OverDrive - Maple Leafs beat the Blue Jackets + Dylan Larkin's trade list | OverDrive: Oct. 21, 2026 - Hour 1

Episode Date: October 21, 2026

Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan for Hour 1 on OverDrive! The guys discuss the Maple Leafs' win against the Blue Jackets, Auston Matthews' red-hot stretch leading the team. the dysfunction on the Blue Jackets, Connor McDavid's historic statistics with the Oilers, Brady Tkachuk's return to Ottawa and Dylan Larkin expanding his trade list with the Red Wings. TSN Basketball Analyst Jack Armstrong joins to discuss the Raptors season opening, Kawhi Leonard's return and Scottie Barnes' role on the team.

This hour of overdrive is powered by Fanduil. Fan duel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. All right, here we go, Overdrive, off and running. TSN 1050 on the TSN app, your home smart speaker, up on TSN4, up on YouTube live, Brian Hase, O'Dug, Jeff O'Neill, Jamie Noodles, McClennett. It's going on today. What's happening? How we feel in this afternoon? I'll tell you what, those frost delay emails sure hits you where it can.

counts. It was very similar to hearing Jerry hand out the Stanley Cup to Steve Eiserman. You should put a Jerry voice on, you know, Frost delay, first tea time, 1130. You know what Copponwood should do? They should just pay Billy McCreary to stay at Copponwood and come out onto the balcony with his ref jersey and helmet on and his mustache. And if he points towards the first tee, you can tee it. And if he waves it off, just go home.

Yeah. You're right. That would be great. Just blow the whistle, and everyone on the range has got to look at the clubhouse and right on the balcony there. And Billy McCreary points to the first tee, you go and play. If he waves it off, it's over. He's like punks and tawny Bill. Well, it's the range of Celsius.

I mean, wasn't it two this morning and then like 17 now? Like something like that. It's just a tough pill. Noodle. It's one of those things. It's out of everybody's control. But you can't walk on golf greens if there's frost. And me and Hayes were both bitter because we were like, it's so nice out.

And then I was two minutes from the golf course. And I was looking at the farm fields, and there was frost all over the place. And it was unavoidable. There's nothing you can do. It's nobody's problem. But unfortunately, people hear from guys like us, they're like, what are you talking about? Oh, yeah. It's frost.

What are you talking about? You know, like you, how about you shut up, please, quickly. And you got to be a golfer noodles, though, to understand. A Canadian golfer in particular. Yes, that's fair. That's fair. If you're in Arizona or Florida or California, you've never heard of a frost-a-lay in your life. And you play all you're a scary-and-you-all-you-all-you-all-you-all-old-old-old-old-old-old.

And I'll just go tomorrow or the, you know, next week or whatever. But when you know the end is near, which it is, maybe seven days, if you're lucky, some courses have already punched the Greens, which is basically giving the middle finger to everyone saying, don't come back. Like it's a massive punch where it's a, so you don't want to go play those? Go ahead because we're not cutting it.

We're not looking at it. We're not doing anything to it. It's basically saying, go home and you're done. That's Bill McCrary around the Greens. It's so funny you mentioned, I had a conversation, and we could tie it to the Leafs, with former Leafs, Mikhail Gorbowski, He had a great chat with him yesterday, Nikolai Kulaman.

I love it. And somehow it came up, Rafi's name came up. Because they were buddies with Rafi Torres. And I said, well, I go, Hayes knows Rafi. Oh, yeah, love Raf. Apparently he's a good golfer, and they're like, oh, he's intense. Like I said, but that guy, I said, he might be one of the scariest individuals still to look at and just see it. I don't know how he conducts his business.

And Grabba was laughing going, he said, said when I saw video, like he said, when I was joining the NHL and I saw videos of that guy, he goes, I wasn't sure I could play in the NHL because he's like, if that was what it was like, he's like, this guy, this guy's running around like a menace. Yeah, like literally. Rafi is still built like a brick, you know what. And I still think could kill half the league, probably more than that. Oh, yeah.

And, like, because he just, he could skate, like, with reckless abandon and he was tough as nails. Anyone in front of him, he was going to hit. Like, he just was not asking for favors. He wasn't going to lay off. You know what I mean? Like, last night, Fantilli hit Marchenko. It was such a routine, good hit. Yeah, but everyone should do that.

You get a guy with his head down in the slot. Aren't you supposed to hit the guy? But in the modern game, it doesn't really happen as much. If that was Rafi, like, Marchenko would still be laying there because there would have been. Oh, you try that toe drag? against Rafi Torres? Oh, my God. You're literally in the fifth row.

Marchenko knew about it, too. He was smiling and looking over. Like, he knew. You knew. But if, Fantilli wanted to be dirty, there's a forearm shiver for the head. There's,

you know, there's a lot that you can work with there. But it was a solid hit. And, you know, this Columbus team, man, I tell you what. Dude, I can't stop watching Rick Bonas. I need a nice soap cam on Rick Bonas.

