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Dreger and Johnston on the Maple Leafs' goaltending trades, Pettersson's buzz and Olympic arena
15 Jan 2026
Chapter 1: What insights did Chris Johnston share about the Olympic ice arena?
Darren Dreger and our Italian correspondent himself, Chris Johnston.
Cristiano.
Cristiano. Cristiano Johnston. Did you enjoy yourself over there, CJ, in Italy or what?
It was an interesting trip. It was pretty quick there and back and fair amount of work, probably not as much play or fun as you might imagine, but it was cool to get a sense of the city ahead of the Olympics and then obviously to be one of the first people, I guess, in our business anyway, inside that arena, getting a feel for what is and isn't happening there.
CJ, what is your one major takeaway if you had one with the facilities?
It's not going to be up to a standard you'd probably expect in an AHL behind the scenes rink, you know, let alone an NHL one. But I still think there's going to be enough there for them to play. And given how badly we know NHL players have wanted to get back to the Olympics and get back on that level, I mean, I certainly expect the tournament to go ahead and
At the end of the day, the men's tournament runs February 11th to 22nd. It's not even two full weeks. I think that you won't hear any complaining publicly anyway once the guys get over there.
I think that they understand it's not going to be what they're used to, but that the stakes are pretty high and that this is going to be a level of hockey that most of them have been dying to get back to for a decade.
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Chapter 2: What are the main concerns regarding the Olympic facilities?
Just to follow up on that, CJ, did anyone there at the facility or arena What is the excuse? How did this just creep up on them and how are they so behind?
What they told me is that, and this is people from the local organizing committee, is that they've been behind since the beginning. And the arena is being built by a private individual. It's not public funding. And one thing they said to me is they got going a little bit late because
in part because of COVID timing that, you know, between when they got the Olympics in 2019 awarded to them, and obviously they didn't get shovels in the ground until spring 2023, that sort of the world had changed and maybe some of the financial picture had changed. So, you know, it sounds like they really just got going late and haven't been able to get ahead of it and catch up.
And so that seemed to be the main issue. And then, you know, beyond that, there's just sort of this idea that, that Italians are pretty laid back and that, you know, they always get it done in the end, but they maybe aren't, you know, as get up and go as some other countries. I mean, I can't speak to that myself specifically, but I definitely heard that.
I mean, that sentiment was in the air a lot that maybe they just do things on their own schedule here. And so right now they're doing a lot of work to get it done.
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Chapter 3: How does the NHL's goaltending situation impact the Maple Leafs?
So, CJ, we had a spirited debate about how you got the assignment to go over. Like, this isn't a scenario here where it's like, oh, you just acted like you were hard at work and, oh, you know, geez, I dreaded going over. Like, you're going to Italy, right? and I'm sure you had great food, you were able to go for runs, do whatever you needed to do.
Do you believe, in all of this information that you've been reporting back, they're still going to be able to have a great product, and the ice is still going to be fine, and you still believe that the Men's Olympics is going to be fantastic from that facility?
I'm pretty optimistic. Yeah. I mean, they just got that ice like last weekend was the first games ever played on it. Naturally, when you're making ice, there's kind of a process to that, you know, but they have the guy Don Moffitt that's making the ice there makes the ice for the Colorado Avalanche. So, I mean, they've got a lot of expertise on the ground and,
You know, if you just take the arena ball and ignore the scoreboard small and all that stuff, it looks like a hockey rink. They have everything they need there. I mean, it might be a little different if you're a fan at those games. It doesn't seem like there'll be as many kind of amenities around the rink, we'll call it. But let's face it, most people experience this tournament through TV.
Chapter 4: What is the status of Linus Ullmark's return to play?
And so I think the games themselves will happen, noodles and end. Most of us back home will be almost none the wiser once it actually gets going and we're just focused on who's winning, who's losing, all the things that are happening. So, yeah, I'm pretty confident with that.
And I got the assignment because I have a nice boss at The Athletic where I do my written work that they suggested to me about a month ago. Hey, we'd love to have someone go over there. Would you be willing to do that? And it took me about... Less than 10 seconds to reply with a yes.
No kidding. With Chris Johnston and Darren Dreger. So at least Vegas tonight, Dreggs. Sounds like Aiden Hill's going to play for Vegas. Nick Robertson, are we hearing anything on him?
Well, as of this morning, he was expected to be good to go as well. But as well as Nick Robertson has played, if Aiden Hill is able to start for the Vegas Golden Knights, I mean, that's a huge, huge boost.
Chapter 5: What buzz surrounds Elias Pettersson and potential trades?
I mean, he hasn't played since October. And anybody who pays any attention to the Vegas Golden Knights, you can see that Their goaltending, despite the addition of Carter Hart, has been all over the map. Game one, we'll see how it goes for them, but that's a pretty big boost.
Yeah, and Hart obviously is on IR right now, so we'll see what happens with him into the future. But Hill, that is pretty significant. Vegas is red hot. They've won five in a row, and obviously we're quite intrigued by Mitch Marner's position on that team. The fact that he's playing center. That is a conversation we've had in the city a lot, like when he was a leave.
