OverDrive - Pronger on the Maple Leafs' pathway to success, Treliving's vision for the team and the Oilers' roster priorities

Episode Date: May 23, 2025

Hockey Hall of Famer and Stanley Cup Champion Chris Pronger joined OverDrive to discuss the Maple Leafs entering a new era, Brad Treliving's vision for the team, the landscape of the roster, the Oilers in need of solid defensive and goaltending, the Hurricanes' style of play and more.

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Here's Chris Pronger joining us on Overdrive. Always gets an A plus when he comes on the show. There he is. What's up, Prongs? I'm fantastic after listening to you three. Yes. This is the world I live in all the time. These woe is me playing the victim perfect for Toronto right no no accountability yes no accountability on this show.

Prongs let me ask you something off the hop when you're in st. Louis and you saw the owner in the hallway or whatever what how would you address them would you say hey Larry or whatever his name was what did you call him? Let's see here. It depends on, initially it would be Mr. but if he said don't call me that then I would call him by his first name. There you go. Respect.

Yeah, but he was, oh he was 23 years old. What would you do right now when you're almost, how old are you, 50? You're not 50 yet. I am 50. I call everybody by their first name. Exactly. That was my point. Except, except Mr. Snyder. Mr. Snyder was always Mr. Snyder. There you go. See that's what I don't know if he was established anything.

I called him Mr. Snyder. Okay. Go ahead Noodles. How do you respond to that? Mr. Snyder's how old? He passed away now. I know, but he was like 85. He was 78 when I got there. I think he passed away around 85-ish, I believe. Somewhere in there. Okay, I get it.

At 50 to your elder, yes, I get it. But if you're 50 and somebody is 56, you don't go, mister like to me it's like a situation i was in these guys think i'm a jackass prongs because i was thirty years old playing for the lease and i called larry tan about the owner larry and they they're like that's outside and gotta go with mister but this guy this haze yet mister haze mister haze mister mister old dog

it's uh... it's all depends on your style he probably appreciate it that's right you're quite blunt efforts outside when he saw him before shore uh... or sure there's a very a hundred percent certainty that there was a player's light in his garden bed beside his front door. For sure.

That is how you break the ice. Yeah, it's been a wild week in Toronto here, Prax, because I'm curious how you value the role of the president, like the one that Shanahan played the last 11 years. Keith Pelly came out today, the president and CEO of MLSC, the larger parent company, and said that that role is not going to exist moving forward. Do you think that is that a good thing, a bad thing for the Maple Leafs? Where do you stand on that? Depends on if they keep what he's put into place moving forward.

I think he was brought in under that guys, under that job title for a specific reason to look at what they were before and now what they've turned into since. There's been a lot of good things also put into place and just alumni initiatives and some of the business initiatives that Shandy put in place and some of the player initiatives. Nobody's perfect. I'm sure he'd like a redo on a number of things, but overall I think his tenure was

pretty good. Not great because he didn't win. I think the sticking with the core four for as long as they did was a mistake, especially spending that much of your cap on four players when other teams were not. And having four forwards up front counting for that much of your cap without really dealing with your defense or your goal tending. Prongs, what would you do?

Like if you were asked or brought in or you were giving advice to whoever was making decisions, what would be mandate number one like this summer? Even if it came to Tavares and Marner, let walk at different players like what would be your one main staple that you would say this has got to happen to have any chance of different kind of results? Well I think they have to spend the money in the right places you know I think once they're now good they've now created cap flexibility with the Tavares contract coming to an end the Marner contract coming to an end They've got the goalies under a contract for another year

They can take a look at them make sure they're the right guys before they spend any of the other money on them The nice situation. I think they need to bridge them Personally, I would bridge them to see what he gets to. You know, people talking like he's going to get 8, 9, 10, 11, whatever people are guessing he's going to get. I love those numbers prongs. Like, his kid is one of his, I know it's comparable. If you want to go by statistical stuff, it would be a guy like Dawson Mercer who's making 4 and a half. But all of a sudden, because it's the Leafs and everybody's crazy, he gets ten.

