Jamie McLennan discusses NHL offseason, Olympics roster, Senators, Maple Leafs

Energy Line with Nate & JSB is back as Nate Thompson and Julie Stewart-Binks are back home from vacation. They open the show discussing their trips the last few weeks, Julie’s Italy story and storylines with NHL training camp a few weeks away. Former NHL goalie and TSN analyst Jamie McLellan then joins Nate and JSB. “Noodles” discusses his trip to Italy, the Olympics roster, the future of the Ottawa Senators and the outlook for the Maple Leafs. McLennan also gets into the Connor McDavid contract situation and the Oilers goalie situation.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Energy Line is a production of the NHL and iHeart podcasts. Well,
going into the Energy Line with Nate and JSB. I'm
Julie Stewart binks. He's former NHLer Nate Thompson. Energy Line

(00:25):
is a production of the NHL and iHeart podcasts. And
we are here together talking hockey. We've got Jamie mcclennan
who's going to be joining us later on in the show.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
You know him from his playing career, but.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
Probably mostly from his career on the microphone, just being
an absolute beauty on TSN's Overdrive and as a color
analyst for the Ottawa Senators. And he has so much personality,
insights and analysis to bring us here on the show.

Speaker 2 (00:53):
And Nate it is.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
It's great to see you as we have not spoken
really texted at all. I just like your Instagram videos
with you and your daughter pretty much all the time.
How has the last couple of weeks summer been going
for you.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
It's been good. It's been very hot here in California.
It's good to see you too, Julia. And you've been
you know, we've you've been traveling a lot, like it's been.
I've been liking all your pictures and videos, and I.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Just we're the classic like here, we're just gonna like
each other's pictures as a way of being like, Hi.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Yeah, just I'm gonna like some checking in Julia. I'm around,
I'm here, I'm like, I'm liking your pictures. But yeah,
I know, it's been a good summer. It's been like
I said, it's been hot here just being dad doing
the jiu jitsu thing.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
What does for the diseason?

Speaker 2 (01:45):
What just being dad mean to you?

Speaker 3 (01:48):
Being dad was like taking her to the beach on
Sunday pool before that, you know, just a lot of activities.

Speaker 4 (01:55):
Right two years old, they want to be moving.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
She doesn't sit still, just constant, constant movement. So it's
NonStop and it's interesting. Someone told me that if you're
watching a kid all day, like if you had a
whoop on and you're like your strain, like the your
activity like steps is like through the roof training jiu jitsu. Still,
I got leveled up this summer a little. I got
a couple more stripes on the belt, which is nice.

Speaker 2 (02:20):
What level are you at now?

Speaker 3 (02:22):
I'm two stripes blue belt and I'm actually thinking about
competing here in September coming up.

Speaker 4 (02:27):
Yep, dude, I know.

Speaker 3 (02:30):
So, Yeah, summer has been good, just uh and getting
ready for the season. Getting ready for the hockey season
obviously is where we are around the corner.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Yeah, and you have also been golfing right a little bit.

Speaker 4 (02:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (02:40):
So I went to New Jersey and helping out with
this Pro Athlete Golf Tour thing and not thing, but
pro Athlete Golf Tour, and we had a bunch of
guys come out Jersey. We played some golf and a
lot of guys like you know, Brian Bouchet and Scott Hartnell,
Jason Demery is just a few guys that were there

(03:01):
last year, some guys you know, some new face this year.
And it was a great time. I mean I didn't
golf as much as those guys did, but I was
there helping out, having a good time, and we're going
to do it again next year. There's another baseball one
in December, so MLB.

Speaker 4 (03:14):
But it was great. It was a good a good tournament.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
Guys had fun and it was fun to get you know,
former players together and talk and you know how that
goes a lot of stories and.

Speaker 4 (03:23):
Just a good time.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
Love that.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Yeah, I saw James wis Newsky was there, a former
teammate from the Anaheim Decks, The Wiz, Yeah, the Wiz.
And I also saw Johnny Lazarus was there, who was
on our show, which I was then obviously like if
Johnny Lazarus got invited, then where's my invite?

Speaker 2 (03:43):
But you already know how I feel about that.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
I actually didn't invite Johnny laz You know who invited
him was the Empty Netter Boys.

Speaker 4 (03:49):
Of course, yeah, he was like there, he was helping
with their content stuff.

Speaker 2 (03:53):
Oh he was, okay, start working. Let's get this straight.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
Johnny Lazarus wasn't necessarily competing as per a pro. He
was like helping the content. Great, good, tell me ye
are the press box.

Speaker 3 (04:06):
The only guys that compete are the guys the former players.

Speaker 2 (04:08):
That's okay, well then that makes sense.

Speaker 3 (04:10):
Yeah, I mean everyone else can play golf, but you're
not in the actual tournament.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Oh okay.

Speaker 1 (04:14):
Then I wouldn't have roused you so much on Instagram
had I known, like if you just said, Julie, you
didn't play in the NHL, first of all, that would
have set me off on a big feminist rant.

Speaker 3 (04:27):
And you notice how I didn't say that, but.

Speaker 1 (04:30):
Then I just thought I wasn't invited, and I was like, what, like, anyways, okay,
so that's great. You guys had a good time. They're
glad to see that's growing. And as you mentioned, yes,
as per my Instagram, I took.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
I took a couple of trips.

Speaker 1 (04:45):
I uh, my hairstylist invited me to his daughter's wedding
in Palermo, and who's not going to go to that,
I'd say, I said immediately yes, And I flew to Milan,
which is evidently the city of the year as we

(05:06):
know that the Olympics are happening here there. And then
also the NHL just had their player media tour there,
of which I really wished I had planned to be
there at the same time. It would have made a
lot of sense also because they did something in collaboration
with Syria soccer players, and I also cover soccer, so
really whiffed on that slap shot there. But other than that,

(05:27):
had a great time. Was solo traveling. I loved doing that,
to be honest. Then it was great. Everyone was so
welcoming because I clearly was like the oddball out of
this wedding. We walked the bride through this small town
outside of Palermo to the church.

Speaker 2 (05:44):
And then then it went on. I didn't know this.

Speaker 1 (05:48):
Like we had a pair of TiVo hour thingy at
the castle and then it goes They take you to
like another room and there was like swordfish and octopus
and like a big buffet. I'm like, oh, okay, like
a wedding with a buffet. Well, and it had little
seats kind of everywhere, and it was a little bit nouveau.

Speaker 2 (06:06):
I'm like, all right, I've been to.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
Weddings before that had been a little different. And everyone
was like, don't eat too much. This isn't the main course.
And I'm like, what, there's so much food here like it,
How is this not the main course? So then we
go to another area. We didn't even eat till eleven
thirty at night. I was like, this is insane Italians.

Speaker 2 (06:27):
I kid you not.

Speaker 1 (06:28):
They then they said the wedding goes till two am,
and I was like what. Nobody I didn't bring flat shoes.
I was on cobblestones with heels for like twelve hours.
That one took a couple of years off my life,
let's just say. But it was it was great, and
then it was great and then went to Terramina where okay,
I have to tell you this story, and people who

(06:51):
are listening, if you watch White Loadus season two, this
is where it happened.

Speaker 2 (06:55):
They shot it there.

Speaker 1 (06:56):
They shot it at different areas like when you watched
White Loadus season two. They didn't just shoot it all
at that four Seasons hotel because there's no beach there
because it's on a cliff.

Speaker 2 (07:06):
You know how they have a beach, there's a cliff.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
So I go, you can't to stay at this four
seasons hotel. It costs seven thousand dollars a night for
a room that is could be that could be like
a closet. So I drew the line there. I said, okay,
that might be a little out of my price range
right now. But my friend said, you can go make
a reserve it. We'll make a reservation for.

Speaker 2 (07:30):
Lunch or dinner.

Speaker 1 (07:32):
Try to get in because I just want to see it.
I love White Lotus. I want to see it. Well
found out that they you can't actually make a reservation.
They try to just pawn you off on that so
that you just get out of their hair.

Speaker 2 (07:46):
Because if you're paying seven thousand dollars a night.

Speaker 1 (07:48):
You don't want to have a whole bunch of random
people who just book something on open table, come on
in and sit down there. So what we did, I
was with my friend who came and joined me, Like
she came and join me at the last second. I
mean the day before I was like I'm coming to Taromina.
I was like, great, cool, she has a little bit
more spice than I do and trying to talk your
way into places. So we go up to the bellman

(08:10):
and or no. We're walking in. We're like, let's just
walk in, go have a drink at the bar.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
And they go.

