OverDrive - McCrimmon on the Golden Knights' management approach, Marner's season and Andersson joining the team

Episode Date: January 21, 2026

Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon joined OverDrive to discuss the season for the Golden Knights, the management approach to acquiring players in Vegas, Rasmus Andersson's role on the team, Mitch Marner's season in Vegas, his return to Toronto and more.

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I'm doing good, guys. How are you? We're doing very well. Thank you for doing this. I guess we'll begin with that Anderson trade. How important was it for you to try to replace the absence of Alex Petrangelo who isn't playing for you this year

likely won't play for you again and do you feel like that's kind of what you've achieved here bringing in Anderson? Well, as we went into the off-season we were aware by that time that we wouldn't have Petro so that's a big hole in your lineup not just the obvious stuff but off the ice the alpha male personality that

he is so we still liked our defense and we were comfortable enough to start the year. We weren't panicked in any way based on the fact we thought Caden Corsack was really ready to take a step. He'd been 40 games last year. We thought he was ready for more. We like the makeup of our blue line in addition to that. But when we get into the season a little bit further, we just were looking for one more playmaker back there. And, you know, Rasmus is a high-end defense.

He's got legitimate offensive tools. He's got some swagger and some moxie to his game. And we think he's a guy that can make plays. We've played them enough over the years that we've got lots of regard for him. Our pro staff followed him very closely because it was no secret that he would likely be traded. So, yeah, we were happy to be able to acquire him. Kelly, Brian just made the point of you guys, you know, being aggressive. What's your philosophy on that?

Like I've been complaining about GMs being satisfied with their product and not wanting to move guys. Not that they don't want to improve their teams, but they just seem to be happy with their own guys. What's your general approach to that if you're having a chance to improve your team? Well, it's different in different situations. I always believe you kind of manage the team in front of you. And we like our team.

We've been successful since inception. I heard you just as I was coming on that we are in on everyone. We're not in on everyone. We are in hard on guys we like. And, you know, we've traded a lot of draft picks, which is contrary to how, you know, lots of Stanley Cup champions have been built. We didn't have the luxury of a deep farm system

when we started. We had success right out of the gate. And, you know, that kind of changed our approach. So, you know, the first round picks we've used, we think we've put better value into our organization than we, then we, took away. So, you know, that's the Eichel, that's Barbershe of Hanepin, Erdell. There's a long list of guys that we put first-round picks in on deal that I think

have become very good players for our team. Well, let me follow up on the, you know, idea that it feels like you're in on everyone. I guess what I mean by that. Let me say this, right. You're the one that said that. Yeah, I said that. Oh, absolutely. Don't point fingers. No, it's me. I'll stand on an island. Listen, that's the ultimate compliment. I'm not saying you guys are, you don't do anything. That would, would be a bigger problem and probably a bigger shot at you, Kelly. I guess what I'm saying is it feels like from my standpoint,

when you guys are attached to a player, you know, like the rumor mill gets started, you get that guy. And it's the ultimate compliment. And I guess I would ask you to expand on that. I know that's not ultimately true all the time. But the mentality that you seem to have in the whole organization, that you feel like you can make the deal happen. And I think that kind of speaks on what I was just saying,

And, like, other teams like, I'll call, but I don't know if we can make the – it feels like when you guys want a guy and you feel like you can make it happen, and ultimately it does a lot of times. Yeah, and I – as I said, I heard you when I was coming on, and I say it tongue in cheek because I think there's almost the perception that we're reckless in our approach and were anything but we're aggressive, but we're very strategic. I think when you use the strategy that we're using,

you need to make real good decisions. otherwise your organization is going to go backwards and you're going to be in a position where you're at a deficit with draft picks. So, you know, I don't have the whole list in front of me of the draft picks we've traded away, but for the most part, you know, pretty much exclusively, we've been able to add good value back to the organization. So I think in terms of our roster makeup, in terms of what we want our team to look like, I think we're really, you know, firm on what we think a championship caliber team. needs to look like and we worked to try to put that, make that available for our coaches. So that's, you know, again, no one expected the franchise to be the way that it was in year one. And once that happened, it changed the calculus for us. And we've been, you know, pretty aggressive ever since and have been able to, you know, have a lot of good teams.

Kelly, it seems like your D is always big and take up a lot of space and can make plays. And Anderson's no different than that. So when you look at him and you envision a player like that, you know, prior to the trade, entering into your back end. Do you have a specific spot in mind, you and the coaching staff, or is it kind of, we'll just kind of feel it out, we'll see how it fits beside whether it's Hanifin or Shea or whomever?

Yeah, that's a good question, and it's interesting when you acquire players and you might have it in your head where you think the player is going to work the best, and after a few games you realize there might be a better fit. I think the easy answer for us right now, Jason, he's played a lot of hockey with Noah Hanofin. So there's some baked-in

chemistry there in terms of, you know, they played a lot of hard minutes in Calgary. They played together as partners for the better part of four years. So we know that works. And if that's how it plays out, that's fine too. You know, Che Theodore and Braden McNabb have been longtime partners. Jeremy LaZone is playing real well there now in Braden's absence. He's out of our lineup with injury. But, you know, that'll be up to Bruce and John Stevens, who runs our defense.

But I'm pretty comfortable that, you know, it's. could work a few different ways, but likely we'll start out with Noah. Kelly, before I get into the Mitch Marna question, I'd just like to quickly ask you, if you had Jason on your roster, what kind of D-partner do you think he would need? Well, he needs, I've seen it first hand, he needs Scott Niedemeyer, and you dump the puck in, Scott Niedemeyer goes and gets the puck, and Jason Stroudwood finds the first four-checker, and that's the end of the port-check. Yeah, that's kind of right.

