OverDrive - Johnston on Pelley's viewpoint of the franchise, Treliving's larger role and Shanahan's structure concluding

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around Keith Pelley's press conference with the Maple Leafs, the team not going with a president, Brad Treliving's role for the franchise, Craig Berube's character for the group, Brendan Shanahan's foundation for the team, Mitch Marner and John Tavares' future in Toronto and more.

Toronto's iconic North by Northeast turns 30 With an I heart radio experience you can win executive passes with front-of-the-line access to shows parties and performances Across the city Khalid the beaches Charlie Carden and more with $500 spending cash to do it up, right? Celebrate North by Northeast in true VIP style Enter daily at iHeartRadio.ca Here's Chris Johnston, our TSN hockey insider. CJ, you were there for the Keith Peli presser. What did you take out of it? How honest do you think Keith was today? Well, I thought body was pretty honest to me

you know if there's still a lot of gaps i guess in in some something for all wondering about how this is going to work in you know what it what it means i suppose for the least front office at the top levels moving forward but i i didn't feel like he was hiding from those answers i'd i felt really like

it just is reinforces how how raw and fresh everything is. I mean, it was only yesterday afternoon that Keith and Brett and Shanna had a face-to-face conversation where Shanny was officially let go and then he's doing that press conference less than 24 hours later and explaining the way forward and Bradshaw Living's not even in the city yet. So, you know, I think it was pretty direct, pretty honest, pretty on brand for what I expect explaining the way forward and Bradshaw Living is not even in the city yet.

I think it was pretty direct, pretty honest, pretty on brand for what I expect from Peli but I'm still not entirely clear what the executive team is going to look like, what the mandate is going to be beyond the obvious. He made it pretty clear that they're trying to win a Stanley Cup which I think is what we'd all expect. We all kind of thought that comment was coming, CJ, but did you have any kind of evidence of who... I think people wanted to know who the hell is going to make the call on players like

Marner and Tavares moving forward. Like, is that going to be Craig Barube and Brad, or is that just Brad, or who's making the call on these guys? I'd say I came away from that feeling as though Brad True Living's making the final call on those guys. What I guess has to be worked out a little bit here is you know this was new the idea that Craig Berube is kind of in the inner circle now I mean he's having dinner last night with Pelli and you know there's not that many coaches league-wide that I can think of that have sort of a direct aligned ownership. I mean obviously coaches around the

league know their owners probably say hi to them in the hallway see them at certain events but you know Berube and Peli having dinner you know I think is it's more than just sort of a footnote I think it's telling than just a footnote, I think it's telling. When we asked Pelly about it, he said that he thinks Craig's a tremendous asset to the organization and someone he wants to lean on. It does seem as though Barube, whether it's formal or not, I'm not certain whether he's going to have a contractual sort of I've got a say in things. It does appear certainly that his opinion is now

a little bit more in the sphere of decision making, but it wasn't exactly worked through today how that all is gonna work. And look, we'll hear from Brad true living at some point next week, early next week, I think. And maybe some of more of this will be clarified because he'll meet with Pelly for his own dinner here over the weekend.

Again, I just think everything is still kind of being figured out at the top levels. But at the end of the day, Keith Pelly has made it clear he's not in charge of hockey decisions. He doesn't want to get involved in trades or free agent decisions. So that's all on True Living's plate now and obviously the people that work with them. CJ, at what point do you start sniffing around on free agent marketplace? Have you been trying to touch base with agents and stuff? Because obviously, yes, there's four teams still playing, but a lot of other GMs and organizations have, I know, have had their pro scout meetings and their amateur scout meetings heading up to the draft. So I think the second season, we'll call it after the regular season in playoffs, might be in full swing behind the closed doors. Yeah, we haven't quite got their noodles in the last few days, though I've been nibbling at that market.

And really where that goes into overdrive, pun intended, early june there's that that draft combine this the draft combine in in buffalo where you have all the agents present obviously all the teams are there you know that the official business being done is you're talking to the prospects in getting ready for the draft but you know i think that that's where the key to tend to get laid for you know figuring out the that the free agency board and what's going to be available.

And that's probably where the T word happens the most, tampering, although of course the league does not look kindly upon that. So I don't have a full sense yet exactly kind of who's going where and how the chips are gonna fall, but certainly within the next two weeks here, I think it starts to take on a little bit more clarity and you get a feeling of who the players in the marketplace are, who might still yet sign.

For example, it won't surprise you guys, I know you've been talking about it, we expect tomorrow's full signed extension in Toronto. I would think that will be done two weeks from now if it's going to happen. There's still a few parts that I guess, that are moving in various places. But when you get down to this few teams, few teams still playing, the business of the offseason is going to start to kick into full force here come early June. So to follow on Tavares, do you feel like that deal has been done for weeks and months and basically what just happened in the playoffs is effectively irrelevant?

I don't know. I don't think certainly the deal is done. You know, there were definitely conversations throughout the season where I think both sides got a sense of where they would want to go with a contract and how that would look. And, and you know, now I think it's time to figure out the details of what that might look like, but it doesn't mean they'll reach a deal. I mean, just because the Leafs want to keep Tavares and Tavares wants to stay, it's not an insignificant matter of what his next deal looks like that would have to be agreed upon

before it happens. And by no means do I have an impression that's done-done. So I suppose there's still a universe where it doesn't wind up the way that Tavares is hoping it does and maybe there's an opportunity there for the Leafs to try to, I don't want to say take advantage of because that's probably the wrong phrasing, but use the fact that he's so eager to stay to help out what they need here because let's face it, you have Austin Matthews signed next year, we're talking about the certainties the Leafs probably need to acquire two centers to play behind them for next year now maybe Mac told me is

the solution I I can't imagine the organization's feeling that way after seeing the way the year played out Scott Lawton's under contract next year but he didn't really use them in the role that we thought they might when they traded from the deadline. So you've got to fill two center positions. There's not a lot in free agency. I think keeping Tavares makes a lot of sense, especially if the number's right. And so it doesn't sound as though the talks have got going there yet, but once they do, we'll find out pretty quickly if the numbers can line up to make that happen.

