OverDrive - Johnson on Tavares' contract outlook, Marchand's role in Boston and the Tkachuk's impact to the league

Episode Date: February 25, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Maple Leafs' matchup against the Bruins, Brad Marchand's stance in Boston, John Tavares' contract outlook in Toronto, Brady Tkachuk's impact to the Senators, Matthew Tkachuk's injury with the Panthers and their impact to the game and more.

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Listen on the free iHeartRadio app. There's Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analyst. What's happening, Johnny? Hold on, fellas. Maybe the only coincidence is that when Toronto's here, coach is available for the Raptors. I don't think that's about it just on a scheduling-wise, but we'll see what happens. It's funny, I'm here for the Brufters. I don't think that's about this just out of scheduling wise, but yeah, we'll see what happens

It's funny. I'm here for the Bruins Leaf game and the sense is and I think it's the wrong sense Is that the Bruins are a mess the Bruins are out of it. They're in trouble. They're sellers It's just you know, it's all coming apart and while yes They are not doing as well as they have like they're still right there in the playoffs in fact you probably could get ticked fan-doll they're probably even money to make the playoffs or miss it's not like they're ten points out but the feeling you have about them is that because it's so far removed from what they have been the last several years that they're you know that they're not a good team when in fact you know they're one point out of the playoff

spot chase it down eight spots so it'll be a test I mean it'll be intense it's a rivalry thing I think it you know an absolutely is a game that gets both teams attention so we'll see how the Leafs do. So with that in mind what is your read on you know Brad Marshann and his future in Boston and if you were to become available between now and the trade deadline, what kind of market do you think would be out there for him? So yeah, I mean I think Brad has made it clear he wants to stay a Bruin. He wants to extend and be a Bruin for life. He said it out loud. The question sort of becomes, you know,

does he want too much term? You know, maybe two years, maybe three would probably be fine with the Bruins. If he wants more than that, then maybe they explore that. Now if he became available Hayes, he's not the player he once was. But that doesn't mean he's not good. He still has whatever, he got 48 points in the season. He's had an excellent offensive year. He would be a great addition with his experience. I think you saw what he could do to a locker room at the Four Nations.

I think a lot of teams, a lot of top teams around the league would be extremely interested in him as a rental, not necessarily him extending them for four or five years, but just this year a one off if he gets his mind right about not being in Boston. And that's one of the big conversations because they have 10 days to figure it out if they're going to go down this road or not. And we'll see what Don Sweeney wants to do. But if he became available, I think everyone will want to to but one thing Hayes I am watching tonight from our Shad is you know how he has sort of dug in to Mitch Marner over the years right you remember that clip even the playoffs I'm gonna get you

you're gonna get it trying to get into Mitch's kitchen a little bit they were sort of fast friends as all of them become on the four nations they're hugging they're cheering they're celebrating each other They're realizing they're nice people. They kind of like each other, because that's what happens when you're around good dudes. I bet Marshad tonight is more likely to go right back after Mitch. Like it's not going to be a shin tap on the face-off.

It might be a slash on the stick. To say like, you know what? That's gone, we're back to me hating you, and I'm going gonna make your life miserable I'm curious to see how that interaction plays out because I could see March and Wanted to show to his team as much as anyone. No, no, I'm not friends with this guy He's an arch enemy like he was before and I'm gonna prove it. It's a great point Johnny because when you think of it And you look at some teams have waited back into the nhl season

after the four nations face off i mean you know some teams and mcdavid spin minus three i mean both games and out to lunch hasn't played great and and his team as well mitch and austin they played but they weren't you know that they were great they were great let's be honest the team you know the depth carried them and the goaltending, all of that type of stuff. At what point do you think that these players

that won specifically or played that Thursday night is the grace period over? Because, you know, you do have a playoff chase, there's seeding, all of that type of stuff. And as you mentioned, the Boston Bruins are in one. So they're, these points are critical to them more critical than they are to the Toronto Maple Leafs right now. Yeah Noodle you want to you want to be demanding because these guys are professionals and and you need them to

be excellent but you want to be understanding like even just being around the guys and having been around that for a nation's tournament. It's Different it feels so different and it's not even physical It's mental and it's emotional and it was such a high such a level intensity that you're Blommeting back down to earth to play these these games and so I would say, you know physically they should be up and running by Tonight or their next game but mentally emotionally I probably give them all the way to next week. Or at least have Pittsburgh on Sunday, I'm doing that game. I'll give them to Pittsburgh on Sunday.

