OverDrive - OverDrive - April 4, 2025 - Hour 2

Episode Date: April 4, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Jamie McLennan and Jonas Siegel for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joins to discuss Anthony Stolarz's large role in the crease, the goaltending's playoff outlook in Toronto and Jake McCabe's injury stance on the team. Columbus Blue Jackets Forward Kent Johnson joins to discuss impressive season, his skill set on the ice and the experience playing in Columbus.

Let go from your job without a severance package? You need EmploymentLawyer.ca. Your employer is legally required to give you as much as 24 months pay when you lose your job. Call your Sam Firu and get what you're owed. EmploymentLawyer.ca. Hour 2 Overdrive continues powered by Fanduo bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score.

Brian Hayes, Jamie Noodles-McClennan jonah seagal we've got to kent johnson coming up later in the hour from the columbus blue jackets jackets leaves tomorrow night and uh... mike johnson coming up in a moment jonas you were down at the skate today not surprisingly craig berube was asked for a status update on jake mccabe and david camp and he said day to day day-to-day Dick McCabe and David Camp and he said day to day, day to day. He couldn't possibly tell anyone any more than that. That's been his motto the whole year.

The whole season. Why don't we play it? I don't want to put words in his mouth. Here's Craig Barube on the injury status of these two players. Right now I'd say day to day. I can't really comment on that too much about how long it's gonna be. Okay, there you go.

You think the doctors, when he asks when they'll be back, we just don't know. It could be any day. It could be tomorrow, it could be three weeks from now. Everything's day to day. I have no idea, man. How could we possibly know? It's day to day.

You think you're gonna get anything more as the playoffs approach? Like it's gonna be worse. Remember last year Noodle's in the playoffs? It was like it was crazy. Well the Nylander stuff was ridiculous. They were like he might play tomorrow. It's like he's not playing tomorrow. No, they knew he wasn't playing. But going back and watching that, what was it on Prime or whatever that was Amazon that special following him around like it actually like it was ridiculous he's sitting on a couch watching the games like and he had headaches and I don't even know what what his issue was but I mean in the end like they could have used him and he's sitting there and his buddies are in town

and it's just it was the weirdest vibe that I got because you're right like he's Not able to play but he's watching the games like that that must kill a player, right? You're just sitting there going geez I could be helping this I could be out there and and he wasn't and then oh and then The Joseph wall was one was even more insane because Nylander we we were like, okay, there's an injury There's something going on there Joseph wall skated that morning. Did he not for game seven? Yeah. Well, how about Matthews? Yeah Matthews in the middle It was really to start that Matthews in the middle and then Joseph wall game seven like yeah your number one center Yeah, you know second high a scoring and scoring winger exactly and then you're starting goaltender all over one series and They still were up one nothing in the third period of game seven

Which is crazy and they lose in overtime and you're right The Matthews one was was like the Willie one was crazy because that kind of came out of nowhere because they were male They were down the stretch. It was like you're playing Boston. You're starting in Boston. He was chasing points, right? He was chasing a hundred points yeah and I'm curious if they how they're gonna approach the rest of this year like Marner is on pace for 100 he has not hit it yet and he's never hit it before does he play do they shut him down is if Willie's is Willie chasing 45 goals is that something that matters to him I'm sure. I think it'll be division based, right? If they can still win the title, I think that's all

your plan. You got to play every way. Yeah, until like that settle for that. Yeah, I think that's what's on the table. And after that, then you make personal decisions. And I don't even think I don't have that like they can't do anything there so tight with right now they do anything available at a cap it all right though but i guess i just don't think like obviously with the injuries last night you're going to see two new players in the lineup tomorrow what you know i didn't see the line of its line today but like what and i'm assuming it's not a direct

now it's robertson in myers and they don't have anybody else right exactly i saw No, it's Robertson and Myers and they don't have anybody else. Right, exactly. Well, I saw Reeves is playing for the Marlies, right? Yeah, but they can't call him up. No, I just saw a video of him and how he circumvented the Beiser rule. He's got like a Beiser on. He's got the Leo Komarov. Remember Leo Komarov's like Beiser was the top of the helmet. It's weird seeing him cruising around in that

Marley gear. Once they get to the playoffs, then you can expand. At that point, there's no cap. They'll have some reinforcements. Again, Patcheretti, Hockenpaugh, we've talked about them. Who knows if and when they'll be available. But yeah, they're up against it. They're up against it. Robertson goes back in and I think they were moving past him in terms of the playoffs. You know, like I think it had been pretty clear that he he had that chance. I think it was in San Jose the last time he played, you know, had that I remember that one shift in particular, a couple of bad turnovers, then a bad stick penalty to fully I think

scored to make it three one and watching it live. It's like, I'm like, that's it fully I think score to make it 3-1 and watching it live it's like I'm like that's it I think he's in big trouble and he came out against LA stayed out against Anaheim didn't play against for like he hasn't played since so I think Robertson probably understands that if everyone's healthy he's not playing but you're playing now like you're in tomorrow night and if camp is gonna be injured for a while Patoretti is not available then he could be playing in that Florida swing. It's a big opportunity, I guess, for him maybe to get out of the doghouse if that's possible. But the McCabe injury is the significant one. Like McCabe has been playing top pair minutes with Tanev against the opponent's best teams.