I thought we were going to do Leafs first, but I'm going to toss this out for Columbus. They're in big time trouble, big time trouble. And Rick Bonas, we all love you, and we know you love the game and you respect the game, but that team stinks. And it's almost like they know they've got no hope, and they're just out there.

And I guarantee you the sad thing is there's a bunch of guys that probably don't want to be there, and they don't have the clout to ask for a trade. How do you play a game when Marchenko's coming back, and Matthew Nyes? Is that the best you got against your old team? Yeah, he didn't have much last time. Dude, the whole team was nowhere to be found.

It's almost, I don't know what the hell is wrong with that place. I personally love it when I go on golf trips and I stay in Columbus. I've watched hockey games there. I like the place. But for whatever reason, it's a black hole right now, and they better figure it out because there's going to be big time problem. They all, like Craig Button always says, and it's so true, the players know first, It's almost like, really, you think we're going to do something with this roster?

Like, what the hell are we going to do? And it's been guy after guy. Like, imagine how Matthew Nyes felt when Fantilli's, like, pissed off that Marchanko left. You know what I mean? Like, he was like, well, I was supposed to play with that guy all year. Well, guess who's on your line now? Nice. Right.

Yeah. Yeah. I had really thought it last thing. Yeah, they were awful. They were not good. And the goalie didn't help. I love the goalie. I actually, but I said to you guys in the group text, he should have had three of those goals.

Great, great shots, Cowan, great shot to Matthews, even Nylander, but like, if those, if that was Stolars that allowed those goals, we'd be talking about going. You need a stop in one of those. You need to stop. So, I mean, yes, the guys who scored great on them, good shots, but the league, it's rare that you see just shots go in. Like, you know, to me, there's more, there's more to it. I just didn't think, you know, Jet Grieves had his stuff. But I look at that Columbus team, there's lots of good players there. They're just something not, you know, like they're – I like a lot of their players.

But, you know, they're missing Proverroff. Proveroff's a guy I would look at if I was the Leaves. Well, he's a really good player. They like the big boy there, the captain, obviously. Now, Werenski, he's not sticking around, unfortunately. Well, that's another thing. So he's the one up next time. I know they don't have anything to get him.

I get it. I'm just saying. say the Leafs have no currency to get him. That's not true at all. They could if they wanted to. They just don't want to pay the currency. I mean, what would that trade? Well, obviously Gavin McKenna would get you in a heartbeat. But no, I know, but you can't say they don't have it.

Like, yes, they do. They just wouldn't be comfortable doing it. I'm not saying they should do it. But, like, there are teams in this league that literally don't have currency. Right. You know, there's two teams in Western Canada that have nothing that could not get anybody for the most part right now, outside of their future first-round picks, which have a ton of value. The Leafs could. I mean, again, I look at, and Cowan has to play a lot more games before he gets to a level, obviously,

and trades are complicated. But Easton Cowan has been outstanding to start the year. Like, he has changed. I think the possible outcome of what you think this team can do this year getting into the playoffs because he's just added a completely different element to the team. I mean, he is, every night he's dogged. And the offensive production is what's significant. You know, I don't know what he's going to end up with,

but this guy's making legit plays on the ice. Like, he is playing hockey, man. Cowan was good last night again. They moved them up with the big boy, Matthews, my rocket favorite. He snaps home another goal last night. You know, like the Leafs, I thought they played well. And I thought defensively they played well. Like I thought there was a bunch of guys back there that stepped up.

Ekman Larson. Best game has played in a long time. Morgan Riley, same thing. I thought Morgan Riley was fantastic. I was watching it last night, and I just started shaking my head. I'm like, the Leafs vapor to suck you back in is just incredible. I don't know if there's anything like it in pro sports. The only comparable I can come up with is probably the Dallas Cowboys,

where one day you're just looking at them saying, God, how could you do this? You guys suck. And then a big win or a couple big ones. wins, you're like, yes, we're back, and we're going to do this and we're going to do that. And who knows if it goes the way it usually goes in five days, you're like, damn, what is wrong with these guys? They just got a powerful vapor because I was looking at it last night. I'm like, yeah, man, I love everything about this.

Matthews is ripping at home. And Matthews, like, he just looks really good. He's doing stuff that he wouldn't do last year. Like, even on Marchenko's first goal, he just power move, took it to the house. You know what he would have done last year? He would have took it back around to the outside and gone to the top of the dots and looked for some kind of wrist shot. He just said, no one's stopping me and I'm taking this to the net, doing a bunch of really good stuff. You know what else, though?

On the back door, that's Max Domey. On the back door, that's Rick Mitchelley. And good players. I'm being a dink a little bit, but I apologize. But not Marchenko is the point. Exactly. I'm just saying there's a different look. and there's a different feel to it.

