Chapter 1: What technical difficulties did the hosts face during the episode?
Jeff O'Neill, Jamie Noodles, McLennan. No more headset for this guy. First time in six years that there has been some sort of technical difficulty on my end. That'll be the end of that for me. I'm not putting myself in that spot again. I thought you guys did a phenomenal job, though, with Joe Thomas. And a great little segment on the Sens there at the end. You guys are killing it.
You guys are killing it.
You can hardly tell that your headset's not working.
It's the beauty of technology. It's the beauty of technology. Am I yelling? I mean, you guys got to keep it honest here. No, no, no.
What happened? The thing just went out on you or what?
I don't know. I don't know what happened. It doesn't matter. Who cares? Technology in 2026. We get confirmed or denied later in the hour. Johnny's going to call us here in a minute. And, yeah, I mean, we'll see. Leafs-Havs tonight. You guys are going to have to do a lot of heavy lifting here. A lot of heavy lifting.
Well, guys, we were talking about just, like, the Leafs approach, mentality.
You know, if they don't, I think the Habs are going to absolutely try to just dominate, not run them out of the building, but if the Leafs are sleeping tonight and play like they have been the past two weeks, it'll get ugly in there, and it'll get ugly real quickly because they're just, they can score, they're fast, and God knows what can go on in the Leafs' own zone tonight if they don't pull it together.
And if, like, I don't know, I just... I sometimes, and it's kind of silly, but I have a score in my head. This screams of a 5-1 game. It really does. It screams of a 5-1 game. And if they're not ready to play, it will be ugly tonight, Jamie.
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Chapter 2: What are the latest updates on the Toronto Maple Leafs' performance?
Like, Tavares' push to the left wing is really interesting, though. I think that's a good idea. But, like, Michelli and Nyes and Nylander or whatever, like, Michelli, all of a sudden, finding more ice time for him, that doesn't do it for me. I'd like to see somebody that... Again, I think Robertson's a guy in and out of the lineup or whatever, but I've noticed him.
I've actually noticed him the last couple games, and whether he's effective or not, he's kind of around it. I'd like to see them try something different, put it that way. What do you think, Brian?
Nick Robertson is a fascinating guy. I study him all the time, and I always say to myself, What are you? Because it looks like he can skate fast, he can shoot the puck, but then there's times he can't get it out or he'll take a stupid penalty. I don't know. He's a really fascinating guy to watch because sometimes you're like, that's got to be an NHL player.
Let's bring in our NHL expert, Mike Johnson, to see what he thinks about this situation. Johnny, he just doesn't want to work our house, so me and noodles are kind of taking over. Tell me, Johnny, when you watch Nick Robertson, is he an NHL player or is he a guy that kind of deserves what he's been getting, the treatment? Is he getting screwed?
Is he going to be like Scott Lawton and maybe go somewhere else and start ripping home goals? What do you make of it?
Good to see you hosting effortlessly, seamlessly. I don't even know if there's been any... Any noticeable difference with O hosting versus Hayes? So keep doing what you're doing. Wow. I don't know why the guy in the left of the TV screen could just slide over and make a three-man box. Who knows? Nick Robertson's obviously an NHL player.
Even with his warts, even with his shortcomings, of which there are, you mentioned some of them, clearly he's a smaller guy. He's not great at board battles sometimes. Sometimes he gets a little panicky with the puck. But he can score. I mean, even with his limited ice time and limited opportunities, he's scoring 15 to 20 goals. So that's an NHL player. There are 700 NHL players or whatever, 350.
360 NHL forwards. He's clearly good enough to be one of those. So, yes, he's an NHL player. I just wonder, though, if you were to expand his opportunities, I'm not sure it'd be a linear progression in points in production. Like, you know, 50% more ice time, I'm not sure there's 50% more points in there. I don't know if he has that. That sort of consistency.
And, oh, as you know, playing the other team's best lines, playing top six minutes against better pairings and different matchups, it's a different existence. It's just harder. It's trickier to do. So, again, I don't know if he thrives in that situation either. But he can be a valuable guy. Down your lineup, they chip in 12, 15, 17, largely five-on-five goals. Like, that's a guy you can play with.
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Chapter 3: What lineup changes could benefit the Maple Leafs?
Obviously, maybe more jam in his game. He's playing a big-time role right now for Buffalo. He's a smaller guy, similar kind of body, not as talented, but maybe more grit in there. But I think he probably should play more. And the obvious one is Easton Cowan. Like, you know, it's time. This is a reality of where they are in the standings and veteran guys won't like it.
Well, I'm sorry if you're Stephen Lorenz or Callie Yarncroke and you wish you could play more. You had 60 games to play more. Now it's we're going to find out what else is there. Quillen, Bo Gru, whoever you want to bring up for the minors, Cowan, Robertson, whoever it might be. That's what these last 20 games are for to see what you have in the NHL.
So, Johnny, heading into tonight, is there anything that you would tweak if you're Craig Berube? I talked about it in the 4 o'clock hour. I'd like to see... It doesn't matter what happens tonight. I'd like to see work ethic. I'd like to see some pride in your game, all of that type of stuff. But if you're the coach...
