OverDrive - OverDrive - December 17, 2024 - Hour 1

Episode Date: December 17, 2024

Join Bryan Hayes and Jonas Siegel for Hour 1 on OverDrive! The guys discuss Anthony Stolarz's injury timeline, Joseph Woll's massive role in the crease and the roster moves around the team. Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer joins to discuss the Stars' overall team views, the experience coaching at the 4 Nations Face-Off and the matchup against the Maple Leafs. They also discuss the Yankees acquiring Cody Bellinger and the impact to the Blue Jays.

It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal. Plan. Portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN

or visit askkelvin.ca this hour of overdrive is powered by fanduel fanduel bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score all right here we go overdrive off and running tsn 10 50 on the tsn app your home smart speaker and up on TSN for Brian Hayes and Jonas Siegel of The Athletic. Jonas, you must be so proud of yourself and your boy Juan Soto. We haven't met. We haven't seen each other

since your boy Juan Soto set a new bar. And you remember what we talked about last time. You and I were like you know what, maybe he's going to end up with $450 million. Yeah, I was way off he crushed it samsonite 800 i didn't think it would get there full ignorance on my behalf i thought it would be 5 550 i think i said maybe it would be closer to six at some point yeah steve cohen's a lunatic he's got too much money and he just like we get on each other about one story

he's a great player he's not like the fact that Otani got less than him is crazy I heard you talking about him you undersell him so much you're like he's not even close to Otani he's not close to Otani

you're talking about like if Otani is mcdavid soto's like mckinnon or matthews like he's in the he doesn't pitch but as a hitter he's unbelievable he's not as good of a hitter as otani is right now he gets maybe for contact younger he's younger he's not a box office star, though. That's another element to it. Otani sells, man. He's an international superstar. Juan Soto is not.

I don't know how many people are like, I got to go see this guy play. That's fair. Because even the way he plays, he hits for power, but it's within reach. He is entertaining to watch hit. You've got to be a baseball purist to appreciate. If you are, it is a beautiful sight. This guy commands the strike zone as well as anyone in baseball today. you've got to be a baseball purist to appreciate. If you are, it is a beautiful sight. This guy commands the strike zone as well as anyone in baseball today.

And the dramatics and the way he goes about it, he scares it down and he looks back at the pitcher. There's a lot of entertainment value that comes through that. But he is not even close to an A or A-plus outfielder. Not even close to it. He hits for power, but not outrageous power. But he gets on base. He combines getting on base and hitting for power. Great player.

Highest paid athlete of all time. That's outrageous. Who do you think should be the highest paid athlete of our current crop of players? Right now, today. Is it Otani? Yeah, I guess it probably should be because they play the most games. Again, I think his value on an international level

is just, it's impossible to quantify what that even is worth. You know, what he means in Japan and what he means in Asia and around the world. I mean, like, I guess the question is like, relative to their sport, who is so much more valuable than everyone else? Then I would say Mahomes probably would come in at number one. But you wouldn't say that right now, right?

Well, I mean, they're 13-1, though. You were telling me he can't be the MVP. He's not going to be the MVP. I know he's not going to be. He's not going to be the MVP. But it's like this year, Josh Allen's been better. He has been better. Okay, but so like Mahomes, McDavid.

But you're paying for the future. Yeah. Right? Like if you're paying for the next five years, let's say the world comes to an end in five years. Yeah, okay. It might. Which it might.

Anything's possible. We're living in crazy times right now. Anything's possible. Who is the athlete? And I guess you've got to take out... We need to make it all relative because someone's going to say, if you said McDavid, well, they have a cap and it's the NHL

and it's not as popular. Wipe it all out. Wipe it all out. It just means the importance to their respective sports. If everything is on an equal playing field for the next five years and then the world comes to an end, who would deserve the most money? Is there a soccer player we're not thinking about?

I mean, Messi not anymore, right? Yeah, and Mbappe, I think, is kind of having some issues as he tries to transition to a new club. Let's just do North America. Yeah, let's get soccer out of here. Let's not complicate things F1. We don't need any of that. Is it McDavid?

It's either... Listen, I think Otani, I don't know if he's got five years left, but I think he's got at least three. I think he's 31. Yes, but look what he just did. He had 50-50, man. And he didn't pitch. So Otani's got to be in the five.