And let's be honest, knock on wood, health is obviously a big factor. When you're healthy, you feel looser, you feel more confident. Last year, that shot that he took to score last night hits the crossbar or misses the net. Like now you're seeing, okay, little feel there, bar and in, your far side and in, that type of stuff. It's amazing how health and confidence goes a long way to any player. And then top players, he add on top of it. So, you know, there's a lot of different factors that come with it. But, you know, you've got to keep it going.

The Rangers are a different team. Evanton's a different team, but you have to beat the ones that are in front of you, and they did the last couple nights. Well, and it came, you know, following the urgency comments, which lead to a lot of irons in the market and from the fan base who have heard about a team that is learning lessons for over a decade, right? And it was always infuriating. Learning lessons.

Learning lessons and we'll learn from this and respect in the handshake line. And there have been so many things that people just, they can't take seriously because everybody in that room loves each other. Yeah, exactly. And, you know, after they had lost three in a row and they lost to the Islanders, it was Matthews who came out and said, we need to be better starting with me. We need some urgency. And then they ran off two straight wins, you know. And to their credit, they played, I thought they played very well in both games.

And they deserved to win both games. They were the better team in both games. not powerhouses, San Jose and Columbus. You know, it's a different story when you're going to play Florida, Tampa, Edmonton on Saturday night, who won again last night, and their best players just continue to do it every single night. So that's going to be the challenge. And I think very intriguing to see Matthews in particular,

because it starts with him. I mean, he is the head of the snake. He's their best player. He can give them the most production. And if he is playing like a top 10, 10 player, which is what he was, obviously, in his prime. He's only 29 years old. If you infuse a top 10 player into a lineup with more depth and more pace,

including Marchenko, Roslick, who scored again last night, drive on the far side, right? Went right to the net and scored. Cowans had the most internal improvement. And McKenna's making plays. Like, that play made chipping it off the board to himself last night. That's just a smart, crafty play. like he's just he can he can make plays you know so they're right when you infuse a top 10 player like that who's playing well on top of his game and you have any kind of normal nchr roster you should have a

pretty good chance to win up front and in net again the defense did not change tony stolars by the way shout out tony he was great played well yep they what he had to do last night for sure yeah and and there were some score effects there once you get up you know Columbus starts to push i'm sure there was probably some gut check time after the second period when you're down like that, maybe some, you know, some comments or whatever. Like, it'll be interesting to see. Like, I look at it.

I, you know, I look at Columbus. I think they're better than that. I do. I really do think they're better than that. Yeah, but the problem is, Jamie, and I love Donnie Waddell, and I love bone. Like, they're hockey guys. Yep. But what the hell's going to happen when Zach Rorensky?

What do you think he thinks of this? He's looking at this saying, okay, There was rumblings last year, Donnie, about me not wanting to re-sign. Do you think he wants to go back to that? Absolutely not. So he's the next guy on the list. Like if somebody put up the death chart when it goes from Bobroski to Panarin to Johansen to Seth Jones to Marchenko, and now it's going to be Rorensky, it's like, how could any organization withstand that?

Crazy stuff. And I feel bad for everybody. Like I said, I like going there. I do. But I go there for different reasons. I'm not living there. to have a place like that. When we first got to Carolina,

it was a little bit like that. It was like, oh, Carol, you guys aren't serious, not a destination. And now it is, and I'm really happy, because God knows what would have happened to that market if it turned into that place where guys showed up and said, actually a guy just did it last year. But, oh, the difference, what you just said, is Carolina won in 06.

They won last year. You put together a winning program. People want a piece of it. That's the bottom line. But that's my question, Jamie. how do you put together a winning program when nobody wants to be there? I really don't know. You're right.

Fair enough. But what I'm saying is regardless of, you know, Carolina and people, you're not serious, or people look at, hey, you know, Columbus isn't, if Columbus was a organization that was perennial 10 years in the playoffs, one, you know, won some rounds in that, it doesn't matter. It's the program that attracts people. That's really, and we look throughout the league, and you can make a kid. case for name me a city X, Y, and Z. Ottawa is not the

destination for a lot of people. Winnipeg, but you look at it, you put together a good program, people want a piece of it. Columbus hasn't had that in a while. Well, what's wrong with the program then? I'm sure their practice rink is just bad as good as anyone else's the ranks night. I talked to my Commodore.

He liked playing there. Mark Mathot. Guys that I know that actually played there. They didn't have a problem with it, but I think their teams were solid, but again, I don't know. I'm not in that dressing room, and I don't talk to enough people from Columbus to, you know, we should have Jody Shelley on, but I don't know if Jody would be able to go. He's in a tough spot.

Exactly. He works for the team. He's not going to be able to go, geez, this is what I see. But I, you know, I look at it. I think they've got the framework of a lot of good players there, but I don't know what's missing. Like, and that's probably what's driving Rick bonus nuts. A hundred percent.

What am I seeing here? Yeah. 100%. And just unfortunately, Columbus, ever since they came into the league, They just never took a step. And it's very early, but Seattle is risking the same thing. They're on that path. And, you know, Columbus, they had Rick Nash, who's a great player,

and it was a great Columbus Blue Jacket. They swept Tampa a bunch of years ago, and that's it. Tampa was that set the record. That's their moment. It's their moment. And, yeah, that is their moment. That's their moment. They swept Tampa, and that was their moment.

