OverDrive - Johnson on the Maple Leafs’ team problems, Berube’s role to the group and the Canadian teams in the league

Episode Date: November 14, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joins to discuss the headlines around the Maple Leafs in a losing streak, how the team has had issues in the organization, if Craig Berube needs to turn up the notch, the Canadian team landscape, how the Senators have found success and more. 

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Restriction supply ships registered in Panama and Malta. All right, let's bring in our TSN hockey analyst, Mike Johnson. Johnny, where do you stand up, Brad Marchand on the Olympic team? He was on our Olympic team that Craig and I picked. He was a locked-in fourth-line left-winger. So he was on our squad. I think he deserves to be there for all the reasons you guys just mentioned. The production alone would have them there,

but then you factor that in with the experience and the fact of the gamer in the big moments that he's going to be on that team for sure. and Sheifley, for us, he was on my team that I got cooked out of him by Craig. I had him playing with McDavid, and Craig was out of it and he wanted to try Hyman there. Looks like Hyman's coming back this weekend. So we'll see how Hyman does

because it's a big chance for Edmonton and for Zach to show that, you know, he deserves to be in that conversation to be McDavid's winger at the Olympics. So we'll see what happens there. But I think Marchand, for sure, is going to be in Olympics. All of Fame, guys,

If he never played another game, he's not a Hall of Famer for me. Not yet. And that's not to say... Let's give some booing to Mike Johnson here, guys. That's exactly right. You get hammered in the peg, yeah. The Shifley and the Marchand take.

Go ahead. Why he's not? He had Shifley on his list, though. I know. Yeah. He's on my... Why he booing me? I had him on my team.

I had him on the first line. What are talking about that? That sounds like on Craigder linked at the hit, man. Sounds like me with the top 50 list, where I just say I had every... everyone. Yeah, I voted that guy. I voted that guy. Like, how would we ever know? I got the email to prove it.

Okay. Continue. For Marchand, I would just say, obviously, incredible career. Thousand points is not an automatic bid, right? He doesn't have 500 goals. He has the two cups, I understand. He has, I think, the World Cup or whatever was called when they had the Young Guns team. But he doesn't play in the Olympics.

He doesn't have sort of like the World Junior resume. that's some other play like John DeVarres would have had. And he hasn't won sort of any major individual awards. He's been a great player. I think by the time he's done four more years, he'll be there. But as of today, like Keith Pichuk is not in there. He's got 600 goals, right? Like Patrick Marlow, the all-time winning.

There's other guys that you'd put ahead of him because of the careers that they've had, the numbers they put up, I think were a bit recency biased because of his great performance last year in the playoffs. He almost won the consummite and his great start. but, you know, Fujo or Kachuk or some of those guys, like they would probably be out of them as of today if he would never play again. Johnny, what does Hyman have to do when he comes back? Like, how good would this guy have to play to make Team Canada?

I mean, I think you probably have to go in and be what he has been, oh, but probably score at like, you know, a 40-plus bowl pace and show great chemistry. And show great chemistry with McDonald's. and the two of them flip it where now they are just crushing everybody at five on five like they have done for a few years right like it's just you know one-way traffic when the two of them get on the ice there together and they get whatever 65 percent of the shots and the expected goals and the actual goals and the ice flips every time they're together if they do that together and he produces then i think you say okay it's actually a you know the 50 goal score he deserves consideration as is But when you can get the cumulative effect of McDavid having a winger, you know he worked great with, then it really strengthens his case. So, Johnny, in terms of the Leafs in their play recently, we've been talking about it,

obviously, the last couple of days, it was pretty ugly last night. They got a point, but they blew a 2-0 lead. They blew a 3-2 lead in the 3rd. You just knew they were not holding on to that lead. It's just it's a weird feeling watching them play. You know what's coming. They're going to break down. They're going to give up goals.

They're 8-8-2. What is your level of concern with the Leafs right now? It's the same as it has been, which is significant. And again, it doesn't necessarily even go to their record because their record's not as bad as it feels like they are playing. And the record is where it is because they have star players lighting it up. But I think I read somewhere today that the most lob-sided game in attempts for share of attempts was last night.