McDavid's in the five. I think Mahomes has got to be in the five. He's one. McDavid's in the five. I think Mahomes has got to be in the five. 100%. Would Josh Allen be in the top five? No. You don't think so? I mean, Allen is playing at a level right now, and he's in his prime. He's in his mid-20s.

Okay. And he's been really good up to this point. Let's set him aside for a second. Okay. I don't think this is the problem that the NBA has right now. I don't think so yet, man. He's in his second year. The next five years, he's going to be the best player in the league next year.

You're willing to guarantee that? Guarantee that. I'm willing to guarantee that. I will make a Soto-like stake to that, that he will be the best player. I think it's a projection that a lot of people want to believe in because of all the hype when he came into the league, his size, his freakish nature. I think he needs more help there to get him to that point.

They're like 500 this year. Yeah. He's been amazing. Okay, I'm going to... You got Wemby in your top five. I got Wemby. A reasonable case. You can make a totally reasonable case for Wemby. I guess you could say Giannis, but...

I don't think so. They're NBA Cup. They're in Vegas tonight, right? Giannis and... Shea. Shea is an interesting case. Shea is a guy that is creeping up on the top five. Top five.

I don't think in all of sports. Like if we're talking the four, major, the four sports, because you could talk, you know, do you start thinking Alcarez? Do you say Scotty Scheffler? If you get into individual sports, it could get a little bit complicated. Nellie Corder and the way that she plays on the LPGA. Let's talk hockey, baseball, football, basketball.

Isn't it amazing that you haven't said Juan Soto yet? Isn't that a mic drop on everything that Juan Soto is not? I think Aaron Judge would be ahead of Juan Soto, yet he's 32 now. There's a way. Soto's in the top

10. Paul Skeens? Pitcher? The gamble to put a pitcher, but that He's older. No way. There's a way. Soto's in the top ten. Paul Skeens? Would Paul Skeens? Pitcher? The gamble to put a pitcher, but that kid, he is a stud, that kid. Throw that out, dude. I'm curious how people would answer that. Any other hockey players? McCarr?

I would think McCarr could make a compelling case. McKinnon still can. Dreisaitl still can. Matthews probably can. He's not in the top five in athletes. No, maybe in the top 12. Yeah, that's another interesting question. Where would Matthews come in

or any Leaf for that matter? John Tavares. The way John's playing. People here want to sign him to an eight-year deal. Eight-year extension for John. Get him here until he's 43. Make sure you lock that in. Eight-year extension for John. Get him here until he's 43. Make sure you lock that in. Maybe you get a lower cap.

Maybe he'd take a hometown discount on an eight-year deal. What a brilliant play that would be. We'll get to that momentarily. Where would Matthews come if you were doing top four leagues for the next five years? And over the course of the afternoon, we'll come up with the next ones. We may be missing someone, very obvious. But I do think McDavid, Mahomes, Otani would be in the top five,

and you're talking two more spots. Soto's like second for baseball. It's just... I don't know if that's... I don't think he's hit his peak. Is he definitively the second best player in the game, though? Three. Actually, yeah.

You're right. Bobby Witt's coming. Gunnar Henderson is coming. Acuna, if he's healthy. There's other guys who can still play ball. Again, Paul Skeens. If the Grom is healthy, I don't think you could ever rely on that anymore. He's old.

Okay. Well, we'll take submissions throughout the afternoon. If we're all willing to concede McDavid, Mahomes, and Otani are three of the five for the next five years, then we need to figure out who the next two guys are. I mean, if there was no cap in the NHL, I wonder what McDavid would be getting paid. Well, I can tell you this. He wouldn't be staying at Edmonton. be getting paid. Well, this is,

I can tell you this, he wouldn't be staying at Edmonton. This is where the Oilers are actually, you know, and Edmonton is so lucky that there is a cap, because if it was a free market and a team like the Leafs or New York or Vegas, can you imagine what Bill Foley, Bill Foley might pay him

$50 million a year. They would New York Mets it. They might pull New York Mets. Yeah. And pull New York Mets and Steve Cohen it and just say, we want McDavid and we'll do anything to win and we will not be outbid. 25 million. Yes. And now maybe that would happen with a billionaire owner in Edmonton, possibly, but it seems more

unlikely that that would happen considering the way they run their business out there and in smaller markets. Not just a smaller market Canadian thing, smaller market in the States as well. But if there was no cap, I mean, you would think it would be at least 20 or 25 million. Like I think the top, top guys in the NHL are all underpaid.

