Diving Deeper Into The Marner Situation w/ Jesse Blake | The Chris Johnston Show

On This episode of The Chris Johnston show Jesse Blake and Chris Johnston go over a variety of topics including:

0:00 Going on the road
5:00 Mitch Marner
16:00 Lane Lambert/Leafs coaching staff
23:30 Amazon docu-series
35:40 Stanley Cup Final storylines
46:00 Looking back at the Tkachuk trade
49:00 Martin Necas
52:00 Anaheim Ducks trade rumours
55:30 Stick Taps

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uh I know that some in our audience know the finer points of hockey the Chris Johnston show we are your friends the biggest stories bringing you inside the game what did you hear the Chris Johnson show what is going on here’s Chris with your host Julian McKenzie part of the game CJ Julian is once again jet setting around the world so I’ve stepped in for him here and you are about to be jet setting off to Florida to cover the staning final are you excited is there like a buzz under your skin getting ready to go see the cup hopefully uh soon get lifted yeah I I love this it’s my favorite thing that I get to do in this job is You Know cover the final series you know especially the last night whenever the final game is whichever team wins um it’s pretty special to be there when it’s lifted they they let all the families and friends of the players come on the ice and and the staff of the team and it’s amazing that we just get to kind of soak it all in and and and sort of share in that so um I’m pretty excited I’m at the anxiety stage where I’m a few hours away from my flight and I haven’t even started packing yet uh you know the the possibility that this thing could have me on the road till June 25th um and in fact if it goes to June 25th I might just go straight to Vegas for the draft so this is a this is a mega pack um so I’m in I’m I’m a last minute Packer and and it’s always to my detriment cuz right now I’m just thinking of all the things I should have done or didn’t do or the load of laundry I got to switch over or maybe the dry cleaning I got to pick up and all that stuff that’s that’s what I want to know when you mentioned the packing I was I want to know if are you a pro at it now like do you know what you need on a road trip and everything you’re like cuz you left leave it so last minute you know what you need or is it like every time it’s a panic no I know what I need the The X Factor here is you know I don’t go to Florida in June too often so there’s kind of like an extra set of casual clothes that wouldn’t would be needed you know shorts and the like for um you know that kind of stuff but I mean let’s face it it’s more or less the same pack every time it’s just also the length of this trip that that’s that’s certainly unusual the possibility that it’s that long funny thing is if it’s a sweep I’ll be home in whatever 10 days and it won’t it won’t won’t be that that big a deal but um yeah that’s I’m I’m down to Logistics right now but underneath the logistics there’s certainly a bunch of excitement and I think it’s going to be you know potentially a very special series I mean we’ll see what plays out but I think I think all the ingredients are there for something uh pretty memorable I’m excited to hear your journey just back and forth as a media member from Florida Edmonton because the travel has obviously been a big deal because it’s been this the furthest ever Stanley Cup between two teams so I’m just excited to hear your plane trips back and forth and how that’s going to go yeah I was doing a ESPN Radio hit down in the states and like oh it’s good for your airpls I’m like I guess it is I mean hadn’t really viewed it that way myself but it it’s it’s literally each oneway journey is about a trip to year up from Toronto I mean it’s basically 10-hour travel days when you factor in that there’s you have to connect somewhere um and you know I don’t mind flying you know I’ve I’ve always said half jokingly but half serious I benefit from having short legs because I I fit nicely even in the the most comfy of airplane seats and I usually just chill out do some work have a nap whatever it is so um you know I’m not I’m not too bothered by the travel aspect but let’s catch up in two weeks time maybe if there’s a bunch of massive delays you you end up having to spend a night in a random City I had to do that once actually in uh the San Jose Pittsburgh final I had all messed up travel one of the games and I had to spend a night in Chicago between games and I literally flew in to Pittsburgh the day of whatever game that was game five or six whatever it was at the time but uh Sometimes some point is sometimes when you have these long Journeys you end up in places you don’t expect when the day starts I I I guess there’s a reason they call this the short King pod with you and Julian yeah man that’s why Julian can Jet Set I mean we haven’t seen Julian he’s on a plane but he he fits in nicely in those seats I mean a tall guy like yourself I’m sure you got to really uh think about where you’re going to sit on the plane whereas I I’ll take whatever middle row or whatever seat you want to give me I don’t remember the last time I I didn’t have to pay extra for the exit row seat like I had to choose that seat because I’m 6’4 so I can’t just fit in any seat so I always get that extra exit row seat so that’s the inconvenience of not being a short King exactly so there’s there’s benefits I mean we take some we take a lot of [ __ ] over the years especially when you’re a kid being a short kid but but uh it pays off in some ways too all right so so the Leafs somehow even though the Stanley conf are about to get out of their way I guess this this l in this period between the the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup finals has allowed the Leafs to make the NHL news about themselves and the latest is Mitch Marner obviously because that’s the the biggest story around the team and LeBron spoke bradr living and he got some quotes about Mitch Marner and that situation that’s going on I want to read them to you and then I just want to get the dump of your notebook on the latest on Mitch Marner so so Pier LeBron spoke to trilling and trilling said this the thing I would say is be very very careful of what you read out there Mitch is a hell of a player he’s going into the last year of his contract we’re not going to comment on any players any business that we conduct we’ll do that between Darren Ferris and us we’re not going to do play-by-play on it we’ve got to look at every possible way for our team to get better CJ what do you know about Mitch what’s the latest on his situation and Darren Ferris is reports uh reportedly talking to the media and getting some things out there through the media well you know what I’d say is right now everything remains on the table and I don’t think the Leafs are locked in on it it has to go a certain way you know they haven’t they haven’t for example said internally okay we have to trade him or we have to extend him I think that they’re approaching this still with an open mind and a range of possibilities and and you know part of that is because of the control that Mitch Marner has in his own situation and and you know so this is probably going to play out a little bit more slowly than I think people wanted to at times um because remember Mitch Marner isn’t eligible to sign an extension until July 1 uh obviously there can be some discussions ahead of time but it just doesn’t seem like at this point in time he and his his side are are all that interested in exploring an extension ahead of time and so you know what that does is is I think you know the Leafs are going to go through these next few weeks they’re going to get to the draft I mean there’s lots of other business that they’re involved in Beyond just the mner file and at some point in time they’re going to have to broach the subject of okay is there an extension at all or is it just an absolute no is it is he going to play it out and and you know look it whichever way it goes you know Mitch Marner has the contractual right to do that I mean it’s it’s his call but I think that how that all the interplay back and forth might partly inform what happens there and you know look the Leafs probably internally understand they if they bring Mitch