OverDrive - OverDrive - April 1, 2025 - Hour 2

Episode Date: April 1, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Dave Feschuk for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joins to discuss Jani Hakanpaa's return for the Maple Leafs, the Canucks' search for success and the Penguins' next steps. They also discuss the torpedo bats in MLB and the impact around the roster for players in the league.

All new, all Canadian, the best of our great nation, one song at a time. This is Justin Bieber. Hi, this is Terry Clark. We are Nickelback. Made in Canada, on iHeartRadio. Rock, pop, hip-hop, and when it comes to country, it's the true north all the way. Loud and proud. An all new digital radio station from coast to coast.

Made in Canada, played in Canada. On the free iHeart Radio app and at iHeartRadio.ca. Hour two overdrive continues powered by FanDuel bringing you everything from the opening line of the final score. Brian Hays, the old dog Jeff O'Neil, Dave Festruck, the Toronto star, Mike Johnson coming up here in a moment., bunch of games in the NHL tonight. Blue Jays back in action and Max Scherzer back in town, had a quarter zone shot down in Pennsylvania and he's out indefinitely.

We don't know when he's going to resume pitching, we don't know exactly what's going to happen with him, but it's not surgery and I guess they're trying to put a bit of a band-aid on it and hope that somehow he get back in the mountain and on our more pressing notes mike babcock did not go near that private bird once he was kept at the uh... you have that i really need a wordy you have like a source that would know that definitively your your breaking news right now please continue go ahead

did you think i'm some kind of bozo? The answer was quick no. Okay. The question was I can't even believe I typed it. Did Babs have access to the bird when he got canned? Okay. It was a quick no. Nothing else just no. Okay. Which makes sense Hayes. Like when you incorporate a I want the bird it's like while you're employed by the team these are the hours it'll be with there would be writing in there when you get can there's no more bird okay that would make the money that you're owed but you're not getting the bird as well okay but there is the person come to an end unfortunately for mike babcock are

you you can't be shocked by that well i can't what here's what i will say arrangement would have a uh... been fired for two years like i got in well let me let me put it this way if there's a will there's a way when it comes to a lawyer and ultimately if it's on paper lawyers will fight

and most he's got a lot more money than mike babcock maybe they would say come get it if you want to meet in court, we'll meet in court, we'll take this down, we'll take you down, and it's not worth it. And I'm using Babcock as an example, I don't even know how it came up, I'm not even sure where this started 15 minutes ago. But, perks are in every contract.

Juan Soto has perks in his deal that are outrageous. And they are iron clad. There's a deal, if I'm giving someone 675 million, or is it 765? 765. 765? Sorry pal, you're not using our Bert too. Well he is though, and that's the thing. I get it, I get it, but I would be like, there's- That's where you draw the line? 765 five million fine take it, but I gotta drive 65 and what you want a couple seats for your buddies. He's got it all man

He's got he's got he's got seats behind home plate and a suite for every single game And that's another thing that I'll bet you that that it would be a fascinating contract to look at if you get injured to the Point where you can't play anymore Let's say in seven or eight years this guy has life-changing surgery or something, can't play anymore, I'll bet you those perks are there all the way through the contract. Probably. Those things aren't leaving if he's not playing for the Mets. God, I would not be surprised. But that's that's that was my point with the Babcock stuff is extreme and you know private bird stuff is kind of crazy but if the agent, if you if Babcock had

Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment over a barrel they were dying for them. Yeah they were. He couldn't put anything in the contract. That's it. They would have rolled their eyes and said all right fine now are you coming. Because no one thought they'd fire him. Right.

Like that was another thing like when Babcock got here I fully expected this like a player contract it's a full no move full no trade he's coaching the team for eight years. I thought he was going to be the first coach on Legends Row I thought he was gonna be like the great Mike Babcock that took these guys to the greatest heights and they won cups and We ultimately know how it played out, but yeah Well, I thought was gonna go down barely what a couple years into the deal He was talking about you know coaching the team beyond the deal and right And all the years they'll have together. And for sure, but look, to Hayes' point,

we're not saying it would have been standard procedure, but in the heat of those contract negotiations, there have been lawyers who miss stuff. They forget to put in the fact that if you get fired, this provision is null and void. It happens, man. And it gets exploited. Yeah, it's too bad for Mike Babcock yeah I pity Mike Babcock for not having access to the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment private plane after being fired he's got a lot of kitty as well yeah probably the highest grossing

coach to ever yes anyone even close to his eight million a year? Like is that, that's what he was making, right? Wasn't it? Yeah, it was. It wasn't quite eight million. No, it was. Right around eight. It was, yeah, I don't remember the exact number,

but it was a lot of money. I don't know who the highest paid coach in the league would be right now. I'd be curious, that'd be a good question. Like who deserves to be the highest paid coach in the league right now? Forget owners, forget marketplaces, forget history maybe. Like who do you think has done enough with their team

and you believe they would be worthy of that type of investment into the future. You know Rod Brindemore comes up, John Cooper should come up, I think Paul Maurice you just want a cup of what he's done down there. Both are signed recently I think Paul Maurice just signed an extension I believe and Rod Brindemore signed another deal. Yes he did. The owner was pissing and moaning down there John Cooper like Jared Bednar I would think in Colorado should be making a decent amount of money. Mm-hmm But that's a good question. Like who was considered the number like because there was a time Babcock that was his title He was the best coach in the world. It was subjective. I