Yeah, I think that's always been the argument with any high-end player in any cap era. Like even in the NBA, these guys are making astronomical amounts. But when you consider what LeBron James represented, for nine straight years he went to the NBA Finals. Wasn't it? Yeah.

I think it was nine straight. Yeah, he's been to ten finals. Yeah. Like four straight with Miami and then five straight or four straight with Cleveland and then with L.A. Nine straight. Do you know how much value was in that? You get a guy that guarantees you NBA finals revenue.

That's worth a hundred and something million a year, I would think. And he was probably underpaid. So we'll never know because they're never going to go the opposite way. Once a cap has been established, like the NHL is never going to get rid of it. Well, do you know what? I think you've talked about this a bit with the next CBA. I wonder about contract lengths. We start seeing that becoming...

You think they try to shrink it even more like the NBA? Yeah, 100%. Because the NBA caps out at five years if you want to stay with your own team or if you want to leave. So I could see them pushing back on that. The question is, what would they give to the players because the player it's always a you know tit for tat like if you if we give you this you got to

give us that i'm not sure what the players would be looking for um anyway the leafs are i'm sure in the air right now on the way to dallas peter deborah will join us in 20 minutes dallas with a win last night impressive win last night and uh leafs stars tomorrow night and some big news items coming out of practice today where day-to-day needs to be, it has to stop. You cannot continue if you're the Maple Leafs. I want to see, that's my New Year's resolution. They asked me, you can change one thing in terms of the way the Maple Leafs operate.

In the world, just forget it. Anywhere in the world, please have the Leafs stop claiming anybody is day-to-day. Because Matthews was day-to-day. That was three weeks. Jake McCabe was totally fine day-to-day. He missed five games. Stolarz, nothing to worry about. Nothing to see here.

It's all good. He'll probably be playing Friday. Now he's had surgery done. No, he's having it tomorrow. Or he's having a procedure in New York done tomorrow. I like procedure. Procedure instead of surgery. I love that.

Not surgery. The procedure. In New York. You've got to go to New York for it. And he's out four to six weeks. Yeah. And that's big news, man. And I feel for Stolarz because he's played so well.

And his career, he's played so well, and his career, he's been a backup his whole career, and the label on him has been he just doesn't play that much. Whether it's injury or opportunity. When you're behind guys like Bobrovsky, you're not going to play that much, but he's also run into injuries at different points in his

career, and I don't think they've driven him into the ground he played back-to-back starts but it wasn't on back-to-back days but it's just like you look at his workload relative to what he's done in his career he's at 17 starts career high is 24 we're in the middle what was ever reasonable then you have to play the guy's thing they didn't do it like he's a human being that has to play yeah i don't know this was always like part of the the equation like could he go from 24 games to 45 or 40 and it's like i don't know

he's never done well i mean like noodles talks about this all the time like we had never seen it yeah and now we don't know are we going to see it this is your answer i think the answer is no we're not going to see 45 starts anymore like If he misses, and usually with goalies, it's closer to six weeks than it is four weeks, especially if you're coming off a procedure like those. And six weeks, I looked at it, I think is 19 games. So it's like you're getting into it. He's probably not going to make 35 starts.

Now the question is, does he give you 30 more starts? No. The math isn't gonna add up so can he give you 20 more and then he gets to 37 that would still look like tandem numbers because again wall's not going to play every single night they're going to either ride hill to be or matt murray possibly comes back into the fold is that what you're suggesting is matt murray becomes an option here i kind of think that's what they'll end doing, just because he is experienced and you have a guy who's not experienced in that. Does that matter? I don't know.