So the role that Brendan Shanahan played in selling this team and market to free agents, how significant was that in your opinion and how significant might his departure be in terms of the way the rest of the league and the agents, most importantly, view the Maple Leafs? I actually think, because you hear a lot of people say, what did he do, right? the agents most importantly you the may please i'd like to think kid you know you're a lot of people fail what did he do right because it it wasn't always cleared in anyone on the outside you know what the impression was but i think it's a big

big loss for the organization in terms of a lot of that that sort of thing i mean you know i i listen your highlights and lowlights yesterday heather by you nailed it but you know it could be getting mike abcock to Toronto, Shannon had a massive role in that at the time, and of course that was a big coup at the time. Mike Babcock was basically a marquee for agent in his own right at that point in time. I think making sure there's the right luster to the brand, that certain situations

are handled properly. I think of this is an exact spirit of your question, but Boria Solman got his ALS diagnosis. The Leafs were heavily involved in making sure they could get Boria over here for a game and they sent an alumni team over to Sweden to play in his honor and things like that. So I don't know where those responsibilities fall now. I think it's too much to expect the general manager who day to day you want out there beating the bushes,

looking for upgrades for the fourth line right wing spot and for considering trade options and negotiating contracts. I mean, having someone with the organization's big picture in mind and that could probably go down to even wooing free agents, you know, there is a loss there and I wonder in time, I mean, Keith Peli certainly didn't sound like he's looking to get a president today, but I wonder in time if that void is filled in some way, shape or form by a future hire. But you know, in the here and now, you know, Brad True Living's got a lot on his plate,

that would have been the case at Shana Anne's stage, but I think it's even more as they navigate these next few weeks, how they manage the Marner situation, how they look to potentially replace him and use his dollars in the lineup, trade opportunities, the draft. I mean, this is a critical off season because the biggest thing I left

that news conference today thinking was You know a step back next year is not an option for Leafs ownership in any world where they lose in the first round or You know anything that we might point to or they the team didn't grow next season and make it seem like we're gonna have another round of these press conferences and Be talking about big changes to the organization if that is what happens on the ice. Yeah, I'm curious, you know, if Pelley and ownership for that matter have someone in mind that they don't feel they could get right now, you know, to play that role of president,

maybe they have someone in mind down the road. But I'm curious what you think the least appetite would be to sign another player to a big contract in other words you know Marner Lee's let's say that let's say they bring Tavares back it sounds like it's trending in that direction but he signs for five or six million or whatever you know there's been all this conversation with the core four and all this money and all the tied up in a certain amount of players

What if they got a guy in mind that they like but they got to pay him ten million dollars do you think they'd be willing to do that or do you think they're finally gonna get away from that and Say what we're paying Austin we're paying Willie and we're not paying anyone else close. We got to spread the rest of the money out. I Think as an organization, they would consider it, but I don't see a $10 million player available in free agency if you're not signing Mitch Marner. I mean, who else on the board

will be getting that kind of contract? I don't think it's out there for any of those guys. I mean, that's part of the challenge though, is there's not, you know, after Marner, look, there's lots of good players and there'll be good signings made this summer, but there's not a lot of sure things among the other free agents that are available. And so I don't know if you're sort of pointing me in the direction of Sam Bennett here. I have a hard time believing he's going to get that kind of money anywhere, let alone

in Toronto. I think he'd like to stay in Florida is kind of my understanding of things now. And so he might not even get the open market. So I think, I think the market will probably drive the decision more than anything. And to me it's pointing the least in the direction of some smaller bets and, and you got to keep your, keep the powder dry a little bit. I think they have to be careful of how long you know and how big the commitments are to other players

because to me if you're any team in the league that that's trying to win a cup in the near term until Connor McDavid's future is 100% secure you got to you got to keep yourself in a spot where you could make that happen if if it could happen so by no means am I trying to start a McDavid to the Leafs rumor, it's not really what I'm saying, but I think until his situation in Edmonton, until he signs an extension there and if he doesn't, I think you want to leave the opportunity for that to happen for your team. And so obviously the Leafs are going to be active I would think in frequency, they've

got money to spend and some holes to fill but uh... it's probably only to a point because you gotta you gotta stay in the big game hunting that that might happen in twenty twenty six and beyond all right cj uh... will leave it there and it's going to be interesting times over the next month and a half that is for sure thank you for doing this appreciate it thanks for saying a lot over driving your comments, too

Yeah, I was well, very good perfectly dropped pun. Well when I'm not on a show, I listen to it So, I mean, I'm I'm the biggest fan out there. We appreciate it buddy. You know, that's not true, but thanks very much for that That list popped off man, I thought I it personally, and I don't say that often. I don't pump my own tires very often. He only pumps his own tires every time he does that segment, CJ. Thanks for taking time today, pal. We'll do it next week. All right.

Have a good weekend, fellas. See you, buddy. Chris Johnston, our TSN hockey insider. Introducing Brian Adams Radio on iHeart Radio. Insider. on the free iHeartRadio app. Or ask your smart speaker to play Brian Adams radio on iHeartRadio. I was ready to rock. Everywhere I go, the kids want to rock.