OverDrive - Strudwick on Hellebuyck's future, the Oilers' injury bug and Babcock's mentality in Edmonton

Episode Date: October 1, 2026

Got Yer Back Podcast Host Jason Strudwick joined OverDrive to discuss the Oilers' injury bug to begin the season, Nathan MacKinnon's bout with the Brandt Clarke, Connor Hellebuyck's next steps in Winnipeg and the Jets' level in the Western Conference, Dylan Larkin's future with the Red Wings.

Oilers Vancouver tonight. Two teams, he's an alumni of. He's world famous. That's right. They might have Jason Strudwick dropped the puck tonight. He might be, you know, ceremonial face-off, eh? All right.

Well, let's see if he's in his hotel. His penthouse suite in Vancouver. Let's bring in Jason Strudwick. Ah, you're at home, Struddy. Why are you not in Vancouver? Yeah, well, there was an option, but I was pretty busy here. But honestly, what's going on?

Do you guys have a new mandate this year, the boys in the back were pushing me so hard to be on video. Like, you, they want some sexiness on this? I mean, Joe, I said it can't be the only people, like enough. You know what it is? We're going to do like a slow time from like September to October to April. We're going to see where that hairline goes back. We're going to have a measurement throughout the year.

You know, we'll put it together. And then we're going to have a salad rebuild and see. if you and Kaber and all of our favorites, Todd Reardon, because LeBron's out. I don't know if you know that. He left the club strutty. He's gone. LeBron went Messier the other day. So it's another guy who finally realized that the palm tree on top of his head has to go.

So there it is. Maybe we could have like a giveaway, right? Myself and Kaber and Reardon can take, you know, three lucky listeners. All paid expense to Turkey. I like that. Get it done, right? Slap a couple rugs on these things and look good. I like that idea.

I like that idea. No, it's great to see it. And, yeah, Doogie and J.P. and Joe, they just love having you on. Our audience says it all the time. We want to see Struddy. You know, they don't really want to hear much from you, but they want to see you all the time. They're always looking forward to it.

Strud, you know, we're a couple days into the NHL season. Collectively, are you seeing floppiness? Are you seeing entertainment value? There were some blowouts last night. And Philly, the Flyers got roasted. Pittsburgh last night, roasted by them. Yeah, that's a tough night. You know, you start the season, you're feeling pretty excited.

You put up, you know, minus seven in that game. That's a pretty tough one. But, yeah, I don't think this is a big surprise. I mean, most years, the first couple games, first couple weeks are a little bit sloppy. And it's, you know, it's collectively you're trying to, if you have a new coach, you're trying to get a new system dialed in, or if you're a new player, like, you know, either a rookie, like McKenna there in Toronto or a new goalie or a new player and a new team. So, yeah, I think it takes a guy's a little bit of time.

to work it through, but not a long time. Like, I'm not talking 20-30 games. I'm talking, you know, five games to kind of get your game organized to some level. So, Strad, before we get to, you know, out east some of the games out here, let's talk about that Oilers game one. Let's talk about them now having some adversity because it's not only R&H and Savoy, who else, name some other names there. Dickinson.

Now you've got Zach Heimann, so that's really three of your six top six forwards, your number three centermen out. Is it excuse time or is it, you know, testing the depth? What do you make of it? Well, they don't have the toughest schedule hit or start, right? And with all due respect to Vancouver and Seattle, you know, those first three games aren't outrageous opponents, like Carolina or Florida.

So it does make it harder for sure. And I think what the challenge is, it takes it harder to get everyone on this, or makes it harder to get everyone on the same page as far as what Mike Babcock's trying to do. He wants you to play with pace. He wants you to force all the time, and be quickly all over the ice.

And those guys, you mentioned, they're big parts of this team, so it'll take longer for that group to fit in. Now, the side part of that is that there's a lot of other players getting opportunity. You know, you look at some of the new additions. They're getting, like, Coln Dock is the second-line center, it looks like, for the Amton-O-Unders tonight. I didn't think he was going to be playing center this year. I thought it'd be a fourth-line left winger,

and here he is at center tonight and ended through all the training camps. So opportunity for sure makes it harder and maybe slows down the Oilers. But, you know, the way they played the other night, they could have had an all-star lineup. It wasn't the way they want to play, and I think the net minding would say the same. So I expect a much more focused and organized attack tonight for the orders in Vancouver.

