OverDrive - Johnson on the Maple Leafs looking for redemption, the Florida matchup and Binnington's stance for Canada

Episode Date: December 2, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the Maple Leafs and Panthers' matchup, the team's revenge on Sam Bennett, the injuries of Brandon Carlo and Anthony Stolarz, Easton Cowan making an impact, Jordan Binnington's stature for Canada, the Jets' team issues on the roster and more.

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Joining us now the Maple Toyota Hotline. Here's a guy that will call the game on TSN tonight, our hockey analyst, Mike Johnson. How are you doing, Johnny? All good on our way to the rink, which is quite a journey. I'll have you been down near Hayes, but it's a good 45, 50 minutes from the beach area where everyone stays. So it's sort of like Ottawa, but heading inland. So we're on our way to the rink. And you're right.

It's an interesting game because both teams are in the same spot, basically, in the standings. Same sort of record to get here. But when you get around the teams, and not to go down to Brad Barshand Road, but the vibe from Florida, maybe it's kind of their success, and because they believe that these guys might come back and they'll be fine, it just feels far more matter of fact. Not that they're positive about how they've played, but they're just, you know, it is what it is, and we'll figure it out,

as opposed to Toronto where it feels a little bit more, I hope we can figure it out, but I don't know 100% if it's going to happen. Johnny, what do you expect to happen with Sam Bennett, this evening, if anything? I don't think anything. I mean, I think the game is really important. They'll try to play hard on him. I'm trying to think who would go after him for bump and stole art.

I don't, I think the guy's think the game is too important. Maybe Scott Lawton. He might be a guy that might go down that road, maybe Benoit, but I don't know, given the relationship and given the comments by Bennett is sort of saying I didn't really mean to do it. I don't think anything happened there to you. Well, we're just talking about who's it going to be, you know, and it's not really, I don't know, like a guy like Dakota Joshua,

is he going to say, I know I wasn't here last year, but I'm going to go out there and do something. I just thought. He'd be my choice because I do wonder if he looks back on last week and wishes he had a Mulligan on the Jack-Eye scenario. Like just when you're in the corner, drop your gloves, grab them, fight to fight. Again, he wasn't here last year. It may be a different scenario.

And I don't even know if you have to have a fight. I mean, historically you would expect it. But it's a different world. It's a different era. But you got to, someone's got to take a piece. You think of wrestling, a double-minded, scuffle. Something. Like a scrum with a couple of punches or a hit or something.

Tricky when you're a new player. You want to take that on to say, hey, I'm part of the new group. But you also maybe don't want overstep or say, like, is this something that we're doing tonight to this guy? Like, maybe the group as a whole is like, no, no, we don't need to do it. Do that? I don't know. Maybe that's when they have a conversation beforehand, not necessarily about a fight, but about, hey, make sure to go to take a piece if you can. Well, and furthermore, like, if you do, and then Florida's reactions like, all right, let's get crazy tonight, how comfortable the Leaf's going to be in that situation. You know, that's that a better road. The game in the alley is the game that they're always more comfortable than just out of any other team in the NHL at playing. and they're better at playing that way.

They've lost two in a row. You just want to spark that potential emotional response that makes them a tough opponent tonight. These are all sort of the questions that they would be going through. But I don't, you know, maybe a chat in a scrum, you know, saw Lotton get slightly tangled up with Malkin last games, maybe something like that.

So as Hayes pointed out, MJ, the Leafs have their forward group essentially intact now with Lottin back. but the D group obviously in some sort of shambles when you hear today Craig Brubic giving updates on Brandon Carlo the idea that he's going to be out longer than they expected might need surgery. The TANF situation remains cloudy and obviously the last line of defense

Anthony Stolar is still a big question mark about when he may or may not return. I mean, A, how do you think you've been dealing with those two huge absences on the blue line and B, how do you, what is the strategy as they go forward here to try and sort of get by without two key cogs? So I think they dealt with the injuries to the defense not well initially because I think I think Carlo was compromised. He was playing hurt and it probably showed in his play because he was really struggling. And Philippe Myers, despite trying, you know, the best he can, was really, really struggling. And so the team as a whole, the defense at times and puck management and turnovers and in important points. It wasn't as good as they needed it to be. I will say this. Troy Stetcher was sort of

an innocuous waiver claim largely because he shoots right and he's been around. And yet he's come in and has been really good to the point where now he's on your second pair. Now, Troy Stetcher's second pair, probably not a long-term solution, but he's given them stability. He's given them good minutes where the team has not hemmed in and he battles and he does what he can. and his underlying numbers are very strong amongst the strongest on the team. So since he has come back, it has been better. Or since he has arrived, it has been better.