And that's just the reality. We swept Tampa in 2015. They've never found a way to collectively put together a roster that makes people stay. Because it does come down to the players. It does come down to the well-oiled machine of scouting management, who you have, who you trade for, because they've just never had a team that has been on the radar based on their talent. And it's no different now because look at Detroit.

When Detroit had Eisenman and Shanahan and Lydstrom, they were the it spot. Now, no one wants to go to Detroit. Detroit's just like Columbus. A little bit bigger. Midwestern town, not the greatest weather. What is it? Who cares of your hockey town?

Right? Like the Leaves were the same thing. When the Leaves didn't make the playoffs for 10 years, no one was like, man, I just got to, you know, got to be there. They're like, that thing stinks. I'm not going there. Like, that's the way it goes. Florida was like that for 20 years, more or less.

I'm not going there. I don't care what the weather is and the pools and the taxes. They stink. I'm not playing there. Well, like you got to have players. That's what it comes back to. And that's what I said. You put together a program.

People are like, they're making an excuse to be there. But like, I want to play with X, Y, and C. I want this. I want a piece of that. They're still trying to find that. You know, last night was not a good, you know, I just didn't, they didn't look, like, they didn't have a big pushback. Like, I thought it would be a lot more emotional.

Although, there was a fight. So there was a fight. So we, you know, that you brought it up with the show yesterday. Yeah. So, you know, there's probably teams that don't have a major yet. Maybe, maybe not. You're right. You're right.

But, yeah, I mean, in the end, Marchenko got the last laugh, right? He scores. His team gets a win. He's got booed when he touched the puck. You knew that was coming, and that'll likely happen every time he plays there. But he gets the last laugh. He's in Toronto. He's making a lot of money.

You know, the least right now are, they're in a pretty good spot. Their division's still very tough. Tampa beat up on Vegas last night. Boston got a point. Detroit got a point. Montreal got a point. Every team in the division is above 500, you know? It's like it's going to be an absolute grind.

That'll be a dogfight, man. Yeah, it's going to be very tough to get in. The Atlantic. It's going to be all season long. Right now, the Leafs are in a playoffs, but Buffalo could win tonight. They're out. You know what I mean? Like that's the thing.

And you look at point percentage, too. They're seventh out of eight. But at the end of the day, you've got to win, which take care of what you can Yeah, everybody else like, and go ahead, O. The biggest factor, Jamie, in the Atlantic might be every team goes through it sometimes twice, but good teams usually once where they're junk, the team's ability to manage that span when they're junk and do damage control, that might be the difference because if you can't get control of it and it spirals a little bit longer, it might cost you the playoffs if the standings are going to stay that tight throughout the season.

And let's be honest, they haven't had a world beater. start, you know, one game above 500, and you're right there. Exactly. That's the thing. They went winless in three games. You've got to stop that bleeding. You've got to, you know, you've got to get three out of five. You got to get four out of, like that type of stuff, segments.

You know, I think that's what your focus is on. Because they have a tough schedule, and, you know, right now, they're going to be in a dogfight all season long against, you know, six, seven other good teams. That's right. however you want to phrase it in what the Atlantic looks like. Yep, absolutely. But it was an impressive win last night, you know, for the Leafs. And again, I do think you emphasize Easton Cowan, his play, but the defense score,

I think that's three games in a row with the defense have collectively played pretty well. You know, I think the Islander game, San Joseon last night, I think Morgan Riley played really well last night, right? Like they moved Pox well and they transitioned well. Ekman Larson had his best game of the year. and, you know, it's patchwork, but I almost, I use the Packers' offensive line as an analogy. Like there's been turnover and injuries and there's not a ton of talent, but this is the big leagues. You're going out there and taking snaps. You've got to protect.

You've got to plight. And it's the same thing with the Leafs. Like, it's very clear they have not always going to be easy, and it's easy earlier in the year because a lot of teams are putting up numbers and we always know defense gets better as the season goes on. But they have enough barring injuries. I think to score a lot. To have a top 10 offense in the league.

With Matthews looking like he is back to business, Neelander's going to do what he does. Marchenko, McKenna, Cowan, when Tavaros returns, Roscoevick remains motivated. We'll see if he can keep that up, but he continues to look pretty good. I thought he's been good, Brian. I agree. He's been working his ass off, and I'm like,

that's what must happen to that guy. He gets comfortable and that work ethic, because there was a couple shifts. I'm like, wow, that guy's flying right now. and he must just get comfy and say, I don't know if I'm going to do that anymore. That's it. You've got to keep it going, man.

Especially for him, he has to recognize. That's the way he has to play to stay in the league. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, the games will get tighter and we'll see how, you know, what guys have. Exactly. That's really what it is.

