OverDrive - Johnson on the Panthers aiming for the Stanley Cup repeat, Edmonton's search to comeback and the outlook of Florida's free agents

Episode Date: June 17, 2025

TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers looking to reach Game 7 of the series, Connor McDavid's legacy to win a cup, the Panthers' pedigree to build the dynasty, the future of the Panthers' stars and more.

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leadership skills, connect with mentors, and gain real-world experience, all while giving back to your community. Best of all, it's a no-cost program available across Ontario, Nova Scotia, Alberta, and BC. Thoughts are limited, so register now at careerfoundation.com. That's careerfoundation.com. Join today and be part of something amazing. Here's our TSN hockey analyst, Mike Johnson. How you doing, Johnny? What's going on, Hayes? When we get to the final, it's a funny dynamic with the media, because you know what it's like, right? Like, we're here.

It's in Florida. It's in Edmonton. It's a lot of fun. We're down in the sun. But now that it's almost over, and we don't really care who wins, if you're not an Euler fan or a Panther fan, the prospect of the season being over and being able to like, kind of go home and have it be done, becomes pretty appealing at this point in the proceedings. So you're saying the media would be happy, not happy, but it would be like, the hockey fan would be like,

oh, let's get one more game seven, it would be but the kind of regular dad regular dude is like wrap this thing up and let us get back to real life bingo but not have said it had he had her now nor would act that way when it happened this if that would have been with all the be cursing but that's exactly it all uh... it's uh... if it's gonna end let's get it over with the let's get summer going well that brings up an interesting question about the mentality the

panthers tonight because you gotta think they're thinking the same thing that we have no interest to go back to admins and i'm nine so you could you like how could that how could that you know play a role in in their approach tonight what what might you see in the first period from florida that would indicate these guys are severely desperate to win this evening? More the same. For Florida this entire experience has been about doing

more of the same. They don't do it perfectly every time, they don't do it right every time, but they try to just do the exact same thing and what they've done in the first periods of the series, if they do that again in this game, they're very likely to win the Stanley Cup at the end of the night. So, you know, they're going to be physical. They're going to be on a four-check. It's going to be hard. But really, you know, if they're aggressive Hayes, I guess, if I'm going to say one thing,

because occasionally when they've had a big lead in the series, you've seen them get a little bit more passive. And when they get that way, they're just not as good so if they're able to block out the want to win so badly and just go play and be aggressive and be on your front foot attacking if they do that that'll be the best version of their game okay and Edmonton I mean needless to say they're desperate I mean I guess you know I don't know what that looks like for them though like we were discussing McDavid, who you would, you'd have to believe comes out like a rocket tonight. But what is, what does that even, what does that mean? What does it look like

five on five, the Lions continue to change, Skinners and Nets. Like what would you expect their mentality and their approach to, to kind of look like in the first period this evening? mentality in their approach to to kind of look like in the first period this evening And I think almost like equated to starting the US Open final round You're not trying to bury the first four holes. Let's just play even part Can we find a fair way to find a green a two-pot and let's get going? Because they've been behind the eight balls last four games They've given up the first goal and they're chasing the game.

So for the Oilers, can we just play and pass and kind of be even and work our way into the game and eventually take a lead? I think that will be the focus. For McDavid specifically, Hayes, I think he's got to fight the will or the want to try to do it more on his own. Like when he tries to go for the big mad dashes through the neutral zone, he bumps into Barkov, then Forsling, then Eklad. It's tough. Those guys are great. And it's tough to be effective. He's almost like he has the trusted line-mates to help him. And his line-mates are a little bit different. He's got Corey Carey back there again tonight.

Evan is basically going back to their game one lineup. I said it worked in game one. We scored first in game one. we won game one, let's see if we can't do that again, and then at some point, you know, we talked about this at nauseam, you need your goalie to be good. Now, you can't, will that happen? You can't ask him to try harder, he's obviously trying his hardest, but you can't have an 870 save percentage tonight from Stu Skinner. It's got to be 915, and if it is, they'll have a decent chance of winning this game. Yeah, Johnny, if the Florida Panthers do did it tonight, how do you think McDavid, how

we talk a lot on this show, it's talked a lot through hockey, the media about the great ones win a cup, like how do you think his cup final will be critiqued because he's been fantastic leading up to this point? I think it will not necessarily decree critique individually although there may be some question marks about it's for a lot of gold in its first one last game he's got a boatload of chances i think he has three posts so it could easily be a four-ball final for him and then you take you from when the cops might

but the one goal final may might lose again so i don't know if you're going to get criticized other than boy would have been nice had he been able to cash it on the chance that he created but oh I think that the conversation around him will be another missed opportunity and there is no guarantee yeah yeah yeah good if he is as good as Dryfell is good as the Oilers are he may never get to another final. You know? It's probably even money whether he gets to even another final.