Yeah, it's the classic insult to the opponent when you still get a point, and you're like, man, we were so horrendous. What did Babcock call it? Ridiculous? Didn't you have the words? Yeah, and it's ridiculous. And it really, it is, you know,

unfortunately, a shot of Vancouver, if you lose to them, it's completely unacceptable. You just, you can't, you can't have it. Yet with all these injuries, McDavid's still playing, Dry Settle playing, Bushard still playing, but beyond that strud, this lineup is not better than Vancouver's lineup.

Like, it's not a great lineup, man. On paper, and I don't know if Jari's playing or Levi's playing tonight, but the goalie. Their D are better. Yeah, the D's pretty solid. They don't have any injuries on D. That's a good defensive court. It's just the forward, sir.

You need hockey DB. Yeah. Yeah, so let's say, okay, so you're no Hyman, no nudge, no Savoy. So that's all, you know, it could be your second line right there. And that puts guys in different positions. But I think what I would expect under Mike Babcock type situation, those three lines are going to fly. They got to fly and be disruptive and not give away some of the chance they had against.

Like the other night, you know, two bad pinches by D lead to a breakaway than a two-on-one. Like that, we talk about that when I'm coaching. You 13 hockey, right? So those are areas that you can clean up, limit the chance of the other team against off the rush specifically, and then let the big guys cook, you know, they didn't score on the power play. And actually they were taking some bullets on the powerplay.

So I think that'll be better. I just see a much organized, much more organized team tonight with three lines really buzzing after the big line. Okay. With Jason Strudwick, I love seeing McKinnon fight last night. I thought it was outstanding. He initiated it.

Like Clark and him were whacking at each other, and he was the one saying, let's go. I think it's great. It always leads to a discussion. Do you want your superstars fighting? I think it's great. I think it sets a tone early. They absolutely beat up on LA. They won 8-4 last night. You know, they were the best team in the league last year. He's won everything. He's done everything. He mauled him. And he beat him up. And I think it's great. I mean, I don't know how else to express it. I'm all for superstars fighting as long as it is in a situation like that. I have no problem with it.

You know what I like about it? I like that Clark pissed him off enough that McKinnon wanted to fight him. Yeah, exactly. I love that. So he's playing him hard. And, you know, he was, there was some dirty little plays and such. Like, not dirty, but like there was some stick work and stuff. But just imagine how mad you have to get someone that hasn't fought in four years to fight you the first game of the year.

So I think that, you know, L.A. is going to play hard. They're going to battle. I don't think they're as good as Colorado, obviously. But on the other side from McKinney, I think every now and then they're allowed to flex and go for it, as long as you're not fighting an absolute mauler. I think that's important. I think it was retribution for McCar, right?

I think Clark hit McCar. And it was later retribution. So to your point. Even better. Even better, right? Even better. There's your leadership, right? I was watching that game, and they got chippy.

because Colorado just crunched them and really, you know, the game was a little bit close because L.A. was scoring goals. Like, they didn't get shut out. They put up four. Like, you know, and it was a sloppy, sloppy game, and it got chippy, right. McCar got hit, and McKinnon is a fiery, fiery guy.

And I don't mind it. Again, you have to pick your opponent, but that Clark plays hard. Like, I really like him. I think he's a hell of a player. But L.A.'s in a really weird spot right now. You know, they're turning over leadership with Kopitar gone. They got a little older again in the offseason, which is, you know, surprising for me.

I thought they'd get younger legs. But they're a fascinating case study for me. Yeah, they are. And listen, historically, Laviolet has been really good, like the first season. He gets somewhere, right? He gets them to pop. And it's asking a lot, though, this year. Because obviously there's a lot of big boys in the Central, if you believe,

leave Edmonton and Vegas are going to be playoff teams, then you know, you're running out of real estate in terms of the standings. As for the Dylan Larkin situation, I guess he's going to miss the first two games strud with an upper body injury. They have seven of their first eight games at home. Are you buying this? Are you thinking he's just buying his time and praying that they find a way to trade him between now and the next couple of games? What do you see happening here with Larkin? The timing seems a little suspicious. And, you know, I'm not a around that team at all, but, you know, you don't hear a lot of upper body injury training, you know, in the off season, and then he's unable to partake, and now he's, you know, he's just

practicing now he's out for sure two games. There's a lot going on there for Detroit with, you know, an interim general manager and Sean Horcoff, you know, the D man is gone, he's gone back to Sweden, they're still talking to him, it doesn't even have a stall in their dress room, so there's a lot of things. Edvinson, you're referencing, right? Yeah, a lot of stuff going on. So, I mean, at the end of the day, they have to sort some of these things out, get one back in and maybe move the other one. But again, like, it's, it's, it's, it's, Larkin's got a pretty small list as I understand.

