OverDrive - Johnston on the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, Canada's strong roster and Maple Leafs' trade outlook

Episode Date: February 10, 2025

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Maple Leafs' trade deadline outlook, the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament and Canada's roster in the games, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon on the same line, Auston Matthews leading the United States, the trade market in the league and more.

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Alpine Cred credits can help. Alpine credits, where homeowners get approved. Disra license 12-616. Here's Chris Johnston, our TSN hockey insider. CJ, the term all in, it gets thrown around every single year with every market, especially contending teams. How would you define it from a leaf perspective? And do you think they'd be comfortable with going all in to make moves for this current team in belief that they'd actually do some

damage come playoff time? Yeah, I think that they would be, you know, what it depends on and I think this is kind of the heart of what, you know, the bit I heard you guys talking about there is what is, who is that all in? Like my sense is the Leafs don't even have a full picture yet of, of, you know, what's available to trade deadline. Um, you know, I don't think it's a case where they have one target. Obviously they have a list of names of, of, you know, players that could potentially fill, you know, especially that third line center role, but you know, it, it seems to

me that they need to figure out who's selling and what they're selling before. You know, you're, you're thinking about what you're giving up, but but you know, it seems to me that they need to figure out who's selling and what they're selling before, you know, you're thinking about what you're giving up. But you know, I don't think there's restrictions or limitations, but if they're giving up one of their top prospects, I mean, it's, it's for a clear upgrade. I don't see them, I mean, they've still got draft picks, you've got a first round pick next year. I mean, I think there are other moves that they can make that don't involve Easton Cowan or Fraser Minton. I think if you're giving up one or both of those players potentially it's in a pretty

significant deal. At this stage we're a little inside four weeks now to the deadline. Obviously don't expect too much action league-wide on the trade front to happen during this Four Nations tournament. So this is a time for the leach and other teams that take a look at what's out there and figure out what they're going to do but as of this moment i don't i don't get the clear sense of the police know which direction they're

going yet with no what what kind of player they're going to get well like we were saying let's say that they load up the top two lines okay and it feels like rubies very comfortable with nyes matthews martyrs it's it's been pretty consistent all year two lines, okay? And it feels like Perubia is very comfortable with Nye's Matthews Marner. It's been pretty consistent all year when he's gotten away from it and he's gone back to it. And let's say McMahon, Tavares, Nylander for argument's sake. I think Steven Lorenz and David Camp will be two-thirds of the fourth line.

Like I'm pretty certain that'll be the case. That leaves a third line and a third winger on the fourth line, which as of right now, CJ, you might have a different answer. I have no idea what that looks like. I have no idea what the combination is. I have no idea how to get the most of it. I think that's what's driving this third line

center conversation is what they really need is someone that can actually be an impact there. Like actually a good player like Braden Shed, Nazem Kadri. It's like that's a real player and then you'll figure out who's going to play on the wing with them. That's my sense. You know, do you sense the Leafs kind of look at it the same way? Yeah, I think that's if you could, if you're Brad True Living or in the front office working with Brad, I mean that's what I would call the ideal scenario. Um, because clearly let's face it. I mean, this team, when they've, we've all watched the playoff years again and again, not to relive that,

but a lot of times it's come down to not having enough offets. And so, you know, I think that they're looking to have a little bit more punch in the bottom half of the lineup, certainly than we've seen the start the year. And, and, you know, some of the trouble does kick in for the reasons you mentioned, you know, Max Domi is, you know some of the trouble does kick in for the reasons you mentioned you know Max Domi's you know not produced very much at all this season. He endured two really long stretches goal of stretches you know so they don't have the right fit it appears at least right now for him in the lineup and so I'm with you I do think that ideally you're adding someone on that

third line that obviously you trust defensively but also you know might be part of a unit that can score some goals at five on five. We know ultimately the team's got to be carried by the guys making the big bucks and the ones that filled the net for years and years and years in regular season, but I think they're going to try to help out that group to have a little more depth because right now it just feels like certainly they have lots of NHL players on the roster, but it's not clear how they fit beyond those top players you mentioned.