That's, you know, but as of right now, while it's loose, take advantage of it and, you know, run with it. That's right. And I think even as it tightens up, though, if you have game breakers, which I think they have, certainly with Matthews and Neelander in particular. I think you're going to score. We'll see the goaltending. Again, Stollars was good last night. Bob was great the other night.

Bob's historically been a slower starter. If he can turn the clocks back and give them, you know, quality production, if you're going to score and you're going to get average to a little bit above average goaltending, okay, then you're going to be in the race. And what's going to determine whether or not you get things done this year is that team defense and the defense score punching above their weight. And, you know, again, it's one. thing to do it against Columbus, full credit.

Saturday night when they get to Edmonton, it's going to be a different story. Like, McDavid is literally putting up Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky numbers every night. Like, he had three points again last night. I don't know if you watched that game last night. It was good. Minnesota is a real deal team, too.

They're really good. Yeah, they were down and they chased it last night. But, you know, Minnesota, like Edmonton, are missing players. But they, you know, their depth with being challenged. They're gold, both goaltenders I thought were excellent. There were seven goals in that game last night, and I thought both

goalies were unbelievable. That was a really good hockey team, but sort of good hockey game between two pretty good teams, like two teams feeling it at least early in the season. Yeah. But that was, yeah, it was Star Power on Star Power. Yeah, McDavid and Drys

Sighton, that. Bush. Bush again. There's a bushrart. But this, Caprisoff's a player, and that Boldie's a player. I thought, honest to God, watching 43, like that, Quinn Hughes was unreal. Stupid penalty in overtime, though, noodles. What is he doing, touching that puck?

I know, and I get it. Listen, Doebusch took a bad penalty in overtime. I thought that was a ridiculous, awful penalty by Dobish and allowed Salabrini to score. There were some weird penalties last night. But I thought that game was a really, like, skill on display, like both teams and goaltending. Maybe Minnesota needs to pull the trigger on Dylan Larkin.

I find it crazy, guys. I actually find it embarrassing. And this is the way I look at it. I'm not sure what you guys think. It's so embarrassing, and you and your agent look so stupid that you have to expand your list in order for you to get traded. Do you guys not find that incredibly embarrassing? I find that to be totally mismanaging your own situation

when you have to go back and say, all right, you're not going to do it to like, here's some more teams. I think that's ridiculous and a total misunderstanding of the situation and a misjudgment. And the teams he picked are all the cup favorite

teams. Like they're all the best teams, which obviously that's what he is pursuing. Canada, not withstanding, right? Can't come up here. Okay. But he wants to go to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years and he's hedging his bets that if he goes to one of those 10 teams, he's going to do that this year.

I think the Utah car is pretty interesting. Because Utah's got lots of assets that they wanted to pay Detroit. Yeah, you're right. They're a team that I think is really close to turn in the corner. Skills, speed. I'd be careful about that New Jersey request. They're not a lot to make the playoffs. If he went there and missed the playoffs, I would laugh my ass off.

Fire me up to New Jersey. and go and miss the playoffs. But he might be a guy that helps them, you know? He could too. That would be their stance. But tell me, guys, do you not think that's completely embarrassing when you're like, okay, here's six more teams? Like, it's just, how do you not know what's available

and who will pull the trigger on a transaction? Maybe I'm crazy. I think what it is, though, oh, if you had a six-team list or whatever it was, you talk to those six teams and that's what the market is, but there's probably a team that puts their hands up and go, I'll give more and if he expands his list. Like I think what happens is if there's a 10-team list and those 10 teams are in on them, there's probably one or two teams that have a little bit more currency that'll go,

we'll take them and we'll give X, Y, and Z. That's where I think that's why you expand the marketplace. Right now there's probably an offer in there for him. But Jamie, to put yourself through the situation, that you've done, getting booed in Detroit, and, like, do you not understand whether you're going to get traded immediately or not? Maybe you're not good enough to be asking for a trade if this has to go on, and you've got to add six more teams.

I personally think it's garbage management of the situation. Now he's in a situation where it's like, okay, here's six more. What's going to happen in another month? He's got to add some more? Well, here's the thing. Let me ask you guys both this question. What would you rather have? Would you rather have Detroit's situation or Winnipeg?

Because I'll take Detroit's. The guy's playing. He's ready to go. He's expanded his list. And, you know, there is, for a centerman, there's probably a bigger market than a starting goaltender. So the guys showed up. He's playing, and he's playing pretty well. So the teams that are watching him going, we can add him tomorrow and be a difference maker.

If I want to add Connor Hellebuck, I need to find out, is he in shape? What's he been doing? It's the same thing, Jamie. Brutal management by himself and his agent. I get it, but I don't profess to know what behind the scenes. Dylan Larkin came out and said, I'm not going to tell you guys, and I don't know if I'll ever tell you why I want out of my hometown and out of this organization and out of that, which I thought was a really unique comment

when he first came out. So I don't know the story, but I don't know. But I just know I give him somewhat respect or respect for playing through all of this and at least being ready to go, I'll take the trade to these teams, to these 10 teams, which he has negotiated through. You've got to be driving them nuts, though, that Montreal probably is called and said, here's the best deal you're ever going to get. And he's like, no, not going there. You know, and it's like, I get it's your life, your career. But then how much do you really want to win? And how much, like, you know, sure, there's other teams in the league with better chances than Montreal.