I watched it. I knew my role. I knew my role, buddy. I did. The less I touched the puck, the better, even in warm-up. Cross-check, the first four-checker right in the face, and then just nothing happens. Let Meijer-Myers skate out with the puck. That's a good recipe.

And for the benefit of your colleagues there, I'm referring, of course, to we played in the league final. I think it was 1995 against a very, very good Camloops team. We both ended up going to the Memorial Cup, but if I remember right, that was your partner. Yeah, no, my partner was Nolan Baumgardner. Oh, okay. I'm sorry. Yeah, Scottie, he wished it was me. It would have been, you know, we would have won four.

He would have had an even better career. Somehow he would have got to the Hall of Fame quicker if he played with Strutty, but unfortunately he didn't. Go ahead. So good. So with Mitch, Kelly, how has it been the transition from him, just the first 50 games or so, the Mitch Marner experiment in Vegas, how's it gone? It's going good, Jeff, and it's progressive.

getting better as he gets more comfortable. We've sure noticed and we expect this a little bit with Rasmus Anderson happened with Thomas Hurdle. When you get a player that's been in one organization for a long period of time, it's an adjustment. Everything about it is different getting to the rink where you fit into

a locker room with new teammates, new coaches. In Mitch's case, switching conferences, that part's different. But he's progressively got more and more comfortable. I think he's played his best hockey in the last month. interestingly he's ended up playing center which which wasn't in the plan at all but we've just had enough injuries

to our centerman with William Carlson and Colton Sizzins both being out of our lineup with injury Brett Howden is a guy that can play center for us as well has been out of the lineup with injury so Mitch has played center and he's done real well just finished watching practice here in Boston and you know I kind of remarked to myself how comfortable he looks there so that's where he's at for now and you know we you know, Uber talented,

the hockey senses through the roof. The two-way play, I think, is something that we've really appreciated. And he's fit in real well with teammates, and we're very pleased to have them.

With Kelly McCrim and GM of the Golden Knights. And you guys will be in here on Friday. And, you know, I remember when Jack Iko went back to Buffalo for the first time, it was, it was loud, it was,

there was a lot of anticipation. And I'm curious if, you know, Mitch, you would ask him, or you would expect him to lean on Jack for any advice. Are you guys preparing him for Friday night? We're not sure what to expect.

But as you can imagine, Kelly, I mean, it's the biggest story in town. There's a lot of people waiting for Marneux to return. How would you expect he's going to handle that experience on Friday night? Yeah, it'll come with some emotion. I think it's impossible to

ignore. He played, he's from there. He played there a long time. He, you know, he's had a great career in Toronto. He's now, you know, a member of a different organization. I think we got a bit of a precursor to it when Toronto was in our building, you know, 10 days or two weeks ago. And that'll likely, you know, just in terms of playing against the guys or your friends for that first time. I mean, you guys all know that that's

different. So he's got that out of the way. You know, I don't know how we'll be received. It's, you know, it's interesting. In fact, the night we played Toronto, we recognized Nick Waugh, who was with our organization for six or seven years. And, you know, we did a real nice video tribute, it gives our fans a chance to show their appreciation. I think the player really appreciates it. I know after the game. I went over and shook Nick's hand, wished him well the

week before we had Nicholas Haig in his return. We did the same thing there. I think your fans appreciate the chance to, you know, show their appreciation to the player. So how it'll be here, I guess, remains to be seen. Based on the reception in Vegas, I can't

tell you exactly what I expect, but, you know, The thing that's important for me, just in listening to interviews with players in Toronto and talking to Mitch, is he sure had good relationships with his teammates, which ultimately the end of the day you guys played. You know how important that is to a player. Kelly, when it comes to the players are going to the Olympics, and there's so much hockey for them in such a short time, including the travel to the Olympics and then hopefully a long playoff run, do you, the coaches and the trainers get, do they actively manage giving those players, whether it's more rest or watch their minutes or the way they're working out with all that sports science stuff, is there a different plan compared to non-allympic years for your

highest end players? Well, you might think there would be, but it just never works that way. And, you know, coaches ride their horses as hard as they can, and those top guys want to play. So if you go to cut back ice time on a player, that's not real well received. I think where you'll maybe see it come into play is. is, you know, planning some rest for guys when they return. You know, we've got nine players going to the Olympics, so it's going to have a big impact on our team.

Obviously, we're pleased and proud. We've got that many Olympians. It's better than having no Olympians. I do know that. But it's going to take a toll on some of these top guys. So the final, the gold medal game, I believe, is on a Sunday. We play Wednesday at L.A. Two days later, we play out Washington.

So, you know, you get right back in it. As you know, the schedule has been compromised. all year because of it. And it's a lot of hockey. It's a lot of hockey. So, you know, how that all plays out will be interesting to see if we can get guys some rest down the stretch. But, you know, you know how it is every game.

The next game is always the biggest one, right? And it's the place in the standing that's for, you know, all of those things that we live in this business. Absolutely. Well, you guys add it tomorrow. Then into Toronto on Friday, it's going to be fun to have you guys in town. Best of luck down the stretch. Kelly, appreciate you doing this.

Yeah, you bet. Thanks for having me, guys. There is Kelly McCriman, GM of the Vegas School of Nights. Introducing Brian Adams Radio on I-HeartRadio. Hosted by Brian Adams himself. Join me for an insider look on a wild ride through 40 years of global rock and roll. Brian Adams Radio. Now available on the free I-Hart Radio app. Or ask your smart speaker to play Brian Adams.

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