So CJ, do you get a sense that they would be leaning towards somebody that could be, we'll call them a third line center, but maybe could be a two, like a two-three instead of a three-four, if that makes sense? Yeah, I think that's the ideal scenario. I mean, let's face it, it's still not clear where things go with Tavares after the season. Some of the players that have been mentioned do have contracts beyond this year,

and so if they're making that kind of trade, if you're getting someone that you kind of view as maybe the number three on this team, but he could play the number two in an injury situation, or if they're shaking things up to get more of a lineup. I do think that they want to get an upgrade there versus just another guy, but that's going to come at a cost. We don't yet know how many of those players are available. Even some of the names out there, even Braden Schenn has been a new one that Dregg's talked

out there last week on insider trading. I mean, you know, he's sort of softly out there. He's got a no trade clause. It's not as though St. Louis has got to a point where they're 100% dealing him. I think that they're open to listening and seeing what's there, but the price is big. You know, it comes with a contract, you know,

as much as I'm sure from a high level, we love the player, it might not fit what they need to do now. And so it's hard to paint a rosy picture, I guess, today that there's going to be five or six clear upgrades available at the deadline. That might end up being the case. But I do know with the logjam we have, especially in Eastern Conference, the trade market is still taking shape here.

And I think the Leafs are trying to figure out and navigate their way around that. CJ, is it a festive mood amongst media members at the Four Nations? Are people ready to talk about stuff at different pubs, about the different teams and rosters and strategies? It's probably that kind of environment. I just got in here late last night so I haven't indulged in the you know I just did some work today but certainly lots of people in town for the tournament and you know the one thing I

mentioned you guys last week that I'm sticking to I found you the players are fired up for this. The only prediction I have is the guys care. I don't know what the fans are gonna do. I don't know what the fans are going to do. I don't know how many tickets are going to sell. I don't know what the view is going to be from afar for this tournament yet. But the players involved are pretty dialed in on it. I think that after such a long layoff since that last World Cup, a lot of these guys have been chomping at the bit to get there and so you know the best players you look at the top six for canada after the line today top six for the u.s.

it's full of guys but the jackson's is often matthews nathan mckinnon karnick david you know all kind of these guys um... that haven't waiting something this for the country and so i think the hockey's gonna be good let's just see if everything else rises to be the moment well in terms of that uh... canadian lineup you know first day of practice what stood out to you in terms of the lines and and how John Cooper is gonna play this

Well kind of interesting he moved McKinnon to the wings right and and and you know is playing him with Sydney Crosby I think that that's what they would have done had we went to the Olympics in 2022 Yeah at that time there was talk of doing the all Nova Scotia line with Brad Marchand as a third member. You know, clearly a couple years later, Marchand's, you know, probably better suited in this event as a bottom sixer for Canada. You've got Mark Stone with that trio. I mean, a nice landing spot for Mitch Marner, you know, playing with Connor McDavid and Sam Reinhardt on the top line. I mean, it's always especially among the forwards and embarrassment of riches for Canada. This is a pretty stacked group, but you know, the difference with this tournament that you get even sometimes with some others is, you know, there's not an exhibition game. There's not really a training camp. Today's the first practice. There's one tomorrow

and then they play Wednesday night. And because of the way the tournament works, you play three games and you have to have one of the two best records to go to the final. You know, there's not a lot of room for tinkering around. I mean, even John Cooper said today, he's not naming his goalie yet publicly, but he said he's not gonna, basically they're not gonna toggle between goaltenders. The only circumstance that happens is if there's an injury

or if they get blown out, I would think. And so the plan is to kind of ride i would take with the lines you saw today again assuming everyone's healthy and then you know you get there get it start one of those three you know really to it me it's probably been in tenor hell getting started the plan is to stick with them because it's not a lot of time that to tinker with things cj and personal my apologies for our board object peace neeson there he will be fired by the end of the show but not yet unacceptable

don't you think cooper's just like i gotta get a flow here and get these best guys out there like the the bottom guys unfortunately they're just not gonna play a lot like he's got to get a lot of mcdavid a lot of mckinnon a lot of braden point and just try to overwhelm the opposition Yeah, and I think it's actually set up well to do that quite frankly I mean look they don't play till Wednesday all these guys are in shape I mean other than I guess some injury questions or whatever about Crosby But you know everyone's in the middle of the season here

They won't have played most of them since Saturday to Wednesday Then they don't play again they'll Saturday and then Monday and then potentially next Thursday I mean, there's no back-to-backs in the tournament. I think it's set up, you know, really well to ride your top players very heavily and I would imagine, you know, that's what Team Canada will do. Now if they get a lead or something in one of these games, they're up 3-0 early in Wednesday's game. That's probably ideal to maybe roll the lines a little bit more, but I'm with you, O-Dog. It's going to be largely, if we're talking with the fours, the top six guys, obviously Kael McCarr is going to play on the blue line for Canada, and I think you'll see double

shifting and you're right. It might be a few guys playing six, seven, eight minutes, even though they're all-stars otherwise or they're go-tos on their NHL teams, but I think that they're going-stars otherwise or they're their go-to is on their NHL teams but you know I think that they're gonna want to ride or die with you know the best players in the world at which you know while we might identify what we perceive our weaknesses our holes and team Canada as a whole I mean it's if you can't argue that the top end of the team is you know it's better than any other team here that they got three con smite winners on their top power play unit right now you know this there's just nothing else like this in the tournament.