Marner back next season there’s a possibility they’re just walking him to free agency I mean that that possibility remained for William neander last year there were there were very little talk between the nander camp basically from the draft in Nashville until training camp there was almost no discussion with the Leafs you know it did start up again in September when when William got back to Toronto and and you know over the course of a couple months plus how he played that they finally got to a spot where they extended him but you know I think that the Leafs are going to have to be cognizant of that and you of course other teams are going to call and say would you move Marner and then I think the leaf will at least have to listen and see what the deals look like and so you know I realize that this is not giving everyone what they want that everyone wants to know how it’s going to end I I really believe that all paths remain open and you know it’s going to be a delicate dance it might ultimately come down to a spot where the Leafs have to sort of press Darren Ferris um Mitch’s agent and say okay is is there any extension possibility what would the number be is there any would you move is no move and you know they’re going to have to find a way to to make this work but um you know I don’t think the Leafs are 100% committed to bringing them back but they’re certainly not 100% committed to trading them either I think you know basically you know the the one thing that remains from the end of the season is management came out and said everything is on the table this summer you know that is a difference from previous Summers uh and this is obviously only brde TR living second summer as a GM but basically every other year when the seasons ended the lease management or upper management we’re saying nothing’s nothing’s got to change here everything’s fine we we’ll Tinker around the margins I think they’re certainly looking at bigger changes possibly but I mean it’s going to we’ll have to see how this goes with Mitch M I mean I I think that he is quite comfortable playing this right to free agency next summer for him I mean imagine if he we’re getting way ahead of ourselves now it’s almost 13 months from now but imagine if he became a free agent July 1st 2025 I mean when’s the last time at at that age a player in his prime has has become a Pure UFA I mean might be John tarus actually might be the the best equivalent you know Mitch Marner 90 plus points every year still on the right side of 30 if your team looking at signing him I mean that there’s that’s a pretty lucrative possibility for him too so um I think this is playing out slowly I know the lines of communication remain open that there there have been ongoing sort of discussions about the situation where everyone’s at um and so I I don’t think it’s it’s it’s not good or bad I just think the Leafs are feeling their way through this and we’ll see where where things you know I think by the draft and into July 1st we should have a better sense of where this is probably headed do you see the Leafs coming to the conclusion that they can just have Mitch Marner on the roster and walk into free agency or would a stalemate in the negotiations force them to force him to wave his no moves and find a trading partner I think they’re very wary of making a bad trade which you know you you you would be every time you’re making a trade but you know if you’re if you’re considering trading one of your franchise his all time best players by by points by the kind of Records Mitch has has racked up still in the prime of his career I mean the the possibility of that going aride like you might never come out from under that so I think that they’re they’re not going to commit to ever like we have to do this I think that you know it’s more about what the marketplace yields you know what they hear back from the Marner Camp I mean look I I think that they would walk him to free agency if they had to partially because they have no control over it I mean he he literally has full control now it’s very very rare for a player when he’s made to be felt unwelcome or that the team wants to move on to say well I’m not moving and just you deal with it um you I think that’s that’s much easier said on a podcast than than lived in reality right I mean it’s much easier for us to say oh yeah you could just say that but imagine saying that to your boss and having to go to work every day having your teammates maybe know that I mean it would be uncomfortable um but yeah the Leafs have to they have no control in the situation I mean they have enough control that they can try to influence things a certain way but he’s got final say that’s why those New Movement Clauses are very punitive uh it’s it’s even different than when guys get say limited no trade a 10 team no trade list it’s very very different because that just guarantees there’s 10 teams say or what whatever way it’s worded there are a list of teams that you don’t need permission to send a play or two you can just make a trade you know the Leafs don’t have that flexibility here and so you know this this is going to I think it’s going to play out slowly quite honestly I I don’t think we’re going to know one way or another for a good number of weeks yet 100% which way it’s headed and so you know it’s notable that I think the Leafs are at least willing to consider trading him but that’s a long way from saying it’s going to happen or you know this is what it looks like I I think that that’s still kind of uh metrica behind the scenes all right and last question on this just because I think people are curious do you know if they’ve made any if R living has made any calls to other teams or teams have inquired to the Leafs about Mitch Marner and the possibility of a trade or is that still going to just play out over the next weeks and months well the one benefit of all the noise around this is I don’t think Brad SCH living has to make any phone calls I mean I think that you know obviously as part of his job he’s talking to GMS every day around the league but you know I think the other GMS are curious more from his end you know how he’s viewing this you know they’re seeing their media reports they’re seeing the speculation and so absolutely I think team are are what we call Tire kicking um to see what it might take and and you know it would be an intriguing trade if it happened I mean it would be a blockbuster no matter what the return is um it it would be one of those moments where you’re literally drawing a line and it’s like everything that it’s like before the trade and after the trade and it really is a demarcation point for the franchise if something like that happens and and you know I don’t think it’s gotten anywhere near a stage where they have to take anything to Marner camp or anything like that but certainly you know this is a this is an important window I mean on the surface nothing is happening in the NHL right now right like there’s no there’s not a lot of announcements of any sort and we did have the mcdna trade and and and the like um but there really isn’t a lot happening on the surface but beneath the surface the everything all the dominoes are getting lined up right now for trades that happen at the draft for what plays out on July 1 when free agency opens uh not to say there’s tampering the league but there’s certainly lots of General discussion about well if you had a player like this that could fit this need you know there’s a lot of lining up the the the the uh dominoes right now I think and and then you know once we get through the Cup Final you push the first one and they all start to fall so you know I think this is a really busy period of non-activity that’s obvious but a lot that’s getting lined up behind the scenes and um you know the maror conversations will be part of that too yeah there’s no tampering in the league but suddenly on July 1st deals are just all negotiated and and the pen is to pay and they’re ready to sign but nobody’s ever talked before 1201 on July 1st so they don’t even hide it I mean some of the announcements come at like 12:15 like like like right after um you know I kind of get it though because it it is this a supply and demand thing right so if you’re an agent well it goes both ways if you’re an agent