And then, and then where are you going to go? And where are you going to get the value back for, I think, a lower end first, first, first line center or a really good second line center, guys. Well, I was going to ask you guys, who do you think gets traded first, him or hellabuck? I think Larkin. Because, because there's just more of a market. Yeah. Like, you know, everybody's team, there's probably a few teams that are in on Hellebuck.

I think San Jose should be, just because I, you know, Ascarov's a good young goaltender, but Hellebuck could be a game changer for them. I look at Buffalo, I look at Carolina, I look at New Jersey. Like there are, but for Larkin, it's just shrink, it's just this list. I guarantee you there's 10 people calling, you know, fork off and going, I'll take him tomorrow and I'll make a deal, but he doesn't want to go to X, Y, and Z team. That's really what it is, where I think Helibuck, as a goalie, we all know. And Brian, you talked about it.

Like, it's just, I think the marketplace is so much different for a goaltender than it is for, you know, a sentiment, a number one slash two sentiment. Well, I think Montreal would trade for Dylan Larkin right now if he was willing to go there. I just don't think he is willing to go there. I mean, I think it would have been done by now. I really believe that. And, you know, Hellebuck, you know, you didn't reference Edmonton there. I don't know if that's because we don't think Edmonton has enough pieces or if he's just not willing to go there.

He might not be. Like if he wants to get out of Canada, Edmonton, they're not going to waste their time. Yeah, not going there. Okay. But would they have enough pieces?

I mean, because wouldn't that be a team that it's like, how do you not try to get Hellebuck if you're Edmonton? If you feel you have the piece. Well, the return. I mean, I think the return is a bit of a challenge, right?

So you look around the youngish players that they might want. You know, it's Savoy. Okay. You know, I think he's pretty good player. Howard's not proven on the back end. Who's the young D-Men that you might want?

And then as far as young goalies, is it Levi? I don't think they have the piece. They already have three goalies. So there you go. So if they don't have it, then they can't get in on it. But yeah. I just don't think they have the currency, Brian. I really don't know.

I think you're right. No, I'm not arguing against that. I don't think they do. I think that was an issue that Montreal's run into. Like they don't have, they have a lot of picks and prospects, but if you're looking for players who are going to help you right now, Montreal's not in a position to do that. They're not going to trade Cole Cawfield to get Dylan Larkin,

if you were available or willing to go there. Obviously, you're not going to do that. Is that what they should be doing, though? Should you, Montreal? Well, Detroit. Like, shouldn't they be kind of rebuilding this thing again? If I'm in Detroit, I should be. I should, you need to get younger and, you know, have a different look.

So, yes, you got Raymond. I mean, you've got a couple really good young pieces there, and they're good. But are you trying to get another, what is Larkin 30? Is he 29 or 30? It's 29, I think. Okay, so let's just call it a 30-year-old. Are you trying to get another 30-year-old or should you be getting another 23 or 24-year-old? Somebody, you know, in the younger push type of thing.

I think Smorecite or it's like 24-5, I believe. Yeah, so, I mean, that's where you should be trying to line up in there. So I don't know. Who has that currency? Who has that, you know, a number two centerman. Doesn't Montreal? He's not doing it, though. That's the thing.

Like, Larkin's not waving to Canada. When you think he gets to a point where he's just like, okay, I got to make my list. That is very valid. Maybe as of the home opener tomorrow night when they have to announce him, and he is going to get destroyed in that building. Now, I'm assuming he's got to be there. If you're getting paid, even though you're not playing, you've got to kind of go out there and do the wave.

That is going to be remarkably awkward. Like, incredibly awkward when he gets called out tomorrow night. but that might be what a team like Montreal is waiting for. Make it so awkward you say, dude, you just, you got to get, you got to move. Like, you got to get out of there. But what about Winnipeg's mentality? Like, are they, how different are they from Detroit in terms of what they feel they have to get back in return? Like, should they not be thinking futures themselves, or are they a team that can ride with Colorado and Dallas and Minnesota?

