OverDrive - Johnson on the Maple Leafs' front office search, the Senators in a rut and McDavid's rough start

Episode Date: April 24, 2026

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the Maple Leafs' front office search, John Chayka and Scott White as finalists, the Senators down three games in the first round and Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle's lack of scoring, Jake Sanderson's injury, Connor McDavid playing through a tough start, the Canadiens and Lightning series and more.

Joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Here's our TSN hockey analyst, Mike Johnson. It's happening. Johnny, how we doing? What's going on, fellas? Now, it would stand to reason to me. Like, soccer, even the better countries. Like, there is always an element of risk there

because there's no goal scored, right? Like, you can't overlook anyone. Well, there are scovina or Canada or whoever. Like, even if you dominate the game, what's that? Two nothing? Like, it's always kind of potential to be close. One penalty, one great game. Like, yeah, Italy's in no position to be looking over.

for anybody right now. Yeah, it is the nature of the beast. It just, it's not something that should ever be considered. But, and ultimately, you know, they paid a price because Italy's not in the World Cup. As for a team not in a Stanley Cup playoffs, I want to begin by getting your take on what seems to be the final two-man standing seeking out this job in Toronto, the much-coveted head of hockey operations for the Maple Leafs. Scott White, who's the AGM in Dallas right now, and John Chica, who hasn't been employed in the league ever since he tried to get himself unemployed in Arizona. It's a little bit of a sticky way of exiting that situation.

White and Chica, what do you make of these two, if, in fact, these are the two guys that are left seeking out this job? So for White, I'm not going to act like I have a real good sense of who he is or what. what he's like, you know, we know his reputation, we know that Dallas is a great organization, they have been well run, he, from all reports, very smart guy, but I don't, I don't know him, and I don't really know the inner workings of Dallas to say he does this and he does it great, they're pro-scouting, their cap management, they're minor, I have no idea what his role is there and how that could translate, so it's tough to say, other than reputation seems to be excellent.

And as far as Jacob goes, and the one part that fascinates me, guys, and maybe this is, an attraction. We know that's an athlete's, you know, very high-end analytics company for all sports, Hockey included. He was a founder of that, with his sister and everything else, but he's also quite a businessman. Like, he is a very successful entrepreneur owns, like, dozens of fast food restaurants. Like, he's got, like, a grander-scale business operation, not quite MLS. And he's sides, but he's running a big business with a ton of employees, and that is another element of that. and Hazy, I was listening to you early about, you know, on his departure, and there's no doubt the draft combine testing stuff,

that seems to be a greasy move that he should not have done. But having said that, I think I'm giving him to will anyone a pass a little bit for trying to get out of Arizona or not having the cleanest exit from that Alex Morello run organization. Yep, valid. Because I think it's worth considering what that guy was like, what the organization was like, who knows, you know, what they were talking about, talking about and did you know with everyone sort of being up front with each other i think the organization he was leaving should factor into a little bit of the consideration of maybe it was

in the cleanest exit yeah that's fair i mean if you like take a look at it johnny i i think he's he's a really smart guy and and and so is scott white like i know him i have a little bit of a history with him and i i think him being an apprentice under jim nil uh can't hurt based on you know, how much success or at least how Dallas is a gold standard team. That being said, do you feel like if it's one of these two, do you feel like that's the start? Like, is it going to be them on an island, do you think, or is it going to be a team? And what I mean by that is somebody above them, beside them, you know, not just having, hey, we've got six AGMs that are under contract and they're going to inherit that type of thing.

is it, do you feel like somebody else with either some cachet or maybe some name recognition will come along with the package? Like you're going to do it by committee, not just one person, stand alone. Well, Nudel's, I've long said regardless of who gets that job, being, we'll call them the president and being the GM in Toronto is a job that is so big, it's ideally done by two people. But whether these guys are the presidents or the GMs, I feel like they would be well-served to have somebody else alongside or below or above

or however you want to flow the organizational chart to help them along because there's a lot that goes into running the Toronto Maple Leafs and more than there would be in Arizona and certainly more than there would be in Dallas. So having someone to take on some of those responsibilities, and that's not to suggest that neither one of them could do both. They probably both could do both, but can they do both? as well as they could do just one thing, and I think the Leafs are in a spot as an organization,

that they can have the strength of experience and layers, not to the point of inefficiency, but to the point of being better. And so, as I would say, if I was hiring, if I was running the, you know, MLF&E, I would hire two people, if one of these guys would be one of them,

