TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joins Gino Reda to discuss the unique circumstances surrounding Tyler Myers and a potential deal, Maple Leafs management looking at the bigger picture ahead of the trade deadline and what the Oilers are looking at to try and stop their current slide.
Gino Reda: It looks like Tyler Myers could be on his way out of Vancouver. Is the Leafs’ trade deadline plan any closer to being set just yet? And how do the Oilers get this ship righted before it’s too late?
Here’s our insider Chris Johnston.
CJ, let’s start with Myers. The Canucks kept him out of their lineup last night. Is there a deal waiting for him on the table right now just for him to sign off on?
Chris Johnston: Yeah, kind of a unique circumstance, because usually when you see a player scratched for roster-related reasons, the deal is imminent. Well, that’s not the case here with Tyler Myers and the Vancouver Canucks, and I can explain why.
There is a deal that the Canucks like on the table from the Detroit Red Wings, as our Darren Dreger reported earlier today. But at this point in time, Myers hasn’t signed off on the no-movement clause in order to facilitate that trade, and where this goes between now and March 6 remains to be seen.
I do certainly think as a veteran player who has earned that no-movement clause in his contract, he’s open and willing to thinking about where else he might play, but it may or may not end up being in Detroit.
And so I think we just have to kind of let this breathe a little bit and play out. Perhaps another team steps forward that’s a place that he’s more inclined to play.
But, you know, let’s be honest here. Myers ideally was wanting to finish his career as a Canuck when he signed this deal a couple years ago. His family is very established there; they’ve been a long-time member of that team and that community.
There’s a lot for him to get his mind around in terms of waiving his trade clause in order to see a trade go forward. The Canucks are in fire sale mode. They have a number of players out there on the trade market. It does appear likely that Myers is on his way out, but it’s just not clear exactly where just yet.
Reda: All right, what about the Leafs? They got totally outclassed in their loss to Tampa last night. Even if the Leafs defy the odds and do make the playoffs this year, they’d almost certainly get the Lightning in the opening round.
That, of course, begs the question, CJ. Isn’t it more productive to build for the future rather than to continue to hurt their future for a token playoff appearance this season?
Johnston: In my view, I think there’s been almost a little too much focus in the market on what happens in these games.
Obviously, not a showing in Tampa anyone was happy with. Right back at it on Thursday in Florida. But I do believe that management has already started to look a little bit bigger picture.
Certainly they’ve been getting a sense of how the market sees the players on their roster in terms of their value, gauging how that looks in advance of this deadline. And the truth of the matter is this, at this point in time, they just don’t have offers on any of the players that would make sense for them to commence selling at this point in time.
But we know a lot’s going to happen between now and next Friday when the trade deadline does happen.
And I certainly think the Leafs are in a position and of a mind where they will move out some players if they can get back the kind of assets that they think are fair that make sense.
The two most pressing decisions for me are on their pending unrestricted free agents. That’s Bobby McMann and Scott Laughton – players that I think if they can be extended on what the club views as a fair contract will actually potentially stay.
But if they don’t sign those contracts – and that’s something that has to be worked out here in the next week or so – I do think that you would see both of those players moved if they’re not extended.
I don’t think the Leafs have any appetite whatsoever to walk them to free agency in a season that really does appear to be headed in the wrong direction.
So, you know, there is a lot of focus naturally on whether they are winning, where they stand vis-a-vis the playoffs, but I don’t think that focus is shared by the front office.
I think they understand, you know, what needs to happen here, and it’s really a matter of where the market goes in terms of how much selling they do and when that starts.
Reda: Okay, so what about the Oilers? They got leapfrogged by the Ducks last night. Now, four straight losses as they visit the Kings, who can pull to within two points of them tonight.
If they’re not careful, CJ, they could fall out of a playoff spot. What are they looking at between now and next Friday’s trade deadline to try to stop this bleeding?
Johnston: Well, there’s a lot, right? And there’s been a lot of focus in Edmonton on adding another defenceman. I do think that’s something they would like to do, but we shouldn’t sleep on the possibility and probability of them dipping into the forward market as well.
And I think when you look at where this team is at compared to where they were a year ago, they’re just not as deep in the bottom six.
On nights when Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl aren’t carrying the mail, there’s not enough behind them. I do recognize they scored five goals in Anaheim in that loss on Wednesday, but in general, I do think that there’s a belief they need to be strengthened down the bottom of the roster as well.
I do believe trying to reshape the look of the forward group is among the things that they’re hoping to do by next Friday. And certainly, there’s a lot of urgency around the Oilers situation.
We heard Draisaitl prior to the Olympic break give a pretty honest assessment of where they’re at. I believe everyone has shared that urgency coming back.
Obviously, we saw McDavid play in Wednesday’s game pretty quickly off the plane from Milan. Probably one of the more intriguing situations, I’d say, around the league to watch, and I expect Edmonton to be pretty active between now and that deadline period.
Reda: Wow, what a contrast. Five Canadian teams made the playoffs last season. Now five are on the outside looking in, and it could get worse.