with a client whatever a left Winger who’s you know could play on the top two lines there’s maybe four guys like that that fit that out there and then so you’re you’re trying to make sure you get your client to the best best spot possible if you’re a team with a specific need and you’re like ah there’s only about three guys I could see signing for this need you have to be sure and so I just think the market forces kind of bring it together I don’t think all the deals are fully cooked don’t get me wrong I mean some obviously are I I think you know some of them do come down to that day and and and often we see pretty good players go to the second or third day free agency because things don’t fall their way you know even the way the Leafs got Max doy and Tyler berui both were looking for more on July 1 last year than they got they’re looking for more security especially longer term contracts and and then the leas were able to Circle back and get them on one-year deals on the second and third day so um you know it’s not all fully done I don’t want everyone to think it’s a massive conspiracy theory but certainly you know I think there’s a fair bit of you know especially for things like goal tending I mean there’s only so many goalies um I I think a lot of it does get sorted out you know ahead of July 1st probably not by June 6th as it sorted out but I think the conversations are at least starting to happen on a high level uh this wasn’t the only piece of news that the Leafs made this week they also brought in an associate coach they haven’t previously had associate coaches so this is kind of a new spot for them Elaine Lambert comes over after a stint on the island uh two years as their head coach and they uh let go of Dean so we’ve on the Steve Dango podcast we’ve been calling him a chenowith but that’s not correct at all Cheno actual last name uh they let go of Dean Cheno so uh those two pieces of uh Craig Buu’s new staff one going out one coming in what do you make of that yeah well in Dean Chow’s case he had he was on an expiring contract and so they’re just letting that expire and and letting him essentially become a free agent you know obviously there was a world when Craig Brew Bas first hired where maybe they have a conversation or there’s a fit there and and and you know that he could have been extended so he moves on and in Lane Lambert’s case you know I think what really drew the Leafs to him is all the time he spent working with Barry truck you know he had three seasons with trots in Nashville uh many moons ago he went with them to Washington was part of the staff that won the Stanley Cup there in 2018 and Then followed trotz to Long Island as an assistant for a number of years before ultimately replacing him as the head coach when trotz uh you know moved on from from New York and and if you look at what was some of those teams known for was a lot of structure strong defensive play uh throughout the lineup I mean you look at the the two teams the Islanders went back to back to Eastern Conference Final with uh 2020 and 2021 I believe it was um you know those teams were not the most skilled in the conference but they they were got a lot out of the lineup uh they played a specific style you know the capitals finally got it together too in some ways defensively after being a little too high flying prior to tr’s time there and so I think that the Leafs really view that experience maybe more so than his head coaching experience it was kind of mixed results I would say for Lane Lambert as a head coach but but he’s been part of some pretty successful staffs and and I think that the Leafs are bullish on his ability to help draw more of the defensive side of the game um out of this team and and you know some of that will be addressed I would think with the roster moves we see this summer and and what the Leafs look to you know do in free agency and maybe on the trade market um but that’s kind of where he fits in and and obviously highly highly experienced guy that that’s that’s why he gets the associate coach title that probably means more money although I don’t know what his contract is in this case but um you know he he comes with all that experience from being part of those teams a lot of teams that that won games that have played deep in the playoffs one that won the whole thing and and you know that’s uh that should be a benefit to Craig Brew Bay staff and and you know it’s still being rounded out I think this process has been maybe a little bit slower than expected in terms of just finalizing the assistant but this is a really really unusual time or unique time for coaches in the NHL I mean with all the head coaching changes you’ve seen that that comes with you know the trickle down is you know often maybe they’ll keep an assistant or two from the previous staff but usually a couple move on and so there are a lot of move it’s it’s really musical chairs right now with assistant coaches and the like and so obviously that would apply to you know some of the other guys at Le might be talking to are looking at uh they’re probably in the running for other jobs pretty safe to say um and you know we’ll just have to see how everything breaks down I should mention too the Lea did something a little unusual last year with their their assistant coaches they had four uh which is is more than usual and they essentially were like coordinators kind of in football uh like they had literally you know one person who did power play one who did penalty killing one who did the defense and one who did the forwards and so I’m not sure if that approach is going to remain um okay but it’s something to keep in mind because you know right now they still have Mike Van Ryan and KB under contract uh and now they’ve added Lane Lambert but you know there would appear to be at least one more spot there and and you know we’ll have to see how the duties are exactly divided I don’t think that’s all been 100% determined just yet is there cuz Manny multra also moved on uh from the Leaf’s organization then you mentioned the two that are still remaining is there a chance they they move off of gibus and Van Ry or are they sticking around or is that confirmed or not not confirmed I would expect Mike Van Ryan especially will stay he’s he’s only had one year on the staff already he happened to have worked with Craig breu and St Louis so there’s that continuity there um gbsh is in a similar spot in that he’s only been one year on the Lea staff uh he ran the power play uh last season and you know that didn’t go that well went went well for a time I mean the Leafs had pretty strong power play through the first four or five months of the regular season but towards the end of the year and in the playoffs it it let them down and so you know we’ll have to see where they land there I mean I think there’s a possibility given gbsh is also quite experienced right he’s been a head coach a couple occasions um you know known for actually teaching defensively strong teams I mean maybe his responsibilities are shifted you know that’s not to totally unprecedented maybe they bring in someone just for the power play and he you know takes on a new portfolio I mean there’s there’s a lot that goes on coaching is has expanded a lot in the in the last number of years in the NHL I mean most teams now have two video coaches as Leafs do as I said they went to the sort of coordinator setup last year um and then you’ve obviously got the person at the head of of the staff so um you know it’s still waiting to see how everything shakes down uh with with the Craig buub and his staff in Toronto but you know Lane Lambert I can see how they landed there and and you know for him it was probably a question do you know do you want to wait around to to maybe be you know because he still was under contract to the Islanders so he would have been paid translation uh you know do you want to wait in next season to be an available option for an inseason coaching change or you know do you want to take that step back and and you know go the associate role and obviously they managed to convince him to to do that and um yeah I mean they’re hoping he bring some of that Barry trt’s Magic because certainly was known for getting the most out of his teams when when he was a head coach in the league this