OverDrive - Strudwick on Draisaitl's injury bug, the Hart Trophy impact and Skinner looking for redemption

Episode Date: April 4, 2025

Got Yer Back Podcast Host and Former NHLer Jason Strudwick joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, Leon Draisaitl's injury with the Oilers and his performance during the season, Edmonton's push towards the Stanley Cup, Stuart Skinner's potential to play in the crease and more.

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That just happened with Vashi Kapelos. Canada decides 2025. fresh every Friday. Stream on your schedule with the free iHeartRadio app. Here's Jason Strudwick. What's happening Strudy? Well guys, I fell off my chair. Noodles, you had a bad five-hole. I used to ring your lazy glove hand like a slob machine.

I wish I would have known uh... you know what i a it lessen there was a lot there was a few soft spots but i think that uh... i don't think that i gotta go back to watch the tapes there was a lot of it i think it was a michael jordan shot three he'd done all the time you didn't need to but i think that you did three he dot com at the time you do you do that that's a good thing uh...

either just a comment made one time it was like all right married that at that to the list of the right that's right now i think that that's a the list of complaints you have a lot like that uh... uh... five well i was a big you get the startingouting reports back then, Tony, or what? Lazy five hole, lazy five hole.

Shoot, shoot crest, you'll probably score. Oh man, well Strutt, I mean we were talking about your favorite player, Mitch Barner, the face of the 2015 draft. You know, because Jonah's caught up with him and trying to get a read on where his head is at and dealing with the media and the marketplace and he referenced it seems to be more negative than positive. When you played in Edmonton, what was that like for you? It was later in your career, but the idea that your inner circle probably lived it a

lot more than when you were on the road. Yeah, and you know what, for people who didn't see me play, I wasn't quite as good as Mitch Marner, a little bit further down the line, kind of like Nudo's five-hole. But I don't think I would want to play in my hometown when I was really young, because you're still trying to figure out who you are as a hockey player, but you're also trying to establish yourself as an adult or a man. And he comes in at 18 and there's all these expectations, all these people are telling you how great you are, and then you're trying to do it.

And it's not the same as basketball where one guy can lift a team in the playoff. You need pieces and the help around you and development and coaching and all that. So it's really tough. And then as you get older, like I came here, I think I was, I was over 30 probably, uh, probably only looked about 25, but I, you know, I was pretty mature and I knew exactly who I was and you know, you do interviews and you know, you're, you're probably not a top four defense and yeah, yeah, I've known that for a few years now, you know, like you, you don't really take offense to it and you know how to manage it. But Noodle's point is really well made.

It's hard for your family. I remember my parents hearing comments from my sister and it's hard because they get upset and you try to tell them, don't be offended because you deal with it all the time. To be honest, these things your teammates say are meaner than what the media says in a good way, in a fun way. But I think for Mitch, it's tough. It's tough. Let's just say they only win one round this year.

Is that acceptable? Is that going to be accepted in that market? And then he'll have to wear part of that as one of the faces of the franchise. Yeah, that's the reality. And listen, he has compensated incredibly well. He gets paid a lot. He's living out a childhood dream. This isn't some victim story.

It's just a reality. It's a different experience, I think, than we referenced Austin and Willie. And I think you bring up a great point. Even Tavares, John was 27, I think was married. And it was like, OK, I've been around for a while, and I did the Long Island thing, and I had to deal with what I had to deal with,

but I'm prepared to take on this challenge now. Where Marner, from the time he was drafted, it was like, all right, this guy's gotta lift this team up. This guy's gotta be a pillar. And he has been, really, he's been a great, great player. He's been a great, great leaf. But Matthews goes to Arizona in the summer, Willie goes to Sweden, and Mitch kind of stays in Toronto or goes up to Skokers.

It's just different. And Hayes, don't you think he is, I don't think this is a point of debate, he's taken more of the criticism than the others. I think that's fair. If you did your Hayesiebee blame pie, he's gotten more of it and I don't you that's accurate like if you did your hazy be blame pie. Yep He's gotten more of it, and I don't know that it's totally in line with the way things have gone like he has not performed Some of the other guys haven't either But I wonder probably what it is is that I think maybe Marner has has maybe been actually given an appropriate amount Yeah of criticism the other guy and the other guys just haven't had enough themselves and Austin

I would say is at the top of that list like he's their best player highest paid guy number one center and He hasn't carried them where he's supposed to and I would say that that might be because he's an American I don't know what I don't know what the reasoning is behind that. I'm not quite certain But yeah, I think that that is true But what's up with dry saddle out there Strutt? Are we lighting candles for Leon now? What are we doing here in Edmonton after he left again last night? Well, I just text him my daily stretching routine. Maybe that'll help him out.

How to get ready for a game. Yeah, obviously he's not prepared properly, all the games he's played. You know, it's weird like, you know, for the older, for a number of years now, they've been very healthy. If you go back and look at the number of games D-Men have lost, or Fords, we're talking a handful of games here and there. Right now, they have a ton of cash sitting on the sidelines. They have their two top centers, their top goalie, their two best power wingers, one who's traded for it, who hasn't played yet, and then arguably their number one D-man. So you take that off any team, it's going to

look a lot different. So the challenge for these guys and Leon, you know, he's been playing so well, I still feel he should be the hard trophy winner. But they, you know, they're in a fight to be second and maybe first in the Pacific, but I think just to keep the window a little small, I think a second place they could maybe pass the Kings or Vegas, if Vegas falters a little more. And the other thing is they got to try to get healthy. They need to have these guys healthy for the playoffs because it's going to be tough to go through the Pacific division and try to beat whoever comes out of the central. So getting everyone healthy, feeling good about themselves and then try and develop chemistry with Frederick who I think will be I'm guessing dry side of line mate at some point that