Speaker 1 (08:16):
Oh, like I'm sorry, are you staying here? And we're
like no, or not, and they're like you can't come in.
And then she's like, you know, like come on, you're
not gonna let us not come in, blah blah blah.
I grab a fifty out of my bag, out of
my purse. I'm like, I know that this will get
this guy fifty euro for just letting us in.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
Should be an immediate yes. Then he goes uh, and
then she goes.

Speaker 1 (08:40):
You're not gonna let You're not gonna say no to
two beautiful girls, and I was like, cringe, cringe.

Speaker 2 (08:45):
I was just like, oh god.

Speaker 1 (08:47):
I was like, please, somebody like erase me from life
right now. And then he laughed, and as soon as
he laughed, I knew we had him. I'm like, ooh,
it's just that little moment of hesitation that he knew
that he was gonna be able to crack. So he's like, well,
let me just call and see, and she's like, yes, you.

Speaker 2 (09:02):
Call you see.

Speaker 1 (09:03):
You tell them that you have two beautiful ladies here
that are willing to spend a lot of money.

Speaker 2 (09:08):
I was like, oh god, I'm so embarrassed.

Speaker 1 (09:10):
Then he cut After his phone call, he's like, all right,
you guys can go in. I gave him the fifty
because I had offered it before. So we go in
and then you know, everyone's in there thinking you.

Speaker 2 (09:23):
Saw the season two right, yeah? Okay.

Speaker 1 (09:25):
So it's like Valentina or whomever, like the front desk person.
There's immediately someone that comes up and is like, oh, hi,
like how because they're kind of like, how the fuck
did you get in here right now? And I remember
the bell name. Bellman's name was Giuseppe, which is the
name of quite literally everyone in Italy I have found
out from that point, and so she's like, oh, Giuseppe, great, okay,

(09:45):
leads us to the bar and I guess the head
bartender name's Giuseppe. And we then realized altogether that that
was not the same person. Long story short, long story,
long story a little shorter than it was is that
there was absolutely no one in there, and we order
our drink whatever. The bartender takes the pictures of us

(10:06):
like we're the girls in white Lotus, like those two
young girls at the beginning, and then I slid away
for a second to go to the bathroom, aka go
take pictures of the pool, because I was like, I
know they're not going to let me do it. So
I was like I got to just go out there,
go take my pictures, Go get my fill, go get
my fix a white Lotus. Come back, I say, here's

(10:27):
my credit card, like you know, opening up a tab.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
Right.

Speaker 1 (10:30):
They go, what like they're not used to having people
like do that's I guess a very North American thing
where you put your card in your order. I didn't
know that they don't take it there, right, Like, here's okay.

Speaker 2 (10:44):
So we have a.

Speaker 1 (10:45):
Couple drinks, then we tip him, we get the bill,
I sign it that did go outside, take some pictures
of us outside and have Jisepi, the bartender run outside
to me in front of everyone with his payment pad

(11:05):
because guess what. Guess who didn't pay for their drinks
and walked out of this incredible hotel?

Speaker 2 (11:12):
Me Julie Stuartpinks.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
I have never been He said, you didn't pay, yells
it out in front of everyone. I have never felt
more fucking embarrassed in my entire life. I was like, oh,
I I thought that i'd and I just like I
didn't even look to see how much it was. I
was just like tap that card of like get and
I I felt inside like I had just died because

(11:37):
it took us so long to get in there. And
then we even joked about us like not running out
on the bill, and then we like we, I guess
I technically did run out on the bill, but like
I didn't because I'm taking pictures outside anyway.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
It's something I won't.

Speaker 1 (11:49):
Forget forever, because it was so fucking embarrassing to leave
the most hard to get into hotel without paying.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
So.

Speaker 4 (12:00):
Dash Seah to White Lotus Hotels.

Speaker 2 (12:04):
We we said you know what my friend said.

Speaker 1 (12:05):
Luckily we were taking photos outside because it didn't make
it look like we were trying to like leave immediately.
That's my kosher story on using my credit card on
this adventure, because then I went to Saint Tropez, and
let's just say she was used a lot, uh, including
at uh.

Speaker 2 (12:23):
I learned the term jea bomb jera boom.

Speaker 1 (12:27):
That's a that's the size of a champagne bottle, that
is bigger than a magnum.

Speaker 4 (12:32):
So that's good.

Speaker 2 (12:34):
I learned something new. I learned a lot, which is
I learned a lot.

Speaker 3 (12:40):
I learned.

Speaker 4 (12:42):
I learned.

Speaker 1 (12:43):
I learned the conversion rate between US dollars and euros
is not as close as I thought it was.

Speaker 2 (12:50):
That's pretty much it.

Speaker 1 (12:51):
So it's been great coming back because now I realize
how boring my life is and how I want to
I think maybe just relocate to Europe and just be there.

Speaker 4 (13:03):
I think I was say, you might as well move
over there.

Speaker 2 (13:05):
I mean, we can still do the pause that we could.
I'm a lot.

Speaker 1 (13:09):
That's gonna be great. Olympics coming up, we got the
season coming up.

Speaker 2 (13:12):
Things are trending along quite well, Nate.

Speaker 3 (13:15):
We're we're very, very close. We're right on the right
around the corner. I'm excited.

Speaker 2 (13:19):
Are you excited?

Speaker 5 (13:20):
Though?

Speaker 4 (13:21):
I am?

Speaker 3 (13:21):
I am excited because it gets to a point in
the summer where you're like, all right, let's get going now,
you know, like we're right there camps coming around the corner,
where you're not excited.

Speaker 4 (13:30):
I'm excited.

Speaker 1 (13:31):
No, I totally agree with you in the fact that, like,
I can't listen to another podcast about like the Leafs
and the Panthers.

Speaker 4 (13:40):
Yeah, I mean, you know, and we can.

Speaker 3 (13:43):
We need something to talk about obviously, right Julie, like
every other like every other podcast, and there's not a
whole lot of uh, there's a few topics, but we
want to get into the heart of the season. We
want to get into the you know, we want to
talk about all the stuff, all the drama, everything going on,
the signings, which there are a few that we need
probably need to touch on at one point, which I'm sure.

Speaker 2 (14:02):
We will, but yeah, a bunch of signing.

Speaker 1 (14:04):
A quick question before we get into our guest with
this new CBA, Yes that has been ratified. Don't you
love like the words they use that we always definitely
know what I never would usually already ratified unless I
was talking about a CBA.

Speaker 2 (14:21):
Is that or memorandum of understanding?

Speaker 1 (14:23):
Yeah, CBA eighty two games to eighty four games in
the regular season, shortened training camp kind of help calendar length.
What do you think about just even some of the
parameters around, like changing the season in a way?

Speaker 4 (14:36):
I like it.

Speaker 3 (14:37):
It's been talked about a long time, even when I
was playing. The CBA or sorry, the Players Union has
talked about it a lot. Minimizing the preseason schedule, I
think that's huge. I don't think guys need to play
six to I think it's like six to eight preseason games.
I think it's unnecessary. Most teams have their roster set

(14:59):
anyways before the first preseason game, so there's really no
point playing a bunch, and guys want to play meaningful
games at that point anyways. So it's more just like fitness,
like a level right, Honestly, it's more timing. You just
want to get your timing ready. You want to you
want to be sharp, being ready for the season. Guys
are all in shape, guys are ready. So I think

(15:19):
it's more than anything just timing and getting your you know,
getting that back.

Speaker 1 (15:24):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (15:24):
And I think to The big thing the NHL wants
to do is we want to want to end the
season earlier, right. I think that's a big part of it. Yea,
the season will start, you know, probably September, hopefully the
following year next season, and we're going to finish. I
think they're talking about hopefully finishing around Memorial Day, right,
maybe a little bit earlier end of May or early June, where.

Speaker 4 (15:45):
It's not all the way halfway through the summer.

Speaker 1 (15:48):
Remember the Stanley Cup Final last year was spread out.

Speaker 2 (15:51):
It was like a whole month long crazy.

Speaker 4 (15:53):
It was crazy.

Speaker 3 (15:54):
It's too long, and and not only that for everyone,
but the players too, right. And then I think too
with the the contract term, you know they brought up
where max is seven years instead of eight years. I
think that's going to change. That's going to change a
lot of landscape too. And I think you're going to
see you're just going to see a lot of different

(16:14):
things we're not used to seeing with free agency, and
you kind of saw it like a lot of teams
didn't do a lot. And I think a lot of
that has to do with term, the new CBA coming up,
and obviously the cap going up, so there's a lot
of moving parts and variables, and I do like what
they did though as a whole. I think it's going

(16:35):
to help the league and I think it's going to
help the players a ton too, both sides really, And I.

