TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joined Gino Reda on Tuesday to discuss how the Toronto Maple Leafs are handling Gavin McKenna, and discuss updates on Linus Ullmark, the struggling Philadelphia Flyers, Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings and more.
Reda: McKenna did not take the optional skate the other day while the Auston Matthews line did to build up some chemistry. Are the Leafs just managing McKenna right now?
Dreger: Yeah, that’s what it boils down to, Gino. I think that the centre of the universe, the hockey universe, that Toronto is, we’re always digging for angles and different stories, especially when you’ve got the first pick overall, namely Gavin McKenna, who’s an 18-year-old young man just trying to find his way at this point in the National Hockey League.
So, there are two stories that you can follow. This kid doesn’t have a point through three games for the Maple Leafs. Is that a big story? Well, not to me, but it is noteworthy to some. And then the fact that he’s not taking optional skates. But really, this just boils down to, again, the fact he’s 18, and we know how enormous the sports science department is for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Many clubs around the National Hockey League have something similar, and rest and recovery is important in that off-ice management.
You know that if he was given the option, given a choice, that Gavin McKenna would be out there with Auston Matthews and everyone else who opted to take the skate, but this is the Maple Leafs just trying to manage their asset here.
Reda: Elsewhere, Linus Ullmark tweaked something. That’s all that Travis Green would tell us about why he left the game. Any updates on the Sens’ keeper?
Dreger: No, just simply that it is not serious. It is minor. That’s how it was described to me this morning. And he was removed from the game purely for precautionary reasons.
And I guess, you know, they took advantage of the fact that they felt pretty good about their game. They want to get Sam Ersson into play as much as they possibly can as they work through what the best schedule is for Linus Ullmark. And at that point, I think they also knew that Sam Ersson would get the start against the Red Wings tonight in Detroit.
So, precautionary. I’m told that there’s nothing serious with Linus Ullmark. So, I guess we have to revisit this in a week. Maybe the story takes a different turn, but that’s the latest out of Ottawa.
Reda: Four straight losses for the Flyers to start the season. Rick Tocchet, not surprisingly, was hot after last night’s loss. Dregs, it’s still early, but how tense are things already there right now?
Dreger: Well, pretty warm around the head coach and the staff in general for the Philadelphia Flyers. And I think that this is a simple case of recognizing the importance of a good start. And the Philadelphia Flyers, as you’ve identified, haven’t done that. They haven’t been able to accomplish that. And maybe that’s just part of balancing expectation after a successful year. Last year, they felt like they were ready to hit the ice in full stride.
We know what they tried to do in the off-season by, adding a centreman of substance in Leo Carlson on the offer sheet that didn’t pan out. So maybe expectation needs to be tweaked here a little bit.
But again, you’ve got a white-hot head coach in Rick Tochett who is going to do everything he can to continue to push the buttons. Couple of games back-to-back where we heard the coach talk about, ‘Hey, this is on the coach too. I’ve got to find a way to figure this out.’
But he elevated the temperature. So I think that you’re going to see accountability dispensed here in Philadelphia and most definitely the demand for attention to detail because we have not seen that from the Flyers early on.
Reda: Dregs, a dark cloud is hanging over the Detroit Red Wing to start the season with Simon Edvinsson back in Sweden and Dylan Larkin getting booed mercilessly by Detroit fans. Larkin is now on track to play tonight’s game. Any contract news on either of those fronts? Any developments at all?
Dreger: No, and it’s interesting because I think if you ask the Detroit Red Wings, as we have, they would tell you as we have this conversation that they’re focused on Edvinsson, even though he is in Sweden. It is on trying to extend this player, and you can appreciate why. A big, strong defenceman who can skate like this guy can at 23 years of age, you want to hold on to that piece. He could be a foundational piece, yet they haven’t put a contract in front of him that he’s willing to sign on.
The Larkin situation is fluid. I think that will continue to drag into the early goings of this regular season. But of note here is information that surfaced a few days back, Gino. And that’s long-time Detroit Red Wing executive Kris Draper has moved from the amateur side to pro scouting. He’s the director of pro scouting. And what that means is Draper will now be essentially going through all the ranks of professional hockey, targeting pieces that maybe interim general manager Sean Horcoff feels that they can work with in a trade scenario that pops up for either Dylan Larkin or, if they get to a place where they’re willing to cut bait on Edvinsson and revamp the organization with two massive trades, Larkin and Edvinsson. Well, Kris Draper is going to have to put eyes on the pieces of that puzzle.
So, even though there’s not a lot of progress to report, they’re still a lot going on around Detroit.
Reda: Jets fans are loving what they’ve seen from Tyrel Bauer, but he wasn’t in the lineup for the Jets’ win against Pittsburgh. What’s the feeling surrounding this guy?
Dreger: Oh, boy. He quickly became a fan favourite of the Winnipeg Jets. And look, with all due respect to Tyrel Bauer, you know, he’s been making his way from the Western Hockey League into professional hockey through the American League with the Moose and now in the National Hockey League for a handful of years. He’s 24 years of age.
But a week ago, how many people outside of the Jets organization actually recognized who Tyrel Bauer was or what he was capable of?
Now, he’s not just a tough guy, Gino. You know, I’ve done some research here. This is a man who can defend. He can skate. So, he’s got the assets of being a good pro hockey player, and he’s fought his way to the NHL. Literally, he’s fighting his way to stay in the National Hockey League.
I suppose it’s newsworthy that he wasn’t in the lineup against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but that’s only because Scott Arniel, for the most part, has a healthy blueline. But everybody in the league, especially those who play against the Winnipeg Jets, now know who Tyrel Bauer is.
Reda: That’s the early version of Insider Trading. The full version with Dreger, Pierre Lebrun and Chris Johnston is coming up on the early edition of SportsCentre.