episode of the Chris Johnston show is brought to you by Shady Rays get ready for the season ahead with quality Shades built to last our friends at Shady Rays have you covered with premium polarized Shades that won’t break the bank Shady Rays is an independent sunglasses company offering a worldclass product rated five stars by over 300,000 people the shades have durable frames and Crystal Clear Optics making them the perfect choice for all Outdoor Adventures you’ve seen us hype up the product before you know how great they look go get yourself a pair right now plus if your Shades ever go missing or take an unexpected hit don’t sweat it they have the most insane protection in all of eyewear every pair is backed by lost or broken Replacements and if you don’t love your Shades exchange them for a new pair or return WorryFree within 30 days there’s no risk when you shop their team always has your back with personal and fast support go to Shady r.com and use the code Johnston for 50% off two or more pairs of polarized sunglasses Shady r.com use the code Johnston for 50% off two or more pairs of polarized sunglasses and the last piece of Leaf’s adjacent news uh Amazon dropped like a preview trailer of their new series that they’re doing which is basically the equivalent to if anybody out there seeing full swing on Netflix for the golfer or drive to survive uh the F1 Show on Netflix and this comes from the producers of drive to survive actually they they’ve hired them and make this Dock and fall around a bunch of nhlers and do the inside look on their lives William nander was featured in the preview trailer along with David poono and a couple other NH Ellers and we got a full list and they say among others uh after at the end of this list but some of the names they mention uh that’ll be featured in the in-depth dock is Conor McDavid Matthew kachuck Jacob trouba Leon dry cidal David Pasto Jeremy Swan Quinn Hughes Jack eel Willie forsberg Philip forsberg and Gabriel Landis goog so CJ I know you know some things about what’s been filmed already but no spoilers for the people out there uh but do you have any insight on how this is going to roll out the what we can expect out of this series and out of these players well you know I know this is something the League’s very excited about and you know they got a maybe I would call it a little bit of a late start on the project um the from what I understand like the director first I believe he came to Toronto at the all-star weekend and met with some of the players to start to lay out a vision of what they’d be asking for I think they they filmed some of the initial scenes in March but you know it’s late in the season to start asking for players for access to their lives um you know obviously they have cameras behind the scenes in the playoffs I can tell you being on the ground in the lease Bruin series there was a camera crew following neander everywhere he went and you know he had kind of a newsy first round right there was those games he missed with the migraine issue uh to start the series he he scored a couple goals when he came back um so you know I’m sure you’ll get that that sort of requisite behind the scenes stuff from you know from the ice rank from the hockey rank but but you know I think they really want to tell the stories of the players themselves and some in some cases maybe their family members and so I don’t know to what degree they got ended up being able to get access to that thing I do know they’re hoping this is more than just a one-off and so let’s hope it’s it’s good enough that you know they can take even better run at it the next time around um but you know the other thing I was told early on is that they planed it to basically over film right like they they’re filming a lot of different players just in case because you know when you start in March and even April you don’t know which team’s going to be playing for the cup and obviously the teams that play the longest I think those players will probably be featured the most prominently and so you’re looking there at Conor McDavid LeAndre iidle and Matthew kachuck who are you know part of the two teams contesting this St Cup Final I think you’ll see a lot of them I know with nander and past neck obviously they played together in so Italia and Sweden as kids teenagers uh their friendship goes back that far know that they did something together and you know it’s only natural the way it turned out to Le and Bruins play in the first round and one of those two scored the overtime winning goal in game S I won’t spoil that in case you you missed uh what happened there uh but I’m sure that that’s a neat little storyline in addition to what was going on with neander um and I I think they really do I I’ve really like the full swing Jesse I’m a I’m a golf fan uh in my day-to-day life and and I love the two seasons they’ve put out of that show so I’m very optimistic we’re going to see the players in a different light um that we’re gonna you know I think hardcore hockey fans have an appreciation of what the battle is like to win a Stanley Cup what what the players go through but you know there’s a chance to draw casual viewers into that you know because some people like I watched the the the tennis documentary um I can’t remember that one was called uh break point breaking Breaking Point break point but I actually watch some of that and I watch almost no highle tennis in at all so like I think some people are just drawn to these these kind of access sport shows and so I think there’s a hope that it can help sort of you know tell the Stars story a little bit more than we’re used to seeing in hockey give a real appreciation to those that maybe don’t follow the playoffs so closely what the players go through and then you know I just hope it’s entertaining so it’s all going to be rolled out in the fall as my understanding um so we get the we get the little tease now we get the names and we know kind of you can start to see where the story lines might go but um we’re going to have to wait till October or so I think before we see the final product I think it’s a real interesting evolution in the NHL because they’re they’re behind in this obviously because all the other major sports leagues except for baseball who I believe is working on one as well um have have gone down this this route already the NBA has got one coming out uh very soon on Netflix football quarterback we just shout them out too quarterback I thought was great it was great series I didn’t see that one I should watch it I loved uh learning about Kurt Cousins and his his family life and everything there and then they also F follow Patty Mahomes and that’s the biggest star in the sport so that’s super interesting it was great great uh done by them but the NHL like people have been asking for this you know all these sports leagues are going down these Avenues and what it did for F1 and growing the game so it’s good to see them getting these players and all these players signing up for this and hopefully this gives the NHL in the league another push another Avenue where people can discover the game and fall in love with these players and get to know their personalities yeah and you know what’s interesting is they actually brought the producer and the director of the the series 2 Florida for the GMS meetings and basically delivered a message like this is really important to the League this is this is something that we have to get behind we know traditionally maybe some teams haven’t wanted to provide this kind of access or they’ve you know made it difficult like this is this is so important we’re bringing these guys in the room listen listen to them trust them and so you know well I haven’t heard yet how that’s gone I’m sure we’ll get a better sense maybe as we get through the playoffs here you know as we can debrief a little bit on on did they get what they need was was the players willing enough to engage was it the teams putting up roadblocks but I think that has been part of the problem in the NHL and and you know I don’t even remember way back I think the first road to the Winter Classic the Pittsburgh Washington one was the gold standard for me of of hockey behind the scenes shows like they really did show different personalities they showed the coaches