Do you not look at Montreal and say this team financially is set up, maybe the best of any team in the NHL for the next eight years? Why wouldn't you sniff that out? It's a great point because maybe if you're serious about winning, you're not serious if you just completely ignore it. You can't be because he's proving it's with an asterisk. It's got to be in the States. But again, this is called, but don't claim it's just about winning because it's not.

It's more than that, clearly. All right, we've got Bruce Garriott coming up. Speaking of circus, you know, act material tonight in Ottawa, Brady could chuck back. Brady speaking with the media today. We'll get into some of that with Bruce coming up. And the Raptors back in action tonight. So Jack coming up later in the hour to set the scene on the Raptors' new season with Kauai back in town. Overdrive continues up on YouTube live.

All right, Overdrive continues, powered by Fandul, bringing you more ways to play your game, your way. Bruce Garriock from Ottawa coming up in about a half an hour. Brady could Chuck back in town. and we expected to be an electric atmosphere, and he is going to hear it tonight. And around here, we were discussing the comparison between, you know, Brady's return and that of John Tavares and his return on Long Island. I don't think anything's going to match that Tavares return.

Yeah, that was full hatred. Yes. Like the Mitch Marner thing, I don't even, did they even do a video for John on the island? Yes, because Lou was the GM at that. time i believe right and it was lou was like we're gonna respect them and all that yeah yeah they did but they didn't they didn't take oh they's they carved him while it was being played dude you got a penalty i think and the guy was in the penalty box absolutely going nuts on to bars

but go ahead jamy there were neat new york fans leaning over the railing yes if you like i i don't know where you know where the level will raise tonight But I just, you know, knowing the fans, I loved Paul Maris's. I don't know if you saw his comments today. I thought they were perfect. They're like, how do you think fans should react? He goes, whatever you want to do. He goes, this is pro sports.

I thought his comments were bang on because he said, don't do what the guy next to you is doing. Do what you want to do. If you want to boo, boo. If you want to cheer because you have great memories of him, I thought it was an unbelievable comment by the opposing coach going, and we know what's coming tonight. I'm sure he knows what's coming, but he goes, do what you want to do.

You're paying money to go in there, do it. Yeah, and listen, there will be some people that will cheer him. Like, there will be some people that will cheer him. What's going to happen during his video? Because Marner's was the same thing. Boo, Marner. And then his video came up, and everyone was like, Mitch, thanks. And then the puck started dropping.

It was like, boo! I know. Bizarre. It was amateur hour. Like either boo or whatever. That's the Canadian way, though. It is. it's just not going to be nearly as ugly.

That's what the Canadian way is. We're going to boo you, but we also are just booing you because we're mad that you're not here. And when your tribute goes up, we're going to cheer you because we're Canadians and we're nice. And then we're going to act like we hate you after. And then the next time you come in, we'll totally forget about it. Okay, let me ask you this then. With that in mind, whose return is going to be filled with more hatred, nastiness, and vitriol? Brady Kachuk in Ottawa or when Connor Halebuck goes back to Winnipeg.

Oh my God, Connor Halebuck, I think. Just because of this, the way this has played out. And that's saying something because Brady Kachuk's exit was a polarizing thing, and he's a polarizing player in that market. But the way this Halebuck situation has gone, the way the statement came out in the summer, those people in Winnipeg are generally pissed. And you want to talk about, these guys in Ottawa were saying,

Yeah, we went out for dinner with Brady last night. Yeah, he picked up the bill. That ain't happening in Winnipeg, man. That is not happening. That's where I think there's a little difference there. Keep in mind, Hellebuckets signed a long-term deal. Brady, it's by the sounds of it, went to them and said, I'm not going to extend here.

So you might as well get it done now type of thing. So there's a difference. Hellebuckett signed a long-term deal. Then his post-game presser when they lost was like, You know, not believing in the team, having done enough, all of that type of stuff. And then it kind of got weird and shifted. You know, for the most part, there wasn't a lot of noise around Brady until there was, until it was a trade. Like, you know, he even said in his year-end press or it's never come out of my mouth.

You know, Brady said that. But, you know, behind the scenes, obviously. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, no, exactly. But it wasn't public. That's my point. You know, there were people that knew. Yes, exactly.

and when it happened, some people weren't overly surprised. But the general public was. You know, the average fan was, that's what stings for, I think, a lot of sense fans, is they felt like they were fighting on behalf of Kuchuk. You know, against guys like me and us, Yellow, I don't know if he's going to be there. How dare you, he loves it in Ottawa? You're a loser. And then he wants out, they're like, oh, well, actually, I guess you're right.