Rod Brindle more and John Cooper right now those two guys. I mean, let's not put him in the world it was subjective and they didn't rob bryndam or john cooper right now those are the two guys mean let's not put in the same conversation i know you like coopers dot it man he's got family cops we saw they want to put them up there first it's john cooper it's like it's he's one of those guys were nobody's going to management and say i'm sick of listen to

this guy he gives in the right amount of time off and he gets into play and they went and they went to three three cup finals in a row and now they might have another chance this year uh... here's mike johnson rt s and hockey analyst on the issue of the maple tree hotline who would who would you how do you answer that question the clear cut number one coach in the nl it's a tough one i mean i think you had nailed us but the but you i would

consider group and and brenda more It's a tough one. I mean, I think I'd nail the two I would consider, Coop and Bryndamore. I would only say that I think John Cooper would probably deserve to get paid the most. Oh, no, I don't think Bryndamore is getting paid anywhere near the most given where he works. I wonder, you know, if you put Cooper in Carolina, would he get more to that team than Rod Bryndamore? I'm not sure he would. I think Rod Bryndamore gets the most out of his team as does John Cooper, but I just think that you know Brindemore is able to to draw everything they have on a team that's not a talented what John Cooper has had to work with in Tampa. But I mean,

I don't know whoever coached Canada's Olympic team. Isn't that the answer? Or that guy is probably considered the best coach in the world. Yeah, i'm i'm trying to think of who else would be in the running i mean it's it yet should be cooper again i think marie's who's a lifer who's been around and is obviously done a great job bring the mores done a great job but uh... i'm not sure who the highest paid coaches in the league right now i'm not sure who that would be a i mean we're sure we can find out it's not

generally something that's public knowledge But the reason I bring it out. Yeah there like Tom McClellan in Detroit He was making like five or six or whatever. He's making five million for a long time man That's a good one. Like he's had a nice run of what the decade or so make it out much money Oh at least oh, yeah It started in Edmonton didn't it where it was like they brought him in there at the beginning of the Connor McDavid type of era. Yeah, after San Jose.

Right. Yeah. That's right. And it was like five sheets. That was the going rate for the up and comer because of the Babcock deal. It was like you get five sheets if you're a good NHL coach. And he's been making five sheets for a long time. Well, Doogie just said that he thinks based on his quick research, Mike Sullivan in Pittsburgh

might be getting the most money right now. And he's making like five and a half. And Sullivan's been a really good coach, he's been there a long time. Tough investment right now when you consider how they're playing. And they don't have the horses to do anything differently, but that's a tough one to chew on.

You're paying that guy that much money, and they're gonna miss the playoffs for I think a third year in a row. That's tough, man. Johnny, would you not agree that Pittsburgh, it's the weirdest operation to watch this year? It's just like they get crushed every night. They have no goalies. Their team stinks. Sid's getting points. Nothing else is happening. And then it's like you just have to look at it and say ah you know how they're sit over there like you can't critique it you get like there's

no there's no ramification like nobody gets fired or anything it's just like this is what we do this is what we do in Pittsburgh it's goofy to watch they are still living off the grace of the Stanley Cups right and the 15 year run of excellence. And so I don't know how long that lasts. I imagine they have new owners, right? The new Fennway sports or whatever called Fennway sports group, whatever it's called, bought those guys.

I think they might've sold them a little bit as well, but new owners aren't tied to that previous success. So those guys would be not keen on paying a coach six sheets to get them into 28th place, wherever Pittsburgh is. And I don't know their system that well, but a lot of times this time of year when your team like Pittsburgh, you empty the batch, right? You get all these top prospects that come up out of junior, out of college, out of the minors, out of Europe, get them some games. And like, who's, I don't know if there's that many of those guys available. Like Rutger McGroarty

just got called back up. Remember he was the big prospect in Winnipeg, Cats in the World Junior, Chief of the Americans, he got traded for what, Braden, Braden Yeager, and I had to spend the whole year in the minors. So I don't know even if replaces are coming in Pittsburgh. No, no and that's the concern and they they acquired a bunch of draft picks and yet that's going to take years to flush out you gotta pick the right guys to raise my point is the idea of telling said that they're going to put something around him to give him one more that ship is sale that's gone and he's not a he's not a dog at all

if like sits demanding that but if he is someone's got to say to him, dude, sorry, that chain is left, so get it out of your head. If you want to go somewhere else and play, you can, but it's not happening there. Right. That's a you problem. Because the nonsense need to stop. Yeah, that's a you problem. Yeah. If Sid thinks it's happening, that's on you for not realizing it's not going to happen.

We've heard from people in the media, people on TV saying stuff like, you know Fixers got to pick what they want to do and give it like they pick they've chosen their rebuilding There's no like the like I say like they've they've picked their path Oh, they've picked their path their path is they're going full rebuild and it's it's tricky when you have those guys on the team But that's what they're doing. Look at the trades They make look at the picks they've acquired, the draft picks they've acquired. And that even with Sydney Crosby around as great as he is, that process takes five years to flush out the contracts like Tristan Jari's or Eric Carlson's or Malkin's or whoever.

And then get these other young players and have them build you back up. That takes three to five years. And three to five years is beyond the end of Sidney Crosby's career. Yeah don't you have to apply pressure though to fully commit? Like in other words don't they need to kind of push sit out the door? And I know that's delicate, it's tough, it's got a Matt Sundeen vibe to it, but that's where they're at. It's Matt's in 0708 where it's like, thank you for everything. We appreciate it. We've got to go in a different direction here.

