OverDrive - Williams on the Hurricanes advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, the team's success and playing the Golden Knights

Episode Date: June 1, 2026

Carolina Hurricanes Special Advisor to the General Manager joined OverDrive to discuss the Hurricanes advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, the strong run against the Senators, Flyers and Canadiens, how Carolina has found success in the playoffs, Mitch Marner leading the Golden Knights, John Tortorella changing the dynamic in Vegas and more.

Catch everything soccer with Bell's game time bundle. Get 5 TV with TSN plus 5150 internet, all for $99 a month. Price guaranteed for two years with a two-year internet and TV term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for more details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. Here is the special advisor to the GM joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. There's Justin Williams. How are we doing, Willie?

I'm doing great. Look at that snicker on. Every time I come on, I just get a little snicker from him. Like he's disapproving. like he's disappointed in me. I can't take you seriously with all the conversations we've had in our lifetime.

Getting prepped for the cup final? What's the vibe like down there? Vibb, obviously pretty good. Today's kind of like a circus, right? I mean, there's media everywhere. You literally stand on a podium, and I don't know if they did that

when you guys went to the cup in 0-2-0, but you'd stand on a podium and reporters just meander around and you're supposed to stay there until nobody comes anymore. And then it's actually kind of funny when they don't really want to talk to you. You just, they just kind of look at you a little bit and smile and then to move on to the next guy, it's actually kind of funny.

It's like walking through a food court. You're like, I'm not ordering from you. Like, I'm not interested. I'm not going in that direction. Well, 12 and 1. It's been just an incredible run. like how do you how do you put that into perspective willie how how well your team is played because it's been borderline perfect hockey all the way up to a cup final it's it's

strange i think one of the i mean probably the best word is is strange and and dominant but probably the two words that come to mind right away i mean you're running 12 and one i mean when we were in l.a in 2012 we did 12 and 2 and that that seemed like it was, you know, clinical. And this one's really been awesome. I mean, the guys have not let up when they're up. And they've been able to get teams kind of on the mat and just kind of stepped on them a little bit and not let them up. Just keeping them down on the ground.

It's like when someone's on the ground, you try to get up and you push them down the ground and they just stay down there. It's like we've honestly been doing that with our team so far. But we know this is a Vegas is a whole other animal. What do you think has been, you know, working up front? I know that Taylor Hall line's been incredible for you guys, Willie. And we were talking earlier about just buying time for other guys. Is it like just they had their moments where they dominated and were producing all the offense? And now you're hoping like the Ahos and Sveshnekovs can chip in and get their game going?

Because it's been complete dominance and you really haven't had everybody firing in all cylinders. No, we haven't been. but everybody's been pretty good. Obviously, the end line has been kind of borderline dominant, but everyone else has been pretty darn good. And I think when you go back, when you look at recent or maybe even older,

you know, Stanley Cup winners, they're very similar in the fact that, you know, they've got, obviously, goalie plan at a high level. They've got production from every single line. and obviously we've done that and quite frankly there's a little bit of element of luck added into it too because you're healthy our team's very healthy right now so that's a real positive too going through the playoffs I mean you never know I mean you can have a great team have a couple injuries and then all of a sudden

you know you don't look so hot so you know right now everything's been kind of going as planned we're happy with obviously where things are it was a good practice today was out there and was in the room of the guys. And they're excited just like we all are. So, Willie, does this team have a little bit of a feel like that 2012 L.A. team? I mean, other than the record, I mean, I don't know. It's tough to see you have a feel for, right? I mean, everyone that's won the Cup, they, you know, they have those qualities.

You know, and us in years past, you know, we've, haven't been able to kind of get over the hump. there's a lot of heartbreak. There's a lot of losses under these guys wins this year. And I really just feel like they think it's time. And the power of the mind is a very, very strong thing. And I think coming into this, we're very, very confident where we're out. We're confident in our team.

And they're just excited to show it on the world stage. Everybody in the league seems to want to chime in on Mitch Marner, Willie. Do you have any thoughts on how he's not? now the best player in hockey and you know just include the Maple Leafs and probably throw a couple jabs in here to different things and like just give me your thoughts

no I mean I don't need I don't need jabs at anyone I think a reporter today asked me not that I was getting interviewed or anything but someone asked me you know are we gonna you know did people boo Mitch Marner and I was like why would people boo Mitch Marner here

and you know that seems that seems very strange but I mean listen he's he's an elite he's an elite player I mean he's one of the best players in the league and they got a couple of them on that team that we're really really going to have to look at

