OverDrive - Johnston on Treliving's view on the center depth and Matthews' 4 Nations Face-Off stance, Stolarz's injury status and the Canucks' trade market

Episode Date: January 14, 2025

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, Brad Treliving's comments on Auston Matthews in the 4 Nations Face-Off and Maple Leafs' center additions, Anthony Stolarz's injury status, the trade market starting to heat up and more.

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Details at iHeartRadio.ca Here's our TSN hockey insider joining us here on the Maple Toyota hotline. Here's Chris Johnston. What's happening CJ? Not much guys. How are you? We're doing well. We saw Brad Treeliving speaking today. Is there anything you picked up from what he had to say that you think is? News worthy or or at least the most newsworthy of what he had to say earlier this morning Well, I felt like Brad was pretty careful not to make too much news today and watching that back You know definitely Address some of the issues with team talked about

You know the power play being something that needs to be a weapon for them as opposed to what it has been, which obviously we've hit on a lot following the Leafs-Trivail this season. I think that it's clear the Leafs are in a mode now where they're starting to look around the league and see what might be out there for them. But you just get the feeling, not specifically from Brad DeVille, but just conversations going on right now. It has quieted down a little bit and you know, I'm not sure how the four nations, the term is going to affect, you know, when trades happen or what happens, but you know, we just got so many teams still in the mix. Um, you know, teams like the Leafs that are not yet sure exactly what the center

market's going to look like, I think are going to take a little time before they figure out what they're doing there. CJ, what about a power play coordinator market for the fellas? Like someone to run the power play on? Like from an insider? You're naming the hat there, oh? Or what? Yeah, I can't remember. No, I'm not talking about on the bench.

I'm talking about on the ice, like a powerplay quarterback. Like what is your take on watching their powerplay with so much skill that's kind of not getting it done right now? Actually a lot not getting it done. You know, I think there's, a lot of people have mentioned, you know, obviously talented guys that play together a long time and that should be an advantage. I mean, I can see the disadvantage in that because in a way when it's not new blood and things go the wrong way and let's face it,

they've gone the wrong way at key times in the past with these same players on the power play. I think, you know, sometimes you want fresh ideas and fresh approach and you know, they just don't have that. I mean, it's, it's been the same guys there. I mean, that being said, obviously this personnel is finished the next, you know, a couple of years ago, they're second in the league for a whole season on the power play and there's no reason to think they won't have better efficiency than they have now but you know I don't have the answers for them I'll leave

that to the experts but but certainly I kind of I like what I heard from Matthews the other night post game just talking about you know too much happening on the outside not being done I mean I feel It feels to me, even when you have skilled guys at Simplon, you just want to simplify the approach, get more shots, get more action around the net. It just seems to me they haven't done that enough. CJ, any updates on a guy like Stolars and his timeline? I didn't get to listen to the whole tree living situation, but he was he asked about that? And, you know, is there light at the end of the tunnel? You

know, Hildeby is a guy I think that still needs time in the minors. You know, I wouldn't lay that loss at his feet the other night. But, you know, I don't know if he's an everyday guy right now. You know, Stoller has had such a great start to the season. Joseph Wall has been playing well, but he's not playing every night. I think they need Stolar back sooner than later. They definitely do. I'd say the light at the end of the tunnel is he's going to start skating here. Stolar is on his own initially and then obviously ramping his way back up to return to play.

I think probably the biggest question is whether he's back before the Four Nations event starts. You know, he's just at about four weeks, give or take right now. They announced a four to six week timeline on his return. And so, you know, I think that'll depend on how it goes for him once he gets back on the ice and obviously with it being a knee procedure, just seeing how his his body reacts to that work. But you know, all sort of indications are it's been positive for him. I think the team's gotten through this stretch pretty well, given obviously the team's save percentage has gone down since he's gone out of the lineup. They haven't got the same quality

of goal pending, but they've gotten pretty well with his absence and I don't think it'll be too, too long before we're looking at him coming back. It's just a matter of if that ends up happening before the Four Nations break or if it occurs afterwards. Well, if it's after, I mean that would be longer than they initially indicated, right? Right. Yeah. I mean that, I don't know, that's kind of like Joseph Wall last year where it was always, hey, it'll be four to six weeks, then he was out for like three months with that high ankle sprain And I know that stores had this procedure done, but that's there's a good