He starts in his own zone all the time. He kills penalties. He's a heart and soul guy. I don't, we don't have any info on what the injury actually was or what the actual number of it was asked what, how it happened by I think masters. Yeah. I don't, no idea. I don't even, yeah. He's like, I didn't even see it. I don't even know how it happened or what happened. It's amazing. He acts like he's actually like a spectator, like he literally acts like, but that's's how, I mean, he's good at that. But he knows what happened at St. McKay's.

Of course he knows. I mean, come on. Of course. The trainer will come to him and say, he's out. During the game. Yeah, he tweaked this, he's out, in between periods. Coaches will come into the training room and go, are you all right? Talk to the doctor, what's he dealing with?

He's gone, the rest of it. You get injury report He knows everything every detail, but it's his job to not share it with us, which is fine It's his job. It's a choice. It's a choice Do we know of okay, this is a better question. Is there any coach? GM anything that you know of is the most transparent? Who would be known as the most transparent from that standpoint? Good question. It doesn't exist in this league.

Every other league, it's like mandated. You have to say. Jimmy Rutherford would be my only guy. Oh yeah. Rutherford will, in certain scenarios, and you're right where he will be blunt and be like, well, we've got to do this. You know, that's going to have to happen. Really?

He was like, got to trade one of my goalies. I mean, he was on our show that's gonna have to have got to trade one of my goalies every other show talking about he was gonna have to trade One of his goalies right and that did end up happening trade of Matt Murray. I think it was yes That was when he was in Pittsburgh it you're right Rutherford to an extent there I guess there are maybe some guys not many though. There's not many not many Here's Mike Johnson our TSN hockey not many uh... here's mike johnson rts and hockey analyst without knowing the exact details you know the idea of jake mccabe being out for the rest of the regular season if that's on the table and it can be because again the leaves are going to

say anything how might that affect chase for the one seed in the atlantic i mean that's not good uh... they have a good defense core. They don't like their group. They don't have a ton of depth. And I think the way the parts kind of fit together, it seemingly only works best one way. And that's with McCabe and Tanev, Harlow and Riley, Ekman

Larson and Benoit or whoever is's gonna be back there with him. So you take one of those pieces away and now Ekman Larsson's gonna play further up in the lineup. I think we've seen he's given good value. Ekman Larsson's been really good for Toronto, for what you would expect him to be. The more you ask him to play,

the more minutes, the tougher minutes, the better competition, the more you occasionally see a blip in his game that you wouldn't see from the other competition. The more you occasionally see a you know a blip in his game that you wouldn't see from the other guys. So yeah it's you know they're getting some help right now with beating Florida themselves with Tampa losing last night in a game that they probably should have beat Ottawa in. So they're a good spot they probably need to win five of the remaining games to get there. They play both teams next week but he's really important him and Tanaf are

really really important to for everything that they do like from the way that the coach uses them the assignments the penalty kill all of it and if he's not good for any stretch of time that is bad news for the draw may police yeah it is yeah it is and I guess Ekman Larson will be the one that will move up. But then you got Benoit and Myers. So I don't think it's the worst idea to get Myers some play down the stretch because of what you were just saying, Jonas. Like they are capped out. They are bodied out effectively. Like they're like Robertson will go in. Myers goes in.

But if Hawkenpah is never going to be an option, you know, we talked about this, I think earlier this week, Johnny, but those guys, they're, they're the guys who are going to go in, like there's going to be injuries. Like Myers, if you're going to go on a run, Myers is going to play in the playoffs. Like that's going to happen. And I would guess Robertson will play in the playoffs if Patch Ready is not available. And Hawkenpah, like I said, I don't think it's the, the silver lining could be you get these guys a little bit of play down the stretch now that everything's amplified.

Yeah, sure. It's not perfect, but I mean you gotta make something out of this. Like, where's the silver lining? You're gonna get guys who otherwise wouldn't be playing, and you're gonna have Myers who would have been sitting there for what? A month? Six weeks without having played a game? And then now he'll get to go in and play a few and get comfortable and get up to speed with the intensity and everything else. So if he has to jump in, in game five, it maybe seems less daunting. And you know, I don't know what value you put on winning the division. I've put quite

a bit on it, but who knows? It's not gonna help having a cave out for any stretch of time, no matter getting mired, Ocupod you talked about. I guess they're tapped out, they can't even bring up Marshall Raffaei, which is probably the guy they would wanna bring up. Yeah, it's tough now, listen.