Like, please allow us to trade you for assets. And I don't know how you do it because it's ruthless, but I understand what you're saying. They are kind of moving in that direction. They've acquired pieces. They've made a bunch of trades that would indicate that. But you got one foot in the door and one foot out if you're just going to say, well, but we're going to keep playing with Sid and Gino and LaTang is going to be here and Carlson's going to, and we're never going to even try to push them in a different

direction or even contemplate the idea of moving off them. So, hey, I love the cutthroat nature of you as an owner or GM. It's fantastic. Like I love it. That's how I would think I would be. Okay, you're you, I'm Sid. And I say, hey, GM Hayes, you're doing a great job. I love it here. I don't wanna go anywhere. Just to make it clear, you know, I'm on board. Whatever you wanna take us, I'm there to lead us the way.

So I know I have a full no move, but we don't need to talk about that. I'm just letting you know, I'm part of of the program I'm with you. Where do you go from there? Where do you GM Hayes take it? I would be blunt and I would say that's great Sid we are gonna be awful for years so that's fine and I would I would like I can't force you out I can't force you to wave but you got to understand something you're never winning again as a Pittsburgh Penguin yeah like I would be just be blunt with him I'm not sugarcoating it we're gonna and what we're gonna do and here's

another thing that you have to understand there's a chance you're not playing on the first power play anymore because you're not our future but you got to be blunt no you gotta be you gotta be blunt you gotta be far you gotta be blunt you're then we hard you gotta be one your band we are thinking five years down the road you are not going to be a part of that I get a little hard to Pat Briss on say brits could you believe what this guy said to me yeah I think we should leak this to an insider and guess who's not gonna be having a job in the three to five years of no longer the power

plate you maybe this is the challenge. I go to ownership first though. Let me clarify. You went too damn far with the power play. I go to ownership first. I fly to Fenway Park and I say, I got to meet you in center field. I got to meet you at second base or whatever it's going to be. This is what I'm doing. If Sid isn't willing to wave, that's fine fine if you want me to build something in five years like do you do you want do you want us to have something in the future if so i have to prioritize the kids on the team that can be a part of it

and that's not i'm not gonna ice them out of the plane the fourth line i'm not gonna make him a healthy scratch but i can't make him the primary piece of the rest of what we're doing the next three years because then that is stunting the development of the kids that are actually gonna take us into that next wave. That's GM 101. That is how you debate. Go ahead.

I appreciate your effort GM Hayes. Yes. Our season tickets are now down 42%. Wait till we stink in three years and Sid's not around. We're bleeding on $120 cap. We're bleeding 38 million a year as an organization. And I know your contract is tied to the profitability of this team. So that's going to come out of your salary, KZGM.

And then when it leaks out, the amount of heat you're going to take and our organization for trying to ice out the guy who saved the franchise, it's gonna be hot. And are you ready to deal with that kind of heat? And like that, like this is sort of what would be playing out. Like how do you pull it off unless he says, and what you're hoping, and I think what you would be hoping for is that

his competitive spirit, and you can have that conversation, listen, Sid, we're not gonna be good. We're conversation listen said we're not going to be good We're going to rebuild when a retool. They're not going to you know, all these things are not gonna send you the cap You're not gonna have good players like this is where we're going because it's a prudent place to do you're hoping his competitive spirit Outweighs his sort of loyalty or legacy feelings about being a one club player and if it does Then you're set yeah I will send you where you want we'll try to make the best deal we can but if he

if it doesn't then I don't it's just it's just hard to pull off very difficultly very difficult to pull off yeah you got to be respectful of course MJ I mean is it unrealistic for me if I'm Sydney Crosby's be sitting here looking and saying wait a second year, we finished like three points behind the Washington Capitals. And everybody was saying, oh, the Capitals, it's just about OV's goal chase. You know, they're not going to be competitive. They're going to have to rebuild. Suddenly, they're at the top of the standings. OV's playing great. They got, by the way, they got good goal-tending. What do you know, if you get top five save percentage instead of bottom five save percentage

like the Penguins have, suddenly your team starts to look a lot better. Is it unrealistic for Sid to sit there and go, why does it have to take so long? Like look what the Capitals just did. What are you saying, Dave? Get me a goalie and I think we can do damage? Start there. I think that would honestly be, that would be crazy though. If you got him a goalie, I think it would be crazy to think that just a goalie alone

would help that team. Well, it wasn't just a goalie that the Capitals got obviously they made some other savvy acquisitions But my point MJ is does it really have to just be tear it down get everybody out of town like Ovi sitting there going Hey, we rebuilt on the fly and suddenly really tender brilliantly. Yeah. Yeah Yeah, I mean they swapped out eight ten players and crazy that they hit on virtually everyone except for what maybe Vajay Pani is the only guy they brought in that hasn't been lights out great you know from Strom to Chickren to Thompson to Dubois. Rasmus Sandin is a player down there man. Not to mention they have a stack system that's Ryan Leonard kid who's gonna play tonight watch him he's gonna be like the all

the new pesty good. They got Kristol. They have good players coming. But I think, yeah, Stass, you can say do that. And it's viable. Say, hey, they just did it. Let's just do it. The likelihood of that being successful is very, very low. We've seen a lot of teams.