Speaker 1 (16:40):
Think you touched on a good point there where it's like,
I think a lot more of the drama that we're
going to see or the storylines are going to come
when the season starts, versus when we were waiting sort
of around that July first sort of timeline, which honestly,
that was like what six seven weeks ago, Like that's
not even crazy, Like.

Speaker 4 (16:59):
I don't know.

Speaker 1 (16:59):
I think, I know we're excited about the season, but
it also feels like it's been quite quick. And I
will tell you, I have no idea what to do
with my nights without hockey on.

Speaker 4 (17:09):
It's weird. And I think that's why I'm like ready.

Speaker 3 (17:12):
I'm ready for the season to start, is because, like you,
I enjoy watching hockey. I like seeing what's going on
and looking at different games. And we're almost there. We're
almost there.

Speaker 1 (17:21):
Nay. I watched like thirty seven episodes of Love Island,
which was which was the stupidest thing I've ever done
in my entire life because I just did it so
I could be up with what the kids were talking about,
and it was such I thought there was going to
be so much more drama because everyone kept talking about
this season of Love Island. I finished that thing being like,

(17:43):
oh my god, I just wasted over forty hours of
my life like watching this stupid this show that has
made me so much more stupid than I already am.
And also just things to do at night. I will
say one thing before we head to this guest. I
am going to Lady Gaga tonight and we're recording some
Tuesday Madison Square Garden. I splurged. As you know, I

(18:08):
am a Taurus. I like nice things on second row seats,
and I can't wait for my costume reveal because you love.

Speaker 4 (18:17):
Yeah, I'm excited for you. I'm really excited for you.

Speaker 2 (18:20):
I think I appreciate it really exciting because I.

Speaker 4 (18:22):
Know how excited you are. I'm excited for you.

Speaker 1 (18:24):
I get excited when other people are excited for things
they like.

Speaker 4 (18:28):
So I see it on your face. Hate you, Yeah,
I can see it on your face.

Speaker 1 (18:32):
Waiting for this pod to get over so I can
just try on the outfit that I've been actually brewing
on my stovetop because I learned how to die things,
which is like the biggest lesson I've ever learned in
my entire life, and I won't be doing that again.

Speaker 3 (18:46):
Before we got to it, we go to our guest.
I have to our producer, Jake. He gave me some
breaking news. You ready, Yeah, Travis Kelcey and Taylor Swift
are now engaged. Yep, that real, real, that's what he said. Jake,
you better not be lying, because don't give me false.

Speaker 2 (19:04):
False He's not lying. I got a whole bunch of
messages from my gals right now.

Speaker 4 (19:09):
Yeah, there you go. So that what a way to
bring us into our interview.

Speaker 1 (19:12):
Wow, she posted on Instagram saying your English teacher and
your gym teacher are getting married.

Speaker 2 (19:20):
That we can debate the caption another day.

Speaker 4 (19:23):
Yeah, we went have to get into it. But I
thought that was a good breaking news.

Speaker 1 (19:26):
Great, good job, good job on the ones in Tuesday, Jake,
Holy banana sandwich. Well, just as exciting as Taylor Swift
and Travis kelce getting engaged, we have Jamie mcclearn and Noodles,
who unfortunately won't have his take on this because we
pre taped it just to be in fairness all honesty,
and that'll.

Speaker 2 (19:46):
Be on the other side of this, we'll going back
to the Energy Line with Nate and JSB.

Speaker 1 (19:57):
And we're pleased to be able to welcome in someone
who would join our Energy line. Pretty well, I would say,
because he brings a lot of energy to not only
the shows that he works on Overdrive, he's a co
host of he's also a color analyst for the Ottawa Senators,
but he is also a former of course NHL goalie.
But he brings the energy, brings a personality. You know

(20:21):
who I'm talking about. Jamie mcclennan aka Noodles. Thank you
so much for coming on the show here today.

Speaker 5 (20:27):
Well, thanks for having me. I'm excited. You know, it's
late summer. I was like, Okay, I better, I've kind
of had the summer off. I'm like, I mean, I
ramble a lot. I'm like, I haven't rambled or talked
to anybody like professionally in a bit. So if I
You're just gonna have to interrupt me and be like, dude,
we're you know, we're on a time crunch. Heare quit
rambling on so excited to be here. Obviously, I know

(20:50):
both of you separately. You know, Nita covered you in
Ottawa and covered your career, and Julie, I don't know,
we go back just through that.

Speaker 1 (21:00):
I was trying to think how I even knew you
when I was just I was like, I don't even
know when I met you or how I met you,
but I've known you for a really long time.

Speaker 5 (21:08):
We've been friends for a long time. I'm like, I
guess we just know each other. I don't know. It's
like the most random thing, but it's great. So yes,
for thank you for having me. I'm pretty excited.

Speaker 3 (21:19):
We're excited to have you news, and thanks for coming on.
And we don't mind if you ramble, seriously ramble, it
makes it makes it easier for us.

Speaker 5 (21:25):
Really exactly what's been going on?

Speaker 4 (21:28):
How summer?

Speaker 1 (21:28):
Ben?

Speaker 3 (21:28):
I know you said you've been you've been on some
a little bit of a break. Now, what's been going on?
Any fun things for the summer?

Speaker 5 (21:35):
So we go my family and I we go to
Italy every summer. So we actually when my wife and
I first got together, I said we need things to
look forward to. So I said, I've got a boy's trip.
I said, that is never going to go away. I said,
we need a couple's trip, or like her and I

(21:55):
and I said, when we have a family, we need
a family trip. So what's happened is the boys trip.
We did waste management in February, which was, you know,
three days of my life that are you know, it
shortened my life span, but I will accept it. We
did nickelback on the Friday night, we did the waste
management tournament on the Saturday, and then we did Super

(22:17):
Bowl on the Sunday, so that I barely crawled back
on the plane that day in February. So I've got
my boys trip out of the way, and then we're
combined the family trip. So we go to Italy every summer.
We choose different spots. So we went to Sardinia this
summer and it was awesome, and you know, it's so funny.
I don't know if you guys have been, but I
joke like I eat and my nickname is noodles. So

(22:41):
I eat pizza, pasta and gelato every day for sixteen
days there, and I came back two pounds lighter. Now
I do work out while I was there and running
that but it's just the food. It's ridiculous. The food
is ridiculous there. It's just so good. So people are
always like, well, why don't you go to Portugal? Why
don't you go to you know, different spots. I'm like,

(23:03):
I'm happy with Italy, Like we go different spot every year,
and the food and the travel, the scenery, everything's awesome.
So creature of habit I think it's year fourteen now
that we've done it. But the problem that I have
when I get back, I'm like, I feel like my
summer's over because it's like you're gone for sixteen days
or whatever, and it's like, all right, summer's over. So

(23:23):
I was telling you before we start a taping, I'm like,
you know, I've got a week left before I get
back at it. And honestly, I've been trying to like
do some notes in hockey because I'm like, okay, Anton
Forsburg plays in LA Now, I'm like, okay, likes who's where?
Like You're like, okay, like the difference in the teams
from the end of the year to the starting of

(23:43):
the year. You know, we know the stars of the team,
but it's like, okay, I forgot that player plays there now,
So you're I'm trying to get my color notes so
that I don't just start rambling away on a broadcast
about a wrong player.

Speaker 1 (23:56):
Does it not seem as though every single person has
gone to Italy this summer? NHL players included, Yeah, I.

Speaker 5 (24:06):
Think I feel like Instagram, Like you see all the
you know, Philip Forsburg, all of these pictures being posted.
Everybody's in Instagram, you know in Italy. Now, it was
the centennial or something, wasn't it, Like that's why we
we We didn't go anywhere near Rome because apparently they
were supposed to have like four million visitors. But I
do believe the whole NHL was in Italy at some

(24:28):
point this summer.

Speaker 3 (24:30):
Oh you saw, I remember, I just remember seeing posts
of I think what Leon Dreysader got married this summer? Correct,
So yeah, yeah, Connor and him together on the jet
skis and everything.

Speaker 4 (24:41):
And this is an Italian podcast clearly now.

Speaker 5 (24:43):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:45):
Yes, by the way, Noodles, I tried to speak Italian
there and everyone spoke Spanish back to me.

Speaker 2 (24:51):
Because I don't think you have to say. I'd be
like perfect war, perfect.

Speaker 1 (24:55):
War, and they'd be like perfervo that's how you're supposed
to say it right.