losing it on play like it got more and more sanitized over time like even that year that they were embedded with the Leafs for an entire season and they ended up um losing that that blowing that 3-1 lead to Montreal in round one like they’re there had to have been much better things you know much more tension behind the scenes that wasn’t shown I think because you know I I I’ve just heard secondhand I’ll call it that there was a lot of interesting scenes that were like included in the first cut that got cut you know because you’ve got the the players themselves you got the Players Association you got the league and so I don’t know I just hope that they’re willing to like allow this I’m not saying it has to be a bunch of swearing or I’m not even thinking of one thing in particular but I just hope it’s not completely sanitized like there’s an understanding I think an audience in 2024 can I think that we can understand Nuance a little bit more we don’t need as much beeping or or you know like we understand that that there’s there’s conflict I mean part of part of the amazing part of the sport frankly is just how intense it is right and and so I hope I hope that comes through that’s just my personal rant but I do know that at the high levels of the league that that this is very important and and every team was told that back in March now we’ll see if uh the final product reflects that that everyone took that seriously that that’s very interesting to hear because I feel like that’s a complete left turn of what we think about the NHL and that’s very forward thinking of them to realize that yeah getting that behind the scenes access getting these players to buy in and having the ability to just hey we don’t need to cut all of the interesting parts and we got to show that to to the consumer like that’s very good to hear that the NHL is fighting for that behind the scenes because like you said you mentioned the leaf stock that Amazon did in the 2021 season when they blew it to Montreal I was so upset with what we didn’t see because I remember the ending of that too they just kind of lost and that was the last episode and there was no followup and that was it and everybody just kind of moved on it’s like we don’t want to talk about this loss and I was was like no this was an epic collapse and we need more from this and yeah didn’t it just end on like kind of like a still camera and I was like Marner and Matthews just kind of like heading their hands but like we didn’t get any interplay behind the scenes of what happened there like in fact the most memorable scene for me I mean there’s lots of funny lines and stuff that have maybe but like Sheldon Keef giving it to his team before overtime in game six when they got a chance to win the series was like that was like the most real and raw you saw and then it’s like oh and by the way they lost game seven and yeah the the end of the series was completely rush like there was no details in like uh the the final like six game six and game seven were like 10 minutes worth of the series and then they they just ended that was the last episode it was I it was completely I think fumbled at the end there because the Leafs were so interesting you know it was they collapsed again here’s the thing they went I’ve done this as a reporter they went wanting to tell one story and they didn’t embrace the story that fell on their lap yeah and you know it is I can tell you like I can’t even imagine putting together a project of this size like editing as many clips and everything that they would have to over an entire season like I’m not it’s easy for me to sit back and and Chirp these guys but you you sometimes show up at an arena maybe I go to game one of the cup final thick and I’m gonna find one story and if you if you hang on to that too long and you don’t embrace the one that’s in front of you it I think it shows like it just felt uneven and that’s that’s what happened they were there to tell the story of the year the Leafs got it right like and the leaf got it incredibly wrong I mean I think if you look if you look back at all time I mean with time we get more appreciation for what it means like that was the ultimate fail of of this era of the leaf teams I mean they they were by far and way the best team in the North Division that was reconstructed for the co season they had a path to the conference final through that division they like they had beat every Canadian team soundly all year long and then they fum a 3-1 lead against Montreal I mean it just that I’m not going to say that was their one opportunity they’ve obviously had some since but that was probably their best opportunity and maybe their best version of this team too I mean it depends how you view that but I think there’s at least an argument to be made and yeah so they didn’t they they missed the story they they went there to tell the good story and they didn’t realize hey the the flip side of the coin is actually more compelling anyway yeah like and I think back to some of those scenes like we got a lot of Justin Hall in his backyard like playing uh golf and chipping into his backyard green like that kind of stuff and none of that in in retrospect matters because we wanted to see this great team that won the division and the collapse that ensued and that wasn’t what they told at all and you remember like the scene where dubis and Shanahan are making a trade and and dubis turns to Shanahan and he gets the thumbs up to do the final deal and like that stuff was super compelling and we saw so little little of it it was just that one scene you know and we wanted more of that I love that Paul mlan you know he was the he was like a coaching adviser and he’s like these guys got demons in their cars demons under their beds like that was a pretty lasting quote uh oh yeah and I think he was right I mean this is the flip side of everything like I’ve thought about this in a lot of ways it you have to remain patient with teams this isn’t just apply to Leafs like you have to let things played out but at a certain point if they don’t change the results the fact you’ve been patient like that that works against you eventually right and so you’re always trying to thread that needle and it just feels like the Leafs haven’t quite knocked down their demons yet because I keep going back to the fact they lose games like in overtime in game seven like like they’re they’re not Florida Series last year I guess is an outlier in this but it’s not like they’re getting swept it’s just that they get to the moment where they can get it done and they can’t get past it um anyway we’re on a tangent now but like we we could go on this forever like we can keep circling cuz what you said about the 2021 SE season was so true like that was the year to get it done watching the path that Montreal took to the finals the Leafs could have easily been on that run and everything but we will move on to the big event that is happening the Stanley Cup Final and you mentioned some of the the story like when you walk into the arena the story lines that uh you’re looking to to write about and you’re just following the way the game goes but going into it I want you to pick maybe one a and one B from each side uh for the Florida side and the Edmonton side let’s start with Edmonton what do you looking at going in is it McDavid is it noblock is it Heyman is it Connor Brown is it Cory Perry what are the two biggest storylines you’re looking at for the Edmonton side well I would be missing the forest for the trees if I didn’t put Conor McDavid in onea I mean by far the most compelling storyline in this entire series if you’re not rooting for one team or the other is the fact we have a generational player with a chance for the first time to win the Stanley Cup to to add something to his legacy that every great player almost NHL history has has done one way or another right and so that alone just like that possibility so then what happens next is the story right the story is how does he react to that moment uh can he lift his game can he continue he’s put up so many points already 31 I believe through three rounds can he continue that way and get to 40 points which has only been done one or two times in NHL history or is this maybe a series where things don’t drop for him I mean