Talk to Florida with Barkoff out, and Kachuck out, and everything else. They're like, this is what happens. Team just talk to Edmunds, they'res, David out, Dreisel hurt again. This is how it goes. Guys get hurt on occasion and it's tough sledding. But this guy in particular for Toronto was, you know, on the back end there's two guys that they really, really didn't want to lose and that's one of the two of them.

So Johnny, let's just say they are going for the division, which I do believe they are and should be. And it is a dogfight going for the division, which I do believe they are and should be. And it is a dogfight right for the last seven games. How many games do you think Anthony Stoller plays? Good question, Nudels. I think he probably plays five. I don't have the schedule right in front of me, but I don't think they have back-to-back on the way.

They got two of them. They got two of them. They got two the way. Well, Tuesday, they have what? Tuesday, Wednesday, Florida, Toronto. So they'll split that one this week, right? Um, on the Saturday, Sunday, Montreal at Carolina the next week. Okay. No, but those, so yeah, five, I think they'll, they'll, they'll give those two to wall depending on the standing. If the standings stretch out to four or five points noodles and it's probably four or three if it stays kind of really tight where a win here or there could could swing it and I think he probably plays

five I think you know Berube's gone back and forth publicly he's talked about I want a starter and then you know was it last week he said well you never know rotation could work because they are both playing well I still think he wants a to start or I still think that starter is likely to be Storrs. Well, so Mike, like I've been spending way too much time thinking about this. Because like it could change after like game one or game two. But I just don't know what like the where I've ended up today and I'll probably change my opinion next week. I don't know what the case is for Wall. Like I just think I'm at the point

Now I think before more the stole ours is that that's it right is that that's it right? Yeah Because like better season is stole ours better second half is stole ours like I don't yeah, I don't know Yeah, I think that's it. I'm more has looked really comfortable jumping into tough situations in the playoffs, right, in years past. And so that is where you would maybe lean to him. Starr is the older, he's experienced, he won a cup last year.

I know he didn't play, but he was around it. He saw the prep, he felt the tension and all that stuff. He's been the better of the two. That's not to say that Wohl hasn't been good. Certainly the second half maybe not quite as good as the first half. But Wohl has been really good, solid, really good. But yeah. And even more so, Jonas, that like if you think about Stolar starting and if you have

to make a change, you're going to put Wohl back in a situation where you already have seen him have success He's already come off the bench in the playoffs and be good So I don't think you would be hesitant to do that again or in stores you've never seen that because he's never done that Yeah, that's kind of where I was at like wall has four playoffs starts Stolar's has zero Yeah, so it's all kind of you know ground zero for both of them Kind of where I was at, like, Woll has four playoff starts, Stolars has zero. So it's all kind of ground zero for both of them. And you know, in essence, but, you know, I believe tomorrow night will be Stolars' 30th start of the season.

He's played in 30, but last game was his 29th. So you now you're, you know, if you're talking about another four or five games, you'll have played or have started 35 The biggest challenge for me and for anybody just laying it out there Is it if they want to go deep into the playoffs and get into 20 some games? Every play in every second day for the most part like obviously there would be a little break in between Siri, but like that's a lot of games for a guy who's never had that regardless. So I still believe both of these guys are going to play in the playoffs.

I don't know what it's going to look like. I can't predict it, but I just, I think Stolars is the guy, but I don't know if the leash is super long. I just, Well, how long do you think it is? Is it two games? Well, Jonas, it's context because we, you know what? Right.

He gives up eight in game one. It's like, we you know what like really gives up eight and game one. It's like I'm a strong day. So if they lose one nothing and triple overtime You know, you don't go on we got to go to the other guy because this guy lost you're like so to me everything is Context tied to it and and and they don't have a clear cut Bobrovsky Vasilevsky Schisterk and Hellebuck you name it. So it is going to be You know kind of played by your type of thing i'd believe this that's what tandem situations do until somebody separates i i don't know how that can be

any different heading of the playoffs i guess you're hoping that the reason why wall happy play it because it played so long that's the are getting tired, right? Like, you know, I'm like, oh, they're into the third round. They're into their 18th game like oh, maybe, you know He looks not quite as sharp. We'll get the other guy in there. That would be the ideal not Only notice I think I'm doing the game on The Thursday night, whatever that day of the month the seventeenth uh... the third day to two weeks yesterday that the lack in the regular

season right off by detroit at home that night we have a game on tsn it could be for the division i think they start their feet and they're there playoff on the saturday they are ninety two days later well we've heard we got back and forth on that noodles as i i i i heard that i did fine the

twenty first but again i don't know it is well i'd i'd again johnny i'd you talk to a lot of sex i do too but it's more in the end i think there's a game on the eighteenth in the n.h.l it's a it's a makeup it's a trial it the 18th in the NHL. It's a make-up, it's Calgary, LA. It's a fire game. Yeah, so that apparently has jammed a lot of things up.