They got a lot of games between now and then CJ and if Stoller says him back then How many games can we reasonably expect Joseph Wall to play? Right and that's me amusing about the break right there I haven't heard anything that the suggest is this timeline is askew yet but you know they have the Western Canada trip before the break I mean you'd love to see him on that I would think and you know you're right they they do have a fair number of games you know at least it's lightened up finally with the back-to-backs after they just binged on that through December and in the early January there, but you know,

I think Wall's done pretty well and, you know, so that Matt Murray might be an option too if they don't like what it seemed from Hildeby, so it's certainly not perfect, but you know, the goal here is to get Stolarz back and, you know, kicking him again soon because he's one of the best goalies in the league, you know I'll buy it by the numbers that this year. Well, and I'm sure the same applies with Jake McCabe And I saw he's skated today. He was out on his own I believe for about ten minutes that wouldn't indicate he's playing anytime soon, but there's been so much focus on Them, you know approaching the center position and Brad true living indicated. They're certainly gonna look at that I would presume they probably try to add some depth there but I'm not convinced they don't look at their defense still and

believe that they need something there because you take McCabe out of this it's a massive massive hole and now he's had multiple head injuries in a short period of time Morgan Riley they gave him one shot with Tanev they took him off on saturday he said that's it we saw what we saw in carolina you're not playing with chris that on saturday night they moved around the defense for a z is like you would think that would be a dream pairing exactly but it is doesn't it just doesn't i got it and i got you know but

ben was not playing great you know he's getting caved in a little bit like i i'd still think this defense corps i don't i guess what I'm getting to CJ, is for years leading up to the deadline, it was defense, defense, defense. I'm not convinced we're not still gonna be attacking that position come the trade deadline,

when it comes to the leagues. I would agree, I mean, it's still probably a secondary priority at this point. I mean, lots of time for that to change. You hope no one gets injured between then and now, but injuries could blow up the whole plan or force a shifting of the plan. It's still between now and March 7th.

But the other part of it too that we haven't really got to is Yanni Hakenpa, and he was back at practice today, but the guys played two games all season with the Leafs, two more at the Marlies. He was signed as a potential player that I think could help out the Leafs, two more at the Marlies. You know, he, he, you know, he, he would find as a potential player that, you know, I think could help out the third pairing, but, you know, I don't know where everything stands with him. And so, you know, if it doesn't look like you can rely on him to play when it

matters, even as a seven, eight kind of guy, and, and then you're looking at some of the injuries that are there. I mean, sure. I think it'd be perfectly reasonable for them to go out and try to get another defenseman. They don't know what's going to be out there yet. I mean, you know, probably guys like David Savard and Montreal is a rental, you know, a few other sorts of that nature that probably makes sense. But, you know, I think that clearly they tried to do the biggest work in the summer. The TANF acquisitions gone great.

I think OEL by and large has been a good signing so far. It's been a good part of this blue line. I'm with you. I still think it's a work in progress. It wouldn't surprise me when we get to March 7th and we're talking about a couple of acquisitions for this team. CJ, we were talking earlier about teams pushing back on when to sell just with their fan bases and everyone's basically alive.

And they've got hope. They've given some of their fan bases hope. Do you think it's going to be like a delayed we're selling kind of situation this year? In some markets for sure. I mean, I still think like a team like Pittsburgh, for example, which is kind of kicking around that the wild card chase, I still think that they're going to be looking to be sellers kind of no matter what, you know, the teams at the very bottom, you know, it's pretty evident the Anaheims and Chicago's will be selling what they can sell, you know, where

you start to come into questions is, you know, a team like Columbus, who I don't think anybody would have had projected to be in the mix at, you know, even the midway point of the season. You know, if they stay there for another month, you know, I think it's going to be harder for them, you know, just for those reasons to sell for their dressing room, for their fan base. Um, you know, maybe, maybe a team like that could, could flip flop by the way. So I think it's a little bit market dependent, you know, the Islanders, for example, you know, who have some pretty intriguing pieces to potentially move guys like Brock Nelson, Kyle, Paul, Mary,