So that's sort of the conversation because what does that mean if he doesn't win a cup ever in his career? Can he ever be considered one of the greatest of all time? I think individually he has to be. He already has to be. But in his career and his entirety, if he doesn't win, and now he'll be 0 for 2, not his fault, he won a ConSmart last year, he could win it again this year in a losing cause,

but another missed opportunity to kind of get the last piece of hardware that he'll ever need to be considered the greatest of all time. Johnny, we were talking earlier about all the different line combinations that Chris Knobloch puts together, and the Edmonton Oilers have used 25 different line combos in this series. The Florida Panthers have used eight. What should the approach be for Knobloch and the Oilers tonight, especially early in the game when it comes to how much you juggle the lines? I mean, I think given that what's happened, Frankie, you can't, you don't want to be switching

every single time, but like you don't wait, you don't wait long. If you get through 10 minutes of first period, three, four shifts each line and one guy's not going, happen is not going or team's not going on putt Coles and is like you make moves because that team is comfortable with the idea that they changed. The team doesn't react as though the coach is panicking when they make changes because they do it all the time as you just mentioned 25 different line combinations in the series. So I mean I think it's the contrast of the coaching is really quite interesting whereas Nauvlach is obviously motivating and inspiring and all that stuff but he is

coaching. He's coaching his butt. Trying to solve these problems with his roster, with his combinations, with his pairing, in game, between games. He's working hard. Whereas Maurice, he wakes up in the morning, he doesn't think about a thing. What Maurice is doing is just sort of like imploring and motivating and energizing his group but he's not you're not thinking about game plan and he liked it game plan because of game plan working it's amazing how different the challenges for each coach kitchen oblox is making some solving problems on the go all the time doesn't have that but not that the one he trusted group and he should the mike johnson at his and hockey, ahead of Game 6 cup final tonight, Maurice

is, you know, he was on fire again this morning. He's got his one liners, man. His, you know, his post game last year was very inspiring. You know, he talked about his, his, you know, from Sousaite Marie and his parents and brothers. I hope they get one. Oh yeah, he gets all the bases. Everything. Like what does he have left for tonight? Like what's, if they win and he does his, you know, his commentary on the ice with everybody,

like what, what do you think he, cause I would believe he's got new material. You know, he's a comic that's hitting the road and he knows everyone's heard his stuff. What else is coming from Maurice tonight? He's got to bring something different. He's got to have some new material has to he's going to But what he's got he's opened up if they win tonight. He's open up another entire chapter of Potential topics when it comes to history's greatness and I think that's where he could go when it comes to history's greatness. And I think that's where he could go. Where his group, and he will always defer not him, but his group will now have to be considered

in the sort of all-time great teams. Now they're not the greatest of all time, but they're in the conversation. And certainly the last 30 years, three finals in a row, two wins in a row, that doesn't, no, two wins have happened a couple times, but it doesn't happen very often. Three finals in a row almost never happens. I think the last time three finals was

the islanders right so I think you can go down that road and well Tampa just did three files in a row Yeah, islanders did five Five in a row five when they lost the degree out so tampa one was a bubble Those were all kind of strange years but i don't think i'm going away the last forty years happen twice we did not conversation not even the orders of the eighties made three in a row right now

you know i think you know that road and he wouldn't be wrong to do so knowledge actually exactly good johnny all we talk about after this when it ends is like, where's this guy going to go? Where's Bennett going to go? Marshand, Ekblad. What's your mini Jerry that these guys get together and say, guys, we got to try to run it back? Because a three-peat would be insane.

I think Marshand's like an island unto himself. Ekblad and Bennett, they could easily have that conversation, the relationship they'd have. Oh, and I think they both are so tied into Florida and know why it's good here for them. They both will probably take less money than they could get otherwise and wanna come back for all the obvious reasons.