And it sounds like maybe even Saturday, they only get one series started, and then you start Sunday and Monday. And then you want to stagger, don't you think, if you are the networks who own it, you would probably in Canada want to stagger Toronto and Edmonton you know McDavid and I say Toronto Montreal would be the East would be the stagger yeah yeah okay and then for the record LA Calgary is on the Thursday as well and there's no games on Friday okay nothing on Friday I was on the impression under the impression that it'll be a tight turnaround and they'll take that into

consideration depending on traveling and everything else. But if you're in Toronto, you're starting at home, right? You'll know that prior to, and you're like, okay, so they play Thursday at home, they're going to play Saturday at home. Because I think they're going to want Saturday night to be the least, right? For obvious reasons in Canada. Yes, yes. So I would, I, anyway, just worth considering that sometimes you get three or four, three days, three full off days before the next playoffs series starts, the Leafs might have one.

One, and it's, there's a very small chance it could even be a travel day if they finish third. So that is also worth factoring in when you think about Solars of the workload and all the players and their workload and their health because the car around real quick at all getting healthy there's no bumps and bruises dealing in twenty four hours where they get going on day on the first day of the playoffs word word is tamper right for you

right now in terms of cop contenders by completely high they They are, they are being slept on way more than they should be given their track record and everything else. Like we know one of the very cursory baseline, don't roll your eyes metrics of like looking at good teams is just, is just goal differential. Right. And they're killing it.

And, and guess who's second in the entire league? Tampa. Tampa's got a better girl differential than Washington, right? It's only Winnipeg. They got a better girl differential than Dallas, than Colorado, than Vegas. They're killing that number. Now I get it. They lose close games. They win big because they're explosive. Whatever. I think they are just quietly so comfortable with what's going on, focus on Florida, focus on Toronto, we'll just roll along and be ready to go. An under reported story beyond Tampa has been the return to elite form of Andre Vasilevsky. I think he spent a couple years with you know not quite as

good with the back and everything else, probably pretty understandable. He won't win the Vesna. It's going to hell a buck. He'll probably be a Vesna finalist. He's been that good this year and nobody talks about how excellent he has been. So you put Vasileski, you put that first line, you put the added depth. They still have Headman and Czernak. McDonough has been great there. All that experience, the head coach has won it. And they are dangerous. They are at the, I don't know if you'd go

in like the Tronches haze, like is there the top two or three or four teams? Feels like there's about top eight teams. And they would be sort of in the top half of the top eight teams that could win it. Well, Mike, yeah, I was just gonna say like, the guy you didn't mention who you referred to is Kuturov.

And I was wondering like, where do you put him on your heart trophy ballot? Like he's like he's second in the league in points now. Like you mentioned how good they've been. He's obviously the stirrer of the drink in so many different ways. Like what do you do with him? The heart is fascinating, right? Yeah. I mean, I think Leon still deserves it. Yeah.

If it's going to be a positional player, Noodle will get into the goalie conversation in a second. Yeah, I get you. But I think if it's going to be a positional player, I still think it's Leon. He's got 21 more goals than Nathan McKinnon, a few less points, but he's got almost as many even strength points. He's got 20, he's got 19 more goals than Kucherov. And he does it without playing with McDavid. So I think you have to probably put Al LaBuck there this year in some capacity. I think Dry Settle is a position player that deserves

it. And then you've got to have a conversation about McKinnon, Kuturov and maybe, maybe Kale Makar? Yeah. He might be the third positional player or fourth I guess to go along with McKinnon, Dreisel, Kuturov. It's not, it's not whoever else is up there. It's not Eichol, it's not Marner, Connor, McDavid or I guess it's not a little guy that it might be McCarr and then Hellebuck and that's those three leading scorers but I think Kuturov I don't know he's a winger he hasn't scored quite as many goals I don't know. He's on the outside of the three. But what if he wins the Art Ross? Like what do we do then? Does that matter? Then good congratulations to him like I mean I don't think he's going to be playing as much on Dry Sidle.

No, I don't think I'd have him first, but like... He might get to a finalist position if he wins the Art Ross. He might bump McKinnon if he gets, you know, two-th ahead of him. But I don't, I think it's a two kind of player race right now is Dry Sidle and Halibut. He had seven shots on goal last night and I didn't think he had a great game, which is insane for me to say. He is so casual out there and I don't know if you saw the metrics last night, Johnny. They had 29 high danger chances. Crazy.

But the game comes to him and then he just slows it down And he's never at high speed and and he was bumbling some pucks on the power play and kind of just he wasn't like dialed In but he was putting it on a tee for Gensel and for point and like it for headman. It was just ridiculous to watch him play and And he didn't have his a stuff and he yet seven shots on call last night like just for fun like it is it is weird to watch the other stat that i'd i'd just found out last night where i should have been on top of brad and hagel has thirty four even strength goals he doesn't have a power

play goal this is a big huge now which is a straight because it like it you know that you're right like that team and i've been on tap for a while i i'd like them at the start of the year just the way they were built, but it was Vasilevsky that you know Jonas hates his guts. I don't know why it's a personal thing can't stand And Hayes backed it up though I will say this I was wasn't on the show and I had to come back on the show and try and defend Vasilevsky because apparently they had a Vasilevsky, you know, hate-a-thon.