But now with Carlo gone and, you know, your shirt pair is going to be Myers and Benoit on the road. We'll see what happens tonight. But I don't know if there's anything they can do about it. They're going to wait on TANF. I'm assuming internally they have a better sense of what this might take. And then for Brandon Carlo, if he has a surgical procedure, whatever, then you would know how long that time.

them will be as well, but probably stay afloat and then, I mean, keep here with Bill Nove and the minors, to we see him at some point on the team. But other than that, sort of deal with it and ride Stetscher's good play for as long as they can. Yeah, and what sticks out about him is what sticks out about Easton Cowan.

We're talking about it. Like, he's feisty. He can skate a bit. He gets involved, and that looks different on this team. Like, it just looks and feels different when you've got a guy who's who's, you know, he's got energy. He's got energy, exactly. Which is kind of a sad compliment, to be honest with you.

Yeah, and you'd like to believe there are other guys that are, like, that's what Max Domey's supposed to show every shift. Like, it's a guy that you notice just based on, you know, he's buzzing around. But I've been impressed by Stetcher. It was a good waiver pickup, and he's helped him. We were talking about Callan prior to you coming on and how he just, he looks comfortable, Johnny. He looks like he looks like a pro out there, and that's probably the best compliment you can give a 20-year-old. But he should, right? Like, given his pedigree, given how good he has been in his pre-NHL career,

you would expect him to be a pretty quick study at figuring out how to play here. And he has been. So, you know, and he's looked, you're right, more comfortable. I still think he will probably be well-served by getting just that fraction stronger, a fraction quicker, which will come with training and maturity into the next years. But he doesn't mind playing with the big guys. He is comfortable making plays. he doesn't just shoot it away to be safe

he he doesn't mind being the power play with them and sort of handling it and moving around and taking the high ice and you know that sort of arrogance that great players play with he's got it and he's got it in a situation where he's not the best player with ice by a long shot and he doesn't care

because they've needed his spot to be filled by him they are much better when one of those top six spots is filled in turn by a guy who seems to be capable of doing it. And I think as he gets more comfortable guys, the points will start coming. Like, he creates, like, a lot of close chances.

And once he gets, you know, finishing those chances or a little crisper with those, then the points will start to pile up as well. And if the power play could ever score consistently, like what that would do to feed guys who like points, oh, no, I know, like, you can get some cheapies on the power play and all of a sudden your five-on-five play gets better. And that's somewhere that all the players in Toronto

could use an ups and up. with Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analysts. So Winnipeg got pumped by Buffalo last night. Hang on a sec. Brian Hayes thinks the most insulting thing in pro sports to a franchise is if you have a player's only meeting

in Buffalo after the game. He finds it very insulting. It's always Buffalo. We lost the Buffalo. Close the doors. We've got to talk. I think I was playing one year in Arizona. We were terrible. And the span of like three weeks, we lost. We beat three teams.

