OverDrive - Weekes on the Maple Leafs' team approach, the goaltending mentality and the Rangers' tough ride

Episode Date: April 10, 2025

ESPN Hockey Analyst Kevin Weekes joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the NHL, the Maple Leafs' approach towards the playoffs, the stance on the goaltending mentality, the Rangers' tough season on the roster, Quinn Hughes' importance to the Canucks and more.

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This is a party where everyone is invited. The Earth Day Party Podcast on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. Here he is from ESPN. You see him on TSN all the time as well. Joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline here is Kevin Weeks back on Overdrive. Weeks, how you doing? What's up, fellas?

I'm good. How are you guys doing? We're doing well that was a big two points for the Leafs I mean Tampa got got themselves a point as well as a fun you know thoroughly entertaining game but now the Leafs have a three-point buffer with four games to go is that enough for you to think the Leafs can breathe easy a little bit here do you think the the division is wrapped up or where do you see this going with four games left?

I think it goes to game 82 for sure. But I would echo your point, and we were saying this on the area yesterday on the NHL Network too, that we felt like it, in fact both games in Florida I felt were muscle-games for the Leaf. I thought the Florida game, they were sleepy. Certainly the performance of Wohl, outside of that first goal by Forsling, Wohl played very well.

He stopped 14 to 15 in the first period. He stopped the breakaway, made the glove save. Two saves on that breakaway opportunity from March on the second period. I feel that was a missed opportunity, just based on, yes, Barkov and Forsling came back in line up, which is huge for Florida But they were missing a lot of key guys, too. So I thought that was a missed opportunity

But they certainly bounced back in Tampa last night with a much-needed win I felt like they should have taken four points out of there on that trip But that was a good bounce back win for them last night. They certainly played much better overall Trash or what are your colleagues and friends south of the border say about the Leafs this year? Is it the same old Leafs or do they have a differing opinion? What does everybody say about these guys? I love that you qualified it with south of the border because we were just up in Keough for five days and all of my buddies and friends and cousins and everybody and non cousins I

think they're cousins. Kev what about the leaves man? What do you think? Kev what do you think is this the year? I'm like bro we're at my 50th birthday right now well we'll talk about that anyway so South here okay so there. So there's two, there's two trains of thought. We have all of us fellow transplants that are here and a lot of them, you know, blue and white to the bone, they bleed blue. And a lot of them are saying, well, they're going to have to prove it to me in April and May. They're going to have to prove it to me in April and May. And I'm in that category because I think that they have the talent. Chief coming in has really tried to impart, you know, on this group that they've got to play a harder game

in terms of their details, be more direct, play more northbound. Do a lot of what Matthew Nyes has done when he plays at his best, for example. And then you have the other group that thinks, hey, they've made the changes. You bring in Carlo, you've got Tanev, you have Chief, you have some new personnel, the goaltending has been good. Why not them this spring? So it's been a little bit kind of mixed right now, to be honest with you, O'Dogg. So that's where you just brought it up, Weeksy. Where are you at with the goaltenders?

I mean, Stollars has won his last six. He's been great. You know, Wohl, you just talked about how well he played in Florida. He's a good young goaltender. Have you seen it? Just like you said, have you seen enough? Do you believe? I mean, you know, Stollars has zero starts in the playoffs.

He's got one appearance last year. Wohl has four starts. Is it kind of you got to need to show me or are you comfortable that that they will be able to do the job regardless of the lack of experience in the playoffs? Okay, you know, I think we all try to be as positive as possible. I remember and oh, you know this when when we play together in Carolina, I'd never played in the playoffs either at the NHL level prior to that point. But sometimes you get thrown in the pool and you just got to figure it out. I feel like that's kind of the case. Both guys have been really good all season noodles. Now, from

your time, Grant Fuhrer, some of's other guys that you had, you played with, you partnered with Nick Kipper in Calgary, you were a goalie coach. You know those guys are third bread that are running every night. You know that. But this is a different model that the Leafs have. With this model, I think both goalies have been good, but if you're asking me who my game one starter would be, as of now, barring anything un for scene, I would say Stolle. I would give Stollears a start. It's not a knock. I'm a fan of Joseph Wolson since he was at Boston