Well, we're stating facts. Yeah, we were. At least torched them a couple years ago. And then, you know, he had injury issues and the surgery and stuff. He had a couple years there where it wasn't great. A hundred percent. Yeah, I totally disagree. Yeah, they just call a spade a spade, man.

It is. He's been great. He's been phenomenal. And I said, I remember saying when he went to the three straight cup finals, I think you need to start talking, or we collectively in the community, need to start considering him maybe the most clutch goalie of all time. That's true, right. And maybe like the greatest like playoff performer of all time. Like when you consider what he did, he never missed a game.

And his stats coming off losses, insane. Didn't he get a shutout in like six or seven consecutive series flinching games? Yeah, exactly. Like, obscene, obscene stuff. And he went through a couple of years, probably largely based on physical ailments where he wasn't as good and he wasn't good in the playoffs. At least when they beat him, their goalie was way better than Vasilevsky. When they had success against Tampa, they've made Vasilevsky look less than the first ballot

hall famer he is, but this year is not that year. This year he is right there with everyone but Hellebuck. In fact, he's probably the best of anyone but Hellebuck. So that would be alarming for another reason. Again, all respect to Ottawa You don't want Florida and you don't want Tampa they both pose challenges for different reasons And that's not to say it's just Ottawa will be easy because they won't they got pretty good way of their own But if you're asking me which one I think they have a better chance against it's probably against all along

Yeah, all day you punch your ticket play Ottawa and you see where it goes. Take your chances. That's it. I'm speaking for Toronto and Tampa and Florida. They all would see it the same way. They're all seeking that position. All right, Johnny, we'll leave it there. Have a great weekend.

All right, Thomas, have a good weekend. There's Mike Johnson, our TSN hockey analyst joining us here on the Maple Toyota hotline Alright, we will track the Blue Jays and what's going on with them this afternoon down at city field It doesn't look great for the Jays right now That more still to come just after six o'clock dear hazy being about an hour Kent Johnson coming up of the Columbus Blue Jackets Columbus in town tomorrow playing the Leafs Johnson coming up of the Columbus Blue Jackets Columbus in town tomorrow playing the Leafs So we'll catch up with him as well and get Jonas in here noodles on Brian Hayes overdrive continues TSN 1050 and on TSN for all right mailed in Friday brought to you by Boston pizza

Canada's favorite sports bar enjoy $15 lunch at BP where you get an entree a side and a drink Can you get it all in 20 minutes or less? Fast lunch doesn't have to be fast food. See you for a $15 fast lunch at your local Boston pizza. And I wonder if there's a Boston pizza in Trail, BC. Trail, yeah, that's where Ray grew up. The home of Ray Ferraro and also where Kent Johnson played three years in the BCHL for the Trail Smoke Eaters.

That's one of the greatest names. Great handle, the Smoke Eaters. And that's the team that Ray built, man. I'm guessing he played for that team. Maybe they had a different name back in the day. No, they've always been the Smoke Eaters, I believe. That's like a legendary, like around that area, it's legend of a pretty little say i'd say that barn just being an absolute hit stop yeah i do her for the bc h l what is that rink look like on a friday night in trail bc

i'd like to know uh... i'd love to know uh... so catch up with can't hear the bomb will get the answer straight from him yeah i'd love to know uh... so catch up with kent here in a moment we'll get the answer straight from him yeah i'd rather they probably like i it's probably been outlawed but i guarantee you it probably would be one of the last drinks they outlawed smoking in the rank you know something like that you know what i mean that it's a great iraq dot

that league is is all business and the bch l all i had yeah, it's just sneak into Alberta at all or well now They've had some crossover with the AJ and the bchl. Yeah But yeah that the trail smoke eaters legendary. Okay. Well, yeah, man It's got like Kent put up some pretty good numbers, you know his last year there in 2019 2020 41 goals 101 points like I'll bet you're a score of 100 goals on that team like if he scored 108 goals in the WHI I gotta think Ray probably owns a lot of

records for that team he might be Columbus in town playing the Leafs tomorrow night on hockey night here he is from the trail smoke eaters and the Columbus Blue Jackets Kent Johnson Johnson. How you doing Kent? I'm good, love the intro of the, love you guys talking about trail. Absolutely, I mean we, well because Ray Ferraro comes on with us all the time and Ray is, I'm sure you've, I'm sure you're aware of Ray no, I've heard all about his records and the boys when we played in trail, I hadn't met Ray at that time and we all kind of talked about him and how legendary he was in the city for hockey, so it's pretty cool. Yeah, what's that rink like?