I don't think he didn't exactly inspire confidence the other night. He is what he is at this point. But what is Matt Murray at this point? Well, he just came back from an injury himself. He hasn't played a lot of games in the last year and a half. He missed all of last year, basically. That's it, man. I think the big question out of this is

what does Wall do? Because now you're going to be playing a lot more. They'll play the other guy in back-to-backs. They're not going to play him every game. But we haven't seen him do this before, right? I think it is a great opportunity for him. Huge opportunity. A massive opportunity for him.

I don't think it can be overstated. This guy can almost redefine his reputation and basically start down a path of a whole new career over the next four to six weeks. You stay healthy, you stay in every game,

and you play well, Stolarz can just be bled back in and that would be honestly that probably that would be ideal where he just becomes the backup he plays like every few games and like he's reliable he's good you're not overstressing him and Wall is your guy like remember like they've already committed to him next year yeah they did not right they didn't have to do that they clearly believe he can be something. He can be their, I don't know, Jeremy Swayman or whoever you want to compare him to. This is it. This is your time.

Prove it. It's such a great opportunity for him. He's played well this year. He's played outstanding. You look at his numbers. I mean, Joe from the Bridge just flashed him up. 11 starts. Does not make a season.

But if you extrapolate that over the course of the year, it's a really good season. Again, I think they'll be – now you have to be careful with him because you don't have the other guy. Wait, didn't we have a conversation about this a couple weeks ago? We did when they were both healthy. Yeah. And they were both healthy and the idea – listen, I do think it's somewhat of an absurd conversation to have about a 24-year-old. He's 26. Is he 26 now?

Okay, still, 26. Prime of your life life prime of your career the idea that there needs to be bubble wrap involved in the conversation is deserved because of his history he's had injury problems his whole career his whole life like dating back to college and even before that but wallace started 11 games he's got a 9-18 save percentage. He's 8-4. Those are really good numbers. Again, it is absurd the idea that you'd have to possibly tread lightly, but now they don't have an option.

The conversation we were having a couple weeks ago was under the guise of they're both healthy. Maybe Wall wants to put his hands up and say... Because you'd like to believe he's dying for this opportunity. I don't know of any goalie ever that dreams of being a tandem when they get to the NHL. Still a great

life. I just want to play 50 games. Just give me 45. Yeah, it's great. Give me 45. Pay me like a tandem. We'll get to the playoffs and flip a coin on who plays and kumbaya, everyone's going to be happy. Nobody thinks that way. I'd like to believe, in fact, I'm willing to say I know

Joseph Wall doesn't think that way. So here's your opportunity. Go out there and seize it and play. But to your point, they've got a back-to-back this weekend. They're at Buffalo and then home against the Islanders. He's not playing both those games. Then they've got an afternoon game on Monday. So it hits you almost immediately, yet you've got Dallas tomorrow night

he's going to play, and Dallas is a really good team. The afternoon game on Monday is against Winnipeg. Yeah, he's playing that. Got to play that game. Big game, then you got to break. Yeah. But then it's go time after that. And it's crazy again after that.

Yeah. Like if Stoller's misses 19, does Wall play 14, 13? I think you look at it and you basically say everything that is not a back-to-back, you're playing. But you've got to be careful. You can't afford him getting hurt now, too. I hear you. And I'm not saying they would necessarily do that.

I think they might look it over and say, we'll sneak in an extra day off here. He's probably not going to practice a lot. There's different things. They had a third goalie practice today. They do that a lot. They'll try to save him, right? Save him some time. But they could, like, I didn't

like the decision to extend him when they didn't have to extend him. They just didn't see any need for it. But it could end up benefiting them if he plays really well in this stretch and he just does exactly what you're talking about. He becomes the guy. There's no questions. He's the number one. He plays well.

If he's at 3.6 next year and for two more years after that, and he is that... Oh, it's a steal. Great. That's what they're hoping for. That's what they're betting on. You're right. This is the chance to start proving it. Yeah. You've got to step up

now for your team because your team needs you. They're not in a bind because they banked all these points. They haven't been playing their best hockey. No. But they're still in a very good position. They're sitting in a bind because they banked all these points. They haven't been playing their best hockey. No. But they're still in a very good position. They're sitting atop their division, even with Florida winning last night. Not that far off from the top of the East.