We saw Detroit try to do that, right? With Ben Chirot and Jeff Petrie and right Kane and we and it didn't work and they're gonna be stuck further back for longer because it didn't work and that's the risk you run if you try it it works awesome you're Washington if you tried it doesn't work then you just prolonged your sort of window of being mediocre or worse for even more years and that's that's the challenge that they would have but yeah you could say that as a player, but the likelihood of it being successful? Tricky.

I would just say, I don't know about you, O'Dog, but don't you sort of owe an all-time iconic player? No, no you do not. Well I think you do. Look at this guy, how ruthless you are now. You do not. Well look, I treat him respectfully to respectfully he's playing well the leaky's like that can tell you yes that's great but i think i was my only point on all of this is you obviously respect the guy but

you're looking at the results and you can't keep lying to yourself and say okay we're going to get they tried to keep this dream alive to keep the team competitive it's game over now sorry well not it's not the problem is my point all the other problems is not tried to keep this dream alive to keep the team competitive. It's game over now. Sorry. We're not. Sid's not the problem is my point. Ovi's not the problem. Sid's not the problem.

So they're sitting there going, hey, they respected their guy. They built a whole new team around him. I'm still going good. Like I'm still a relevant player. I'm still a team Canada lock. Yeah, but it was either two ways Fest Chuck. They either needed to do it the Dallas way

where you have Wyatt Johnson and and Rupe Hintz and Mason Marchman and those young kids that are coming up and they're the main stars of their team, Jason Robertson and those youth supplement the veteran guys like Ben and Sagan in Dallas or you could do the remodel what they did in Washington and you hit on a bunch of guys. But when you don't hit on them, you've got Detroit. Why so negative? Maybe you like, well, you don't have any faith in your boy Dubas there to hit on a bunch of guys but when you don't hit on them you've got Detroit why so negative maybe you like well you know you don't have any faith in your boy Dubas there to hit on that? here's the elephant in the room is Dubas tried that

you got it wrong right there you went out and got Riley Smith he signed Ryan Graves he signed Jarri exactly brought in new willa charry right again for Karl brought in Carlson like Dubas screwed it up Dubas had he had though he had an opportunity when he first got there they had flexibility in cap space any wasted and got a wrong i don't disagree with that that's what i want is you can try

to get faster but what are you going to do with all the contracts and all the players you got on the roster right now what are you going to do with ryan great and you can do a carlson that's why you get private jet access so it's a good idea that's why you get the private jet access from the Fenway sports group because you're supposed to figure those problems out. That is valid that is valid that he is that's his job is to figure that out. Like as the GM you're supposed to be able to

figure this out. And it's heavy lifting it's tough man but uh... I think we can't be naive to suggest that management and not because it's Kyle Dubas on every team Toronto Pittsburgh Montreal whoever They don't operate in a vacuum Owners like to get into the management's ear And I don't know if Fenway Sports who bought Pittsburgh if Kyle Dubas came and said listen, it's time We got to rip it, but we got to rip it down. We can't resign the tank

We can't resign Malkin and they're like we just bought this team. We're not going into a seven-year rebuild right away We're not trading away. I'd like I'm not sure if it was completely Independent in that situation or anyone around the league lots of owners like to have a little bit of Say on the direction the general direction of the team. Yes valid as they should the general direction of the team. Yes, valid as they should. It is their team. I mean, they can have some sort of access. It is their money.

Johnny, where are you on the Yanni-Hockenpah scenario? We're starting to push it in a direction where Yanni, he can play. We want to see him play game one of the playoffs. How comfortable would you be in that idea? Oh boy. Don't be negative come on root for Yanni Hock and Pog I want his need to be good but like okay we're expecting a guy who is a big heavy not fleet-footed player on a bum knee who hasn't played in a year and a half to step in and play in game one again.

So negative, man. Come on. Well, when you put it that way, Johnny, obviously it's far-fetched. Over who? Over guys who played all year. This is the thing. It's not that, yes, I mean, he could be a good player. He has been in his career and maybe he's healthy.

I have no idea. But is he going to be like Benoit's not perfect. I understand that. I get it. I get it. And he's just a holes in his game. I get it But you know, it's Hockenpah in the high pressure situation you get on the road. You're like, okay, you're up against Kuturov. Excuse me I'm doing flow drills in practice right now. Like I'm not ready for Kuturov in points. It's a real risk like If he gets in things are not going well. Or there's injuries. Like I can't imagine Philippe Myers and Benoit would be significantly above him

on the depth chart. Okay that's what you're saying David. You think it's because there really isn't an eighth guy that we can name right now. Oh. You know in years past remember it was like Giordano at the end of his road. Gio was like the eighth guy and then there was like a ninth or tenth maybe a kid hanging around sometimes there's guys in the miners that just all the sudden playoff time just vault ahead of regular since martial refi is that he's the eight guys i guess you know they are not being like you know you're a play a great you know you're going to get me the right shot guy he would be the guy the next guy up

uh... they hope they don't have to go down that road. I was posed this question last night. I'm curious how you would answer. We can go around the table. What is your mini Jerry, which is becoming consistent. We have every time we have Johnny on, we do a mini Jerry. Mini Johnny. Maybe it should be called mini Johnny. What's your mini Johnny on the Vancouver Canucks making the playoffs next season? Oh wowzers. I'm going to say. I'm going to go first and I'm going to say 30% because I have no idea what the hell Elias

Pedersen is going to be like next year. That is the ultimate question mark for that organization. Do we have a guy that's going to put a hundred points and be dominant and play against all the other top center men in the Pacific Division and throughout the league or are we gonna have a guy that gets seven goals at 14 points? Because it's a big damn difference Johnny go I would I was gonna say 33 Oh, like so we're reading each other's minds like so Pederson wild card Rio, like so we're reading each other's minds. Like so Pederson Wildsard, Brock Besser likely to leave, Rick Tuckett without a contract.