Now other teams might be deeper or stronger or get better goaltending or something. It doesn't guarantee you win, but I think that they're going to want to play those top guys as much as they absolutely can. Yeah, you look at the Americans, the defense pairings are absurd. It's just crazy. You've got Slaven with Fox, you've got Wawrenski with McAvoy It's they're loaded like they're they're absolutely loaded. That's a loaded team man. You can't know other way around Yeah, they're loaded like there's no there's no denying that yet. It looks like like Matthew's gonna play with Gensel and Jack Hughes

Which is an interesting line like they're moving Hughes to the wing of the the three Leafs that are there Marner, Matthews, Nylander who who would you expect to be most comfortable in this tournament and who who will be relied upon the most by their team in your opinion? I think of those three guys probably Nylander you know Sweden doesn't have I mean obviously a lot of really good Swedish hockey players in the NHL But he Landers meant to be their frontline scorer like he and you know We've seen him do it for stretches certainly as a leaf last year Now this season and the guys had a seems like every year he scores, you know

A few more goals gets a little bit better. But you know when he's pulling on his country sweater He's got to be the best player. I mean, I think there's some expectation like that for Matthews, he's wearing the steed, but he's got other guys around him that if the first two games of this tournament pass, he hasn't scored a goal yet, it's not like he'll necessarily be turned up because I think that there's other players

in the lineup to insulate him. And I'd say the same for Marner. Now, Marner's skating with McDavid, so given the way he Marner. Now, you know, Marner's skating with McDavid, so, you know, given the way he's, you know, he's a playmaker, you know, he's there to produce offense primarily. But, you know, I think Nylander probably has the most sort of individual expectation among those three Leaf Stars that are at this event. But all of them are in a position, of course, where they're, you know, where they're front line players for their countries. So outside of this tournament it sounds like the GMs and all that have kind of put the trade chatter potentially on the back burner.

Coming out of the tournament, is there a team that maybe you've heard behind the scenes is either on the fence or been very active as to either making some trades one way or the other? You know, who could be a surprise team for you? I think a big one for me is Boston because I really think that they could go down the road where potentially they're looking at being even, you know, somewhat of a selling team.

I mean, you just look at a pending UFA there like Brad Marchand, like would they truly ever consider dealing him? At this point, I have no reason to believe that they're going to do that, but I don't think it can be entirely ruled out. And they have some other veteran players, whether it's Brandon Carlo or they have Trent Frederick who's a pending UFA. I just think that if they choose to start a process, even if it's just a little bit

of a retool on the fly, that they could put some pretty intriguing names into the mix trade-wise. And right now, a lot of teams don't know what they're going to do. The Islanders are another one that have some names. No one really knows what Lou Lamerello is up to. And I'm not just talking about the media in this case. It sounds like other teams aren't quite sure what he's going to do with some of his guys. Um, you know, and, and really a lot of the, the action, I think noodles will

be around those Eastern conference teams. Um, you know, that are kind of clustered together. I mean, it seems like a team like Montreal is probably selling, uh, you know, with the way they've sort of fallen off a little bit after that hot stretch. Uh, you know, I think they're taking bigger picture as much as they would, you know, still want to hope that their players can find a way towards the playoffs. But you know, that the two weeks on the other side of this tournament are going to be crazy, I think, for trade activity because, well, I don't expect deals to come down during this

Four Nations break. You know, there's a lot of GMs, even the GMs that are here watching this tournament and are part of USA Hockey or H hockey can, I mean, those, those guys are still thinking about their teams. So I think that there'll be a lot of chatter during these two weeks about what might happen and what everyone's thinking a chance to maybe take a weird, you know, rare breather in season to look at your group and, you know, make some, some hard calls and, and, you know, basically the, the tournament ends,

what, February 21st or 20 twenty if i guess in boston uh... you know many got a two week sprint to the the trade deadline from that point yeah it's it is it's decision time for a lot of teams i mean there's certain teams we know where they're going either end of the spectrum but a lot of teams right there in the middle and a few of them are canadian at this point uh... i'd see jake let you get back to it. Appreciate you doing this, we'll do it again next week.

Alright boy, sounds good. Chris Johnston, our TSN Hockey Insider from the Four Nations faceoff.