I'd hire someone else. And I don't mean, I mean, respectfully, you know, that doesn't mean, you know, Matt or Gary Roberts or something like that, as the second person. They can have a role, and they can be very valuable. But I think you want some of the bit more experience and a resume of what that job will entail other than being a former Toronto Maple Leaf who is hockey smart and passionate

and a smart guy. I think I would want one of the other hires to be an experienced person. Yes. Makes a lot of sense, MJ. Well, let's talk about some teams that are actually playing hockey this spring. and I mean I'm not sure anybody saw the senators in this big a hole this quickly coming, but here they are down 3-0 for the second straight playoff run. And what do you make of the fact, MJ, this contradiction that we've been talking about on the show is

all year it was about goaltending, and now three games in, they've got three goals combined in those three games. It's about the fact that they can't score a goal, the power play has gone cold. You know, what do you make of it? is disappointing for Ottawa because they I thought they would have a great chance to get to the conference final like they're very good team if they get goaltending and they're getting goaltending so part of all mark that is not part of the conversation I think at first you got to give credit to Carolina

they are also one of the best defensive teams in the league who had bad goaltending and they're not getting bad goaltending now some of that's on the shooting of Ottawa but some of that's on Freddie Anderson who's been really really good for three games one stealing cousin goal aside. But it would be frustrating because they are depleted on the back end and having injuries the way they've had them does not help them play against Carolina,

a team that puts the defense under a ton of pressure to make passes out of their own end, and they're probably missing a body or two that could do that better than the guys they have playing. But all that means you still got to generate. I mean, that's part of the job. I give Carolina credit. It's hard. It's hard to play against them. I get it.

But you got to find a way to score goals. And like, Kim Stuxling, game two, should have scored four. He got none, so that feels pretty empty. But last night would have been very disappointing. At home, win a game, you are right back in the series. They hadn't really been significantly outplayed in either the first or second game for two too much. And they were dominated last night. Like, they had nothing going on whatsoever.

And you think, we get back home, we have all that energy, all that emotion, and we come up with that flat of an effort or we are not able to compete at that level, that's disappointing. When you don't score, the spotlight always will go to the guys you are counting on to score. Yeah, well, that's what sticks out to me. It's good chook and stoots.

That's the question. Yeah, it's the two best players on the team. With Sanderson being different, obviously, because of the position he plays, but offensively he's incredibly inclined, and he's out of it now. The interesting thing with these two is, like, They both came into the league so young, Kachuk and Stutzhla.

And I said this last hour, Johnny, like they have this reputation. I think Brady more than anyone because he's literally the younger brother of a superstar in the league, that he's just, you know, well, he's wading his way into the playoffs. You've got to give him time to figure it out. And I'm having a difficult time juggling that because he doesn't have a ton of playoff experience, neither to Stutzla. But Stutzler is, I think this was his sixth year in the league. And Kach's been in the league for eight.

he'll be 27 in September. Like, how do you, because I thought both of them struggled last, I thought Brady in particular, he looked like he didn't know where to go, what to do, how to handle it. Yeah. You know, like, and some of the plays he made with the puck are just not, they just can't happen in a big game like that from a star player. They just, they cannot happen.

So how do you, how do you kind of juggle that moving forward? Like, a lack of experience in the playoffs to an extent, but also not 19 or 20 years old, like veterans in their prime. So how do we evaluate this when it's all said and done in terms of whether or not those two players can be playoff performers? Yeah, well, I mean, you can only go on their experience. And I'm with you. I get playoffs are different, but you've been around the league for a half decade plus. Brady has played at the highest level gold medal game, four nations,

which would have felt pretty much like a playoff game or Stanley Cup final game or more. So it's not like they've not had any experience with this. So yeah, you've got to evaluate them on what they can and can't do. Now, I would say this, this Carolina team specifically, is probably not a great matchup for Brady. Because to get chance against Carolina, well, one, you've got to get the fuck in the office zone where Brady does his best work.