Speaker 5 (25:00):
Well, the last six months, I will admit I've been
on Babbel and you have to do it like ten
minutes a day. You try and it says it within
Like I set a long target within eighteen months. It
will teach you to be fluent in Italy if you
do it ten minutes a day. So I've been chipping
away at it. I'm still not very good at it.

(25:21):
My wife she understands it. She doesn't speak it, which
is weird.

Speaker 2 (25:25):
I don't underunderstand it.

Speaker 5 (25:26):
Yeah, she grew up in Italian. She's a Talian, she
grew up an Italian household. She can't speak Italian, but
she understands it. So we'll be sitting at dinner and
she's like, those people are arguing and I'm like, well,
what are they arguing about the cleanliness of their house
or something? And I'm like, how do you know that?
I said, you're just making it up. If you say
you understand the language and you can't speak it, you're lying.

(25:46):
You're making it up. It's basically like you know, I
don't know. It would be like somebody with sign language,
like if you don't know signs.

Speaker 2 (25:55):
Yet recently that woman she was fake sign languaging.

Speaker 5 (25:59):
Yeah, where was that? It was like a concert or something.
You're just making stuff up? Hired like that's I love
that I commit to That is committing to the job,
just like waving your arms around and trying to sign.
But I I do have babbel. I'm trying to learn it.
I'm not a good student. I'll be honest. I never

(26:21):
went to college, and ate did you go to college?

Speaker 4 (26:23):
I did not.

Speaker 3 (26:23):
I'm a Western I'm a Western Hockey League boy, so
I went to I played in Seattle, so okay, yeah
I wasn't.

Speaker 5 (26:30):
And you're way younger than me. I played in the
Western League when education was a square word. So I
just turned fifty four, so woh I was telling. I'm
not lying. I was telling. I started my career in
Spokane and then ended in the Lethbridge. Our trainer in Spokane,

(26:53):
so this is nineteen eighty eight. I think it was
was our bus driver, our equipment guy. He was the
medical guy. He lived at the rink. He ended up
passing away at the rink. Apparently, I don't know his
name was hitman. I don't even know his real name,
and like that's that's in nineteen eighty eight, That's what

(27:14):
the Spokane Chiefs had rolling out. So like again things
have changed a little bit, you know, nutrition wise, all
of that type of stuff.

Speaker 4 (27:22):
But I played I played.

Speaker 3 (27:24):
In Seattle, play for the suth Underbersal same division, and
actually got to cover the Spokane Chiefs on TSN on
your network for the WHL finals this year, which was great.
But yeah, it was fun. I mean, the Western Link
was obviously awesome. Since we're since we're on the hockey thing,
I want to I want to talk to it, and
before we get in the NHL, I want to talk
about the Olympic rosters and especially Canada. You know, you

(27:47):
have obviously the notables and a few guys, young guys,
older guys, mixture. Is there anyone that really jumps out
that's on the roster that shouldn't be on the roster
that you see playing out a little bit differently?

Speaker 5 (28:01):
I don't, like. I think the biggest chat we could
see and I don't even know what challenge is the
right word. I think with the four nations space off,
the big argument, you know, through pods and through mains
mainstream media was who's gonna play. Who's gonna stop pucks
for them? You know who's gonna especially Canada. You look
at the US roster, you go, Hella Buck, you know

(28:22):
you're right down the list. There's four or five guys
at the US. You know, Swede and is deep everybody.
So in net it's like, okay, as Jordan Bennington is
going to get it done, and then he gets it
done yea, and he you know, and so now it's
not like this, you know, we need a goalie summit,
like we need you know, it's like you see the

(28:42):
guys are invited. It's Aiden Hill. I think Logan Thompson's
a guy that should get some love. I really, you know,
the one thing and you guys can speak to too.
Goalies are weird. Goalies are a little different. They they
mature at different ages. You can see guys. One guy
can have a great season and then the next season
be really pedestrian. There's really wild swings when it comes

(29:03):
to goaltenders. So you know, when I look at that
team Canada roster, like yes, it's Jordan Bennington's job. But
you know, if you see a guy that gets off
to a really good start and you go, okay, can
you push it because I think the one thing when
it comes to Olympic rosters in that tournament, like it's
a vacuum, it's two weeks, and who's playing the best

(29:25):
obviously McDavid, all of those guys. It doesn't matter if
they're having a crappy year, they're still playing in the Olympics.
But you want to select wisely for guys who are
having career years. That's the biggest thing, Like I want
a guy who's having his best year, not a guy
who's got a reputation. And I'll give you example of

(29:47):
four Nations face off last year, Zach Heyman gets left
off right because he didn't have statistically a great year,
banged up all of that type of stuff. But he's
a hell of a player, and you know, he's a
guy that in a short term situation, you could argue,
you know, they missed him so much against Florida, they

(30:07):
missed him, Like I don't know, I don't know. I
think Florida wins regardless, but I I think that series
just looks a little bit different if Zach Hyman's involved
in that series, you know. So I think at guys
like that Nate where it's you know, you want difference makers,
but you want to make sure those difference makers are
having good seasons because then they're they're they're feeling it.

(30:30):
Put it that way.

Speaker 4 (30:31):
I just want to follow up, Julius. Let me ask
you this.

Speaker 3 (30:33):
So if you so you're saying that, if like so,
Brad Marshawn's having not a great season and Zach Heiman is,
you're taking Zach Hyman over Brad Marshaw.

Speaker 5 (30:42):
Brad Marshan is a different story because if you if
you follow him, I think he's just a gamer. So
and I put him into a different bucket. So if
we're talking Travis connect me, players like that on the
farther down, we would call them on the roster. I
would argue that Brad Marshan is kind of a core

(31:04):
like a gamer like Matthew Kuchuk, didn't have a great season,
banged up, all of that, but you put him in
a game when it matters, he plays, and I think
that's what Brad Marshan is. I could argue that, And
I've got lots of friends in Florida. I'm sure you
guys do too. Marshan was a big catalyst of them
getting it done because he was able to grab that

(31:25):
third line and the two other fins that are quiet
guys kind of meet guys. He got them to come
out of their shell and build up, and then he
was unbelievable. When he first got to Florida, I don't
know if you heard the story, but he hadn't settled in.
He was kind of quiet and stuff, and Moe pulled
him aside and said, just be yourself. You're a captain,
you're a leader, Like, you don't need to conform to

(31:47):
this dressing room. Be yourself. And apparently like the next
day he was like he just grabbed the room and
was like, Hey, I'm just gonna be Brad Marshan, and
the guys gravitated to him, loved him to the point
where you know, you could argue he was one of
the big leaders in that room by the time they
lifted the Stanley cups. So Marshan's a different story because

(32:09):
I think he gets the grandfather in regardless of how
he's playing, or like, I need that guy on my
team because he's a glue guy and he's an animal.
I think where you where you separate is probably you know,
the guy that I had my eye on who I
think is the celebrating kid. Like I just think he's

(32:30):
a super superstar in the making. I think you see
somebody maybe push out somebody who's on the cusp, That's
what I would say. But I think that the Marsians
and guys like that, those are kind of they're not
in pencil. They're in pen on the roster. There's half
that roster at the bottom would probably be in pencil

(32:50):
where it's like, Okay, we can nip or tuck on
player X because player wise having a better season.

Speaker 1 (32:56):
Yeah, and noodles that the rosters will come out in
January like the official rosters. And you've talked about how
the beginning, you know, you want to have guys that
are you know, firing and all cylinders at the beginning
of the season. But how important and when you mentioned Celebrini,
is it to be able to bring it younger guys
in for the bigger picture the longer haul versus like

(33:17):
just bringing in guys that are that are working right now.

Speaker 5 (33:19):
You're right, longer haul, But I also think there's a
chance where you like, you've got to make sure that
that's that kids are ready, And that's what I like.
If he can be a difference maker. I think the
one thing that we've seen is, you know, veteran teams.
Veteran players are able to handle the pressure and some

(33:41):
of the things if they've been there before. If I
look at it and if it's Celebrini versus a guy
who's been there before, and maybe one I might lean
to the veteran guy in that tournament just just because
of you know, the situation, handling, you know, anything that's
come to him. Keep in mind, the minute these guys
get into the tournament, they get slotted. So Celebrini or

(34:05):
name another young star player, he's used to now playing
twenty three minutes a night, he might have to go
to twelve. And are you going to be able to
adapt your game to a twelve minute game where we're
expecting you to play a little bit differently as opposed to, Hey,
your first power, play your first this and that. Because
that job's already taken McDavid and those guys are taking

(34:26):
that right, you're not getting the primo looks. So I
think the biggest thing for young players to make it
is if they believe they can fit into that role
that's going to be defined by John Cooper and his
staff right away and they go he can handle it
for the now and the future. This is a guy
I do think if you're taking a thirteenth fourteenth forward

(34:47):
and you want it to be a young guy because
you want them to be exposed to some of the
experiences and be around Crosby, be around McDavid, be around
these guys and see the way they prepare, see the
way that they are and still be able to contribute.
That's where I think a guy like Celebrini could.