College, but I would, uh, I would give Stollears the start, game one. And you know, you've got two guys that can kick, both guys that have played well all season long, but I would start the playoffs opening game one, round I would start stole ours in game one well and wall has has done over the last two years he's gone in during a series so he actually has experience at that it's not ideal but right he did it a couple years ago with Samson off against Florida I think it was and then last year we know what happened Samson I played himself out of the net and Wall had to go in. So I do think that should be a part of the kind of calculation here as well that you

start Stolarz and Wall has shown he's comfortable coming in and relief that could be something he has to do again this year. That's exactly how I got my feet wet too like Like we had, you know, our stud, our dessert, they had gotten pulled a couple times. I went in release a couple times and, you know, that happened before I got my first start in the playoffs. So I totally echo what you're saying. And especially for a younger goalie too, like, you know,

for mid, mid-age younger goalie, that's, that's helpful. It's different, you know, as a veteran, older veteran, but I think that that's helpful for wool for sure. We were talking yesterday about Shasterkin and how he's a big-time goaltender commanded big-time money got big-time money and they've got a back-to-back and they don't play him yesterday like I get it it's back-to-back but did you not find that crazy and then ultimately their season has blown up. Like what the hell has gone on in New York this year?

Bro, we were just, I was just in New York, actually we were there this morning in the city this morning. I literally had three people stop me this morning on the way to the doctor's appointment in the city. And one of the three asked me the same question that you did that you just asked me. I think it's first of all like from a team standpoint I think this was one of the most you know sometimes you look back on teams that you guys have played on and I'm sure you and Noodles will agree with me on this sometimes you look back and you're

like we have a good squad like squad pretty, we should've made a run. You know what I mean? You're like, this was a bit of a wasted year at Bois, like if we're real, having a couple of pops. Like we kind of wasted this season. That's how I feel it went for the Rangers overall. In addition to that, they were just too easy to play games. If I had a dollar for every player that I spoke to this year and or coach or manager

or whatever, they said they lick their chops when they play the games of Rangers because they're easy to play. And that's really- But that's so not lavy, man. That's just not lavy. It's so not lavy. Or Mike Peck or anything like it. Correct.

And it's definitely not New York No Like you know everything here is like contrary to what people think Yeah, you can come on vacation and go to Times Square Okay, but every day is like a blue-collar day like it's so hard to get around It's so hard to like the standards the timing the everything like it's just it's just blue-collar and this team did not have very much blue collar. And I say it's a wasted year because Johnson Quick,

future Hall of Famer, Locke, maybe the Grant Fuhr-esque of our generation noodles. I think like it's, you have him who can still play, and he can still play. You have Schisturken, who's one of the best boys in the league, and he's already won a Vezna. And that's like having two good quarterbacks, but you don't have any protection in front of them in no online So I feel that those are the reasons why I feel like it's a wasted year and I agree with you Just your kin he's his game is tail box. I think a lot of it has been frustration

Even though that you know, we have to guard against that but we're people I think a lot of it has been frustration with even though that, you know, we have to guard against that, but we're people. I think a lot of it has been frustration with how the season has gone for them at the end. But I know one thing, whatever the off season is and whoever's making the decision on management and coaching and whatever else that looks like, the construction of the team next year has to have players that are blue collar and that want to play and that want to compete. Even if you're skilled, you still got to have like blue collar and play hard. And that was a big miss for their group this year, seeing them up close so much. With Kevin Weeks and I would say the Western Conference equivalent would probably be Vancouver in terms of expectation and the Canucks were mathematically eliminated last night and I was reading quotes of Quinn Hughes today you know talking up Rick Tocket love him great coach the best and

I'm thinking like Tocket we don't know what his future is gonna be because he's got an opt-out he could stay in Vancouver he may leave but if you're the Canucks and like for me we see everything is about making sure Quinn Hughes is happy. Like it's the only thing really that matters after a debacle of a season like this. If Hughes is telling you, I love Rick Tauke, how do they not find a way to keep Rick Tauke?