Noodles, you have kind of a recollection to an extent of it being a really gritty rink. I just feel like it might have been the last rink that allowed smoking inside the rink But maybe not I might be mistaken mistaking it but a lot of those gritty little rinks. They don't mess around Yeah, I know I think you got a good description but No, I love playing there the ice was unreal always and the boards are like a little bit more rectangular like not a always, the boards are a little bit more rectangular, not too round, which is kind of funny. I think you get some bad bounces off the boards, they call them Kamiko bounces. But yeah, it was unreal, such a fun atmosphere, great band, so it was always fun to play there. Yeah, I would throw you off A-Noodles if you're in net.

You can plan your power play around a weird corner, like the cross-corner dump in, but it's going to go right to the middle of the net or something like that. If the boards are not rounded, they're squared off. I love that. Just the dump it, Jason, comes right back at you. It doesn't ring around the boards. Yeah, it's hard to rim it, actually. I remember back then I never rim pox because you couldn't really do it at home, so it's hard to rim it actually. I remember back then I never rimmedpox because

you couldn't really do it at home. So it's funny. That's great. Well, you guys, you know, you're having a really fun season for us to track. Like you guys score a million goals seemingly every night. You're having a career year. You're up to 22 goals. That's a career year for you. 50 points. What has clicked so well for you in particular this year can't uh... i think just you know our team of the whole of the only fact coming in the great and just the guys that don't get it you know i'll see i think a lot of uh... that you know taking taking next steps in their and their careers uh... you know

obviously we're young team so i think that's kind of what's natural you hope you hope for as a young guy, including myself. So yeah, it's been good. At one point I feel like Marchenko had like 20 goals and one assist and now he's rounded out his assist game. But speak to how good of a player some of these young guys are on your team. I mean you've been fantastic. You're only 22 years old and a guy like Sean Monahan who's been a veteran guy, he's come in and stabilized but you've got some skill. Fantilly's a local guy here and he's been great. So is it kind of you're all kind of growing up together and kind of hitting your stride early in your careers?

Yeah, I know it definitely feels that way and yeah, like you said, we've got some great veterans as well. It's not just us young guys, but yeah, I think definitely we've gotten to a point where we can help out more. So yeah, definitely a great group. So just very grateful to be a part of it. With Kent Johnson, and you guys are playing for something here. I mean, it's obviously scoreboard watching every single night coming down the stretch and you're right there with Montreal with the Rangers what what is what has it been like for you to play in that kind of an atmosphere where every single game is so important and you guys do have kind of a light at the end of the tunnel here that you're legitimately chasing a playoff spot on the line yeah I, I know it's really fun.

It's crazy down the stretch here. We play almost every other night. Yeah, just the highs and lows. A couple wins here, a couple losses and whatnot. It means so much. Yeah, it's definitely really fun. It feels like playoff hockey, so I can't complain. So when you roll into Toronto, you got JVR on your team

James Van Riemstijk was a lifelong leaf he was or not a lifelong leaf but a long-term leaf loved playing here he was one of the top 100 Leafs right Jonas I'm pretty sure he was he was on that list when they came out with it that would have been seven eight years ago. Yeah. Do you ride with JVR when you get into a town like this like what are the who do you who do you go out with for dinner tonight? Is it a veteran? Do the younger guys stick together? What's your plan tonight?

Yeah, we actually have a team dinner tonight. So yeah, pretty much everyone other than some guys, local guys, got family and whatnot. So yeah, no tough decision there. It's a full team tonight. So it's going to be nice. Yeah, tell JVR to get you to. It's a full team tonight. So that's gonna be nice Yeah, tell JVR to get you to state and Liberty and pick up a new suit Place tell JVR to hook you up. Yeah. Yeah. No, I've seen it. Well, he's got like 70 suits. He barely Really? Yeah has the same suit twice. So it's I get said in Toronto

He'd always get hooked up with good deals or freebies or whatever. So the benefit of playing in Toronto, I guess. Absolutely. Ken, I remember when he played here, he had this backpack full of vitamins and all these different things. Does he still carry that around?

Oh yeah, yeah, I know he's dialed in. So it's pretty funny, guys. Always joke about that. But no, he's been awesome. I've gotten really always joke about that but now he's in office and I've gotten really close to them it's been fun to get to know him and you know talk about old stories you know back in his days with beliefs or flyers or whatever and then just such a great guy and great player still. Talk about the effect of Dean Evison coming in and you know there's a lot of obviously

he's been to a lot of teams that have had success but we've talked on this show several times how he should be in the at least running for coach of the year of how great he's got you guys playing and playing together and change the systems a little bit. How big of an effect has he had on your team and on you personally? Yeah, I know obviously a massive effect. I definitely think uh... you know jeremy's getting that that talk and uh... uh... yes i mean for me i think you give me great opportunity up that

the start now you know just i think that you know understand my game and how to get the most out of me so uh... yet it's been great yeah well listen we're looking forward to a barn bird tomorrow night it seems like you guys you know you guys score a lot of goals. It's been a lot of fun. You're playing with a lot of energy again, a lot of young players on this team. And you guys are chasing something.