Absolutely. They have legitimate visions of winning the conference. They should. Absolutely. It's a big difference. If you look at who you would play right now, I believe they'd play Tampa, which would be fun. Tampa's rolling right now. And I think if you win the conference, they would play right now. I believe they'd play Tampa, which would be fun. Tampa's rolling right now.

And I think if you win the conference, they would play Ottawa. That's exactly what would happen if it started tonight. It's a little different. Like, Ottawa's obviously got some interesting talent, but it's not Tampa. Yeah. It's not like your emphasis, right? No, you would want, you got to be careful with these comments,

but you would want Ottawa, clearly. Yes. And that is a significant difference. This is a team that needs every possible edge they can get. Theoretically. But one thing we've seen with this team over the years, just when you look at it and you're like, man, how are they going to survive this? Then they rip off, what was it, the nine games without Matthews?

It's just like, they're just fine. Yeah. Last year, Martin Jones was playing back-to-back games. There was two years before that where all their defensemen were hurt. Mark Giordano was their number one defenseman. They just win every game. They had a great run. That was in November. They played really well. It was Giordano and Hall, I think,

that were the top pair of defensemen. I think it was Hallowell and who was the other really small? Mete. Yes. It was their third pair. It's like, how are they surviving this? They were not just surviving. They were winning a lot. They were winning. They've created that culture, to. Yes. It's their third pair. It's like, how are they surviving this? And they were not just surviving. They were winning a lot. Yeah, they've created that culture, to their credit. And I think a lot of that is their best players are generally in the lineup

for those. You might take Matthews out, but the other guys are there. Or Marner will miss a game or two, but the other guys are around, and they prop everything up. And I think Matthews had that approach to it today. Obviously, bummed for Stoller, which he should be. He's had a great run. He's playing the best hockey of his career. The town

has really responded to him, and now he gets injured again. Now he's got to rehab and go through this, but Matthews' approach was this is just the way pro sports works. Guys go down, you've got to keep plugging, man. You know Beruba is going to have that attitude. Like you can't, what are you going to do?

Lick your wounds? You got to keep playing. Yeah. And they still have obviously. And Joseph Wall is still a really good goalie. Yeah. Who's playing well. Yeah.

And they obviously still have a very good team. Stolar is excluded. Yeah. I'm really curious to see what this looks like with Matthews, Neal, and Marner. Do you think that'll get through the whole game tomorrow night? That is a great question. Over, underal, and Marner. Do you think that'll get through the whole game tomorrow night? That is a great question. Over, under, one and a half periods. My gut tells me under.

My gut tells me under. Yet, why... I don't even know if it's... My gut would say under, not because of the three of them, because of the other line. My gut tells me Nick Robertson gets pushed out of the play tomorrow night using him as an example, and they say, we got to move this around. Like, that line's not going to work anymore.

Or Nyes and Tavares and Pacioretty look too slow tomorrow night for whatever reason, and they decide, we got to get some legs on there. We got to get Willie an extra shift. But it is interesting because they finished the game the other night with the three of them playing together. Then at practice today they had Nylander with Matthews and Marner, Nyes with Tavares and Pacioretty,

McMahon, Domi, Robertson, which was a great line the other night, and David Kemp is back. Has he been activated and he's ready to play? I don't know if he's been activated. Because they sent Fraser Minton down. He's going to play tomorrow. Minton's down Yeah, he's going to play tomorrow. Yeah. Yeah.

So Minton's down, and camp, whenever he's officially activated, will return and play. And he steps right back in, which is interesting, because it's him, Lorenz, and Reeves stays in on the fourth line. So Dewar's out. He's dated as a defenseman today. Yeah. Yeah.

I'm not surprised by that. Camp is going to play. Like, regardless of how people feel. They're committed to him. He's a veteran on this team. I think they feel like he can bring enough to the table as a smart player in the fourth line to get on and get off. But it's that third line that you talked about. Like they need those guys to do.

They're not going to be that every game like they were the other night, but they need them to approximate that more often than they have, where it's like maybe they're not scoring every night, but there's energy. You can feel them in the game. To me, like Craig Brewe was talking about it after the game, it wasn't just that Domi scored and created a goal. It's like he was in it.