It's like, look at Dawson Mercer. You have to, you know, and then maybe with the physicality you add in a million dollars. Now he's at five-five. And it's a year later, etc. Whatever. Whatever metrics you want to use, even if you haven't met six, fine, give him two years at six and Really get an understanding and work with them and develop them And if he gets to be a 12 million dollar player that means you're in love with him and you you

Appreciate how he plays he's gonna do something special for your team but I think Again in their current construction But I think again in their current construction It's all it's two forwards two centers. They have to start making sure they look at the other parts of their roster construction as well And are they selling all-in mode? Are they an all-in mode? Are they trying to win now if they're trying to win now? Nobody cares about the first round picks

Nobody like we're trying to win now and are they still in window, depending upon how they spend the money, who they're able to bring in? You know, it'll be interesting to see. And then they can adjust and adapt. They don't have a couple, they don't have firsts for the next couple of years. So we'll see. With Chris Pronger. So you look at the Oilers going into game two tonight special teams have been a big issue for them on the road I mean, I don't want to overstate it. They're in the conference final and they lost one game But yeah, you know their power play on the road hasn't been great and they give up three straight Goal shorthanded the other night like you played on both sides of that

Like how person how do you how do you attack that tonight? And how personally do you take it when you're someone that's killing penalties and giving up goals or on the power play and not scoring them? Well you take it personally, absolutely. You're not doing your job. On a number of fronts, number one, stay out of the box. Number two, if you're going to stand in the goalie sight lines, you better block the shot. Like you better be diving in front of shots. You better be,

there better be a yard sale in trying to block these shots, which I did not see in game one. And whether that's the layoff, whether that's not understanding what they want to do from a technical standpoint, or maybe it's just a blood and guts thing, I don't know, but they need to sell out with respect to blocking shots and the penalty kill. They need to be more disciplined. And Stuart Skinner needs to make the saves that he should make. And this one he got caught looking, standing in behind Nurse and Robertson. He looked late, didn't even saw it. If Darnell Nurse is going to stand there directly in front of the goalie, he's got to block

the shot. Why is he standing there then? He should be standing off to the side. If you're not going to block it, get out of the way. That's why he's standing there. I agree. I agree. I didn't think Skinner had his goods.

I didn't think he was very good. I thought that their penalty kill stunk in their power play, didn't get it done. But in the end, what do you make of Edmonton's team compared to Dallas's I think Dallas is a really quality team and well-built you know is it just a matter of a response because for 40 minutes to be honest I thought Edmonton looked really good the first 40 minutes it's just the the third period Dallas came alive and and and really took it to them in the third I I'd never seen I haven't seen a comeback like that I mean I can't remember five goals in the third period especially against a team that was seemed like it was complete control of the game

Yeah Until the first round with LA and Edmonton except they didn't win but yeah, no exactly I'm with you noodles. I thought Edmonton controlled the play outside of the one little mistake when when dry saddle lost the puck and Sega went on the breakaway for 40 minutes, they dominated the game. They dominated in zone, offensive zone time. They were pretty slick and sharp in their own defensive zone. Then they just got sideways with the penalties and they lost momentum. Then once the snowball started going down the hill, they couldn't get it under control. The Grandland goal was a beautiful shot.

Personally I don't like Wallman when he goes down on the one knee like that to block a shot I Would rather him go out and close time and space He's there. Why not go the extra foot with your stick out and try to get in the lane You know Robertson had just come across a flash screen When you look from the the angle behind the net the goalie cannot even see the puck when it's coming off a grand with stick. The one that I didn't like was the fourth goal. Duchenne's goal, Skinner was swimming in the net. He looked very discombobulated, very... what was kind of going in and around the crease and...

You know, he got nudged. I don't even know if he got bumped. Then he lost sight of the puck and he was kind of swimming all over in there. It just, to me, he was worried about getting hit but it was his own player there. He's got to be sharper. They just need to clean up a couple things. I really like their game. If anything, and I'm Dallas, I want to clean up my game. Their defensemen did a very poor job in puck watching, both Drisital and McDavid.