I'll echo all of what you just said. I think all that makes sense. I was just with Mr. and Mrs. Hughes and Jack when we had our surgery, him, his shoulder, me and my two leg surgery in Vail. And I, listen, Quinn Hughes is one of the best players, I know Jack well,

but I didn't know Quinn as well until this year. Quinn Hughes is one of the best players on the planet. He's a great guy. They're a great family. And you know what? Let me give the listeners and the viewers this one. They've told me both, his mom and dad have told me numerous times that they don't think any of their three kids would have made the NHL if they didn't move to Canada. And they said, and this is Mr. Hughes,

and Mr. Hughes talking, the access to top quality players, top quality programs, skill development, and free outdoor rinks so that they could also get free ice, they said it would have never happened for them if they didn't move to Canada for a while. So in saying all that, those guys are big time players. Quinch uses an absolute stud. And it's not about somebody in Pittsburgh told me years ago when they were winning. We have a salary cap in terms of how much we can pay the players. So we

don't have a salary cap in terms of what we can spend and how we treat them and their families. And that's kind of applicable here. Like if I'm the Aqualini Brothers, I sit down with him, with Quinn, with the family, what do you need? Are the feet good? Do you like ketchup chips like Weezy does? Like what do you like? Like what can we do for you? Do you need the private jet a little bit more to get to Jersey to see Luke and Jack? Like what can we do? Because that's a big part of it. That's a big, big part of it when you have franchise players. You know, they have, they have, they should have some input in the way things are done. So and I use this as a case in point not to throw darts And you guys have heard me say this because my wife's from Calgary and noodles you you're a part of that organization a long time

but I feel where the flames messed up with Matthew Kachuk is they had an opportunity to do likewise and Then they bridged them and then they can and it is a man and the rest is history Yep We see before we get you out of here, are you still Forrest Gump? Did you have the stilts on after the leg surgeries? Are you alright? Are you alright?

I'm limp biscuit right now. I'm still limping. What the hell did you have done? Okay, so basically I had, all right, and the surgeon in Jersey, after the cup final, after the draft, basically missed my injury. Even after that surgery.

So I came up to T.O., saw the ace, Dr. Gallia, and Dr. Gallia told me, he's like, listen, they missed it, this is what it is. You have a ruptured quad tendon that right off, that came all the blue off your kneecap. And it's all the way halfway up into your groin. It's retracted. So you've got to get that done as soon as possible.

And you got to get to Vail to get it done, to the Steadman Clinic. So luckily my agent, Dr. Gallia and PO and Dr. Millett and them at Vail, they kind of talked and I went out there and my sister-in-law met me there from Calg's. So I had that done. I had to get that repaired.

They had to drill three holes in my kneecap. They had to fish it out, the tendon, pull it down, sew it into my kneecap, and then do a sculpt. So look at two plus hour surgery, and they opened my leg up. It looked like a baked potato at Ponderosa that Owen and I would eat.

Yeah, that's not good, man. That's not good, but you're on the up and up now. You're moving in the right direction. Yeah, yeah. That's all that matters. You're limping in the right direction, yeah. Limping in the right direction. Good luck with the rehab. Thank you, Weezy. We

appreciate you doing this. Anytime, boys. Thanks for having me on. Keep up the good work, man. You got it. There's Kevin Weeks joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Drive the built-in Canada fuel-efficient, fun-to-drive Toyota RAV4, gas or hybrid models available. Visit mapletoyota.com. lifetime. The candidates, the quotes, the polls, and the momentum. That just happened with Vashie Capellos. Canada Decides 2025. Fresh every Friday. Stream on your schedule with the free iHeartRadio app.