And obviously so are the Leafs as well. They're chasing that top seed in the Atlantic division. So good luck tomorrow night. Enjoy the town tonight and we'll do it again down the road. Thank you for this. Awesome. Thanks for having me. You got it. There's Kent Johnson and you look at it like Warren ski is leading them in points. Zach Warren ski is a guy that you could have heart trophy talks about him too. Like if you're going

to throw a car in there, yeah, the car rides out there with McKinnon and he had ranted in for a long time and he's got a great pair and you know, the Von Taves and, and I'm not, it's not about taking a shot at McCarr. It's about lifting up Warren ski like Warren ski has got a point of game. Guy plays like 30 minutes a night and he is a huge catalyst for them in terms of what they're doing. And then you got Marchenko, you got Johnson, Fantilly's young, for Roncov's young, you know, cylinders there. Yeah. Like they got a lot of got Johnson, Fantilli's young, Voronkov's young, you know, Sillinger's there.

Yeah, like they got a lot of young players like good players. And it's just a matter of, you know, whether or not they can get to the finish line here because they're they're competing with the Habs and the Rangers right now. Well, and like I was telling you guys earlier in the last hour, like, tomorrow's a big game for them. But then they've got two in a row against Ottawa. Like that's, you know, you're chasing Ottawa You're you know, that's really the spot that you're you're trying to get into is Ottawa Montreal type of area

so to me it's it's a big three games and four nights for them and You know three different cities really they've got you know in Toronto in Ottawa and then back home on Tuesday in Columbus. So They got their work cut out for them but I don't think and Jonas I don't know if you felt this Brian I'm sure we've discussed this several times. None of us saw Columbus in this position right now. No. None of us. Absolutely not and like that's the amazing thing that's every season it happens I think what's shocking is the Rangers and the Bruins are in the situation

they're in. You know, like that, that, like the other side of Columbus and Montreal is the Rangers and the Bruins where the Rangers won the president's trophy a year ago and they are fighting for their lives for a wild card spot. The Bruins, like the Habs dismantled them last night. They've lost 10 in a row. They are horrendous. When you look at their lineup pays and it kind of makes sense. They don't have. Yeah they're all gone. They traded a lot of pieces and they got injuries. Yeah they're gone. Like it is and you know what at this point, not why try. You might as well lose. No you might as well lose. Exactly like pastor neck it's you're playing for pride guys like that but in the end if you're losing and not making the playoffs, rightfully so, now Buffalo's leapfrogged them in the standings, then try to get to the bottom. Try and get a top

pick and help the retooler however you're going to term it on the fly because they're going to get Hampus-Lyn home back next year. You're going to have a healthy McEvoy. You're going to have the goaltender right from day one and not you know messing around with a contract like they still have the framework but gone are the big bull you know like March and now it wouldn't surprise me if March and resign there on a on a value contract maybe you know go back try win a cup and then and resign but right now tank like they need to lose every game and they should rightfully so to try and get a better spot because they're not making the playoffs.

You might as well go all in. Yeah, it's over. I mean, they're not even close. Like they're almost mathematically eliminated. It's that bad. Like they're, you've lost 10 in a row, it's done. You might as well lose 17 in a row and try to pick second overall or third overall. Exactly.

You know, or win a lottery, put yourself in a position to win the lottery, which is big. The Raptors lose last night basically solidified the position they're hit seven from the bottom that's where they're gonna be you know i think is portland's only a couple spots ahead of them as looking up his i was curious i remember like they want a lottery when they pick scotty barnes they moved up to the fourth peg i believe they were seven from the bottom that year

and they won a lottery the name came up immediately they picked fourth, but it's it's top four in the NBA, right? It's the top three in the NHL You can move up any of the top four spots in the NBA So we kind of know where the Raptors are gonna be now regardless of what they do the rest of the way They've only got I think six games left, but seven from the bottom seven best lottery odds go for it Let's see what happens here because Cooper flag was announced the AP player of the year only the fourth freshman That's ever happened to fourth freshman all-time AP player of the year. That's how good Cooper flag is Yeah, so yeah

We'll we'll see what happens with March Madness continuing this weekend as well in all four one season the Raptors continue to play as they just kind of cruise on the way home but Warriors big win last night. I don't know if you saw that Jonas but that was a great ballgame but Warriors beat the Lakers went into LA and beat the Lakers last night. And we may see that series quickly in the playoffs. That's, we're still figuring out exactly what's going gonna happen on both sides the east and the west insert in terms of seating in the nba but lakers are gone wars are gone and uh... it's gonna be fun to have that cook in in like two weeks has the uh... negative this is the wrong wording but the negative media died down on lebron like

you know i felt like it was going to have a easy last night was the last week was a weird week, man. Like with him going on McAfee, the Stephen A. Smith goofiness of him going at it the way he was going at it. Yeah, I think it has and I think that's in the best interest of all of the parties. But you know, you look at the standings right now, Denver is ahead of the Lakers by a half game. The Lakers are in the four seed the warriors are in the five seed

and their game back of the lakers and only have came up on memphis so you get a scenario here where you could have lakers golden state first around and i think that could be a first round job which would be credible uh... but yeah uh... it did to answer your question it it is definitely quieted down but hits and it's LeBron.