And he's not a guy who gets it there on his own. Like, he needs other people to get it there. Then once it's there, he's quite good. But the fence are having a hard time of sort of getting the forecheck going and getting sustained pressure where Brady shines. Another part about playing Carolina is that to get those chances, they are largely done with speed. You got to outskate them, you've got to catch them on a pinch,

you've got to catch them out of a corner in the man-on-man and beat them back to the front of the net. And Brady's a lot of things, but fast or quick is probably not his greatest attribute. So maybe not a great match-up, but you've got to find a way, especially like, listen, we talk about five-on-five, but the power play, you do have more time, and you do have more space, and you've got to make plays, and, you know, that one inexplicable pass in the five-on-three, you're like,

I don't understand what's happening here. It's just so strange to see. So, yeah, I mean, I don't know what to tell you other than bad matchup, and he's probably not playing as well as he wants. I think he's trying to be emotionally effective, you know, trying to be chippy and edgy and hit and finish and do all the right thing. Carolina is doing a master class and largely just skating away. They don't get all that stuff.

Just go ahead. Stick Jordan Rook in the middle of the day. ice and whatever, we'll take the power play. And Brady's getting caught trying, but lost is a strong word, but not comfortable in how the flow of the game is going. For Timmy, I think he's been okay. Last night, not good. First and second game, he's pretty good.

Again, he needs the puck, and he's not great defensively. So if he doesn't get out of his own end and make him play down there a lot, which he's had to do, you're really limiting to what he does well. So there are some reasons, but there also is some questions about, yeah, but everyone's got reasons. The playoffs, everyone makes it hard.

You've got to find a way. But, like, you know, Sebastian O'Haw has done nothing. Seth Jarvis has done nothing. Fesnikov is, like, it's not an offensive series. That's what I'm saying. So if they lose, it would be pointed at them. But there's a whole bunch of guys, not just those two, on both teams, because the way the series is getting played and how good the defense is,

that are not going to have good numbers here. So Johnny, you know, it seemed to go off the rails in that five on three, and Sanderson exited the game. Yes. What did you, yeah, I mean, what did you make of the Taylor Hall hit? We were talking about it earlier. Seems like there's going to be no supplemental discipline, if you thought there was going to be. Obviously, Ottawa's upset because they've lost their defensemen. They've already lost Artem Zub.

You know, you've got guys that are injured. What did you make of the hit? and, you know, was it the right call? Do you think there should have been something more? Should have been a five? So, noodles to me, like, I watch, so let's just, it's not interference, right? Sanderson just had the puck. So it's not interference.

I would say it's not a charge. Like, not like Taylor always comes flying from anywhere. He was just circling in and making a four-check play. The question would be, is it sort of head contact is the issue. And I'm always reminded of you can hit the head in a clean hit. Like some head contact is not against the rules if it's in the course of a full body normal hit. And that's the question. And to me, I watched that, and then Ottawa fans won't like it.

I didn't think that they got a lot of chest that obviously got the head as well. Like I thought that probably scraped enough chest. It wasn't just a glancing like 10% chest, 90% head. It was like 50-50, 60-40. It was close enough to me to say, I think that's a hit that unfortunately got him in the head well. Now, what I would have liked, and what I find the refs do quite often, noodles, they just call the five when they don't know. And then they're allowed to look at it. And the refs seem quite okay, because the concern always was, well, will they downgrade their

penalty because it will look like they made a mistake? And I found the refs have no problem whatsoever, calling a five, taking a look, going two, going zero, saying, ah, it's not what we thought. We took a look. It's fine. And I would have no problem if they called the five and wanted to take a another look at it, slow it down, frame by frame, whatever. But at first blush and watching the replays, I get why there's no supplemental discipline. And maybe it could have been a two or something, but I didn't think it was that bad.

I don't know. What do you guys think? Am I, I, am I, I, I said I would have been okay with a five-minute. I mean, ultimately, it was not a suspension. It wasn't a suspension. It was, he got him. He got him in the head. It always turns into the subruder films and breaking it down,

which I don't love doing anyway. Ultimately, it doesn't matter because it sucks for Sanderson. Obviously, you hope he's okay. But the series is over whether Hall's playing or not. Two series that are not would be Montreal, Tampa, tied at one back to the Bell Center tonight. Edmonton, Anaheim tied at one heading to Anaheim tonight. How many, if any, Canadian teams are up to one as of this evening? Well, the smart money would be two because one team would be up to one because I gave both options.

I don't think, you know, they both win. Probably not. Those are a toss-up series, so for them to both win is about a 25% chance, but for one of them to win, it's probably a 75% chance. So I look at it that way. Tampa at Montreal is exactly what we expected. Very close, very tight, very physical and chippy. Tampa trying to assert their will, Montreal pushing back.