Is it as simple as what we just talked about, maybe finding a little bit more ice time for Easton Cowan, finding a different look for Nick Robertson, or what O was talking about, maybe John Tavares slides to the wing? You don't just give up as a coach. You've got 18 games left here.
What do you think Craig Berube could be doing here against a division rival that should be a rivalry game that should at least bring some emotion tonight?
I mean, there's two parts to that noodles, right? Like one, you could try tactically something different, whether it's lineup wise. I do, you know, the idea of tomorrow's in the wing, that's not terrible. Cause I think, you know, him driving the second line next year, it's centered that they probably should explore what that might look like differently.
Cause I don't know if that's going to work as well for them. So stuff like that, lineup decisions, ice time. Yeah. Like that stuff, you can get creative. You can try some different systems, stuff like nuances and tweaks, try to try to explore different options. But the one baseline, and listen, I played on crappy teams.
I played on teams that lost a whole bunch of games in a row at the end of the year. So I've been in that sort of tailspin where you just can't seem to get out of it. All you see is April 15th, and that's all you want to get to. But yeah, I mean, if you're Craig Berube, at the very least, you would like this team that you believe in are wired to be competitive people and successful in the NHL.
play with the kind of intensity and emotion and and commitment that every team has to play with to be successful and they haven't been able to do that you know again probably that's a lot of that's mentally where the understandings but yeah you'd want that and you'd want to demand it and and not even so much that they do it for you because you know doing it for the coach it's probably something that
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Chapter 4: How do Auston Matthews and William Nylander's futures look with the Maple Leafs?
Like try stuff. Like who cares at this point? Try stuff.
Johnny, the players were singing the tune of the Lightning lost, missed the playoffs in 2016, and they got right back to the top, and a couple of them brought up the Boston Bruins. I know you like us to toss in a mini Jerry when you're on the show. So an MJ mini Jerry. The Maple Leafs can turn this around and return to the playoffs next year.
Okay, so return to the playoffs, I'll say there's a 60% chance that they get to the playoffs next year. I mean, they're way better than they are now. Even if they return largely the same group and just take around the edges. Okay, well, how are they way better, Johnny?
You've got to explain that one to me. How are they going to play next year? Or how are they way better than what they are right now? Because what we've watched this year, you can't deny the fact it's been an unmitigated disaster. Can't score, power play stunk, horrendous in their own zone, goaltenders in and out, like injured at the beginning of the season.
How are they way better than they are right now? That's what I'm trying to figure out after your comment.
Okay, so I'd like to think the goaltenders, if they're both able to be healthy, and there's no guarantee of that. they will offer more consistency in net if they're both available the whole season. One. Two, their power play stunk. Since Steve Sullivan's taken over, I think they're the top three in the league on the power play.
So maybe a full year of whatever he's bringing offers them a top five, seven power play for its entirety. I think the ultimate wild card O is Chris Tan. And what he can be at his age after missing a year. I know you're asking a lot, but he is or just was one of the best defensive defensemen. And with Jake McCabe, one of the best defensive pairs in the entire NHL just last year.
And yes, he's getting older. And yes, he's going to slow down with these surgeries. But you get him back.
with mccabe and all of a sudden you have at least a stopper unit that can help you be better five on five so i'm not saying so that's why i say 60 you're going to get more from all those different situations even with the same people though and they're going to be more like this is what we're seeing here at the end and that is them sort of
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Chapter 5: What insights does Mike Johnson provide about NHL player performances?
Obviously, Noodles, you can talk about their goaltending. They win games, but they're not great. Defensively, they're actually not so, so bad defensively, but they can score. What I'll be curious to see is can they score in the playoffs? Is there a game that bumps Caulfield out of the game? I don't think there is, but we'll find out.
But I think they have a legit chance to win a round, to win a two. They're as good as anyone, probably not named Tampa, maybe not named Carolina.
Johnny, thanks for taking that call from one of our listeners named Steve, who's under his mattress right now. That's why he sounds a little bit different.
Coming from the face of the moon, Steve. Yes, I appreciate it.
I'm trying, man. And the thing is, the guys are telling me, they're like, no, you sound great. You sound great. I'm like, I know I don't.
Sounds great. Wonderful. Wonderful.
No difference. There's no difference. He sounds like he forgot to turn his Bluetooth on. He's talking through his computer microphone, not his ear pod microphone. That's what it sounds like.
That's probably exactly what's happened here. So anyway, you guys go ahead, Noodles, and take it away.
Oh, you had a question, or can I go here?
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Chapter 6: What are the implications of recent trades in the NHL?
So you have to take them seriously. I dug in the numbers. We had a Buffalo game a couple weeks ago, and I was wondering, like, what happened? Like, well, like, they didn't make any personnel changes. They changed their GM, but that shouldn't matter on the ice. And, you know, the crazy part is they haven't drastically improved. move their team defense, their shots, chances, expected goals against.