And you're right, like, Craig Barube's acknowledged, he's trying to lighten the load. They haven't done media, trying to lighten the load. They've been each, Marner and Matthew's been down about two, two and a half minutes per game, trying to lighten the load. Because he realizes his guys, and I bet most guys, McDavid liked them, will probably have a little trouble sort of plugging back in and getting themselves back up to caring as much as you need to care

about these games when they're coming out of a game that they cared about more. MJ, there's a little bit of talk today about John Tavares and contract, which is not a topic that we've really obsessed with this season to say the least. He is a pending free agent, he is 34 years old. What do you make of this? Hayes made the point at the top of the show that John Tavares would very much like

to get a contract extension before the Maple Leafs make another run at the playoffs, because if the Maple Leafs have their traditional ending to the season there will be a great appetite to move on from whoever has been involved in it in John Tavares including included like what do you make of this do you think you sense any urgency on the team side or the various society get this thing done or do you see free agency in the offing for mr. Tavares I can I but the middle i don't have an urgency uh... i'm sure tomorrow like it

but i'll be the least urgent but they have plenty of time to get them done before free agency starts right like in let me make the cup final or they have a week which would be brilliant that they'd be happy to resign and probably but if they don't make a cup final they'll have a month to resign and to work it out it's all going to come down to term.

Uh, it's, it's a rare spot where the Leafs need John Savars and they need his, you know, what he does well. But the leverage for Toronto is that they know John wants to play in Toronto, wants to live in Toronto, wants to retire in Toronto. So you use that leverage. Now his stats, if he gets 30 goals and 70 points this year that's an eight million dollar player even a short-term deal that's an eight million dollar player whoa whoa whoa

well fast if you're saying a guy gets 70 points this year any guy and he's 28 years old and he wants a two-year deal for eight million dollars he's not gonna get it yeah he might but I'm saying 34 year old guy that never wins anything is another matter for me but that's just me. Yeah but I didn't say Tavares would get that I'm saying that's what a player would get on the open market. So Tavares can't walk into this thing look my stats dictate an eight million dollar contract so my discount will be seven that's not how this is gonna go. Unfortunately for Tavares and they're gonna say we know you want it here

We'll give you three years at four and a half and that will be way less than you could get the open market But he doesn't want to go to the open market I think if it played if he returns to Toronto It's not it's four and a half or five or five and a half like in that range Which you know for three years with a cap going up as much as it is That's your third line center to devour is in situationally specific role be a good third line center for two three more years probably can and Probably better than what they have available, but that's one more thought

Who else is coming? Yeah, if they get right in Shen Then you know that changes the dynamic of the need for Tavara's and what he can do if they you know that changes the dynamic of the need for Tavares and what he can do if they you know versus if they get Scott Lawton well then they still sort of need John Tavares like depending on what they do in the next 10 days that also will impact sort of how badly the Leafs need to get him back yeah and who else is available for you via free agency as well right like and who you think you can sign Brock Nelson same guy well yeah Sam Bennett different guy very different guy he's not coming for six million I know it's not the thing is you

know what you have in John Tavares but also like they sometimes you do need change just for the sake of change now you have to be smart about it and you're right if John Tavares takes a big discount and is willing to do that, great. But sometimes you might be better suited to use that money for something else. And that's the biggest thing. And that's why I don't think there would be any rush

for Brad Tree Living or the organization to get this done now. No, there's none. Why would you? It's 100% on Tavares to want this done before you drop the puck on the playoffs. Right. Like it would be... The sooner you want it, the cheaper it gets. But if you want it now, three by four, you can have it. Right. Yeah. You should be negotiating that, Johnny. I like the way you negotiate. I like it. Yeah, exactly. But it's not going to happen

now anyway. You want three by have been take it to the conference final while the conversation exactly let's cross a bridge once we get to it if we're all a part of that journey uh... with mike johnson so matthew kichuck was on the tonight show last night uh... and you know brady kichuck spin doing the media rounds as well and here you look back on the four nations

it really became the like the coming out party in the US in particular for the Kachaks and I think they're savvy enough to see that and Maybe have this kind of premeditated attack like you got to play you got to talk you got to be loud You got to be a like very pro-American, all that kind of stuff. And I think it's clearly paid off. I mean, Matthew, they lost the thing. And the guy's on with Jimmy Fallon and he's hurt.