like that’s to me how it plays out for McDavid what it means to him what it means for the history of the sport um for his legacy I mean all that stuff I think is the onea storyline of the entire series and certainly from the Edmonton end I I would call that onea um because the fact of the matter is it took him nine years to get here and we don’t know if he’ll get back I mean I I’d say it’s more than likely but you the league keeps growing like it’s 32 teams there’s lots of good good ones there’s lots of great players it just it’s not a guarantee and and so and and the truth is too is a lot of great players lose their in their first trip to the Stanley Cup um Gretzky lost in his first Crosby lost in his first um you know you can go down the list it’s obviously not every player ever Ray bour lost with you know cups with the Bruins and had to win the one in Colorado but we just a lot of players that end up as you know top 10 all-time players or all-time scorers you know they also have to to lose before they win and so that’s that’s part of the dynamic I I know that Chris noblock wants us to focus on the bills losing four Super Bowls in a row but what a quote from him that was awesome especially because he’s not you know he’s a very calm measured guy at the podium like he’s not he’s not looking for the the you know Paul Maurice is the sound bite King right yeah Chris noblock is not normally the sound bite but I don’t even know if he meant that I think he literally was just answering that and it became the sound bite from the this it went like super viral in all sports uh Avenues it was great I saw a bunch of people in Buffalo like getting mad about it like what are you mad about it’s just a statement of fact yeah NFL people like picked it up and were like we’re rooting for Florida we got to go with the Panthers because screw this guy all he’s just saying is they went to multiple finals and didn’t and they weren’t better for you know their their past Super Bowl experiences they kept losing in the big game I mean anyway I think it hurts a little in Buffalo to think about it yeah I I would imagine I mean can you imagine going to four straight championships and watching your team lose yeah like imagine that happened in Steve dangle and the Leafs I it would I don’t know if I think that would be the breaking point like at that point you’re like I give up you know it’s not meant for me right it’s just not meant to happen no um so my second storyline for Edmonton that one’s a little tougher like because I think there’s lots of different ways you can go there like I’m very intrigued by Stuart Skinner and how he gets through this I mean he kind of lowkey had a great performance in the conference final but I think people are still thinking about you know in the Vancouver Series in round two he got removed for a game um you know had some tough nights there talked about his own struggles like pretty openly full credit to him um but you know you just there’s a little bit of unpredictability I think about what what you’ll get from him in this series um you know and Heyman I mean I love the Zach kimman story honestly I mean just to to become a 50 goal scorer to be to be the guy leading the league uh in in goal scoring in the playoffs is is pretty incredible he was a Florida Panthers draft pick you may forget too was Zach kman uh so he’s he’s going against the team that he could have been for um and obviously just knowing Zach a little bit from his time in Toronto you know be watching him closely I I don’t I don’t have like an overriding one probably the goal tending though I think if Edmonton’s going to win the series you know you need that first line to be game Breakers but also you know they need steuart Skinner to to keep playing well and so you know he’s going to be under a microscope even greater than he has before uh would like to see how he gets through that you know from the the Florida end of things I think you I got to start with barov he’s done such a great job in these playoffs of shutting down all the top talent he’s lined up against the the the covs and the the paner benad um you know really I don’t know the exact numbers but I know that there’s not been many goals against when he’s been on the ice and he’s been drawing the very difficult assignments well you can’t get a harder assignment right now than the Ryan nen Hopkins Zack kimman and and Conor McDavid line and I suspect especially for the first two games which started in home ice and the Panthers have last changed that he’s going to see a ton of head-to-head ice time with them and so you know how he handles that um Rises to the occasion I mean Florida you know we we take for granted because they’re in their second straight cup but they you know losing a cup and getting back to next year is not the easiest thing to do I think it’s the second time in 40 years something like that’s happened so um you know there’s a lot on the line for them because they they’ve been here and they know what it feels like uh to to you know watch the other team celebrate with The Jug uh so you know be be interesting like they’re they’re probably favored in this series right it’s a little different Dynamic than last year with Vegas where you know Florida was kind of a Cinderella run in some ways this one hasn’t felt Cinderella at all I mean this is a top team all year long and that’s that’s gone quite methodically through the playoffs and now they’re expected deliver so you know barkov’s my one story what’s my two I almost want to say kachuck just because he’s such a personality yeah and you know a little bit of history there from the Battle of Alberta days when when he was on the Calgary side like you kind of feel like you got Cory Perry in this series you got kachuck you got Sam Bennett like it feels like there’s going to be maybe a little more animosity even though it’s not two teams that have natural animosity they don’t play each other very often I I think it’ll be a series with some spice to it and so I guess I’m looking at the that’s kind of the Panthers game a little bit they like to play in the alley uh so you know kachuck Bennett um you know intrigues me to see you know does that become a positive thing for the Panthers are they able to get Edmonton off their game or does it be something we’re talking about like oh my God they’re taking so many penalties and the Oilers are making them pay I mean I think that that is a big Dynamic for the series but I mean lots of personality in this series and and you know just being in Canada is it’s different I mean I’m a Canadian I don’t know if a neutral views it that way if you’re a big hockey fan from Texas maybe you don’t care there’s a Canadian team in it but I I do think that the scenes and the vibe in in Edmonton in particular are going to be pretty crazy and yeah I mean 1993 man I know that I’m not I like I don’t even have time for this argument about Canada’s team thing like I just think it’s it’s so self-evident but it would be pretty cool if you don’t have a rooting interest just to see a Canadian team win especially if they could win it in their own city um I think it’s weird that people think it means nothing you know like it means something if Canada wins well of course I mean there’s no country on Earth where the sport is is has more prominence than it does in Canada like there’s more players that play minor hockey in Canada than any other country in the world we produce more nhlers we produce more stars Conor McDavid happens to be from Canada um as did Sydney Crosby Wayne Gretzky Mar Lemieux Bobby or uh down the list Gordy how so Jean bivo but I you know I yes like hockey matters here that doesn’t mean that if you’re watching from the Mari times you give a [ __ ] about the Oilers per se but like it would be I think everyone can understand the passion that those it’s markets would feel it’s like when the Red Sox finally ended their drought right like I think even if you’re not a Red Sox fan like you know how important the team is there how long it had been everything they’d been through like I think there’s an element of that for the country um it’s funny I just watched the the riot documentary that the 30 for30 that ESPN did in Vancouver and I’m hoping there’s not a riot is my only thing if that happens because like I