be careful in look at everyone's individual situation. This one is an outlier, and I don't know if you can compare it to everybody else.

I know you will. I will be. Because I love it. I can't tell you how happy I am with this. I just would have loved to see you. I would have loved to see you in that situation. You would have been like stuff my pockets with all the money you've got. I would have won by now.

I would have won by now. If I was in his shoes, I would have won by now. And that it would have been different. This is the problem. Like, when is it, like, if you're a $6 million player, can you not get a raise? Is it only the best players you can't ask for raises? How much do you think? It's just a slippery slope.

What do they have to have 140 million? Your contract's up in five years. Like, no, I can't take a raise because Connor didn't want to come. He's his rules. I'm stuck. You'll hold it against everyone the rest of his broadcasting career. You will. I can't, I know.

I can see this conversation for the next three years. We're going to have it. Connor McDavid, man. Go talk to him. Don't talk to me. I didn't sign the deal. Connor McDavid's signed it. I'm happy.

He's happy. I'm happy he's happy. I'm very happy. All right, Johnny. Enjoy New York tonight, buddy. We'll do it again later in the week. All right, boys. Cheers.

There he is, Mike Johnson, our T. T.S. and Hockey Analyst 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 of the Maple Auto Mall. It's at MapleToyota.com. Seasoned gamer or just video game curious, this weekend gaming is the podcast for you. We break down the latest in the world of video games,

from basics to beyond. The hottest gaming news, insight, and industry leaders, and more weekly. Join me, Naomi Kyle, and stay ahead of the game with all the latest updates. Even if you're a total newbie. Stream this week in gaming on the free IHeart Radio app, or wherever you get your podcasts.