and others, you know, if they, you know, they've kind of had a recent little mini surge here, you know, I don't see them selling as long as they're in the race. And so, you know, I could see it all being complicated. And then you add this, this four nations tournament, I mean, the, the league doesn't start back up again until February 22nd after that tournament and the deadline's March 7th. So you're less than two weeks from when the league restarts to that deadline. And so it's a pretty compressed window where I think we can see a lot of action and, you know, might be really hinging on if there's some separation in this wild card race. And I don't know in the East specifically, if any of these teams are good enough

it's really separated and i wouldn't surprise me if there's after five or six and mathematically are kind of in it uh... you know right through into march just because they don't look at them and think that one is clearly better and is due to take off here at any rubble is around me there is around the rangers to me we're talking about it i think in the 4 o'clock hour. I mean that team I think is pretty good on paper. They certainly have players that are not playing up to their potential.

You know we've heard rumblings obviously out of New York and rumors all of that. But do you still think something major is coming or potentially could come from the Rangers or a shakeup because something has to give there in my opinion to if they're going to try and get into that playoff situation or that last spot or even go you know deeper it higher up in the standings. Yeah I don't think it can be ruled out you know at this point and you know in the very short window here they have turned things around they've won a little bit of whether they four or five window here they have turned things around they've won a little bit of lately four or five they've won and so that that that that helps quiet it a little bit but even still I mean I don't see them becoming a buyer I don't see

them giving up drafts to get rental players at this stage I mean I think the kind of trades that they're gonna look at is perhaps selling a player or two that's it's on an expiring deal themselves or something a little bit more fundamental if there's a bigger trade to be had and you know between teams like the Canucks and the Sabres the Rangers, I mean, there's a few others I mean, I'm not saying they're all gonna that something's gonna connect on a major trade But there does at least seem to be a couple teams that are considering bigger deals and just you know rental for a draft pick the kind of normal trade that say We see in this window and so, you know until we get past March 7th

I'm gonna say it's everything's on the table for the Rangers and then you know We get into the offseason and the run-up to the draft. I mean they look like a team that that probably needs some bigger Remodeling or has a desire still to do that that kind of work. So you know the recent wins have helped a little bit in standings made things quieter but I don't think it's changed what management's thinking about the approach they need to take. Well I'm curious if what's happened in Detroit ever since they made that coaching decision is going to have an effect on a team like the Rangers or other teams in the same boat CJ because Todd McClellan maybe it's a coincidence but it would sure seem to be that this guy's pushing the right buttons and this team is absolutely on fire right now.

Yeah hard to argue with seven straight wins I mean pretty crazy they've won seven in a row and they're still not a playoff spot either. It just tells you tells you where they were you know that they waited probably even longer than they wanted to fire Derek Wollong. I really think they didn't want to make that firing, but they kind of felt like they got to the point where they had to. And, you know, their power play has been absolutely on fire. I think they're at about 50% since McCloughlin took over, which obviously helps things, but, you know, he's definitely lit a fire under them. And for a team like that, you know, it makes a difference. I mean, I think that, it makes a difference.

I think that they're in the same sort of situation as like in Ottawa, they want as an organization to get in. It matters to them. Even if they're sneaking into the second wild card just to play their first playoff series in however many years it's been, I think there's value for the Red Wings in that. And that's why you make that kind of change

is because you're hoping for the bounce. And so, you know, I don't know how sustainable it is. Obviously they're not going to win out from here on in, but just going on this hot run, at least as, you know, re revamped in a big way, their, their playoff aspirations. And, you know, I do think that's another front office that's out there looking to try to find something on the trade market. If it materializes to, to give the group a boost because you know the years of waiting for draft picks and stuff in Detroit are supposed to be over and

You know, this is this has been a nice run. They've had since McClellan took over. All right, CJ. We'll leave it there We'll do it again next week Right on boys Chris Johnston joining us here in the maple Toyota hotline count on maple Toyota for the right winter tire package for your Toyota Trade in your old tires buy a new set get $40 back visit maple Toyota comm