Alex Lyon has caught lightning in the bottle and is probably a top seven goalie in the last three months. He's got like a 9-16 save percentage this year. He's really, really good. And then all our guys have come together. But I do think that game on the weekend, guys, like I'm not a Sunday hockey game watcher very often. I think that's for other sports and other things. But I flipped that on.
Against Tampa. And I was riveted. And I think a lot of things can come out of that. One, it's like Tampa, if they think you're serious, they test you. We're going to talk about Florida being greasy. Tampa's got a lot of grease in their game, too. And I think it's a sign of respect for Buffalo. They said, OK, we're going to we're going to run around a little bit.
We're going to try a dolly and we're going to try different guys and see what happens here. And the way that Buffalo responded a year after, what was it, Tate Thompson got knocked out by somebody last year. And it was a big thing where they were not tough enough. They wouldn't stick up for each other. And if there was ever an ultimate we're all in it together game, that was it against Tampa.
Lots of guys fought, but even when nobody wanted to fight, there was five guys in there swinging and grabbing and pulling. And I think that sort of belief is different for that team. I think the energy of... the team, the success, the market can be a little bit, can push them, can push them forward. So I think they're legit. I mean, I guess Alex Lyon, he did this in Florida, right?
He got them in the playoffs three years ago. Yeah. So planted Bob to start the playoffs. He did this in Detroit for a while and played really well there. If you believe in Alex Lyon, then you have to like the way their team looks. If Josh Norris stays healthy, all of a sudden they have more depth and different kind of players.
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Chapter 7: How does the guest assess the playoff prospects for various NHL teams?
And if they get the first round, if they come second, they're not going to play Tampa in the first round. So they're going to get some version of Montreal or Detroit or Boston. they would go in that series, given what they've done in this second half of the year, as the favorite. And they deserve to be.
I think in this wide open East, which is painful that the Leafs are so bad, this year when the East looks like this. Any other year, the Leafs would have waltzed into this thing like, hey, we're the favorite. We should be. But yeah, I think to see them get through a round, for sure, maybe two, would not be surprising at all, even though they haven't been there in a decade and a half.
Johnny, what do you make of the Oilers, the whole outfit out there, with the playoffs 20-something away? They're giving up the goals. I know they can score at will, but how do you assess what the Oilers are all about right now?
Like at some point, oh, do we have to go Bill Parcells? Like you are what your record says you are. You are what the stats say you are. We keep all waiting. I put Vegas and Edmonds in the same situation. I think everyone in hockey is waiting. They'll figure it out. They'll turn it on. They'll dial it in and they'll be really good because we've seen them do it for multiple years.
But we're 65 games in. If they were going to dial it in, wouldn't it have been three weeks ago? A month ago? Six weeks ago? Like maybe they can't. Maybe they don't have the personnel or the mental energy right now or the physical energy to do it. It's wild that they are hanging on by a thread to even make the playoffs. It's insane.
We know they have the two great players, but defensively, they're a mess. Their goaltender apparently gets mad when you score on him in practice. You read this, Noodles? Tristan Jari's arguing with Euler guys about how... They shoot on him in practice.
You're shooting too high.
You're shooting by my shoulders. And you're thinking, listen, Tristan, Jars, whatever you call this guy, your save center is 850. Like, we're treating you like the backup. We're shooting wherever we want. We're not going pillows on you just to make you feel good. Like, come on here. Are we kidding? Like, it's one thing if you have Terry Price in there or whatever or somebody like that.
But to do that, I think you have to. They got issues. Oh, and I'm not sure. I'm not sure they write them for the end of the show.
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Chapter 8: What are Bryan's FanDuel Best Bets for the upcoming games?
Never. Never, never, never. Great seeing you guys. Great chatting with you guys. Anyway, with Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analyst. Have you reset him, Mo? You've got to reset the hockey analyst, right? Mike Johnson joining us. Yeah, like that matters.
It really does.
Yeah, exactly. You know, I wanted to ask you about Alex Ovechkin's comments because we talked a lot about it on Friday, obviously, after Carlson got dealt and Nick Dowd got dealt and Tom Wilson was crying. And Ovi was pretty emotional. And they won last night. They're still technically in the hunt. We'll see.
Pretty cutthroat move, Hazy. Kind of like getting rid of the captain's best friend.
Well, and that's what I was wondering. His future, do you think he plays in the NHL next year? Do you think it's 100% Locke? He plays in Washington if he plays? Do you think it's possible Ovi is thinking of playing somewhere else?
Only Moscow Dynamo. I can't imagine him playing anywhere else. And quite frankly, as great a goalscorer as he is, and he's leading the team in points, do you think there's another team that could absorb that kind of player in the way that he plays?
Can you imagine going into a market and watching him sort of stand around, shooting pucks, getting 28, 30, 35 goals, but you're like, we're playing with four guys out here.
Right.
We give the puck to him and then he's still it's like it's very different to watch him play now. So maybe this fast tracks like if he's going to play one more year, maybe this forces him to rethink that and and stop in Washington a year early. I would think that whatever he was going to do before John Carlson was traded is the same thing. He will do now after. In the moment, it's raw. It hurts.
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