I think Marshand, who's had a good, highly paid career, but he's not been a 10 million guy for eight years, right? His last deal was what, 36, 38 million dollars, 40 million dollars or whatever it was. Prior to that, he's probably got 50, 60 million dollars of career earnings, which is a ton. But it wouldn't surprise me if maybe he is slightly more tied into perm and to dollars

than maybe those other two guys might be. So as appealing as that is, and I also would always caution, like thinking you can chase a cup because you can pick the team that you think is good, that doesn't usually work out the way you think it will. But Marshaan's a unique guy because he's newish here and he probably doesn't have that same sort of city,

not loyalty, but just, you know, ties to the market. He wants the cash in too. The other guys. He wants some cash. He wants four years and $8 million a year. He's gonna get it. And as far as like, listen,

we could give you three and five and a good team and good taxes, and he might go like, I think I'll take the four and 32 and go to a good team and take my chances there. And no one could blame him. If you were hedging your bet as far as Bennett or Ekblad, only one of those guys can stay because financially, like I think the Panthers have about $19 million to spend and they've got to sign six or seven more guys here. If it's one of those two guys, not who would you keep, who would the Panthers keep?

they will effort to keep Bennett and And that's an act what has been surprisingly good in this series. I thought he might have some trouble. He's been good I just think the Seth Jones acquisition makes a quad unless he really wants to severely discount himself I think Bennett's the perfect fit. I think he knows that. I think Florida, if they had to choose, and they might have to choose, they'll choose Bennett over Eklad. Johnny, do you think if a team says about Marchand, we're going to give you the four times eight and we want you to come into our team regardless of your age and be a first

line player, not a third third that would be interesting. Well I mean he was a first line player in Boston and he was on pace for what 65 points? What did Matthew Nives get last year? 60? Everybody wants to throw 80 million dollars at him and that's not to diminish the bias of like a first line player can get you 65 points and that might be worth it. So he might be ideally suited though in a support role as opposed to the guy driving. If you ask him to play on your first line and be the best player on your first line, that's not good. That won't work. But if you ask him to be a support player, a smart player, a complementary

player who can produce you know 0.8 points per game over the course of the year, I think you won't be disappointed. Whatever role he plays in, he'll probably be able to do that because he's smart enough and he's still got the legs as he's showing. But you have to temper your expectations. You're not getting 90 or 100 points out of him anymore, no matter who he's playing with. And if you can ask him to get you 65 on the second line and wait for the playoffs, then you have a good team and you'll probably get the best version of Marchand. Johnny, what's your read on watching Sasha Barkov in person in this series? Because, you know, I think you go around the league, you talk about what do you need to have playoff success.

Your number one center is going to have to be a big contributor offensively. And it seems like for the Florida Panthers, it's like they've kind of just asked him to check as well as he can, which no forward can do it better than him. And they filled in the pieces offensively around him third line's been great Bennett's been great like what do you see out of Sasha Barkov's game that maybe think you think there might be more offense or he's just doing what he's doing and they're perfectly okay with that and they're gonna win the Stanley Cup as as it is. Well both are probably true they probably are going to win the

Stanley Cup with him checking in and he's like a dad super Zetterberg where he doesn't ever deviate from the defense to go get offense even though he probably could. He's still their most talented offensive player. He has been quiet though. He just hasn't had as many touches, but I think Frankie, he's so concerned with being above the puck. You watch him even in the offensive zone when they have the puck, you can almost see

like the angel and the devil on his shoulders, and the devil's like, let's get to the net, and the angel's like, don't even think about it, you better stay above the puck, because here comes 97 and you can't catch him, and the angel wins, and he's always in the right spot. So he will keep doing the same thing, and it's a unique challenge to play

against Connor McDavid in the playoffs But his numbers are still he's basically a pointy game player in the playoffs. It's not like he has five points He's got 18 or something like that. So He's been fine and the Panthers could not care less about no goals in the final. They only care about one more win Well, we'll see if it comes tonight Johnny for your sake I hope it does. And if it doesn't, enjoy Edmonton for the next couple of days. The next week?

The next week, yeah, exactly. It'll feel that way anyway. If I'm doing our next chat on the eve of Game 7 in Edmonton, I may be slightly disgruntled. Okay. Well, we'll see what comes of it, man. I'm I'm pulling for game seven personally But I'm in Toronto. I sure you're watching on your couch. I'm dying for a game seven. Yeah. Yeah, I love your absolutely It gets lonely when the game disappears for more than three days you're like, yeah

There's no game and then some guy will know tweet out sixty days sixty days till hockey's back now that's when your wife says hey we should watch this new show tonight there was a game on it is on tonight love island is on tonight we need game seven man we need it alright johnny enjoy yourself down there good boys mike johnson our tsn hockey analyst hey this is ruby kar the host of the podcast encore choosing the perfect song to release Mike Johnson or TSN hockey analyst. first single from Nevermind. We were asked which songs you guys want to put out first as a single and we just thought about it. And we thumb wrestled.

It's Two Teens Spirit as our first single. Listen to Encore on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts for stories behind all the songs you love. Don't make me thumb wrestle you.