And he's going on the Tonight Show. I still don't understand how his teammate, like, I get it. I just don't know the nature of the injury. If he's out for two months, I get it, which it sounds like. like he's not really doing anything. He's not gonna play it is a bit weird You know, Florida is gonna be battling and then they look up and there's there's Chuckie, you know doing the media rounds up in New York in New York And again, they didn't win the thing right? So it's like, you know, you're not going to Disney because you won What are you celebrating? celebrate a yeah exactly right exactly like it it's pretty clear that this is something i

can't turn down from a publicity standpoint if i'm at the time and calcine brothers podcast type of thing i would think well that definitely what they have yeah figured out i'm not a major doing the calcine brothers podcast doing one for their own though exactly what i. That's what I'm saying. Like the big because there no profile got a bigger hit. Yeah. Then the Kachuk Brothers.

So you're right. But it was all about them the whole tournament in the moment. Seemingly. I'll tell you this. And I know them quite well. And I know Walter, dad, like they're a great family. It they were unbelievable. Like, don't get me like in that they were unbelievable. They played great, they were healthy, they were great. They were unstoppable that night. They were maniacs. But we were talking

about it off-air, Johnny, and you and I do those Ottawa games. Ottawa needs Brady. Like he said today, he's not sure he's playing tomorrow. Ottawa needs their captain back, hungry and frothing at the mouth to drag his team into the playoffs so that's the the fine line we're balancing here because if he's not a hundred percent it doesn't sound like he is they need him ASAP because they're in one they've lost four in a row yeah and you also don't want to whether practically or symbolically him taking a victory lap for tournament they lost and I get it like Hay, Hayes, you're right,

I was down, as you know, I was trapped in Boston last week for the whole week. No, this tournament was about the Kachucks. They're Q-rating, whatever it's called, like that was what got the biggest bump from this entire tournament. They might be a bigger beneficiary of the tournament than even the NHL.

Because it really was all about them. And you're right, if Matthew Kachuck's not playing for two months, then he's got a groin, hernia, whatever's going on with his leg. He can't do anything anyway, so whatever. We'll see you in three weeks when your rehab's going better. You kinda get it, but this is also, it's also, what does hockey get criticized

about all the time? Don't sell the stars, Don't promote the game and There is this sort of old school and we all share it well play there like we're like I don't know should he be even in do that doing that stuff, but that's what they're doing They're selling the game They're trying to ride the wave and extend the window of the positive publicity for hockey for themselves personally extend the window of the positive publicity for hockey for themselves personally for the USA version of hockey for as long as they can and I can't sort of hate on that like that was that seems like a reasonable play given the

momentum of this tournament but yeah when guys get hurt and when guys didn't win it does become a little bit a little bit different when you hit the talk so talk show circuit yeah and I guess they're going on with the Kelsey brothers tomorrow, it sounds like, or they've recorded today, it'll be released tomorrow. So the two of them, Brady and Matthew Kachuck, are gonna be on with the Kelseys on their podcast. So again, they're all-

Big platform. Big, big platform. Big platform. Big platform, you know, they're doing the rounds, they're available on a lot of it, like like American media. Yeah, it makes sense, but What I also think needs to be noted here is the reason That they became as big as they did in the States is not because they ran a Cycle game or their back pressure was outstanding

or their back pressure was outstanding it's because they fought. Well and they scored four goals in one game. But the fighting is what got them on the radar down there. The fighting on the Saturday night. They fought for America. Yes exactly they're representing the country. That is what rings different here not just that they fought because everyone knows fighting and like got, I am not a fighting guy. Like you know that, I got, I've talked to him a lot. Like I don't, when I played, very rarely did a fight, sort of get me all jacked up. I know we've got some guys all fired up,

but it didn't impact me that way. But we know it can happen in hockey. We know it's popular. And in that moment, in that building was electric. So I don't know if it's like more know it's popular and in that moment in that building was electric. So I don't know if it's like more it's a referendum like well how come hockey is only popular when there's a fighting incident. I think this was uniquely specific this was not Flyers Rangers off the opening face of Canada USA and the backdrop of everything that's going on with Canada and the USA and so I don't think it's, you know,

an indictment of the sport that it took something like this wearing your national team jersey to spark that kind of interest. And you couple that with the fact that Matthew was not only fighting, but like he was the, John Cooper was the maestro for Canada in the pressers, right? He said all the right things.