So I don't know what that means as far as who the new coach might be. They have Quinn Hughes who I think is just beyond good. Like he has lit, it's McCarr and him are the two best defenders in the world. Like he's so, so good. I don't know Demko, I don't know what's going on. And they just have so many question marks. And even if Demko is healthy and even if the back end is relatively healthy and Pedersen plays at an 80 point pace, I still don't know if they score enough in the Western Conference. Yeah, far more unlikely than likely, 33% mini Johnnys. Yeah, I think you're onto something, man. I things change quickly this time last year. It was a hundred percent That's what I like this time last year. We would have said 100% they make everything is going against

You're gonna fall apart. That's the issue my bigger concern. It's twofold It is it is Demko and it's Pettersson like that's it talk it You know coaches can be replaced to get in a new guy. I think he probably ends up staying there, but who knows we'll see you know coaches can be replaced to get in a new guy I think he probably ends up staying there but who knows we'll see but if Besser walks this team can't score anyway if Pettersson is a guy that's gonna give you 50 to 55 points you're done it's it's probably over before it even starts and if Demko can only start 20 or 25 games Kevin Lankton and cannot drag you to the promised land I just don't believe he can Lankton's got to be your number two

maybe a hybrid guy but they need Demko to give them I think 41 starts and I think Patterson's got to be at least a point per game guy and I can't really feel overly confident that either of those are going to happen let alone just one of them. Yeah. I'm going to go lower than you guys, 29%. I'd go higher than you all just because I look this has been such a strange year like such a bleep show year yes right where you need some space from this year this guy Patterson has been a hundred-point guy been a calendar year though Dave I know like this isn't a two-week stretch he's been brutal for you so but my thing would be look they've obviously assessed

the situation there they got experience manager group there they may need just a fresh voice and that's it like talk it's one of my favorite coaches in the league but they just made it a new fresh voice in there shore up the goal tending you know do a little bit of the washington capital magic bring in some key free agents take a swing at those

change the change the air in the room to some degree you know that like yeah ultimately you're hoping that your hundred-point guy is still a hundred point guy we don't know the answer to that but i'd bet on talent i'd bet on his talent and i've got a lot of them i wouldn't put it at seventy five percent but i put in fifty fifty i put it was reasonable that's reasonable but that's okay i

don't think though they did not get worse or like that i're not going to get a better in Vegas. They're not going to be better in Edmonton. They probably won't be better than LA given the talent that those teams have and where they are in their sort of cycles. So, you know, they're going to be battling maybe for the bottom of the Pacific or a wild card spot. Also, Connor Garland, who's one of their guys, he kind of scores in that team. He's also pending UFA.

He is suitor who you will laugh at. He's got more points for 60 than Elias Pedersen as your whatever, $2 million. He's a UFA. Even bringing back the guys they have is going to cost them more. They're in a tough spot. They're in a tough spot. They sort of loaded up for this year in this group and it didn't work at all. They're not in a great place to kind of pivot out of it. So it's, yeah, it'll be a challenge. But Johnny, I mean if the Blues. Half the teams make it, so, you know, the 50, you know, somewhere around that number

is not crazy. If the Blues hadn't won nine in a row, they wouldn't be that far out of it. Like, right now. No. Given all the crap that's happened. And they would get dusted in the first round. Oh, for sure, but we're talking about will they make it.

Yeah. You know, they're not that far away. Hey, Calgary last night, man and i was a gutsy gutsy win like their i still i'm not going to move off the idea that there they're not going to make it but they're five their five points back to games in hand you know like that was

to their credit like that team was not by brian lombard and adam klapka yes those guys for the third period to tie a. You know you're having a good team run when those guys are leading the charge to get you back in the game. Also, just food for thought, I think Utah gets pretty good next year because they got a boatload of money,

an owner who wants to spend it, and a good core who's already under contract. If their goal-tending holds up, I think Utah could be a player next year. Okay, yeah, the hockey club, they've been kind of in the mix at times this year. There's not many good UFAs out there guys. The guy here, Mitch Marner is the guy. And then Tomaras and then Dushane. Like there's not a lot of sort of impact UFA guys out there. So you know, if you want to bid hard for Marnerita's would open for

uh... w t like utah will do that well hockey club that could be interesting and it could be very very interesting have fun down there in salt lake city right johnny will leave it there good stuff will do it later in the week i can have a lot of fun with a hundred million dollars yeah that is very very true

uh... that is very, very true. That is very true. Well, Johnny, you can't. You can go make just a whack of cash. But the idea, I don't know, to make something similar where you already have a whack of cash of the New York account and becoming a legacy type guy and people, I don't know. I've said it before.