I think like it’s such a huge Civic moment right I mean and there’s a lot of emotion wrapped up in it so I’m excited to be part of a series um that that includes games in a Canadian city because that it hasn’t really happened much lately I know Munch for all was there but that was Co times and there wasn’t even full buildings um then you got to go what to Vancouver 2011 yeah it’s been point is it’s been a long time even since the Canadian markets had a chance to do something like this and obviously I think the Oilers have every reason to feel like they can win the series because I picked them in six so hopefully that’s not a jinx for them is that your official pick is that that’s what we’re going with that’s my official pick okay okay I picked him to start the year I mean it’s funny because there I didn’t have to amend that pick in November I’m glad I didn’t but I would I wouldn’t be telling you what my pick was If That season hadn’t gone the way it looked like it was going in November but right I was I was among those picking the Oilers right right from the beginning and and I think if you look at their underlying numbers like they they were the best team in the league this year you know obviously just had a really terrible start uh but Chris noblock has been the right coach for the the group and you know Evan Bard’s emergence trading for Matias eome the previous trade deadline like I I think they’ve brought together pretty solid team there’s no perfect teams in this league but um it’s going to be tough for the Panthers to stop them I think no it’s it’s going to be a f there’s so many different story lines you think about going in uh to this Saturday in the Stanley Cup and I just one thing I want to throw out there on the Florida side and the kachuck huberto trade and how that’s going to be looked at in history if kachuck ends up winning a Stanley Cup in Florida like do we look back and say that’s one of the greatest trades ever that Florida was able to pull off you get get this player who if he leads the team in scoring or something like that in the Stanley Cup Final and ends up and winning lifting the cup on their their behalf like is it is it one of the greatest trades of all time like it does it Ender that lexicon for the NHL I think so I mean look at he’s been their star player now in two straight runs to The Cup Final um unheard of that they could trade for that guy in his prime and have that become the case I mean the interesting debate is if you’re Bill Zito what’s Bill Zito’s best trade he also traded for you know Sam Bennett Sam Reinhardt Brandon Montour like a bunch of the key parts of this team were acquired in deals in a what 18mon window uh kach Chuck’s obviously just the I would say the best and most impactful player among that group although Reinhard just had 57 goals this season so maybe I should I should be careful with being too strong on that point but you know I think it could go down as one of the best trades ever you know I don’t know how that makes you feel if you’re a leaf fan and you know the the GM on the other side of that trade was Brad true living in in Calgary you know and but I don’t even put that together but I don’t even mean this as a shot like he was in a tough spot in that deal right he had context well he had Matthew kachuck who wasn’t willing to sign a long-term deal in Calgary who was one year from being a UFA you know what do you do do you sign him to a one-year deal and and walk him away do you know obviously they they opted to try to work with him and you know maximize the return and at least get pieces back but you know this there could be some Hallmarks here if if you’re not careful with a Marner trade right because I don’t think in the moment anyone thought it was the fleecing it looks like now uh you know in huberto and weager they got two pretty good players and and huberto was coming off whatever 114 Point Season or something like that or 10-point season whatever it was but you know just he unfortunately he was the older player his game hasn’t either fit in Calgary or he’s taken enough of a fallof or a combination of the two they sign him to a monster extension uh that’s an overpay so this is the danger I guess when you’re when you’re moving when you’re you’re not you’re not trading pawns here right like when you’re trading like the the king or queen on your chess board you better be careful that you make the right move and so um I know you weren’t bringing that up in relation to Marner but it kind of ties with our earlier conversation that if you’re if you just feel like just moving him solves a problem create opens 11 million in cap space like yeah on one hand yes but on the other if he goes and wins Stanley Cup in two years somewhere else you might go like ah and you’re sitting here with like kind of magic beans you’re like uh that doesn’t look so good yeah that that’s a perfect segue to our last little bit of news and notes it’s a trio of players who are on the Block right now um there I assume no trade is going to get done within the next couple weeks as the Stanley Cup Final uh go is underway but the Carolina Hurricanes are very open about moving off of Marty niches and the Vancouver Canucks who tried to get him when they were negotiating with Elias Pon and the Montreal Canadians who need scoring and and a highend skilled forward like niches have been the Front Runners in the the news that has been out there and apparently half of the League’s teams according to Pier LeBrun and the athletic have also called on martines do you have any info on where he could land as the hurricanes look to move off of him you know it’s going to be a tough deal to make Carolina is in a situation where they don’t want back future or draft picks or anything like that and so you know how many teams can give them a player that makes it make sense and that team wants to give up that player for the you know I think it’s hard to find a fit which is you know you can understand why there’s immense interest in the guy but he’s also coming off a down year for himself personally he’s he’s only got two years of control left for whatever team uh you know trades for him so you’re you’re you’re either signing him to a short-term deal and potentially walking him right out the door as a UFA or you’re signing him to a long-term deal in which case you’re going to have to spend a lot of money and not be sure what you have as part of this and so absolutely like team like monreal has interest you know the same way they’ve called on Trevor zis and Anaheim you know they’re looking for players that fit the window of kind of the guys they’ve drafted in the last number of years right these guys fit the window they’re they’re you know 24 23 years old kind of thing presumably they can grow with the core of the team um I just don’t know if they’re going to be able to give Carolina what what it wants and I I certainly think the hurricanes are willing to bring niches back as much as they’re open about wanting to deal him I think he would like a fresh start you know I believe he’s he’s made trade requests in fact in the past like couple Seasons more than once um and so you know may ultimately be the Carolina and he have to live together and they’re signing him to that extension and maybe trying to get a fresh start give him different Power Play usage or something that maybe you know fuels what he feels like he needs in terms of his deployment um but you know there’s a lot of interest in them but I just I don’t get the sense that anything’s close or anything like that I would also say though there’s nothing that prevents the trade from happening during the Cup Final I mean I think it’s safe to say it won’t happen on a game day the league would probably urge the teams to register a trade if one gets reached on some of the off days during the series but there’s not a complete news moratorium I just don’t think there’s too much business that has to get done in June that there’s no you know it might be kind of an unofficial like hey if it can wait make it wait but I I do think that there’s there’s a world where you see whether it’s niches or someone else I could see a trade being made in this window it’s not there won’t be a lot of them and it’s not particularly likely but it is possible okay and I guess because