LA had 75% of the attempts, 88 shot attempts. to 35. Like, it's obscene the difference between one of the other. That was the most lobsided game in the NHL this year. The second most lobsided game was Carolina, Toronto on Sunday. Like, they are going the wrong direction. And while it's great they're getting points and yes, they're hanging at 500 and they are sort of involved in that Carolina game and they got a point out of the L.A.

game, this is not a way that you can play and it's sustainably successful. It's just not. Whether they get good goal-tending or not, that is just part of the equation. They just, again, they don't have the puck enough, they're going to end too much, they defend too often, they give up too many good chances, all the stuff we've talked about the whole time. And that game, last night, didn't do anything to dispel that notion or suggest there was progress. It looked like there was actually continued step back in the territorial domination that they were under. And that is not sustainable, as talented as they may be.

that is not sustainable and that's the concern. So, Johnny, what is the adjustment? Like, if you're on a game show and you just had to pick one, is it personnel, is it X's and O's, is it just foot speed on the D-Core? Like, what is the one thing that you're pointing to where you're like, this drastically has to change? So can I tie two things together?

Oh, one is sort of like support of the defense off the rush. So somehow you allow the defenseman to not, back up so much they can confidently play a little bit tighter and then if they're able to do that then if you're giving me one thing oh can i please please please please like that to me when i watch the games we're calling the games over there to get like so many stuff around the boards into the shin pads off the skates and they never give themselves a chance to get out of their own end quickly It's always just a slog. And so I would say, give them a chance to defend a bit better.

So maybe they're not under so much pressure. And then when they do get pressure on a forecheck or something, they were able to move the puck a little crisper or a little cleaner out of their own end. So we've been in Winnipeg. We're talking about the jets. We jumped on their bandwagon yesterday. And just as we do that, they lose in Seattle, naturally. I know the oilers lost last night.

The Habs got pumped. And, you know, we established it for, that it doesn't feel like there's a Canadian team that's really that close right now. Like, I don't, you know, like we, collectively the country hasn't won a Stanley Cup in 32 years. It feels more distant than it has in a long time. I don't know if you feel it the same way,

but I don't know who would be the best chance to win. Like if you had to put, let's say, a three-pack of Canadian teams. It's Winnipeg is on top right now. Is it? Okay. Go ahead. Johnny, where do you stand on that? So, Winnipeg in a tournament of Canadian teams would be first.

They're the best Canadian team, but the problem, they're in the Central. And the Central, like it has been, is loaded. And I don't want any part of Colorado, I don't want any part of a good, healthy Dallas team. That, to me, is part of the challenge for Winnipeg, unless they get somehow bumped to the other side into the Pacific. So in that sense, I probably would say Edmonton, even though they've been terrible, history and the star power of the United States, their performances in the playoffs would say, I guess they have a chance.

The Pacific's not nearly what the Central is. So that has to factor in to the consideration. But it's Edmonton, it's Winnipeg. And if I go in the East, because it's not Vancouver or Calgary, I think it's Ottawa, has the best chance to be successful right now in the playoffs. Because they are stingy defensively. And they're doing it with Brady Kachuk, who's arguably their best player. And they're still finding ways they're in first place.

they've got points in 11 of 12 games very quietly and they're underlying they're in every game because they defend well so that to me will be one two three and Winnipeg's probably the best team in Canada but they have the hardest road in the playoffs in Canada and that's why it's going to be tough even for a good team like Winnipeg to go deep

yeah I think that's probably accurate probably appropriate and Ottawa they have been good man They got talent, they got depth, and Brady could chuckle return at some point in the next month or so. I think he was back on the ice today. The skate and handling the puck. Yeah, I mean, that's only going to be a boost for him and for them. All right, Johnny, we'll leave it there. Great stuff, as always.

We'll catch up again next week, I'm sure. All right, boys, enjoy Winnipeg, one of my favorite towns, for sure. Have fun of the Great Cup. Enjoy your chili and whatever else we have for that. Let's give Mike Johnson a little bit more love than that, people. Come on. Come on. There you go, Johnny.

They love you out here, pal. Thanks, buddy. Thank you, boys. It's beginning to sound a lot like Christmas with IHeart the holidays. Non-stop Christmas music 24-7. All your festive favorites. Unwrap the magic of the season. One song at a time.

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