I played in a small market. Go play in a small market go play in a small market it's a lot different man what that would happen there though i know exactly what you're talking about your first of the delta you can pay a hundred so what do you get ninety six million dollars here what's four million dollars is it worth it probably not what you're saying yeah that's the ultimate question and yes i guess we will soon find out item j thank you for this

i felt i did that mike johnson joining us in the maple toy dot hotline drive the built-in canada fuel efficient funded drive toyota route for gas or hybrid models available visit maple toyota dot com we're not going with many johnnie it's many jerry five thank you right i shouldn't i should have corrected myself on the really that's completely uncalled for that leaped over my seat off the power play comment as the school but i think i've said that was her that was awful well let me let me flush it out

quickly here what i meant what i meant by this is not a really a test check this is where he comes up with a dumber comment on it so i thought about being. What it is is it's in their best interest I think to probably move off of Sid like if you're committed to a rebuild and it's gonna take three or four years It's in your best interest to trade him get as many assets as you possibly can and have that you know the the elephant in the room of past success and just the legacy guy who Complicates everything out of the way.

Now you got to do that delicately, but if he's not willing to do that, so be it. What I'm saying is, if I'm being honest with Sid, it's we have to start thinking about the future, which means we're not going to penalize you and say you didn't do what we wanted you to do, so you're out or you're off the power player, whatever. It's, we've, we are going to be instructing our coach to consider other players in different situations. Kind of like what Darko and the Raptors are doing here at times. Oh, it's like, because that's a model of success right now. I'm not saying it is, but you know what the long, the long game is, sorry, we got to play,

we got to put this guy in this position. We got to put that guy in that position. Dude, they're doing that right now to lose games. This ain't the a HL Hayes That's what you do in the a HL. Yeah, okay I'm telling developmentally you guess what you heard it is for certain team. Oh well And I don't say you don't think the San Jose Sharks are developing right now They are you are you are you hiring coach to lose games? Cuz if that's the case then maybe you say yeah keep keep your best player off your top

power play keep a man's on it that's a run through you the best thing when not named maria lamu keep him out of the lineup or keep you know i never said i'll give him sheltered minutes on the third line i'm not saying healthy scratch i'd like you can't do that to cindy crosby if he wants to play yes you know like you can't do that to see but that is my biggest question about the scenario guys is how does he want to keep playing there? That's what I don't understand. I understand he just recently got his, he's going to be a point of game player for the 20th year and everybody says he's just loyal.

He's the most loyal guy forever. But how do you, what part of going out there, I know you, the fans love you, you love the fans. Like what part of you wants to going out there, I know the fans love you, you love the fans, what part of you wants to go out there and get the crap kicked out of you every night and just lose like that and be embarrassed? That part of it, I have no idea what he wants to be a part of. Well, he's committed to it. I mean, he knew it was coming this year.

There's no way he could've looked at that depth chart and said we're a playoff team. And let's face it. Like he's a brilliant hockey mind, you know. Let's face it, guys. The fact that they've resigned you know malken and latang like sid had something to say about that don't kid yourself on that of course you know when you start handing over control not not that he he didn't sign the documents oh dog but they gave sydney crosby some sway there to bring that band that's a dangerous game man for that for him to say you better bring

back those two guys and if you just nod your head and say okay we'll to bring that band that's a dangerous game and for that for him to say you better bring back those two guys and if you just nod your head and say okay we'll do it that's that's this bad business and pro sports knowing that it would be a mess but maybe that's part of the reason why he feels he's got to stick around because he wanted that's valid he's got to wear this mess too like this is this is partly on him but and not that I guess we're all you know we're maybe looking at it through different lenses or different stages that's what I'm saying. Like for how long are you just beholden to we do everything for you? Like at what point do you have to

say we we have to start thinking about different areas of our future here and that's where it can get uncomfortable including hey it's always run through you Sid you've been in this situation we got to put a different guy in that situation. Like I got I got to play this guy in a scenario like that but they don't have a guy I'm not saying today they do obviously they don't but a year or two from now they might maybe they win the lottery and all of a sudden there's some kid going first or maybe who knows you know maybe that McKenna kid's in Pittsburgh in two years you never know it wouldn't be shocking and then it would be Lemieux and Sid where it's like hey Mario thanks for everything but this kid he's got a play here you know

like and you you be his mentor and you do your thing anyway I can't think of a better person to have in a hockey dressing room when you bring in a bunch of new kids in the Sydney. Absolutely and you know he's gonna be professional and be committed to it so I actually think he would be open to all of this. Hey we need you got to work with us here because we know what we are. You're here because you're a legacy guy and you're loyal we're not winning right now so we got to you got to help us get into the next generation. He's probably be open to that. Why else would you stay? I mean he's not stupid he knows they stink they're not

going anywhere. They're not gonna win in the future I mean it's not gonna happen but not next year anyway. People were saying about Washington a year ago. I know that. I know that. But they got Strom, they got Dubois, they've got Chickren, they've got Sandeen, they've got a goaltender. We'll see if Dubois can do that. As far as I know, those guys were available at every other team. That's right.

Dubois didn't go get them. No. I'm saying, everybody acts like it's impossible. You can't get players that can actually play. You can find them That is true. They're out there. You just got to scout them and get them and they got a fit in alright, we'll continue to confirm with the night Craig button in half an hour and Dallas Braden coming up on the

Torpedo bat don't scope it called it the turbo bat the torpedo bat He's dang the same thing basically and his take on Scherzer and the cortisone shot and what could happen with him in the future. Overdrive continues TSN 1050 and on the TSN app. Radio rock pop hip hop and when it comes to country it's the true north all the way loud and proud an all-new digital radio station from coast to coast made in canada played in canada on the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca it's gonna get loud all right craig button coming up in about a half an hour. Dallas Brayden will join us. These torpedo bats, man, I'm telling you. Something's going to give here, Dave. I don't know where you stand on it. We talked a lot about it yesterday. What's the pitcher's response going to be? They're going to go nuts, aren't they?