and you know Mitch I don't blame him for wanting to stay with his team in Toronto I don't blame him for for wanting to get out of there either you know he's he's a guy that's coming up and seeing where you know what he wants to do with himself and he's had choices and he's made them. So, you know, right now he's, he's looking great. He seems like he's a good situation, but, you know, I hope his season ends in a heartbreak. Is that okay? Yeah, that works. Yeah,

that's understandable with Justin Williams. And, you know, obviously what we're referencing is the idea that Carolina and the Leafs were talking trade last year, and Marner, you know, declined to waive his no move. But you, you know, being the special assistant to the GM, we were talking about this last hour, really, how crazy it turned out last year, like acquiring Rantan and then flipping him. And now you look at Stan Kovin, like, you guys are in a cup final for a lot of reasons, but he's a primary one. He's been phenomenal for you. Like, take us back to that trade. You know, after you acquired Rantaninan, after you kind of sniffed out, this isn't going to work, he's not going to sign. And you call up Dallas. And now you're in the position you're in with Stan Kovin,

with picks, you know, like how kind of bizarre was that situation and how beneficial maybe in the end was it for Carolina? Yeah. Usually when you trade for a player, you have a good, at least, you know, better than 50% chance that you think you might be able to sign him. And you see players, you know, with not a lot of term left on their contract or even expiring contracts, teams acquiring them a little bit or a little bit. just to kind of see because we feel in Carolina you know, oh, one knows this too, that

once we get people here, they really, really like it here. We got a great team, we got a great coach, we got a great city, we got great fans, and we're set up to be really, really good for a long time.

So we feel getting somebody here who may not know too much about our area and how it is to live could be pretty advantageous to us. And that's kind of what we did with Randon and then we had a couple weeks, maybe three weeks there where we talked and everything was great, but then nothing was signed on the dotted line, right? And it's kind of like, you know, trying to get with a girl and she likes you,

but she doesn't really want to date you. And that's kind of how things went there and we had to move on and pivot really quickly. And I think that's kind of a trade that worked out for everybody. Brian dealt with that his whole teenage life and now he met up beautiful. girl that liked them back. I wanted to ask you, we had a question, and Hayes proposed it, Willie. I want to get your thoughts. If you had kind of a blank slate, would you pick the best GM in the league or the best coach?

Which one would you pick if you could only pick one? Hmm. I would go coach. I would go coach. But I'll go coach. I mean, you want me to pick something. I'm going to go coach. It's your choice.

It's an optional question, man. But I'm going to go, I'm going to go coach. I mean, how bad is the GM? Is he really bad? Exactly. Exactly. Well, hang on a sec. Hang on a sec.

My philosophy was, if you get a great GM, he's going to put all the pieces in place. He's going to bring in the right coach. You know what I mean? The kind of the GM sets the table and brings in the right pieces. If you got a guy that's got a guy that's got. half a brain. That's what I'm saying. I also understand the coach of Carolina is your old linemate, so you had to say coach because you didn't want him to get pissed at that. So that's why you said that. I think it's not like a manager in baseball, you know, guys in hockey, they can

they can pull strings and get the pulse of their team and deal with that and make the adjustments. I think it's, you know, it's a super important position that we're lucky to have, Roddy. Well, you know, you've referenced your L.A. Kings run in 2012 and applied it to Carolina in a way. Do you see an application to Vegas where Daryl Sutter comes in, changes everything for the Kings? Do you see John Tortorello playing that role for Vegas? Well, I mean, I think so, right? I mean, the, you know, the whole thing is when you change the coach is they get a spark, right? and they

they looked for the instant spark right before playoffs and that happened. I don't know if that happened. I feel like it happened in Jersey too, maybe with somebody, if you guys can jog my memory back in the late 90s where they did that as well. Right.

They fired the coach. Maybe it was Robbie Fittoric. I could be, I could be messing that up. Something like that, yeah. Anyway, so they went on and won the cup as well. And, you know, teams do do do that. And then we're in L.A.,

Darryl Sutter came in. and just had kind of a different message and certainly a different way of conveying that message to everybody, including the media. And it was just kind of a breath of fresh air, wake up, a kick in the ass, and a spark that obviously Vegas is thriving on right now and playing some unbelievable hockey.

No kidding. Well, you guys are in the dance, and it starts tomorrow night. Best of luck, Willie. Thank you for doing this. We appreciate it. We'll do it again, the road.

Yeah, boys. Talk soon. There he is. Justin Williams. Joining us here on the Maple Toyota hotline. It's time of Toyota. Check out the Toyota Tacoma Toyota Tundra pickup trucks, both available as hybrids, Maple Toyota near Canada's Wonderland in the Maple Auto Mall.

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