Speaker 3 (35:05):
Push through shifting gears noodles and going into the season. Now,
the NHL season and you know you're covering the Ottawa
Senators and obviously last year you know they made the playoffs,
super competitive against the Toronto make beliefs. Going into this season,
what is your feeling with the Outawa Centators. Is it okay,
we got to get past the first round, We just

(35:25):
got to make the playoffs again.

Speaker 4 (35:27):
Where are they at?

Speaker 5 (35:29):
I think it's both. I think we expect them to
be a playoff team and we expect them to take
a step and taking a step, it's it's getting you know,
through the first round, but it's actually being a threat.
And when you look at the team. I know it's
such a lazy narrative, but it is it. It's it's

(35:50):
I believe it their internal growth. I've watched it, you
were around it.

Speaker 4 (35:55):
You know.

Speaker 5 (35:55):
Tim Stutsla, I think he's a superstar. And as he gets,
you know, more and more comfortable in his skin, more
and more Like these guys are not now nineteen anymore,
like Brady's gonna be twenty six, Thomas Schabbot's twenty eight.
I look at Timmy Stutzler's twenty two, Shane Pinto twenty four,
Like these guys are now coming into their like real

(36:17):
prime years where they're not intimidated by the situation. I
think the playoffs were great for them to realize the pressure,
the level, what it takes. Every East piece of ice
that's contested. The best player is Jake Sanderson, Like I
think he's a hell of a I think he's a superstar.
And you know, now all of a sudden, you've got Sanderson,

(36:39):
You've got Shabbot. You know, they go and get Spence,
like they go in Like I think what they did
in the offseason, it's just nipping and talking to a
group that already they're they're waiting Okay, you made the playoffs.
We need another step from you. What are you going
to bring? And that's where I think they can be
a serious threat because you look at their depth down

(37:02):
the middle of the ice. You know, they go and
get Dylan Cousins. Now he's got a really an opportunity
for a good offseason to get stronger and bigger. Like
that's one of the things in talking to some of
their their staff is saying, like, maybe things are a
little bit different in Buffalo than they are in Ottawa,
but we this is what we want from this player.

(37:23):
We want him to be physically stronger. That way, it
helps with his confidence. So you go Stutsla into Cousins,
into Pinto into Ridley Greg I mean, man like, that's
that's a hell of a roster at all in their
like twenties, the lower twenties type of thing. So I
think the Zeterlin kid that they got from San Jose,

(37:46):
he's a nice pickup. I think he can be a
twenty five goal scorer and more, he really shoots the puck.
The one thing that I noticed with Ottawa and I'm
gonna butcher his name he's in La. They got up
is a Kaliev, is it they so they got got
him and he could shoot the puck and like for me,

(38:09):
I think that's a team that really moves the puck
around well. But they don't have this. They don't have
like this natural goal scorer. I think they have to
work to score goals and what they need is somebody who, like,
if he gets one shot in the game, it's gonna
make him pay. And maybe Kaliev can be a guy.
I think Zeterlin's got another level. I think Stutsla's learning
that he could shoot the puck more and he's got

(38:31):
a great shot. So, you know, long answer to your question,
I think the next step for them is to be
a real big to not be at the bottom three.
So in that fourth spot, if you had Florida, Tampa
and Toronto push one of them out, you know, I
think there's a chance they could be really pushing up
against Toronto. I really do. You know, Toronto a very

(38:55):
good team, but they're gonna be different. They're gonna be
a different team with minus Mitch Marner. Ken Auden will
be right there as far as points and wins in
that type of stuff. Or maybe they challenged Tampa or
maybe Florida has a slow start because of three finals.
You know, somehow Outawa's going to push themselves into that
top three of the division. That's what I expect from them.

Speaker 1 (39:17):
Yeah, and that could very likely happen, as you mentioned
with Toronto and not having Mitch Marner and Mike Zeisberger
from NHL dot Com. I interviewed William Nelander and Milan recently.
Let's take it back to Italy, of course, and Neilander
had said that he'd asked Marner during the season, like, hey,
gonna stay and he was like yeah, and then he
asked him at the end of the season and he

(39:38):
was like a kind of like, I'm not really sure necessarily.

Speaker 2 (39:42):
And also Neilander.

Speaker 1 (39:43):
Went on to say that I guess Marner was the
guy that planned the parties and like all this, I
did not peg him to be like the party planning
guy on the team, but I guess I don't.

Speaker 2 (39:51):
Know who it would have been.

Speaker 1 (39:53):
But now that you know you have a show that's
largely based you know, sorry, like I like thinking of
funny things in my head, laughing about them and then
not saying them out loud. But t I said, like
the Toronto Sports Network hahaha. It's not that it's the
sports network, but you're big in Toronto, and you know,
the fans really were vocal and upset about how things ended, and.

Speaker 2 (40:19):
Of course a lot of that went to Mitch Marner.

Speaker 1 (40:21):
How do you think people are feeling right now before
the season starts.

Speaker 5 (40:25):
I think it's cautiously optimistic because you had one hundred
point you know, superstar right winger leave your roster. Now,
it's not this bare bones roster. They've still got really
good goaltending. I think they've got stable D. They've got
six really good D don't I don't think they have
a clear cut stud on the back end, but I

(40:47):
think they've got really good D. And I think you know,
you've got Austin Matthews, William Leelander, a thirty five year
old John Tavares, but he's an ultimate pro, hell of
a person, hell of a hard worker, Matthew Nice pushed
through as a really good play. And then you've got
a bunch of good players, but you're not sure where

(41:08):
the piece is fit. You know, is can Bobby McMahon
push up, Can Nick Robertson find a spot? Cali Yarncroke,
Max Domi you've got a bunch of players that are
good players, they go and get the coda. Joshua Well,
I like, is a big meme player. You know, you
could see some of the thought process in the Marner trade.

(41:29):
You get the wall kid down the middle of the ice,
big strong right shot. So you know what Tree is
trying to do is to be a little tougher to
play against. But how does that translate? That's the biggest thing.
So from a fan base, is that one hundred and
eight point team again, or is that one hundred point
team or a ninety six point team? But different to

(41:52):
play against than the playoffs. I think that's where the
fan base is at, you know, slightly spoiled in the
regular season. I joke and call them regular season heroes
because they're in the playoff and you know it's they
win a lot. So it's the fan base doesn't get
too worked up, you know, when you have to argue
about who's playing on the fourth line and all that,

(42:12):
then it's just, you know, you're just nitpicking. But at
the end of the day, where the frustration lies is,
you know, lack of playoff success and these guys are
not getting younger Austin Matthews going into his tenth year, right,
Like that's you know, William Nielander, Like, these guys are
now in the prime of their career and they've had

(42:33):
nine kicks at the can here in the playoffs, and
it's it's been two second round visits. That's what it is.
So I think the fan base is optimistic that they
still got a good team, but they're seeing what does
this team look like in the absence of Mitch Marner
who quarterback. The power play, was great on the penalty
kill and five on five is one of the better
players in the league.

Speaker 1 (42:55):
I just want to follow up with that, Nate, just
the idea, like a lot of talk about Toronto since
you know, during this entire summer and like they blew
everything up. Marner's gone, not blew everything up, but Marner's gone,
Shanahan's gone. We talk about the six to one loss
in Game seven, also won in Game five, but they

(43:15):
did push Florida a lot, and we've talked to Florida
players who really kind of went out of their way
to make sure that people knew that Toronto should have
a lot of credit because they were difficult to play against,
like is everyone really just like going banana sandwich on
the Toronto maple leafs because that's just what they do?

Speaker 2 (43:35):
Or do they deserve like all of this this rasing
right now.