He woven tailed He made it, you know eloquent that was Matt for the US. Yes, I was Matthew Kachuk. That's what he was He was the pied piper Everyone was following in and then the had Bam Bam Brady just coming in and wrecking things and like that was the one two pints So I'm not offended by like and I'm not a I'm not a pro fighting guy But I'm not offended that that moment in fighting which was so unique drew a reaction. Oh me neither I I thought I think it was amazing don't get me wrong I'm saying I think that what what it I think needs to remind us is

that there is a place for fighting in the game it if it's promoted properly and that was a perfect storm because it was patriotism in canada u.s. bell center maria lamue was just on the ice like there are so many different things that that folded into it and yes the two of them performed very well brady in particular matthew got hurt didn't play the third game barely played the championship game

but brady scored but you look at the guys like again that night it seems like, okay, it was, the stories were US beat Canada, US fought Canada, the Chuck brothers led the way. I think if you ask the average American who scored, it would have a clue Gensel scored too.

The guys that Jake Gensel do in the rounds. No one's asking for Jake Gensel. Or Dylan Larkin. No one cares. The story is though, and you're right, it is the Bam Bam brothers It is the guys who fought like it they are a Polarizing is the wrong word. They are a big family like they are a bigger than life larger than a personality

Personalities they are what you market the game around. Yeah, absolutely I like that this was Gary Bettman must have been sitting there smiling going. Oh my god This is so good for my league The the amount of people in America that did not pay attention to hockey that all of a sudden paid attention to hockey Kevin Durant tweeting about it JJ watt like, you know throughout Every different sport everyone's like man. This is must. And you're right, the fights were front and center. The hockey was great. It was country versus country. There were so many things. It was a perfect storm. I think that's why these guys have had a tough time coming back to the NHL going, Oh, we got a guy passing it in my skates. Now we

don't. Yeah, that is very evident. Like even Bennington said that to us yesterday. He's like, it was, it's just different, man And what he's basically saying is, I can't rely on my guys the same way I could rely on, you know, Kale McCarr to, you know, handle a breakout or whatever it is. It's just a different pace and it's a difficult transition yet here we are. You know what Hayes too, one other part about this and and this is hockey is due to celebrate some guys who are willing to be not the the villain, the heel, the foil, to be a little abrasive not just on the ice which we always admire but I promise you know if Brandon Hagel wants to take a little shot at the Kachak to their group chat I like that not because I like admire but I promise you know if Brandon is quite lovely but it doesn't get people's attention and I think this

whole thing this the seemingly real animosity between Canada and the US on the ice and personality-wise, it's all healthy and I think the league's got to lean into that. Guys, say what you feel. You don't like it, right? Say you don't like it. And it's all good. And just as an aside, Dylan Larkin did in fact do multiple sports center hits, which

is a big deal for NHL, like live sports center hits on ESPN throughout that tournament. So, you know, the hard-porsed, the first people wanted to talk to Lil Larkin because I guess they couldn't get a Kachuk. Yeah, exactly. Well-spoken guy, I think he went to Michigan, you know, Detroit, Red Wings, everyone knows Detroit captain.

That's, you know, we'll see what comes of Larkin in his future, but he did play well, he had a good tourney. All right, Johnny, we'll see what comes of Larkin in his future but he did play well he had a good turning yeah all right Johnny we'll leave it there enjoy your call tonight Lee Spruins on TSM all right I will not leave you with the Bittington straight face thank you unnecessary average uncalled for and I don't like it make not even a smirk not even a crinkle of a lip you know I'm kidding nothing I just don't face killer he's on a face killer man I need a hill at the Olympic Games I need him in that I need him in that I slept on it and I'm moving

off Bennington I'm moving off Bennington after that away fraudulent behavior never that is that would be fraudulent behavior you're right it's a Canadian hero and yeah I support him greatly. All right, Johnny. All right, boys. Talk to you soon. There's Mike Johnson joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. This February, I Heart Radio celebrates Black History Month by amplifying the voices that

define black excellence. Select upon and celebrate history and culture. From curated playlists celebrating iconic iconic black artists, to powerful podcasts. My grandmother marched with Martin Luther King. And Black History Month radio. We're shining a light on the music, stories and culture that inspire us all. Black history is our history. Celebrate with us.

History to make it. Listen on the free IR radio app.