Two of them immediately fired their coaches and one resulted in a players only. You're like, okay, we're giving the ultimate disrespect to us the fact that it is emergency situation as soon as you lose to us. So yeah, that's, but Buffalo is actually playing pretty well as a play. Winnipeg is not, but that's, yeah,

that's part of the problem of Buffalo's history. Now you expect to beat them when they're actually probably playing better. Josh Norris returns than maybe their history would indicate. well we'll see how the Jets come out of it but with Hellebuck injured and that's not been their issue necessarily but they they look sluggish like they're not defending very well they're they've lost a lot of games they're on the outside looking in they're in a division with two powerhouse teams that they're not

going to catch you're not catching Colorado or Dallas that third spot is still very attainable it's still early but for a team this time last year was putting up historic numbers like what's your level of concern if you're in Winnipeg right now? It's pretty good, actually. It's pretty high. I thought that they would be deep enough and sort of have the structure and enough good players that they would be able

to withstand Hellebuck's injury. What happened that it all went down the tubes, Johnny, the five-on-five play? Well, I mean, I think you probably talked to them. They would say it was maybe heading in the wrong direction a little bit before he was hurt, and maybe he was cleaning up some of those messes. But they

have looked a little bit older and I hate to say it but Jonathan Taves who I think we were all delighted that he's back in the NHL and happy that he's healthy he's got nine points I think but he hasn't been a play driving guy in their second line

perfetti didn't score forever so the first line yeah lights out crazy Valardi and Shaisley and Connor but their second line at 5-05-0 has been a bit of of an issue and with Adam Lauer being out for a long time too I just hasn't worked quite

as well at 5-on-5 as they would have hopes. So that's been part of the problem. Yeah. Yeah, Taves, he just, he's, like, you can see it, he's struggling to keep up at times. Yeah, the pace is not just, it's not there just yet. And then when you watch to play Buffalo, there's two ways to play fast, right?

You skate fast or you move the puck fast, and you would assume Buffalo with all their young players, I think with the lineup last night, they might have been the youngest team in the league. They would skate fast, but you would assume Winnipeg with their experience and skill would play fast, didn't look like that. And when you watch Winnipeg play at times,

it doesn't look like they're fast anymore. That's a problem. Yeah, it's interesting in Buffalo. Like, this Owen power, I was reading stats on him today. Like, his game, like, he's got seven points in 25 games. I know he didn't come in as expected to be the next Cal McCar. But sign an $8.5 million contract is given to him. First overall pick, they jumped in front of it, said long term, we want you.

And the numbers just are not very flattering. No. And I don't know. I mean, that was a kid. I thought, you know, I had a chance to be on Canada's radar, like a couple years ago. And it's not like the play is overwhelmingly good

where it's like, oh, the stats just don't match the play. It's, you're... Yeah, it's, I don't know, what's... I think Matthew Barnaby described him as a mouse in a giraffe's body, which is a tough... It's a tough description. Yeah. But, yeah, he's a big boy.

boy, and it just doesn't seem to work for him, Johnny. No, it's not being, it's been a tough call. I think that was Craig Ravey or Andrew Peters, the most comment. Not Barney. Sorry, Barney, it wasn't you. Barney, I apologize. Same idea. That'd be something he would say, though.

Yeah, I think he struggles with a couple things. One is that he is not an overtly physical player despite being huge. He carries himself sort of a very impassive demeanor. You know what I mean? Like he doesn't look like he's that emotional about anything. which again is maybe not ideal he probably wants to play on the power play and he's not getting any time

there with Byron and Dahlene both who shoot less both are better than him at that right now but what makes it sort of almost worse for him guys is that he's Kevin Adams got right like they chose them they committed to him

and I give him where the thoughts are for Kevin Adams by that market it probably works against him like they hold the fact that he's Kevin Adams guy against him because Kevin Adams is also taken to me in that market. So, yeah, it's tough. But did you move him at $9 million right now, easily?

Oh, man. I don't know. The question is, is he going to Chris Bronger, where he shows up in St. Louis or another organization and turns into Chris Bronger? Because that's what happened in Hartford. It was like big, tall guy, and then all of a sudden it's gone,

and he's a heart trophy winner two years later. Yeah, yeah. And that would be the fear, of course, first overall and everything else. But, yeah, I don't know. I don't know. I think Buffalo would like to sort of see their full lineup play and, you know, that Norris back and UPL playing relatively well and see if they can make inroads so they're playing better out of the way. I don't know. They could easily go on a 10-game losing streak as they might also go 8-2.