Speaker 5 (43:40):
A little bit of both. And what I mean by
that is, you know this market, they're passionate and I
have a formula. I remember years ago when Raberna Luwanga
was rumored to be traded here and I was living
here and he called me and he said, what's the
market like? And I said, the fan base is very passionate.
Eighty percent will love you no matter what you're just

(44:02):
you play for the Leafs. I love the You're great.
Twenty percent will have questions and maybe not love you
or whatever. But I said that twenty percent is extremely noisy.
Now maybe it's ninety ten, whatever it is, but whatever
that minority noisy negative, that's what makes the most noise.
And the media, you know, we we amplify it here

(44:25):
in the media. We talk about it. The team is beloved,
but do they deserve or earn some of it? Yes,
not only just for the effort in the playoffs this year.
Unfortunately they get lumped together for nine years of lack.
You know that core it was like, okay, shan a plan.

(44:46):
Got to keep the core for together, got to keep
it When they were saying blow it up three years
ago when they lost to Montreal and you know the bubble,
or when they lost to Columbus in five and you
know in the bubble or whatever, it was like, there
were opportunities. I think this is where I would defend
the fan base for being pissed off. Where the fan
base was like, well, maybe you should have blown it

(45:07):
up then, and they did. They said stick with us,
this group's going to get it done. And then they
didn't get it done. And Mitch Marner chooses to leave.
It's his right, and they're going, okay, now you broke
up the core techning Core four, not because you did it,
It's because the player decided to leave. So I think
there is some, you know, a little bit of culpability

(45:28):
on both sides where the fan base is certainly passionate,
but they earned it. And then the last thing, Nate,
you can probably speak to this, I don't know, like game,
like Julie, you mentioned games five and seven they got
kicked in the nuts like that. You know that was Florida,
that was men against boys, and so I think the
way you lose on home ice is something that added

(45:51):
to it, added fuel to the fire. If you lose
in six games and overtime or a good push and
you just you know that team's just better, you give them.
But I think what it was is the last two
home home games they got ran out of their own building,
and I think that's where that left a sour taste
with the group, with everybody and with the fan base.

(46:15):
So I think they earned it because you know, you
lose three two and overtime, it's a hard fought battle
you get you know, your ass kicked on home. I
six 's one after getting beat five? Was it five
or six one? Two games earlier? Like it was just
like it was like almost deja vous, and people were
a disbelief. You're going, I can't believe that happened. That

(46:38):
happened four days ago or five days ago, and we're
seeing it again in a game seven. So I think
it's the way they lost which caused the you know,
the extra animosity.

Speaker 3 (46:50):
It's funny, we talked about that on a previous podcast,
and you know the difference in the Trino may be
leiefs at home and on the road was like night
and day sometimes, you know, because and we talked. I
talked about this with Julie Ware and you know, noodles,
you can attest to this. It was almost like they
came home, they were getting ready for the game and
they already played the game before the game happened.

Speaker 2 (47:09):
Oh ye high.

Speaker 3 (47:11):
By the time the game starts, they have zero energy,
no umph, no you know, no jump, and they're like
you can see it, you could almost see it happening
where they're just like I got nothing now and the
fans and I don't want to mess up and I
don't want to screw up. And that's you know, that's
the Toronto may Police in a nutshell of the playoffs,
right because I picked them to go to the finals.

Speaker 4 (47:32):
Like I thought they were going to the finals.

Speaker 3 (47:33):
I thought they were extremely hard team to play against,
as we ti, as we talked about. Now does Brad
Tree living, you know, and this team is is a
lot harder to play against from years past, Right, does
Brad Tree even go out and make maybe perhaps another
big trade. Maybe he gets somebody like like I said,

(47:54):
like a Brad Marshawn where he comes in and he
grabs a team and says, hey, guys, not that Florida
needed it, but in that sense where maybe Toronto needs
a guy like that. He comes in and all right,
let's rite the ship.

Speaker 5 (48:06):
Yeah, I think it's a great point. And I'll put Tree,
I'll put Stan Bowman in that bucket. There's probably two
or three teams right now that are sitting there going
we like our team, but it's not complete. And what
I mean by that is outside of the Pittsburgh Penguins,

(48:26):
who seem open for business, everyone else, even the rebuilding teams,
are trying to get better. San Jose's trying to get better.
If you look at their roster, they were added players.
Chicago's trying to surround Badard with better players. So they're
trying to get better. It doesn't mean they're going to
be better, or it doesn't mean by American Thanksgiving that

(48:47):
they won't be willing to move players to add and continue.
But I think these managers, including Brad Tree, living the
team is good but it's not complete because he probably
has an eye on somebody, maybe one or two other
players that to acquire them right now is too much.
And either the team that you are valuing thinks that

(49:11):
they're a playoff team and then twenty games in they're
going Now maybe not, We're not it. You know, I
look at a team and, believe me, that's a rare
shot of me playing for them. Put it that way
because I was usually sitting on the bench in a
ball cap when Kipper was playing. But I look at
a team like Calgary. Okay, so they've got some really
good players. Now, Calgary was a ninety six point team

(49:33):
that missed the playoffs last year, but they also had
an unbelievable goaltender. Unbelievable like top five as far as
just you know, goal saved above expectation, like Dustin Wolfe
was a hell of a player. If he has an
average year, maybe they're an eighty nine point team. You know,
maybe you shave off six seven points eight points off

(49:53):
of that. Right, So if Calgary has a slow start,
did they start to look Obviously, Rasmus Anderson, I do
believe is in play. He's a hell of a defenseman.
But as Nazim Kadri in play is you know, Blake Coleman,
some of their veteran guys are they in plate so
that they can have some young guys pushed through Right now,

(50:15):
they believe they're a playoff team because they were that close,
But what if they take a step back this year?
So I guess my argument is I look at Tree,
I look at stan Bowman, I look at other teams.
I think Tampa's always in that bucket. I think Vegas
is always in that bucket. Looking twenty games in, I
think they'll be proactive and they might be banking some
of their their cap money to go. Okay, I can

(50:37):
go and get Ricard Raquel, I can get Brian Rust,
I can get Jesus you know, if Nazem Kadri becomes available. Yes,
I know there's term there, but jeez, what am I
gonna do? Like I you know, that's the interesting thing
where you're looking at it and I think there's you know,
I think a guy like Tree goes Okay. I want

(50:58):
to see how Dakota Joshua settles in. Maybe he can
be a top six, but maybe he's not. And if
he's not, then maybe he's a top nine and Chief
really loves him. But you know, player X is available
twenty five games in, and it's not a king's ransom
because I from what I hear, the asking prices for
some of the guys who could potentially be available, they're astronomical.

(51:22):
You don't want to pay them. It's ridiculous. So I
think there's going to be a lot more patient teams,
or we're seeing more patient teams because guys didn't These
teams didn't go crazy at free agency. You know, we
saw free agency for the most part, a lot of
them sat on their money, right, Like they didn't go, hey,
we're going to just because this guy's the rated number one,

(51:43):
you know, free agent, We're not just going to hand
over a whack of cash, Like we're going to save
that money for somebody maybe available and use it a
little bit more wisely as the cap goes up here.

Speaker 1 (51:54):
Right, kind of like fantasy team, you know, see what
you got after what you drafted, and then kind of
make some changes as you go. All right, we got
stay staying in Alberta. Got to ask you about Conor McDavid.
What's going to be going on their contract situation?

Speaker 5 (52:09):
What do you think I saw Jeff Jackson get interviewed.
I think it was yesterday or whatever. It's socials and
like if he doesn't like he that guy doesn't have
a pulse. He just sits there. He looks like he's
half asleep in these conversations. But he's just a very
laid back guy. Like like I was watching.

Speaker 2 (52:26):
Him, he's like it was taking a nap.

Speaker 4 (52:32):
I couldn't believe it. I watched it too, and I was.

Speaker 5 (52:33):
Like, wow, I'm like, I think it was Merrek that
was talking about, like Merck had to give him a
cattle prod. Let's see, is this guy still awake? And
I'm like, but he, you know, talking about the McDavid
and and you know what, I believe them that. I
have no reason not to. I think the deal will
get done. I don't know. I mean, you know McDavid

(52:55):
has the same agent as Austin Matthews, doesn't mean he
has the same you know, outlook, Matthew signed a four
year extension or whatever it was, and which really adds
a fifth year, so you've got five years if besides
a four year extension. I don't know if Connor would
sign eight. But I suspect he's not just going to
sign a one year deal. I would suspected maybe a

(53:18):
four year deal, eighteen. I don't know what the number
would be, like, I think it's going to be high.
I don't think it's going to be, you know, twelve
and a half like he's making. I think it's going
to be a decent number. But the thing is is
they'll make it work. Like they've got dry Slottle at
fourteen and a half. The cap I believe in two
years is going to be one twenty. They're talking about
like you can make it work. Yes, you can move

(53:40):
deck chairs around. People are like, okay, well you've got
Nurse at nine million, you've got Boushard at ten and
a half. Keep in mind the cap is going up
so relative terms, what you need to do is have
young guys pushed through. So I just made the conversation
for Brad Tree living well, they've got a kid named Savoy.
They go and get the Howard kid. They trade Isaac

(54:03):
Howard from Tampa, the guy who won the Hoby last year.
They need some young players to push through that don't
make four million dollars and and if you if those
if not all of them. They signed a guy named
David thomasse Ek, a twenty nine year old check. They're
gonna give him an opportunity if he comes over and
settles into the NHL right away. Great if he doesn't.