He was engaged. That was the word he used. He has to look that way. Yeah. We talked about it yesterday. They're committed to him. They're committed to him. Oh, listen. He has to look that way. Yeah. We talked about it yesterday. They're committed to him. Oh, listen. He needed that game. I said it

multiple times yesterday. It was ridiculous how long he had gone without a point. Forget scoring a goal. He was not contributing anything for weeks. And he had to step up. And he found a way to do that the other night.

So, yeah, and with that, again, camp returning. Fraser Minton returns to the Marlies, which was going to be the move. They took him out of the lineup. Once they did that, that was a precursor to them sending him back down. He's exempt from waivers. He'll be back. He'll play again for this team, I would bet, this year. Yeah, I'll bet he plays again.

I don't know how much of a role he'll play, but I think this is a smart play. Let him go down to the Marlies. Play there for a couple of months if you can avoid it. He might have to calm up due to injuries or whatever, but let him go down there. Let him season for a full year. Post-deadline, see where you're at.

I could see him coming up come playoff time and possibly starting as a depth player but getting into the lineup and looking good, making an impact, and sticking around. Well, I guess it depends what they end up doing at the trade deadline. It's funny, talking about the trade deadline, starting as a depth player, but getting into the lineup and looking good, making an impact, and sticking around. Well, I guess it depends what they end up doing at the trade deadline. It's funny, talking about the trade deadline, it's December, but it's like, you've got to start thinking about it.

If they get another center, that will change the dynamic. But yeah, he was fine. Yeah, I liked his game. He's not even played in the AHL. He's played five AHL games. For him to come in and kind of look okay, pretty good. Yeah. Let him go down there again.

Season, play well. He'll be the man with the Marlies. They'll run everything through him, I would think. And we'll see what his future is this year with the Leafs. But I think he's a big part of their plans in the future. And I think he should be. He's played himself into that role. All right.

Peter DeBoer will join us. There's a lot going on in the NHL. a lot that came out of the games last night. Crazy game, Edmonton, Florida. Demko played and played really well. Vancouver wins. Capo Caco's speaking out on him being a healthy scratch the other night for the Rangers. And the Sabres and Habs are playing tonight at the Bell Center

to see who will be last place in the East. Whoever loses tonight, if they lose in reg, that's it. You're in dead last. Who do you think needs to win more? Buffalo by a mile? Buffalo. Yeah. Yeah.

Like, you've gone 10 straight without a win. And you're in Montreal. And again, Montreal is behind you, the only team behind you that has struggled mightily this year. I wouldn't be surprised if the Habs won and won big, though, tonight. And then what? What's the difference between one game? That's what I've never understood in sports.

I love that. Yeah, if they lose tomorrow, then they're going to make a difference. You need to have a good week. Rarely is that accurate. But what do you think about an owner going to a team and saying nothing is going to happen? Complete waste of time. Why do it?

I have no idea. I sat on with Jay last night. Mix in a Zoom call. Why do you have to fly there? What are you bringing to the table if you're Terry Pagula flying there saying, we're not doing anything, and we believe in the GM coach and the players, and we're not going to make a major trade? See you later.

I'm leaving and going where? Montreal. Yeah, I'm going to watch the Bills. Exactly. Going to watch the Bills. Listen, if'm going to watch the Bills. Exactly. Going to watch the Bills. Like, listen, if he's going to Montreal to get away, I understand what he's doing. Montreal is a great town to do that. You can escape through the streets of Montreal.

Maybe Terry was thinking that way. But, yeah, you get the Bills. Like, if I'm – I'd be a frontrunner if I was Terry Pagula. I'd be like, I don't care about the Sabres, man. I have Mr. Buffalo Bill. I'm at every game on the sidelines. He's rocking around wearing Josh Allen's jersey. Exclusively Bill's

paraphernalia around me. I don't want anything to do with the Sabres. I think he showed up at the meeting wearing Bill's stuff. That would be great. That would be awesome. He shows up decked out in Bill's gear. Just so everyone knows, his top priority is the Buffalo Bills. Alright, Peter DeBoer will join us. Head coach

of the Stars, Leafs Stars tomorrow night. We'll start teeing that up. Mike Johnson coming up on what's going on with the Leafs. Anthony Stolarz and his future here. John Tavares and the contract talk that continues to hover around him. And a lot of different things happening in the NHL. A lot of different games being played in the NHL tonight.