Maybe he wasn't going to stick around. I think Halebuck probably, the thing is, Halebuck has done more his team than Brady ever did in Ottawa. Like, he's won a heart trophy, multiple Vesna trophies. The best player in franchise history, maybe short at Dale Howard, Chuck. Brady's not that.

I mean, Alfredson obviously is ahead. There's a lot of guys, I think, are ahead of him in terms of, like, the all-time great Ottawa senators. Yeah. So I just don't think, like, the thing that I've watched him his whole career and called those games, I agree. Like, never once did he ever cheat you?

for effort. Like he wasn't, there are people like, oh, he had given up. No, he hadn't. He didn't have a great playoff, but they hit post. They had 19 shots on goal between him and Stoitzler. They didn't score. Like I didn't, like there never once did I go, oh, that guy's given up on his team and his organization. That's the one thing I'll remember about Brady's. He came to play every night. He's a very good player, like a very, very good player. And, you know, it'll be emotional tonight. We'll see what Bruce has to say on this in about 25 minutes. All right, Raptors back. Kauai Back, Overdrive continues up on TSM.

All right, Brucey coming up from Ottawa on about 20 minutes. Good to see the NBA back last night. LeBron looked pretty good. Sixers with a win. Sixers are a real team. One game, but they look real. They look like they could be very real. Detroit with a big comeback in the second half.

Jason Tatum didn't look so great. And Oklahoma City, man, Wembe was not the greatest star for him. and we'll see what the Rappers have in store tonight. They're a huge favorite against the Bulls. Huge favorite. And there's a ton of excitement with Kauai in town. And Kauai had his PR team or whatever.

Do the little video that he posted a little time. Very cool. Very cool stuff. Very cool stuff. Let's head down to Scotia Bank, tipping off in a few hours. Raptors Bulls, here's our TSN. Raptors analyst, Jack Armstrong. Jack, you've been doing this a long time.

You know, the excitement meter this year compared to maybe the past couple of years. how would you describe it? I would say right at the top of the list, I would think back to probably Vince Carter and that team coming back from getting to the Eastern Conference semis against Philadelphia in 2001 and that next season of anticipation. And then the deal to get Kauai Leonard in 2018, 2019,

and probably now. So I would definitely put it in the top three in terms of anticipation. and excitement and enthusiasm that people have for it. And it's justified. You know, obviously the Eastern Conference is going to be a killer night in, night out. You talk about the Knicks, the Celtics, the Sixes, the Pistons, the heat, the paces, the hawks, you name it, magic, cabs. You know, you've got nine, ten teams that I think can go into this season legitimately thinking, number one,

that they could have a winning season. And number two, a great many number of those teams I mentioned, think they could get to the conference finals and maybe the NBA finals and maybe win it all. Jack, how does things change in that perspective for Darko? I mean, he was babysitting a little bit, some tough years, and he was like, let's be energetic guys and just try to work our way through this. Now they got Kauai back, some serious expectations.

How does his role kind of change as the coach, or can he change? Or does he just have to stay the same guy? Well, I think he's done a really good job here. The first, you know, I judge a guy more on how he kind of navigated and how the guys played when, you know, there wasn't a lot of hope. And I thought he had their attention and their respect and then in year and laid that foundation. And then in year three, I thought he did a fabulous job last year with this group. And kind of some, sometimes a group that maybe wasn't the most cohesive terms of the tactical side of it in terms of. terms of having enough spacing offensively.

I think this group, from a tactical perspective, will be a little easier to coach because I think there's a little bit more three-point shooting. I think they're a better defensive team. And so those parts, you know, a lot of it's going to be managing egos and expectations. But I feel confident that he's a really good communicator. I think he's earned a respect of every guy that's been here already.

and has their attention. And I think he'll do a great job not only with Kauai Leonard but with the other newcomers in terms of selling his vision and for how they want to play. And I think a guy like Kauai when he's healthy

will make his job that much easier because he will draw a lot of attention and when you have a guy in the NBA that can attract the second defender and now it opens up the floor for everybody else and in particular guy who could shoot the ball like he does on the perimeter

from three, mid-range, low post, finish at the rim, make free throws. He's an incredibly efficient guy. I think it's going to make the other guys better. Now, this roster, when Kauai was here the last time, they went 17 and 5 in the 22 games that he missed, does this group have that? I'm not sure. That group was a lot more of a veteran group, more polished, than it already won. They just couldn't get over the hump.

This group's got to prove it a little bit more. So if he misses, you know, 22, 25, 30 games, how do you navigate those games? And can you not only be 500, but can you be a few games over 500? If you are, then watch out. This could be a really exciting year. Well, the idea of playing off Kauai is clearly a topic. And when he arrived last time, you know, it was Kyle Lowry's team. There's a lot of emotion because of who Kauai was traded for, right?

And how close to Maher and Kyle were. and there was, I think, a power struggle early on, an understanding of who Kauai was, but I'm sure Kyle was like, hey, do you know who I am and this is my team? Of what you know of Scotty Barnes, how do you anticipate he handles now playing off Kauai as opposed to, you know, he's been the man.