It was Nylander that they tried. They never really tried Mitch Marner.
Just a couple games, I think.
Maybe a couple when they really were depleted, like if Matthews and Tavares and someone else was out. But what is your impression of how he is kind of settling in in Vegas?
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Chapter 6: How is Mitch Marner adjusting to his new role in Vegas?
Well, I think the settling in process is still underway, but more so maybe from a coaching perspective than anything else. You know, Bruce Cassidy looking at different ways that they can utilize Mitch Marner, be it on the power play or otherwise. But what's noteworthy to me, and Leafs fans may not appreciate this, but we certainly saw it in the first half of the year,
was the accolades that Miner is getting in Vegas as far as defensive play and how strong he is as a defensive forward. And look, I mean, when he was with the Maple Leafs, he was a trust defensive player, right? I mean, he was on the penalty kill more often than not. But the question after that was, okay, well, how do they replace the points and the offense that Marner brought?
And the numbers might be a little bit down, clearly, in Vegas from that perspective. But the feedback that I get from management, from the coaching staff, is he's arrived and he's played as advertised.
Well, it's an interesting trip, CJ, that Anthony Stolarz is on the trip. And he was on the ice this morning. Craig Berube indicated earlier this week there's a chance he plays before the Olympic break. So that would mean the next three weeks, next ten games or so. Hildeby, I believe, is exempt from waivers still this year. So he can still go back down to the minors.
Chapter 7: What are the implications of recent goaltending trades in the NHL?
But next year he can't. Nope. So, CJ, I guess we'll begin with you, then, Dregs, you chime in. You know, Stolarz, his deal is not even kicking in. It's just kicking in. I believe next year. It kicks in next year. Wall's still got a couple years left, and he'll be, as of next year, would have to go on waivers, and clearly someone would claim him.
How do you see this three-ring circus playing out over the next six to eight months?
So much of it's going to hinge to me on what we see even through the duration of this season, right? I don't think this is an area the Leafs have to do anything this year at all. And the biggest reason I lean on that is we just haven't seen between Wohl and between Stolarz
give you enough confidence that one of them is going to be healthy for a long period of time and so I don't wish for that to be the case but I think the Leafs are a team like an increasing number around the NHL that think they need to have three goalies that they have some degree of faith in because you know they have had so many injuries at that position and quite honestly I mean look they're still in a battle to make the playoffs but if they get the playoffs I mean who
It's anyone's guess at this point who's going to play those most important games of the year. So I think that for the time being, you ride it out with the three guys.
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Chapter 8: What strategies might the Maple Leafs employ as the trade deadline approaches?
Maybe it involves Hildeby because he does have that exemption to be sent straight to the HL at some point. Spending some more time with the Marlies really just to get them games down there and keep everybody fresh and busy. But I don't think you make any decisions at all before Hildeby. the offseason, unless something really unusual comes up.
But, you know, I've seen some people start to talk, you know, the Leafs trade a goalie before the deadline. I just think there's way too much risk in that, given their own history at that position with those guys. And so, you know, maybe in the offseason, that's a more relevant point of conversation. But, you know, right now, I think they're just trying to get them all healthy and playing.
Yeah, I tend to agree with that. I can appreciate the speculation around the idea of trading one of those three guys, only because the Maple Leafs don't have a whole lot of tradable money. It's an asset. Absolutely. Maybe it's too much of a luxury to consider, okay, well, let's wait until the offseason and see what comes our way at that point.
First, they've got to claw back fully into the playoff picture. They're in the conversation now. I don't think, to CJ's point, that they do consider a trade unless somebody blows their doors off between now and March 6th. But they do have to get Anthony Stolarz healthy.
And despite the fact that he's with the team, the information I have is that probably best-case scenario, unless something magical happens, is end of the month.
right they'd like to get him back into some practice time and they don't have the luxury of practice time it's it's few and far between so maybe a whisker before the end of the month but that's what they're projecting installers yeah it's because we do talk a lot about the lack of assets that they have right like cowan i the way he's playing right now i'm not trading him unless i feel very good about a return danford we'll see but they don't have a lot they don't have picks coming up
So I could see them being enticed. And Noodles, you can chime on this. Who would have value around the league? Hildeby's younger. He's cheaper. Stolarz's deal hasn't even kicked in. He's older. Joseph Wall, I don't think they'd move off Wall. I don't think it'd be Stolarz or Hildeby if they made a trade.
Yeah, I think, I mean, for me it would be Stolarz because Hildeby is still up and coming and he's cheap. Stolarz, they just signed. But I don't think they'll move either one of them. But I look at Stolarz. Could you not put him... For two weeks or maybe a week of conditioning with the Marlies, get him some games there. Get him some practice time there. I know you want to be around the team.
That's what I was thinking. There's a different schedule with the AHL. You could probably get him a few games and you don't have to force feed him in with the big club and get him feeling good. But it is a good sign that he's back on the ice. But I also do believe that they're slow playing it with him. and there's no guarantee that he's going to be back.
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