there’s so many off days in between the games you know you have those two off days in between a lot of the games that a trade could easily happen between GMS and the League’s okay with that news getting out and you mentioned uh Trevor zis to Montreal uh the the last two players who are on the Block Pat ruek was talking about how uh uh John Gibson and Trevor zis could potentially be moved in Anaheim are they trying to win a lot sooner than we think or are they like why why are they moving off of their starting goenda goalie named Lucas doal who’s coming off a really strong rookie season he just played for Chia at the world championships was named the golender of the tournament in fact he made 104 saves on 107 shots in the last three games that being the quarterfinal game semi-final game and gold medal game so the most important games that his team faced in the tournament and he was virtually unbeatable and I just think they’re very high on him and you know it might be time with John Gibson too I mean he’s been there a long long time that team hasn’t you know it’s kind of been Treading Water I guess is the best way to say it near the bottom of the league for the last couple years I mean I think that they would be doing right by him if they could find him maybe a spot where he gets a chance to be back on a team with you know more soon playoff Ambitions and things like that and you obviously just potentially creating room for doell then to to take over is the the goal that plays most of your games um you know Z’s situation is a little different I think it’s it’s been uh been some ups and downs getting him to embrace both sides of the puck I guess would be one way to put it and and maybe the fit just hasn’t been quite right and and so you know I think the Ducks view it as a chance potentially to you know turn him into into another asset to to to you know rather than you know grind through it and and hope he figures it out or or gets to play a way that they they deem um would be best for him you know I think that they’d be willing to move him so you know it’s two two different circumstances but obviously two fairly bigname players and and you know players that I think will will you know create a little buzz around the league you especially because you look at the goal tending uh free agent board I mean there’s there’s not that many slam dunk Choice there certainly not there’s not a lot of goalies that you could sign out a free agency and be confident you can give them 40 starts I mean it’s not to say they can’t do it luren Bas has had a number of really strong Seasons the last number of years but he’s he’s been in a 20 to 25 range games wise so there would be a bit of an uncertainty if you signed him and gave him basically half the team starts how he would handle that workload what how that would go is a little bit of an unknown um you know I don’t know where John Gibson’s at in his career because he it’s been so long since he’s played what I’d call big games games that really mattered on a Ducks team that’s been rebuilding um but certainly if you look over the the entirety of his body of work I mean he’s he’s had a lot of big seasons for that team especially early in his career and so I think you know if teams end up going the trade route if they don’t get Alanis Hallmark if they don’t get know UC Saros it sounds like Nashville is going to try to take another run at signing but but perhaps he could be had Jacob markstrom the the rumors that won’t go away you could see him being traded I I think some of the biggest moves um for teams looking for goal tending will be done via trade via rather than free agency and so I think that’s where Gibson could fit in as well and then lastly to end out the week on the CJ show stick Taps as usual and I’m going to give you a moment to speak on my stick tap which goes to Joe pavelski who announced that this was going to be his last season and he knew it all season long and now he’s officially spoken it publicly and he’s not coming back and I think he a surfire Hall of Famer uh one of the greatest American Born hockey players of all time and it’s just we we talked about the McDavid getting a Stanley Cup uh onto his resume because that’s what the greats in the sport do so it’s it’s disappointing to see that Joe will end his career without that Stanley Cup uh through all all those years in the competitive San Jose teams and then Dallas gets so many shots at the cup and he just doesn’t get one at the very end so H happy retirement to Joe pavelski do you have any thoughts on on his career Say It Ain’t So Joe Say It Ain’t So uh no I mean good for him for going out on his own terms evidently I mean he did say it’s not officially official but that’s where he’s at so he did leave maybe the small amount of wiggle room to reconsider things um but I mean look it’s pretty incredible if you look back at time he was part of that 2003 draft class which at the time was very much hyped I believe every first rounder in that draft played at least one NHL game uh and he was taken 205th overall and ends up with the most goals the most points from that draft class I mean if you look at his playoff scoring rates I mean he was a big game player uh consistently you know helped Drive the Sharks on Long playoff runs and and then the last five years here in Dallas went to seven Conference Finals two Stanley Cup finals and unfortunately just didn’t find a way to get his hands on the Stanley Cup um and you know he’s been remarkably consistent even into his late 30s but you know maybe the wheels started to fall off a little bit you know he didn’t he didn’t produce much offensively for the stars during their run this spring and so might be right time to go but I just you hate seeing classy competitors go out there and and you know we all I again I’m not cheering for teams but I wouldn’t love it if he had had a storybook ending and you know you see him taking the cup around the ice this this spring and then you know doing an interview with Kyle basus or whoever on the ice and saying that you know this is I’m going out on top you know like there’s something something to be said for that but it doesn’t you know let’s face it I mean this sport you lose more than you win even even the Hall of Fame careers the guys with five and six sty cups still lost 10 you know what I mean still didn’t win 10 other years so um you know it’s it’s just how it is but yeah Joe is Joe is Class Act and I might as well give him a stip cap too because I’m talking here for so long so I was gonna I was gonna give mine to Owen Beck the uh Memorial Cup MVP and the pride of near my hometown cerg I believe he’s from Port Hope area uh or cerg actually not sure but he’s from anyway Northumberland County pride of Northland County Owen Beck Montreal Canadians draft pick and uh had had an MVP performance at the moral cup for Sagen oh that’s that’s awesome yeah that was a great win by Sagen cuz London like everybody was on the the London kns and sag just just there and the home home uh home host team I should say uh lifting the Memorial Cup that was that was really good game really good to see from for zagen off well they blew a lead in the game too right and so it looked like London was going to Roar back and win and they still found a way to get the the lake goal and you know looked like a lot of fun too it seemed seemed like on social media they had a good party afterwards you know like yeah that’s I think that’s understating it they they went really hard for for that championship and and uh this weekend the beginning of the next run to the next St uh next championship the Stanley Cup so CJ I hope you have a safe flight this afternoon enjoy Florida uh pack those shorts I hope you got a lot of them for your runs and and the heat down there it’s going to be I think a really good time for you the next couple weeks down there and up in Edmonson thanks buddy and thanks for stepping in for for Julian fun to do it with you oh no problem I think I’ll see you again on uh Monday if that’s the next time we’re doing this oh wow yeah I think one more with me man I got to get Julian’s work [Laughter] schedule love you Julian the Chris Johnston show inside the game twice a week Follow Chris on Twitter reporter Chris and follow Julian McKenzie at jka McKenzie