TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joins Gino Reda to discuss the chances of tonight being Alex Ovechkin’s final NHL game and if he could see him returning to play for a contender next year. CJ also discusses who will handle the Leafs’ upcoming exit meeting, if Auston Matthews will stay through a retool, and more.
Gino Reda: Will tonight be your last chance to see Alex Ovechkin play an NHL game? An update on the Leafs’ GM search. Auston Matthews ready to speak before heading into an off-season of change, and we’re just about set to drop the puck on the Stanley Cup playoffs. Lots of details on these stories and more with our insider Chris Johnston.
CJ, what are you hearing? Is the greatest goal scorer in NHL history set to hang them up?
Chris Johnston: That’s certainly a possibility. And I think all of a sudden, this game on Tuesday with the Washington Capitals visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets takes on much more importance than we might have thought. And both teams, strangely enough, were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Monday night. And so, it does create the possibility this could be the final time we see Alex Ovechkin playing in the NHL.
What I can tell you is this: The Capitals still really don’t know the intentions of Alex Ovechkin, but they have had extra staff here behind the scenes, documenting, keeping tabs on these last few games of this season, just in case it is Ovechkin’s last in their jersey.
And so, it’s going to probably be at some point in the summertime when we get clarity here. But I think everyone is getting the sense that it’s very possible this is it.
And I know that some people pointed to the fact that on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Penguins attempted to come after the game and shake hands with Ovechkin that he waved them away, that it could be interpreted in a couple different ways. But at that point, as was pointed out to me, the Capitals still had a chance to make the playoffs. He wasn’t ready for that kind of farewell because there was still a possibility that Washington could play Pittsburgh in the first round.
Well, that’s now off the table. And, you know, Ovechkin is basically going to play his last game under this current contract. He’s a UFA this summer. So yes, it’s maybe not going to be a sendoff the hockey world would want if this were indeed the end. But Ovechkin is doing things his own way and keeping everyone in the dark until he makes some sort of formal decision after the season.
Reda: Now you made a key distinction there. He’s a UFA. His contract is about to expire. When we’re talking about retiring or not retiring, is there any chance that he comes back and plays one more season in the NHL and says, “I’m going to play for a team that I think could win this year?” Or is that completely off the table? What do you think?
Johnston: That would be stunning. I’d say that’s a.00008 per cent chance. I mean, I suppose nothing can be completely ruled out. But, you know, this guy is a Washington Capital through and through.
You know, the Capitals, I think, to their credit, have really given him a lot of space throughout this year and not trying to force the decision, not trying to get any answers from him. And I think they’re quite comfortable letting Ovechkin go through his process with his family, with his advisors, and anyone he trusts in terms of deciding whether he wants to continue his career.
But given all that and how close his relationship is with Ted Leonsis. I think that it’s very, very, very, very unlikely we see him play somewhere else in the NHL. But, you know, there have always been rumors that at some point he might want to play back in his native Russia in the KHL before all is said and done.
And so, I think that’ll be more of the discussion that Ovechkin’s having is, does he have another NHL season in him? If not, does he perhaps play at home before officially hanging them up?
Reda: All right, so enjoy it while you can.
All right; the Leafs play their final game of the regular season tomorrow night in Ottawa, then it’s the exit meetings. Those meetings, CJ, are usually handled by the general manager, but at this point, the Leafs don’t have one of those. So how are they going to handle this?
Johnston: Yeah, they’re effectively going to use their co-acting GMs, and that would be Brandon Pridham and Ryan Hardy. Those are two of the assistant GMs that worked under Brad Treliving until he was fired at the end of March, and they’re going to handle exit meetings from the management standpoint.
I think these are typically important meetings for an organization at the end of a season. It’s a chance to review a little bit of what’s going on with individual players, perhaps set the tone for the summertime and expectations and what’s to come. But it’s a little different with so much uncertainty around the Leafs.
What I’m told is they’ll do effectively two sets of meetings, the ones with Pridham and Hardy and the players, and also Craig Berube will have an opportunity separately to speak with the players as well.
So, you know, it’s a little bit of a different year in a lot of ways for the Leafs. Obviously, they’ve been a playoff team the previous nine seasons before this. So, the exit meetings typically weren’t coming until May prior to this. And in this case, you know, not having an acting GM with a lot of uncertainty around the team. I just don’t know how much can be conveyed to the players about what the future holds.
Because at this point, I can tell you from top to bottom inside the Leafs organization, there’s not a ton of clarity in terms of what is going to happen individually for staff members and for some players on this roster. And obviously, we’re still waiting to find out who the head of hockey operations will be that’s guiding the decisions and the big decisions to come.
Reda: Speaking of the future, speaking of seeking clarity, the Leafs are going to have a locker clean out day on Thursday, and Auston Matthews is going to address the media for the first time since his surgery.
Everyone is anxious to hear what Matthews has to say about the future of the franchise, and maybe even more importantly, what he sees his future with the franchise looking like. What should we expect to hear from the Leafs’ captain, CJ?