(54:24):
There's a roster spot and a million dollars that they
can find for somebody else. So I think McDavid will
get done. I think it'll kind of be like the
dry Sitle situation. It's just like, hey, early September, you know,
press release comes out and Connor signs it, you know,
four three four. I don't even know what the number
or whatever. I'm just estimating, but I just looking at

(54:48):
the body language of Jeff Jackson, Like first of all,
I was like, Okay, this guy's asleep, and then he's
not asleep, and then they like when he said, you know,
it's just a matter and the negotiation won't be it
won't be much of a negotiation. It's just like, what
do you want and let's do it, Like I think,
I you know, like knowing Connor's personality, Nate, I don't
know if you know him. I've met him several times.
He's a really really good guy, really and we have

(55:10):
a we have a mutual friend and you know, so
it's it's it's just talking to my friend about him
and stuff like it. Just he's a great guy. I
think he just works at his own pace. So I
think Connor will get it done when Connor wants it done,
and who knows what it'll be. I suspect it'll be
some time in September.

Speaker 4 (55:29):
Yeah. I can't even imagine. I mean, and I saw
that when he said that, I was.

Speaker 3 (55:33):
Like, I can't even imagine being him, being like, yeah,
whatever Connor calls, then you know, we'll get the deal done.

Speaker 5 (55:40):
Yeah. It is a weird you know.

Speaker 3 (55:43):
And it's like, here's a blank check, Connor.

Speaker 4 (55:46):
Write what you want, you know.

Speaker 3 (55:47):
So yeah, and I on the other part of the
Oilers noodles and you know this more than better than anybody,
is a goaltending part. What do the Oilers do there?
Because I think we all know here that and I
fully believe that if Edmonton's goal tendang is better, and
especially in the final certain games, I think that it

(56:10):
could be different story. Now, do you get somebody or
does they stand pass?

Speaker 5 (56:17):
You know what? I like Stuart Skinner, but I think
even optically, even if you had a lateral move, it's
still a win. You have to show people, and not
even people, not fan bases or media. You've got to
you've got to show the team that you're willing to evolve.
And now what sucks about all of this, And I'm

(56:37):
worried that this is going to happen. That Calvin Pickard
is the the kind of odd man out. Now, this
guy won twenty two games for them when seven and
one in the playoffs for them, and he makes a
million dollars yea, and Nate, he's got my butterfly, which
is like like, there's no like, no this way. He

(56:59):
just it's outrageous. He just is that. I love the
guy because he's just a throwback road hockey stops pucks
and just make saves and makes no apologies for it.
The guys love him. My philosophy on big goaltenders now,
Stuart Skinner, if you look at his butterfly, it's more
like a V. It's not straight out okay, and that

(57:23):
gives up a little bit of the net. So when
you see six foot four, six foot five goaltenders that
have a really flushed butterfly, I think of Anthony Stolars,
I think of Mackenzie Blackwood, some of these big goaltenders,
Andre Vassilevski, the Russians, all the sisterk and all of them, Sorkin,
all of them, their butterflies are really flush and they're

(57:43):
really flat with Stuart Skinner. His is not. So I
hope his flexibility can be better and you can work
on it. But that's something where he's shown durability. Yes,
he got bunked near the end of the season last
year on the head, but the year before he played
in eighty two games fifty nine plus another twenty three

(58:04):
in the playoffs, played a whack of you know, fifty eight.
I think last year like he played a lot, and
he gives them an opportunity. But I also think that
they are going to bring another body in, so I
would check the waiver wire. If I look at there's
a kid Dpietro that started in Vancouver, got one game
in and then he's in Boston system. I don't think

(58:25):
you'll make it through waivers. You know, she Loof was
a goaltender that was the odd man out in Vancouver
because they signed Demco. He ended up getting traded. But
when I look at some of these goaltenders, there are
NHL ready goaltenders that might be available on the waiver wire,
I'm worried that Edmonton grabs one and makes Calvin Pickard

(58:45):
expendable instead of, you know, instead of them moving away
from Skinner. I think they might move away and try
and bring somebody in to press Skinner as like a
one a type of thing. So that's that's again. I
don't know anything that's not inside knowledge, but I do
they will look for alternate views. In net, they're not

(59:07):
going to probably come back put it this way, by
the trade deadline. I don't think it'll be Skinner and Picker.
I think it'll be a combination of.

Speaker 2 (59:15):
Something interesting to hear about the pipeline of goalies.

Speaker 1 (59:17):
It's good to hear because we know it was a
bit uh desert dry there this summer with trying to
look at free agents and whatnot. No, before you go,
you're a big comedy, music life guy.

Speaker 2 (59:31):
You love to live life to the to the fullest.

Speaker 1 (59:34):
You got anything on the agenda coming up that's non
hockey related.

Speaker 5 (59:38):
Well, I just our our mutual friend Chad from Nickelback.
I was with him last weekend.

Speaker 1 (59:43):
So when you mentioned him in your story, I totally
forgot until you mentioned it that we had seen each
other at that Nickelback concert with our mutual friend Chad Kruger.

Speaker 5 (01:00:00):
Yeah, no, I with.

Speaker 4 (01:00:02):
That, I said, I Dad Kroger story. That's awesome. I
love that.

Speaker 5 (01:00:06):
Oh look at that. I feel like everybody's got to
chat for sure. But yeah, no, he he's a good friend.
And I flew out. So I flew out to vic
They had a concert in Victoria last weekend or two
weeks ago, and.

Speaker 4 (01:00:23):
Flew out.

Speaker 5 (01:00:23):
And he has a boat. It's a boat, we'll call
it a one hundred and twenty foot boat, whatever it is.
So he sailed it over to Victoria and went to
the concert and and and hung out and stuff. So
it was awesome. That was my last like, okay, you know,
let's take a look at my liver type of Joe

(01:00:44):
trip type of thing. But I don't have anything like planned.
I went to Ricky Gervai the other night. Oh yeah, awesome,
so very funny. You know. I love the comedy and
all of that, but I just I haven't THEO Vaughn
was in Calgary the other day and somebody called me

(01:01:05):
to see if I could get tickets. We have a
mutual friend. But I didn't come up with the tickets
right away. But I'm always all over that stuff. I'm
supposed to go to Morgan Wallan on September fourth here
in Toronto, which would be fun. I was supposed to
meet him when he was up and coming and apparently

(01:01:26):
because I know his producer and I was in Nashville
at their studio waiting to meet Morgan Wallen and he
got too drunk the night before and didn't show up.
So I was like, Okay, that sounds like Morgan Wallan.
But yeah, so that's kind of what I got on
my docket. But yeah, I'm Unfortunately I wish I had

(01:01:46):
this like long roster of things to brag about. I've
got nothing because I like, summer's over and I got
to get back to work, so who knows.

Speaker 1 (01:01:55):
Listen, your whole life is something to brag about. So
you've had You've lived a lot of lives within this one,
and for that I commend you because it's a lot
to be able to have to manage a job, a
family and.

Speaker 2 (01:02:07):
Being an absolute beauty.

Speaker 1 (01:02:09):
So we appreciate you coming on the show here today
with all of your insight, analysis and of course just
great vibes and personality. So thanks for taking the time.

Speaker 5 (01:02:19):
All right, Well, thanks for having me and we'll chat soon.

Speaker 2 (01:02:27):
All right, Well that was Jamie mcclennant.

Speaker 1 (01:02:28):
Noodles is what we affectionately call him so much great
stuff that he said there, And I mean we could
go on and on about his persona off of the
ice and whatnot, and reading James Duty's book Beauties. There's
so many good stories also about him in there too,
just like what kind of guy he was.

Speaker 2 (01:02:48):
I thought.

Speaker 1 (01:02:48):
Also, though, what he said about Connor McDavid really did
put it into perspective. With the Jeff Jackson interview, you
guys both referenced like, yeah, you kind of can't really
play harpball with Conor McDavid.

Speaker 2 (01:02:59):
You're just like, you know what, whatever you want.