So MJ will join us at the NBA Cup tonight in Vegas as well. We'll get to that later this afternoon. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 4. It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year.

Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan. Goal, plan, portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. Overdrive continues, brought to you by fanduel bringing you everything from the opening line of the final score hazenbro and owen wilson both cover last night both those games were a parable football games awful i turned on the the vikings game

like 10 minutes in and it's 10 nothing yeah. Yeah, it was awful. And Darnold wasn't even very good. It's just the Bears are a mess, man. Caleb Williams, not a good place. And the Falcons win and Raheem Morris comes out and starts criticizing Kirk Cousins deservedly. But you don't see that a lot. After a win, you don't see a lot of coaches that are willing to go at their most important player or one of their best players.

It's a rarity in the coaching community. Did he throw a touchdown? Because I know he hadn't thrown one, I think, for a few games. I don't believe so. I think it was all field goals last night. Okay. Because it was 15-9, and they just covered because the Raiders couldn't kick a point after the touchdown. It was crushing last night.

That would have been a double cover for Hazenboro last night. Anyway, Leafs stars tomorrow night. Leafs are probably in the air on their way down to Dallas. And we're getting closer to the Christmas break as well. I always wonder how coaches feel about that when players know there's a break right around the corner. Stars won a big one last night against the Capitals at home. Here's Peter DeBoer, the head coach of the Dallas Stars.

How are you doing, Pete? Great. Happy holidays, guys. How are you doing? Yeah, you too coach of the Dallas Stars. How you doing, Pete? Great. Happy holidays, guys. How you doing? Yeah, you too. We're doing well. Do you concern yourself? You've got a veteran team down there. Do you worry that they're putting the cart before the horse and seeing a break in a week, or what? You know what? We actually

really pumped in a lot of young players into our lineup here over the last couple of years. I know you know that, but even a few more this year. You know, Wyatt Johnson feels like a veteran. He's 21 years old because he's already played for two years. This is his third season. But we put in Bork and Back and Bischel,

three young rookies that all have spent some time in the American League or up in the lineup every night. So we've got a nice mix of veterans and young guys. I'm not worried about the veteran guys. They've been there, done that, and they know what works and what doesn't this time of year. I know they're imparting that knowledge on the young guys, but they're still young guys, on the young guys but you know they're

still uh they're still young guys and sometimes you have to to learn yourself so there's a lot of distractions uh around the holidays with friends and family in town and and other things so uh hopefully we can keep our focus here for another few days absolutely i was referencing another coach in another sport calling out a player after a win. What is your general philosophy on that? Speaking of the media, can you be more comfortable

talking about your players after a win in some ways because you know not everyone's stressed out? How do you approach talking with the media and being open and honest and maybe getting messages across based on how your whole team played as opposed to that one in particular player? Yeah.

Well, I'll tell you, I kind of have a rule that unless I would say it to the player and do say it to the player, I don't think I would say it to the media. I don't think I would say it to the media. You know, I think if what you're saying to the player is your truth and where you feel he's at, then, you know, I don't think there's anything wrong with answering a question honestly. Obviously, we don't do that every time. We don't make all those conversations public, but it definitely

is easier to take criticism after a win than it is after a loss when everyone's a little bit more sensitive. Pete, in watching your team, there's so many guys I feel like that guy deserves more attention. That guy deserves more attention.

I could ask you about so many of them, but for people who don't know about Haskinen and just what he's about, what would you say? Yeah, you know, wow. I mean, he's one of those players, I've had a handful of them over my career where every night on the bench as a coach, you turn into a fan, you know, at different moments,

just watching him. You know, he'll take off with the puck and weave his way through four or five guys, and all of a sudden you're not coaching, you're a fan, you know, just watching it from a wow perspective. You know, or a defensive play where he, you know, comes back and makes a stick check on a guy that you thought was long gone or free and clear.