Johnston: I think we should keep our expectations modest and not because Auston Matthews has anything to hide. I just think he doesn’t know either for all the reasons I’m mentioning – the clarity of the organization, where the path is going to be.
I know we sort of debated, is it a rebuild, a retool? Keith Pelley gave a view that it was going to be more of a retool from his standpoint when he spoke with reporters. But I think until all of those things are conveyed privately to someone like Auston Matthews and his agent, he’s not going to want to make any declarations himself.
You know, what I can tell you for certain is that Auston Matthews, if all things were equal, would love to be a Maple Leaf long term, wants, loves living in the city, loves being the captain of a historic franchise and I think appreciates the history of what he’s a part of here. But he also wants to chase the Stanley Cup. And so, you know, for him and perhaps other veteran members of this team, like William Nylander, it’s going to be important to find out, does the new management group effectively see a path where they can return to a contending status in some reasonable amount of time? And whether or not what is conveyed in that meeting, I think, will dictate what happens next for Matthews.
And so, when it comes to Thursday, we haven’t heard from him since he had knee surgery since that hit from Radko Gudas on Mar. 12. So, there’ll be something to chew on there. I’m sure he will weigh in to some degree on how he’s viewing what was a lost season here in Toronto and what the future is. He may dabble in that, but I don’t think at this point in time he can say for sure one way or the other, whether he will be a Maple Leaf next season or not, because a lot of it hinges on the direction of the organization after they make that hire.
Reda: All right, let me see if I can read between the lines.
Are you suggesting that if the Leafs come to Auston Matthews in the next month to six weeks and say, ‘Hey, we’ve looked, we’ve hired a guy who’d come in and told us we need a rebuild, not a retool, and this is going to be a long-term turnaround project.’ Then at that point, Matthew says, ‘Okay, then move me?’
Do you think he’d be the least bit interested in a rebuild, or [say] ‘I’m okay with a retool, but that’s it?’
Johnston: I think what’s important there is the timeline, Gino. I mean, Matthews has two more years left on his deal, and age 30 is around the corner. He still hopes to have a long career ahead of him. But obviously, as the years tick by where you’re not in contention, I think the idea of ramping up towards winning is something that becomes palatable.
I mean, we’ve seen from Connor McDavid, for example, a peer of Auston Matthews, how important it has been for him to chase the Cup. And he’s been able to get much closer, even though he hasn’t quite raised that thing with the Edmonton Oilers.
I think it’s a similar kind of dynamic with Matthews. So, you know, how that conversation goes wouldn’t just be as simple as are we rebuilding or retooling? It’s more about timelines. It’s more about the plan. I think it would be about, you know, Auston Matthews’ belief in the person or people that are going to run the organization. I mean, all those things will be important factors in his decision.
You know, I don’t by any means get the sense he’s holding anyone hostage or anything like that. I just think he’s an important part of this team, an important part of the franchise, really, for the last decade. And, you know, he’ll need to get a sense of what the next few years are going to look like before I think he can really make any decisions about how he fits into that picture or maybe doesn’t.
Reda: While Auston Matthews and the Leafs try to figure out what they’re going to do in their future. The puck drops in the playoffs this Saturday.
It’s crazy, but two of the top three teams in the West, the Stars and the Wild are going to meet in the opening round, CJ. One of them is going to be out in the opening round. And Dallas has got some big question marks going on right now, CJ.
Johnston: They do. They don’t know if they’ll start that series on Saturday afternoon with their top defenceman Miro Heiskanen in the lineup and one of their top forwards in Roope Hintz, who’s only managed to play 11 minutes since the Olympics in Milan.
And so, this is a really tall task for the Dallas Stars because obviously it is a tough matchup with Minnesota.
It’s a pretty quick turnaround. The expectation is that series will actually kick off and be the first game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs that’s contested this weekend. And so, you know, the Stars are having to operate at least as though it’s possible they might start the series without both of those players.
I think there’s a little more hope that Heiskanen may be able to return in time for that game one than Hintz. There’s a lack of clarity, quite frankly, in whether Hintz will be ready at all during the first round. They’re remaining hopeful, but there’s no decision been made there at this stage.
And I suppose Dallas can look back to last year when they managed to win the first round against the Colorado Avalanche without Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. There are maybe some parallels there, but you don’t want to have to do that if you don’t have to. And so, it’s a bit of a difficult time for the Stars.
I can tell you they play Wednesday night to finish their regular season in Buffalo, and they’re going to play all of the regulars that are healthy. You know, we’ve seen some teams rest players around the league, and the reason they’ve done that is they want to get some synergy with the lines and pairings in case some of these guys aren’t back to start the playoffs. So, you know, where some teams have opted for rest for their players here in these last couple games, the Stars are having to play everyone because they’re not entirely sure how the puzzle is going to fit together come Game 1 on Saturday afternoon.
Reda: Man, it’s busy right now, brother. That’s the early edition of Insider Trading. The full version is coming up later today on the early edition of SportsCentre.