Let's call it what it is. He's been the man the last couple of years. The man is now Kauai Leonard. How do you anticipate Scotty to respond to that? Oh, I think he's very excited about it. Just chatting with him. I think he's a pleaser. He cares about the greater good.

I think sometimes he'd prefer, you know, having a game, if you ask him, are you going to be in double ditches in scoring or in passing? I think he'd probably answer, he'd like to be more in terms of the passing side of it. So I've seen him be totally selfless. I think, you know, you're watching against Cleveland last year. I thought he put it all together in the play. There was a lot of pressure on him with Emmanuel quickly, as well as Brandon Ingram out of the lineup. And they took that team to seven games.

That team went to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavs, and there's high expectations for them. So I think Scotty Barnes really showed what his next year can be. And at the same time, I think he needed somebody, just like Kyle Lowry needed somebody, to get him over the hump. because they were winning north of 50, 55 games a year, but they couldn't get past LeBron, and they couldn't get over the hump in big games. And so I think this group probably needs Kauai as much, if not more, than that last group.

The difference is this is a younger group, not as polished, but yet this group, to me, has a lot of upside. There's a lot of good young players here. Jack, you talk about the upside. What is the ceiling or the expectation? for this group this year? I think if they're healthy, they're going to be right in the mix in terms of being one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.

And as you guys know, so much of this is all about matchups. Who you match up with, you know, time of year and who you play in the first round of playoffs, all those types of things. But I personally think that this group has every right to come into this season, feeling like when you play Cleveland and Philadelphia and Boston and New York and those teams that you have every right to feel like you can win the game just as much as they do. And I think the experience these guys had a year ago in the playoffs, and I think the growth I've seen from them and adding a guy like Kauai will make them that much better. And look, this group guards, they don't take plays off.

So to me, you know, Coach Starco came in here more as a rep as an offensive guy, and I thought they improved steadily offensively as the year one on. They rely a lot on their transition, but their efficiency in the half court got better the year one on. But those kids, they guarded. And now you're going to have a Carl Murray Boyles playing more. You're going to have a Jacobi Walter who beat out Grady Dick, a higher pick than him. but he has more of the two-way chops that you want in terms of his ability to shoot it, but more importantly, to be a lockdown defender at the wing.

You know, Jamal Sheds a bulldog of a backup point guard. He's a winner. And, you know, if he can shoot the three better, that will help significantly. And then you add a guy like Kauai. But, you know, I think they're finishing line up in the front court. When you look at Kauai and Scotty Barnes and Kalamari-Boils, yeah, they're not going to be the tallest front line. You look at the size that Oklahoma City has last night.

You know, they're not that big. But, man, they can switch all the positions in a league where you've got to contain the dribble. You've got to guard the three. I think this group has that ability to be a difficult team to play against, particularly when they get up into you and pick you up not only in the back court, but, you know, if they're in the half-quarter, just pressure in you from the half-court line on. So I think it's an exciting group. Jack, season's about to start quickly and like 10 seconds.

Where's your favorite road trip coming up to stop and get excited about? Maybe have a beverage or two. Never know. That's probably not for us. But give me one spot you're saying, I can't wait to get there. Well, I have two games in New York this year. Obviously you're playing at NBA champs. It's my hometown.

And the first time I'm in New York, it'll be my boyfriend. mother's 100th birthday. So I think that's the reason why it's so special when I'm in New York in February will be not only calling it Raptors' Knicks game, but I'll be there for my mom's 100th, which would be so, so special. And so that's number one, obviously, on the list. I love it. It has to be, and it should be.

Great catching up with you, Jack. Enjoy the game. Enjoy the season. We'll do it again soon. Guys, look forward to chat with your journey. Have a great night. You got it. Jack Armstrong, our TSN, Raptors, Zan.

feeling very excited. I mean, when he's referencing the Vince years and Kauai 1.0 and, yeah, New York. New York's always number one, I think, for Jack. And not a bad decision, if I may add. A great call. I noticed something.

I'm not Mr. Basketball guy, but I noticed the Sixers. How did they pull off that move getting rid of Paul George and getting Jalen Brown? Am I missing something there? Well, Paul George had a great game yesterday. like he put up numbers, but you're 100% correct. Dude, I don't care what he did yesterday. 100% upgrade.

And Maxi went off. Like the Sixers, the question is Embed. Embed, you know, he's hurt all the time. You know, he starts slow at times. Like what, Embedd is the guy that they're going to have to unlock. Like, if he is healthy and performing, the Sixers are going to be serious trouble. A serious, serious, serious team. But, you know, injuries and age and uncertainty.

Great first road game for LeBron. He had to go out his back door and into the rig or into the building. Ready to rock. Pre-game nap at his house in New York. All right, hour two coming up. Back into the Leaf Win last night. Sends Panthers tonight. We'll get into that with Bruce Garriock and Moore.

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