Speaker 4 (01:03:01):
Yeah, And I.

Speaker 3 (01:03:02):
Have to mention with with Noodles as I heard when
he was a backup on the bench, like he talked
about he was the biggest chirper, like he wouldn't shut up.
Like guy said, they just constantly heard noodles chirping ms.
They was skate by.

Speaker 4 (01:03:14):
So it makes sense that he said he likes to
he likes to ramble a lot in babble, right, But to.

Speaker 3 (01:03:20):
Your point, Yeah, that interview was so it was funny.
I actually started laughing because Jeff Jackson's got his glasses on.

Speaker 4 (01:03:27):
It looks like he's asleep. But he's right.

Speaker 3 (01:03:29):
I mean, he was spot on, and I do believe
him because it's crazy. I mean he Connor will literally
he just said, yeah, Connor's got a call and we'll
get the deal done. And I think Noodles is right.
I think it'll be anywhere in the sixteen to eighteen range.

Speaker 2 (01:03:44):
Is that insane?

Speaker 3 (01:03:45):
It's insane. It's insane, But I mean he is What
do you say. You can't say no to him, right,
He has all the leverage.

Speaker 4 (01:03:53):
He's the best player in the world. He's done it
all except when, but except win except when.

Speaker 3 (01:03:58):
But for them to win they need him, right, So yeah,
it's going to be interesting.

Speaker 4 (01:04:03):
I also agree.

Speaker 3 (01:04:05):
I think they'll get it done like they did with
leon La last September. It'll be up to Connor, and
Connor will be like, all right, let's get this done. Well,
let's shore this up, because I think Connor the reason,
part of the reason he'll want to get it done
is because he's gonna want stan Bowman and their staff
to make the team better somehow throughout the season.

Speaker 4 (01:04:21):
Because I do think they're going to have to do that.
I don't think.

Speaker 3 (01:04:24):
I'm sure they think their team is set, but I
don't think the Oilers are set to go on and
win a Cup right now. I just don't think that
they're there. I think there they have a lot of
money tied up in certain players. Like Noodle said, I
think they need some depth guys. They need some young
guys to kind of emerge. They don't really have that
right now, so and they lost some guys. So I

(01:04:44):
just think that the Oilers are not in a transition.
But their team looks a little bit different, and with
the Connor McDavid contract looming, you know, there's a lot
of uncertainty with the Oilers.

Speaker 1 (01:04:54):
I feel, yeah, it feels as though they made changes,
but they didn't really evolve in the way that people
would think like to grow. Like you came close to
we didn't really come close this past year. We came
close the year before, but like you didn't, it doesn't
seem like they got They didn't, you know, power up
at all since then. So I think that, yeah, to

(01:05:15):
that point obviously McDavid number one, and then figuring out
your other chess pieces as you go along. But I
do think it's interesting overall what he said, where like
a lot of teams are just gonna kind of throw
it out there, see what you got, and then then
maybe we'll figure out some trades which or whatever happens,
and maybe some players.

Speaker 2 (01:05:33):
Values will change. They might go up, they might go down.

Speaker 1 (01:05:36):
Seems like he says, like, you know, a lot of
the players that are available are just too costly for
some of these teams, So no one can really you
kind of at this like you know, inflection point, you
can't really like do a whole lot.

Speaker 2 (01:05:48):
So yeah, I guess we'll just have to see.

Speaker 1 (01:05:51):
I mean, I think the Leafs are going to be
I think everyone in Toronto that ten percent. That's a
great story. By the way, let's clip that. Let's clip
that about Roberto Luango because that ten percent twenty percent
and I heard it. I went to a wedding in Burlington,
Ontario this past weekend, and a lot of there were
leafs jokes.

Speaker 2 (01:06:11):
There was a lot of leafs talk.

Speaker 1 (01:06:13):
There was also the from the exterior, like from people
that aren't leaves fans that were saying, like just how honestly,
like how poorly leafs fans treat the leafs. There is
a lot more of that narrative I think popping up
because they are ruining these guys' lives. But as Noodles said,
they are carrying the weight of like even since nineteen

(01:06:36):
sixty seven on their shoulders.

Speaker 2 (01:06:37):
So it's kind of not really fair to play for
the Leafs in a way.

Speaker 3 (01:06:40):
Yeah, I mean it's not easy. It's not easy. It's
not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. But
the Leaves are another one for me. I think a
lot of uncertainty there too. But I mean their rosters different.
You lose, like I said, you lose Mitch Marder. But
I just think that that's another team, like we talked about,
that has to shore up some things. I just don't
think that they're set. And I know you probably agree.

Speaker 2 (01:07:03):
Being a leaf fan, I'm not a.

Speaker 1 (01:07:04):
Leafs fan, Okay, okay, I'm a journal east.

Speaker 4 (01:07:09):
Oh okay, all right, Yeah, I just got a leaf fan. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:07:13):
I just just don't, you know whatever, all the posters
and pictures that include me in a Leafs jersey, you
just don't ever think about them again. Nate, I got
to ask you, though, would you have ever played for
the Leafs.

Speaker 4 (01:07:26):
I would have one hundred percent. I would have played
the police. I would have been awesome.

Speaker 3 (01:07:29):
I never I never got the opportunity, but I would
have loved to how I always tell every player they
should play for a Canadian team.

Speaker 2 (01:07:35):
But Canadian team versus Leaves.

Speaker 3 (01:07:37):
Yeah, I mean I I something close. I was in Montreal. Yeah,
it's close, very close.

Speaker 2 (01:07:42):
It is close.

Speaker 4 (01:07:43):
It's close, it's close.

Speaker 2 (01:07:44):
It's close there.

Speaker 1 (01:07:45):
I mean I still remember on the concourse for Nations
when people were coming up to you. I mean still
that one guy that called you Logan Thompson. I'll never forget,
but close enough. He had the TOMPs in part right
you were you were like I was like I was
walking behind Justin Bieber Like people were like, oh my god,
like because it was all Montreal people there and we

(01:08:06):
were at the Bell Center, it was like, wow, damn,
Nate is like really really famous.

Speaker 4 (01:08:11):
No.

Speaker 3 (01:08:11):
But I just like like like the hat like Habs
fans like Leaf fans, and they're just passionate, like Noodle said,
They're very passionate and they'll let you know.

Speaker 2 (01:08:20):
So I just don't think we hate them as much.

Speaker 1 (01:08:23):
I mean, I know the Habs fans hate the Habs
when they don't do well, but I just don't think
they make it their entire personality forever.

Speaker 3 (01:08:33):
I just don't think it's talked about as much. I
just but I'm being there. It was very leaflike, very
a lot of similarities.

Speaker 2 (01:08:42):
Yeah, I can see you're not doing well, and.

Speaker 4 (01:08:44):
I was there when we weren't doing well for a bit.
So yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:08:47):
My uncle who lives in Vancouver, who's a big Canucks
fan and hates the Leaf so much this past weekend said,
you know what, Vancouver, we we've got a pretty good
you know, maybe we make the first round and we lose,
or we don't make it, and we just go we
go outside and we live the rest of our lives.

Speaker 4 (01:09:04):
It's an interesting philosophy.

Speaker 2 (01:09:07):
I was like, oh, what a nice spin zone there.
He was like, Oh, we're really cool.

Speaker 1 (01:09:11):
We're really cool and chill about the playoffs, He's like,
you know, excluding of course, nineteen ninety four and twenty eleven,
like when they obviously, when there's riots and all that
kind of stuff.

Speaker 2 (01:09:22):
It's not a good time.

Speaker 1 (01:09:24):
But we've had a great time here. This has been
episode thirty four of The Energy Line with Nate and JSB,
and it's been a pleasure to be back talking hockey.

Speaker 2 (01:09:33):
Because we're almost at hockey season.

Speaker 1 (01:09:35):
Energy Line is the production of the NHL and iHeart podcast.
We think Jamie mcclennan so much for joining us. Thank
you to Jake Brown for producing the show. You can
subscribe to the show on Apple, Spotify, wherever you get
your podcasts, or listen on the iHeartRadio app.

Speaker 2 (01:09:48):
Please give us a five star rating.

Speaker 1 (01:09:50):
It helps us all out if you do, and write
a nice review if you feel like going that far.

Speaker 2 (01:09:55):
I'm Julie Sharer, Binks Sees Nate Thompson.

Speaker 1 (01:09:57):
We'll be back with another episode in two weeks, as
we were off next week. That's news to me and
I'm pumped about that. Thank you for tuning in into
the Energy Line. Energy Line is the production of the
NHL and iHeart podcasts. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.