Well, I mean, you don't have to use it. Not everyone is using it. And you could avoid throwing pizzas right down the middle of the plate. And it's legal. It's completely legal. It is legal until they decide you know what this isn't good for business which they could do at any point. Are you kidding me? Like the Commissioner's office is popping champagne over the door. You think they're happy about this? We've been talking about how to get more offense into baseball for how long? You know like we the pitchers have had the advantage for how many years? Pitch has been mowing guys down throwing a hundred

There's no balls in play. There's too many strikeouts Everything's a home run or an out. Well, that's gonna continue with this. Everything's gonna be a home run Well, that's they'll take the home runs over the strikeouts. I'll tell you that right now. Explain the take It's bad for baseball bad for business. I think you said what is that me you you did I didn't say it was bad for business, I think you said. What does that even mean? Who said that, me? You did. I didn't say it was bad for business. What I said is, I am curious if they're going to allow it, if they're going to accept it into the future,

if this becomes some sort of scenario where it is such a cheat code, where the balance of competition sways the other way. And I'm not convinced that's gonna happen. It's way too early to know that. Only so many guys are doing it. But if, like we just mentioned, Ali Delacruz put it in play last night.

He hit it, he used it for the first time in batting practice yesterday. He hit two bombs last night. Like those balls are still in the air, man. They're flying out of the state of Ohio right now. He's freezing his ass off. He's so cold. It's so cold there,

you can tell the ball's not flying and this guy is destroying baseballs. Like, is it amazing to see? Yes, but so would using an aluminum bat. Well, it's not made of aluminum. No, I know that, but the reason they don't use aluminum bats is they're like, that's a cheat code, we can't allow you to do it. Where if the stats come in where it's like, this is just getting carried away, there's weight, it's pitchers can't possibly keep these balls in play if you connect where it's connecting I wouldn't put it past baseball to say we have to discuss the idea of maybe outlawing this and going back to the same bats we've used for a hundred and thirty years which were the conventional

looking bads I don't know man I don't know like what happens if Aaron Judge throws one in play starting tonight. You know what he said he said I don't know man, I don't know. Like what happens if Aaron Judge throws one in place starting tonight? You know what he said? He said I don't need one. When I have something. Give him time. Give him time. Give him a slump. Yeah, wait until he goes over 12 or something.

Yeah. Give Aaron Judge a slump. Throw me one of those torches. That cat hits 85 home runs in a season. There's your mini Jerry for the day. Aaron Judge hits a slump, he puts a torpedo bat in his hands. What's the percentage? Not zero, man. I think it's 15. hit a slump he puts a torpedo bat in his hands what's the percentage not

sorry it's 50 I think it's 15 he said I you think it's 90 I think any if you're going like first of all air judge going through a slump but he doesn't do that very often but if he was in a slump and most guys go through one eventually I mean why wouldn't you try it I mean if you have a family delacroix like last night was the greatest advertisement for it you could have, where Ellie Delacroix, who's a great hitter already, becomes an even better hitter

the first time he tries the thing. Like what if Otani puts one in play? Right? Like this guy just destroys baseballs already. And again- I think you're making it like it's automatic success once you put one in play. No, you still gotta hit, man.

It's just like steroids. Like you can take them, they help. You still, it's still, it's just like steroids. Like you can take them. They help you still. It's still it's CNI. It's you've got to have the ability to put the barrel to the ball and you know a lot of things have to go your way. And again, I think if you were to look over the pitches where these guys are hitting them, they are right down the middle of the plate. Right. Like it's not a cheat code to the point where you can just fling it you know down into the ground. It's gonna fly out. You still have to swing, you've got to connect and you've

got to find your right pitch. None of that is changing. But it is a crazy debut of a piece of equipment. I've never seen anything like this. Like this is, I don't even think you can come up with an equivalent. And again, maybe it all just fades away. Maybe in two weeks it's like, actually it didn't really work. The numbers are the exact same. It's all a mirage and guys got hot. That's possible. That could be happening.

And in baseball, you know they're going to flush it out with data and sample size and they're going to have complete detail on whether or not these things give you a competitive advantage. But if they do everyone's gonna start using them. Oh yeah. And if you if everyone starts using them and home runs go up around around baseball yes fans will benefit. I think you're onto something that baseball could probably and maybe should look at that say this is a home run for us. Great. But pitchers count in the game and the players association the

pitchers who can say what the hell's going on here but let us know you have some as a matter of fact i had for pictures like as any prominent as pictures of the plane complaining they're complaining about their own for years like they were cheating with spider tag and they got rid of it well we still there's still guys i know that always had suspicion that all the spin rate went up there a bit well how did he get this it was a little for a while then that then the league was like we can allow this it's a competitive advantage i still think the guy coming off the mound in the empire of rubbing his hands is still one of the most awkward on this

thing of all time on my head this is a very good like it's so stupid it's so show me your palms please i mean there's always those yet those guys and say you can put it on certain parts of your body like you put a little tack here yeah back here and i'll kind of on you don't need it all over your hands just a little bit on the fingertip I mean who knows what I hear you I listen if you're not trying right but my point is this this is a gift that they've been they've been driven like we were talking they were talking not too long ago about maybe they're gonna have to put the mound back another six inches or they're

gonna have to look you know lower the mound a little bit to take the pitchers advantage away because guys are throwing too hard I mean that's those conversations have been happening yeah and the pitcher advantage has been way too big and and this is just like let's hope like if I'm if I'm Rod Madford I am crossing your lives that this thing actually is gonna work yeah and it's actually going to make Shohei Otani challenge Barry Bonds record and it's going to make you know Aaron Judge into an even bigger monster than he already is. Listen you're selling me

on it I understand what you're saying and I think the marketing camp it is way easier and way more beneficial and I think fruitful for the sport to obviously promote home runs as opposed to pitchers throwing strikes or getting guys out. Yes. Home runs sell. Power baseball is always going to sell and this may have just fallen into your lap and there's nothing nefarious about it. Like you said, it is legal within the rules.