Montreal star players got to probably get a bit more effective five-on-five to win this series. And Tampa, or at Emerson, Anaheimitton, guys, That one is fascinated me because if Edmonton doesn't win tonight, then it's like, wait a second time. You know, I think we are all so confident in Edmonton because of their past and not as much because of their present that we are giving them the benefit of the doubt that they will figure it out.

McDavid will get it going. They'll just find a way because they've been really good. If they lose tonight, go down 2-1 going into game 4 in Anaheim, it's a way different conversation for the Oilers tomorrow. But, I mean, yeah, so I guess I'll say one of the two teams will win tonight. I mean, when you think it, sorry, David. Sorry, go ahead. Follow that quickly.

Do you think McDavid has a chance to, I mean, at some point he's going to pop. Do you not think? How's the ankle, though, right, or whatever it is? Yeah. I find out tonight. I've shown videos. He was limping. He was grimacing.

I mean, he played into this post game and stuff, but he was, he was bothered by at the very least. It's been strange watching him, because. Because, you know, he certainly, he's been fine. He's been better than fine. He's been excellent. But by his crazy standards, there's been some puck play that has been uncharacteristic of him, not just the giveaway while short-handed that allowed the paling goal. But just some of his own entries haven't been as seamless as they usually are for him.

So, of course, I'm going to say yes. He averages like 2.3 points per game against the ducks the last 10 years. so you'd assume it's coming, but I don't know. I mean, it hasn't yet, and the Ducks have done a good job, and we'll get home ice and get whoever matched up they want against them. So I'm less certain that I would have been, like, going into game, too, I'm like, oh, yeah, a five-point game coming up for Connor. Like, that's how you thought it was going to go.

I'm less certain of that now. Well, that's what I want to ask you, MJ. Like, you know, talking to people who've been watching it closely, like, you never want to write this guy off, as you say, because the Ducks give up a lot, and it wouldn't be a shock if he had a 4.5 point night tonight and everything's back to normal and that two-game scoreless streak is a blip.

But you can't get past the fact that this guy has played more hockey than anybody else on the planet over the past handful of years here with two trips to a cup final and four nations and Olympics and then just the fact that he skates longer and harder than anybody probably in the league

outside of a few guys. I mean I've heard people say he looks a little worn down, doesn't look quite as explosive. I mean, to your eye, is that reading correctly? I don't know about explosive fast, but what I do wonder, and I probably take a closer look tonight, guys, and when you watch it, like, I think sometimes it feels like he wants to be successful so bad that he reverts back to a bit of the solo game.

And while he is the greatest individual skater ever, even he can't do it on his own. You think about the Olympics at times where he was maybe trying to rush it a little bit more than maybe he would have wanted to if he could watch the replay and I'm watching some of the plays against that. And I'm, you just wonder if he cares so much

and wants it so much so out of a good intention, he's sort of forcing plays as opposed to just letting the game come to him a little bit and if you can get him to deviate anything from what he usually does, you know, you're ahead of the game and maybe that's where the ducks are right now. But I do wonder that because, you know,

It just seems less clean than it usually is. Yeah, I mean, that would be an interesting one tonight. As for the Bell Center, you've played there. You know, the Tide 1-1 coming back home Friday night in Montreal. And what do you expect the atmosphere to be like at the Bell Center tonight? I mean, I'm half surprised overdrive, not live from the Bell Center. We try. That's the place to be in the hockey world right now.

We would love to. I bet you did. Yeah. I bet you did. Yeah, I mean, I think it's one of those moments where the game starts at 7-10. If you're a hockey fan, get there at 7. Watch the beginning. Watch them skate on the ice.

The energy and the sort of love affair that that building and that province and that city has for those players in this year is taking an already best building in the league to another level entirely. And so I almost wonder, guys, like the Sabres, I thought, fought the expectations and the excitement in their first. several games at home. It was just so pent up and built up. You wonder how Montreal, who's been there last year, but it feels different this year than last. Like, they had a better chance at a better team this year. Can they manage sort of that crazy environment the way they're going to have to be their

best sell? Because it will be, it's the best building in the league, bar none. Best fans, best building. It's amazing, and it will be again tonight. Yeah, it'll be electric tonight. No question about that. And, you know, throughout the series. All right, Johnny.

We'll leave it there. Have yourself a great weekend. We'll do it early next week. All right, fellas. Have a good weekend. Mike Johnson, joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Red Tag days are here. Check out the Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Tundra pickup trucks,

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