Strad, what do you make of that? I mean, I think that they're in a difficult spot. I think that without Hellebuck, they're not the same team, obviously. And if they get the young goalie back, he won't be the same and in some other pieces. They struggled last year. I recognized Hellebuck was out at times, but I don't think there's as good a team as they were two or three years ago, and there's a few spots to fill. So I would look at perhaps, you know, looking at a futures market.

The problem with that is you still have some pretty good pieces there, especially Morrissey and, you know, Shikon and Connor. Like, those are really good players. Well, that's the problem. Yeah. If you don't make the right trade, are those guys the next ones out the door? So this is really tough spot for Shevleday off. I feel for him. Because I don't know, I think the return is better for the futures than it is for guys right now.

Right. I think that's a tough spot. I think he's in a really tough spot because I think it sends the team one way or the other, I think. Well, exactly. And they feel, and everything you hear out of Winnipeg is they feel that, you know, they had a bad year last year. They could get right back into the playoff race. but if you start going on

well hellebuck for an up-and-coming kid that's a junior and a high pick and all of that what do you say in the Kyle Connor you know an American player that and Connor's Connor said the right things I liked his comments at camp

saying like want to be here this if the guy doesn't want to be here so be it Shifley looks like he's a lifer there wants to be and Morrissey same thing but are you telling those guys hey we're going to retool

or kind of retool on the fly with you guys here. It's a real balancing act for Chevy in Winnipeg. No, it is. It is. And, I mean, Ottawa went through it to a lesser extent because Halebuck is just more of an impactful player and an important player than Brady was. But Brady had

a huge profile. And they took the futures, but then flipped them. You know, and got Eklund pretty quickly. You know, or at least one of the futures. And they, I think we're dealing with the same thing. We've finally made the playoffs two years in a row. Got to keep this going. You got,

You got, like, how do you tell Jake Sanderson, you're in it to win it? How do you tell Stutzley, you're in it to win it? At what point can you keep this cloud around? Like, Strat, I was going to ask you, like, what do you think it's like for a Winnipeg jet right now who's not Hellebuck? It just must be really distracting. Well, I played with Vancouver, and the year before Barry was with us, and then Pavel asked for a trade, and he didn't come to camp. And, you know, it was odd because you'd have to, you know, not so much me, but, you know, the leadership of the group had to deal with that a lot of times. How do you feel about Pavel not being?

and what's going on with Pavel. And eventually he was traded, and we got some good pieces back for him. But it is a distraction. And I think the worst part as a teammate is that you like the guy, but you know your team's not as good. So you're kind of suffering because he's not here. But you understand the business and all that stuff, but still, you're still human. You want to win. And with Shevoldeuf or Pavel Burry, you're definitely better with even one of those guys on your team.

Yeah, no kidding. But he's not even there. Like Larkin's hanging around. Which is almost more. That's more awkward thing. Brian, I think that must be, it's got to be must-see TV for him to walk. Like, because they announce everybody on the roster. Don't be there.

I can't wait to see that. Do you think he gets booed? Yes. 100%. Hammered tomorrow night. I believe it's tomorrow night they play. I don't think, if I'm PR, I don't put him out there. Like, I don't, I think he announces.

What do you do that? Like, it's such a blatant omission. I guess you could say, like, he's not here today. Or just not even mention him, but he's still on the, team. And like after the two games, he's going to play, I think, unless he just continues to come up with some, you know, I got something else going on now. You know, all the shoulder, bad back, I don't know what he's going to do because they have seven of their first eight games are at home. So you're saying put a sling on him? I guess. Yeah. I guess so.

Try a sling on him and have him come out and like wave with the other hand type of thing. He must be calling his agent every 15 minutes saying what the, and the agent, I would guess. know who he is, it's probably telling him, dude, how about expand the list? I can get you to Montreal tonight if you want. I can get you to a lot of places tonight, if you'd like. I can get you to Columbus in an hour. You want to go to Columbus? You know, expand your list if you have such a problem.

What if, I mean, I'd love to know the list. What if this one team is like waiting for it? Reportedly it was, I think, you know, Vegas, Florida, Minnesota, maybe Tampa. Anyway, all right, Strud, enjoy the games tonight, buddy. We'll do it again soon. Great seeing you. Yep, you're welcome for coming on video, guys. Take care.

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