that's a challenge because we're two weeks away from the end of the regular season guys. Well Strudy I was curious about the stakes for the Oilers heading into the playoffs like does it feel different this year obviously go to the Cup final last year we talked like here about Marner and Tavares and like the playoff history with the whole specter of this summer and like like does it feel higher pressure this year to get something done than before? I think the pressure is the same I mean these guys I want to win it so badly and to come that close last year you know within two shots of winning it I think that that is that's

really been hard on him and I think that that's really been hard on them. And I think at times there has been a governor on their physicality, the way they play, because they know how hard it is to get going. But they're also trying to inject new players into line-up, you know, guys like Albertson, Paul Coulton and Skinner, who are – Paul Coulton has been pretty good for most of you. I think the other two are improving all the time and starting to get on the score sheet, which is important for the others. But I think that they know how hard of a long ride it is. The challenge though is that for the organization, there's two guys in St. Louis, especially

one in Holloway, who's absolutely destroying his contract right now. I think he's at, I think he's actually with 2.5 or somewhere around there. And he's just absolutely on fire, especially since since i think that he's been just a machine because you're you got on this team fast guy they can score and big uh... and instead they don't have no skinner who they bought it and he's been mostly a third or fourth line player uh... not what seems reluctant to move on for the up the line up so stride it when you look at that the group right now, obviously McDavid coming back, they're

all skating. I read today that Frederick might get his first game tomorrow. There's a good chance. They're very comfortable with saying that Dry Sight will be back, McDavid will be back. Where are you at with Stuart Skinner? Pickard put himself, we had this chat, was this two days ago, Brian, like, you know, Calvin Pickard's given them some good minutes. Now, I still think he's a backup,

but I still think they need Stuart Skinner to be at the top of his game. But, you know, what are you hearing on him, and what do you need to see from him when you know that he's on his game and feeling comfortable in the net, and the team feels it as well What I remember from goalies when they would when they would be out of injury

They aren't able to work on their game and fine-tune their craft. I got to use Henrik Lundqvist I loved I could tell when he maybe didn't like one part of his game He and the goalie coach will go before usually practice and just work on that just just tweaking it and making sure that he's that Areas, you know,'re smoothed out the rough edges. He wasn't playing to the level he wanted to before the injury when he got run into by Nico and now he's injured so not only is he unable to play he's unable to refine or just you know just change or tweak what he's doing in the net. So when he does come back and you know maybe they're expecting him to start skating here pretty soon, he does come back, he's cutting

himself back up to game speed and then you can start working on those areas and try to get in some games because you know just like Trent Frederick or you know, Van Bukene is not coming to the playoffs but you're running out of time to get your game to where you want to be for the playoffs and that's the hardest thing is that you just don just drop in and start playing great unless you're a Kuturov I guess or Stone. Those are elite, elite players and no disrespect to Skinner, he's not at that Vasilevsky level. So he I believe needs reps, needs time and a few games to feel okay, my game's on point, I'm doing it, the guys know what I'm doing, everyone knows what they're doing and we still

have Cal Picker there to back them up. Alright, Stretty, well, we'll see what comes of it. We're two weeks away from go time, Stanley Cup playoffs, OV in action with Chicago tonight in Washington. He might do it tonight. It wouldn't be shocking at all if he scored three tonight. Like, he's gotta get one or two. Chicago is just waiting for him, man.

He's gotta pounce on this team tonight. Yeah. Yeah, it's gonna get one or two. Chicago is just waiting for him, man. You gotta pounce on this team tonight. Yeah. Yeah, it's gonna be an interesting weekend. And let me just apologize for my good-buddy noodles. Like I'm sure I didn't know that about you, that you had a bad five-hole. You know, like I have a bum chin. Now we both know something we didn't know about. You know, like if we're sharing stories.

I've tried taping toilet paper to your face before. I've known that you had it for a hundred years. Now you're just coming out talking about it. We've been talking about it for 20 years. Behind my back. And you know what? Behind your back. Listen, we were talking about you the other day where people have off nights. Was it minus six or minus five? I just couldn't remember in New York. Minus five, Tom Gilbert, bald headed, long haired man. The worst type of hair you can

have. You may find the cave looking at the full rack of hair like Craig Simpson. He has minus four. He comes around, net throws up grapefruit right up the middle. I just skated right off the ice, right to Mayeron Gavrich's scores and coach says, you're done. I'm like, yeah. What about my partner? He's been brutal. Yeah, Galey could not, he should not have seen another shift either. That would have been unacceptable. He should have shaved his head right after that game. And I wonder still if he's ever acknowledged the fact that he's bald. Cause long haired bald guys, like Kim Mitchell,

he had hair cut like can make a big right house i was like it is a fine well uh... patio lanterns with that there is a second but you can only work with my trucker has to look at it but i don't think that uh...

i just read that we can and the word cases struggle All right, Strud, have a great weekend. See you, boys. Jason Strudwick. Hey, who invited climate action to the party? We did. Hey, I'm Shannon Burns. And I'm Sarah Christie. Together, we host the Earth Day Party Podcast. Where the guest list is full of climate experts sharing their advice on how we can protect

our planet. Everything from avoiding microplastics to sustainable fashion to getting a prescription to spend time in nature. Plus, we hear from David Suzuki. This is a party where everyone is invited. The Earth Day Party Podcast on the iHeart Radio app or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.