Something else will come up. I mean, last night he was talking about Jimmy Butler joining the Warriors and people are bent out of shape that sounded like LeBron was complaining. I didn't necessarily read it that way. I think sometimes people are overly critical or analytical or overly sensitive to what LeBron says, but he was just speaking to the truth. Like the Warriors went out and got Butler, that's improved them, that's helped them, and they're a really good team. Like since the trade deadline, Golden State, one of the best teams in the NBA.

The Lakers did pretty good too with the trade. Well that's another thing that people have brought up. You did, you acquired Luca. Luca. Yeah. Now Luca's- I have a new rule by the way for the Jimmy Butler rule Yeah, just you can do anything and people will just forget

No one remembers like he just like quit on the team and it's like now nobody remembers He's playing right and going states going great. He quit like he quit on Miami went home. They spent it in multiple times Yeah, nobody remembers. Yeah, you're right he'll lead, help them lead to an NBA final. They'll torch his way out of there. Yeah, he's such a gamer, Jimmy. Completely quit on that team. Put on multiple teams. That's true. Does that baggage just disappear?

Yeah, no one remembers. It is weird that way. Some people will remember in like Miami I'm sure Pat Riley's not gonna forget but you're right like even when he returned to Miami they didn't boom right? Like they were just kind of like hey Jimmy. What's up man? Glad you're gone. See it's weird because You know you bring it back to hockey a little bit like Patrick Waugh going after Anthony duClair And then duClair is now taking the lead like there's just like I I don't know, I'm just reading all this and I'm obviously getting a lot of media coming out of the, and fan base coming out of the island.

Like you're just, something's weird there. And you hope that he's alright. That's a rare situation where a player leaves down the stretch and he's got three years left on his deal with like a no trade clause for the first couple of years. And there's tremendous history between Patrick and him because Patrick had him in junior. Right. You would argue that probably Patrick was behind him signing there. You would think like we probably went to Lew and said, I know this player, I've coached

him, I've coached him to have success. So it was probably a long standing history there or there is a long-standing yeah but it was just that whole scenario just a weird you know again if he comes back and they make the playoffs or does something I don't think they're make the playoffs but if he comes back then it'll be forgotten but right now it's weird that he's left the team right now when it's dire straights yeah you got a couple weeks left. Where are you going? All right, time for you to tell us where Al's brother's hiding all week. 416-870-1050. 416-870-1050. The first caller through with the correct location wins a pair of tickets to see the Leafs and the Canadians. April

12th. What a game. Next Saturday night, another chance to find Al's brother and win. Leaf ticket starts next week right here on overdrive I believe that's our final week of fine Al's brother 416-870-1050 brought to you by McAlpine Ford in Aurora our family the Ford family and you overdrive continues TSN 1050 and on TSN 4 Elledon Friday is brought to you by Boston Pizza Canada's favorite sports bar enjoy $15 lunch at BP where you get an entree, a side and a drink, and you'll get it all in 20 minutes or less. A fast lunch doesn't have to be fast food. See you for a $15 fast lunch at your local Boston pizza. Alright, the Jays game is over down in New York and the Mets have beaten the Blue Jays 5-0.

So... 5-3 now. It's alright. Blue Jays five nothing so five and three now it's all right Matt's want Soto your boy I'm not sure he did anything yet a hit and an RBI he had a hit okay Vlad he had two hits in a walk there you go there's that Jonas does why do you have a home run yet he has not hit a home run is Santander have it I don't believe he has hit one either that's well that's pretty good if you're five and three in your that's all they're here to power about site big bats have not quite arrived yet

in terms of the numbers and you you have a good make you have a good feeling that it's gonna happen i think the most significant development of that george springer had two more hits today and springer's been outstanding for them like he's he's got a slash line right now, 440, 517 on base, slugging 720. That's an OPS up over 1200 and I get it, it's early in the year but still, Springer, something's up with George and that's a really positive development for him.

They needed that because he had such a rocky year last year. Last couple of years He's really struggled Really struck to the point where like we were having will he make it through the year? Conversations, you know, like what's he gonna look like? Can you play him every day anymore? It's got two years left on that deal and it's big big money. So credit to him. He's a proud guy He's a champion and you know you know george george with two more hits today so that's big for springer but uh... more on that into the next hour will continue to look at what's up

with the jays your dodgers eight notice start the season we are talking about that i guess something about that you get something i am aware i was at the games or a lot of that so johnson's got some up close and personal stuff courtesy of Dodger Stadium, Shohei and the boys So we'll get to that dear hazy be coming up in about a half an hour as well overdrive continues TSN 1050 and on the TSN app The best of our great nation one song at a time Justin Bieber

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