I have no idea what they might do in that. Tough to get a read on them. Yeah. Jordan Biddington pulled last night. Yeah. And him and Jim Montgomery kind of going at it as he's kind of, you know, and he's a fiery guy. And afterwards they said, hey, it's all good. We talked it out, whatever. But it seems like a formality.

Bennington's, you know, going to be on the Canadian team and he's just going to be the starter and the number one. And I understand that because it was history of what he just did at the Four Nations. But, like, his season is, it's really ugly stuff. Like, the whole team is really struggling. But Bennington's numbers are really, really off. I mean, we had this chat leading into the Four Nations, but this is even more important. Like Four Nations, everyone was uncertain of what the thing was even going to be. This is the Olympic Games.

Where is your comfort level with him just getting to Italy and it's going to be all good? So I don't put much stock in them sort of squabbling on the way off the ice. Like, if O gets sat down for three shifts, he might be like, hey, you know, say something to the coach. Every time a goalie gets pulled, it's always vo. volatile for those two minutes, right? Like, it's always combustible, coach, players, goalie, everyone's mad at each other. So I'll put that aside.

The bigger question is, how good it is his game? Now, he played relatively well last three or four games for St. Louis, which I think is part of his frustration. I think he goes there no matter what. I don't know if I'm naive to think that Doug Armstrong being the jam of the blues also factors into that, plus his success. It's such an easy to say, yeah, like, I get it. He hasn't played well or his numbers aren't good.

you know, in the biggest games in his career, he's come through. And so we trust he's going to do it again. So he can end there's three of them. And while Binnington probably gets game one, there's no guarantee he gets game two or three or four. So I think he's going to go no matter what basically does Hayes. And then it'll be whatever, Logan Thompson and Darcy Kemper or Scott Wedgwood. And, you know, whoever plays best probably gets the games.

But I don't know, I don't know that anything he could really sort of do. I would stand himself off his team at this point. He's going to get named in a month. I think he's virtually, he's a lot to sort of be on it for the history and the relationship and the lack of another bona fide superstar goalie for Canada. Johnny, we know you have to go, but inquiring minds would like to know.

When's the last time you read a book front to back? I read books digitally, oh, on my iPad. I read them every week. You read every chap, like the whole thing? Yes. Yeah. there's so much disgust in his voice that you would ask that question when do you think we'll give you one guess the last time oh finished a book

front to back yep amlet grade 10 english no further under it took the under what book would he read in seventh or eighth grade what book under that you're in the rye under still way too hot no i'm trying to think what books Grade five. Grade five. He claimed he wrote some book. Max, the dog that refused to die. That's not a book. That's a picture book. No, it isn't. It's a novel. It's a good book. It's a good book. It's a good book. It's a good book. It's a good. It's a good. It's a German Shepherd. Yeah, you can dive into that story. Did you ever read Scrubs on skates? Oh, you had to read that. Famous book, I think it was McFarlane.

Yeah. Got Young. Got Young's dad. Neal Young's dad. Absolutely. There were three, versions of it. And it was like, I think I read it around grade five as well, maybe. Brilliant. This guy's talking like he's in Oprah's book club. I read those books as a kid. He went to Leaf Camp, remember he made the Leafs? It was like, it was like a moving

book. Like, if you like hockey growing up, it was like, yeah, you do it was a, yeah, like a childhood defining kind of book. Yeah. Scott Young. I didn't we should get it for O. He might like it. Dude, it'll sit right. It'll collect dust right on top of Duffy's book in my dressing room. Yeah, put Duffy's book right behind you, though.

so you can see it on camera for the next three weeks for the plugs. Oh, he's bringing it to the World Cup draw. I'm going to give it, hand it to Trump. Oh, Mike, he's kind of give it to messy. Hand it to him. Say, congrats, I wrote something for you. Personalized. Personalized. All right, Johnny. Good luck tonight.

Should be a good game. We'll catch you on TSM. Pick it up. Download it. Max, the dog that refused to die. It's a great one. I am going to put a picture out there if I can find it. All right. Enjoy yourself. It's a great read. There he is.

Mike Johnson. Joining us 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. And the Maple Auto Mall, visit Maple Toyota.com. Iheart Radio. Everything holiday.

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