Other teams had access to it. The Yankees made it pop here. The Yankees and Michael Kay, the voice of the Yankees, talked about it during a broadcast which really made it explode. But I guess what I'm saying is the cynic in me looks at sports leagues and they do themselves damage all the time. They step in the way.

Look at golf. We gotta bring the ball back, guys. You know, well, we gotta go back to the way Jack Nicklaus used to hit a golf ball 40 years ago. I wouldn't put it past baseball to say, we don't, this doesn't feel right, or it's going to be at the disadvantage of whatever, or I would just, I wouldn't be shocked if they, if they tried to attack it or someone tried to attack it and get it out of the game. It all depends on what happens in the next two months. If this thing levels out

and it's just like a month thing where guys tried this thing and they saw some results A lot of guys grab a new driver on the range and they hit a couple bombs and I yeah, this thing's really awesome Well, guess what that guess what happens three weeks later. They're a chop and a hack. Yes, 20 handicap again So what this is all gonna depend on what happens same. Thank you me and you both Whatever happens in the next two months is how this is gonna play out Yeah, you're right continues to go nuts and take off then they're gonna say okay parties over here jokes over this kind of reminds me like it's it's a bit like when the Graphite sticks came into hockey. Oh dog where the goalies were complaining like yeah, these guys are firing pucks at

the goalies were complaining like yeah these guys are firing pucks at velocities you're absolutely right suddenly oh it used to be one or two guys could shoot hard Wendell Clark had a great wrist shot with a wood stick now everybody's got a great wood wrist shot with a one-piece you know the one-piece you know east nobody benefited from the one-piece graphite stick than me I was known as like a playmaking center and I grabbed one of those things in Ottawa one day. I asked one of the Sens players for one, Andreas Dackel, he was using it and I just started ripping home goals as soon as I tried this thing.

Completely changed my game. Like that one piece stick, I was shooting it better. I remember Dregg's telling me when I started working with him, he's like, Kujo told me the graphite shafts when they came in You were the one player that became a shooter and the puck was coming off the stick way different than any other stick you used Change your game. I don't know. I don't know if this is gonna change anybody's game though Well, I don't know either but what I what I don't think will change is like Aaron judge Is still gonna hit more home runs than anybody else. I would

presume and I think Shohei Otani and I don't think it's gonna get so extreme where guys are hitting 80-90 home runs in a season. I don't think that's happening and again I don't think that would be good for baseball to completely change the history books completely but again it's still gonna come down to dexterity you still got to be able to read a count you got to read a picture you got to read a scenario you got to put barrel to ball and you've got to hit for power. But where you may see some difference is the guy who used to hit 15, he hits 20 now. Right. Like and that's where it could be a little bit different. It's the guy who's seventh or eighth or ninth in the lineup, not a

quote-unquote power hitter, now he gets the barrel on that ball and it does just get out. And those are minor differences, but they can have a big impact on everything in the sport. And you know, maybe that ends up happening. Dallas Brayden will join us at 6.30. We'll get his take on this. A pitcher. I have a feeling I know where Dallas is going, but I don't know. We don't want to put words in his mouth.

We'll find out from him. We'll catch up with him in about a half an hour. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050N on the TSN app. the true north all the way. Loud and proud. An all-new digital radio station from coast to coast. Made in Canada, played in Canada. On the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca. All right we sent Al's brother out into the city with another pair of leave tickets. You get a guess where he's hiding for your chance to win them. Let's get to the second clue of the week. Hey Overdrive fans, happy Tuesday to you. I'm back with another clue to get you

one step closer to finding out where is Al's brother this week. We're giving away Leafs and Habs tickets for April 12th. Here is your Tuesday clue. I'm already earmarked my calendar for a specific street festival that takes place here in June. I'll get me some authentic spaducci and gelato and there's a lot of great pizza spots in this area. Dude, he's in Little Italy, wherever that is. I know. Well, yeah, I think I know where he is. Tune in tomorrow for another Clue of the First Call or Through on Friday with the correct location location When some pair of tickets to see the Leafs play the Canadians April 12 find Al's brother brought to you by Macalpine

Ford in Aurora our family the Ford family and you you think he likes a spadooch man Do you see how excited he was to say he closed his eyes Wow like that was like he was In an like an altar or something like speaking to a higher being about Spadooch. Okay, there you go, Al's brother. Shout out. Hour three coming up, Overdrive continues, TSN 1050 in on the TSN app. Canada Decides 2025. Stay informed with my exclusive iHeartRadio podcast, available Friday afternoon,

straight through till election day and beyond. I'll have your weekly highlights and my unvarnished analysis of the campaign of a lifetime. The candidates, the quotes, the polls, and the momentum. That just happened with Vashjy Kapelos, Canada Decides 2025, fresh every Friday. Stream on your schedule with the free iHeartRadio app.