They don't need to go out and hit them, they just need to stop staring at the puck, and just get in the way. Just use their body to impede their progress. Don't those guys kind of make you do that a little bit though, prongs? Like they just regardless of your level of talent as a demon, they kind of, they can make you look stupid? Oh, absolutely. But the issue was for two periods, they kept stick checking and kept staring down at the puck. And we saw, we showed a couple highlights, I was on the Sports Step broadcast, a couple highlights from the year before when McDavid toe-dragged Haskinen

and scored a beautiful goal. And listen, they're talented, they're gonna score goals, they're gonna highlight real goals and things of that nature. But at the end of the day, if I'm Dallas, that's something that I can clean up and I can get better at they can they can do a better job in their defensive zone. Ottinger I thought played really well you know he outplayed Skinner and and you know I think when you're looking at the two on paper you would expect that but you know going off of the previous two series Edmonton

just needs to tighten up just a little bit and I think it'll be a different result With Chris Pronger, how about in the East where Florida? Seemingly is just getting stronger and stronger man, and they like they walked in Carolina's been off for a while But you look at Florida their last four games on the road five and seven in Toronto one and two in Carolina It's crazy. It's like they're playing an expansion carolina uh... it's crazy like the plan expansion t it's it's incredible what they're doing these guys uh... do you see that like a big it's stronger and stronger it is carolina afraid of these guys like what do you make of the first two games

i don't think carolina so on the the the first two series the carolina is a pressure team. They just are on you constantly, constantly on you. They don't score a lot of goals, they just throw pucks at the net, they attack with bodies. They don't ever calm anything down and really make plays and shoot the puck with a purpose to score. Against New Jersey and against Washington,

their defense couldn't handle that pressure. And they were constantly suffocating them with that pressure. Florida is actually doing it to them. Their defense have closed the gap way up. They're going into the top of the circle, inside the top of the circle of Carolina's end to really close the gap, force turnovers, playing physical. And Carolina doesn't have an answer to it.

They don't know how to make plays in those situations. They're so used to being on the other side of it that they really look like they're struggling with that pressure. And then you add in the physical component that they can't match and then just the ability to be opportunistic. Florida up and down the lineup is able to score goals whereas when you look at the statistics, Sebastian DeKalb really is the only guy who's been able to put the puck in the net at any big clip over the last few years.

They're a meat and, Carolina that is, is a meat and potatoes team there You know what you're gonna get each and every night. They're not they don't play a super skilled game but you know, Florida has just run roughshod over them and and You know, they're they're firing on all cylinders. Yeah, they sure are man like they they are impressive You look at yeah again like game six in Florida the Leafs went down there played a really strong game themselves and kind of pushed Florida to the outside but for the last five games they've just completely dominated possession the tone of the game the pace of the game like you said they've overwhelmed them everywhere like all over the ice and I

don't know I mean I it feels like and when you look at time on ice if you look at time on ice they're rolling four lines right they're not just you know top six dominant they've got all four lines rolling all three sets of D like they're they're fresh well that's the luxury of being up you get up three nothing in a game you're like why not like we're gonna play all these guys what did you make of the Reinhardt or the Ajo on Reinhardt hit I didn't like it but yeah I mean like it you know if you're going to hip check a guy, hip check a guy, but he clips his knee. I don't know. That could be a big loss.

I don't like when guys go after knees, personally. He got him. That's just me. Yeah, I hear you. I'm on board with that, too. I think we all sign up on that. Around the horn on that. All right, Bronx. Well, we'll leave it there. here about one of the uh... around the world uh... irons well believe that there are a bit so

he was he would come out of it and i was tonight and uh... back in florida tomorrow that the weekend great senior we are always pretty good pre-shedded thanks for having me mistress you got mister pronger joining us here the uh... hockey Hall of Famer himself. Hey, this is Ruby Carr, the host of the podcast, Encore. This week, a song so good, you feel like you could kick a door down.

The story behind Shania Twain, Man, I Feel Like a Woman. I was always such a huge fan of rock and pop and anything other than country. Find out more with Encore, the stories behind the songs you love, and the unbelievable story of Shania Twain's Man, I Feel Like a Woman. Listen to Encore on the iHeart app or wherever you get your podcasts for that and more stories behind the songs you love.