I think every night he gives me a couple of those moments, and the great players that I've coached over my career have done that. Jaromir Jagr, Ilya Kovalchuk, Joe Thornton, you know, to name a few. So, you know, he's in, he's in rare company that way. With Peter DeVore, and you're going to see him at the Four Nations base off your own staff, John Cooper's staff. And I'm, I'm curious, you know, how you, how you plan on game planning against your own players?

Cause you're going to see a number of them scattered throughout the tournament. Will that be your responsibility? Will Coop come to you and say, okay, how are we getting past this kind of breakout? What can you tell us on that, Pete? Yeah, you know what? I'm sure we're going to spend some time on a pre-scout on the players on the other team, and I'm sure we'll all contribute.

I mean, we've got a great staff. If we haven't coached them personally, we know people who have coached them between Coop and Rick Tockett and Bruce Cassidy and myself and Misha Donskov. Obviously, and then the management team, Doug Armstrong and Jim Mill and Kyle Dubas and Donnie Sweeney. So, I mean, there's just been so many guys that we've had either direct access to or indirect access to. So I don't think there's any secrets at that tournament. As you know, Hazy, I think everybody knows everybody. I think we've been there, done that scouting report on all the the best players in the world and

you know i think everybody knows them so um i'm just excited i'm really excited about working with our group and i think most of our attention as a coaching staff will be on our group and trying to get our group you know up to speed and to play a team game as quickly as possible. Is there one player that you're kind of sneaky looking forward to coaching? Maybe Crosby? You know what? I've been involved with Hockey Canada before. I've had to sit on a few teams all the way back to a world junior in North Dakota

100 years ago. So when he was a 16 year old I've had him at a world championships um so you know I've been fortunate that most of these guys I've had the opportunity to work with before it it's it's the opportunity to work with them again and then there's a couple new ones like you know obviously uh McDavid and Taves have not played a best on best before and so I haven't had an opportunity to work with either of those guys

so I'm excited about or McCarr and Taves McCarr and Taves and McDavid so those are some names off the top of my head that I'm excited to get a first chance to work with. Well, you get to see McCarran and Taves a lot within the division.

Too much. Probably too much. I would think too much. We always talk about the Atlantic and the division the Leafs are in and how it's a deep division. It's been a little bit top-heavy, but the likes of Florida and Tampa and Toronto and Boston have been so good for so long. And you look at the Central, I mean, it is loaded with the way Winnipeg started. Now Minnesota has been arguably the hottest team in the league. Yourselves, Colorado, I mean, how much of the messaging, if at all, Pete, is directed

towards your team about trying to gain home ice, trying to maybe win the division, and how beneficial that could be for you guys come playoff time. Yeah, it's a great point. And you're not even including Nashville, who everyone predicted preseason was going to be a contender with what they did, and Utah, who's really, I think, playing some very good hockey. So, yeah, you know what? playing some very good hockey. Yeah, you know what?

Honestly, we finished second to the Rangers last year for the President's Trophy. The Rangers won it. I think we would both attest, Pete Laviolette and me, that chasing a President's Trophy in the regular season isn't the be-all and end-all with who ended up winning the Cup. And typically, that's the case more times than not. I think you want to get in. You want to be

healthy when you get in. You want to be playing a really solid brand of hockey. I think that's the priority right now. You've got the Leafs tomorrow. I wondered what you've noticed about how they're playing under Craig Berube. Yeah, totally different.

We were diving into some of the analytics today at the rink, and it's amazing how they've transformed from what I would have called a rush team over the last few years that thrived on turnovers and to a team that, you know, has been really solid in the offensive zone and a four-check team, you know, much more direct game, you know, a lot more of a slot presence in the offensive zone, scoring goals, you know, that way. So you can see his fingerprints on their game.

And, you know, from a game planning perspective, we've got to be aware of that. On the flip side, you know, they're always going to have that rush element to them, especially with Matthews and Marner and Nylander in the lineup. So, you know, that's always going to be a dangerous piece of their game. Yeah, they're playing well. I mean, this is one of those fun games where you see them go down to Dallas.

I think Matthew scored a big goal down there a couple years ago. I think it was, did he hit 60 in Dallas, Jonas? I think it was. I think that was Buffalo. Or maybe he passed Rick Five down in Dallas. Anyway, he scored a big one down there. But you only get to see him once a year. And, you know, I'm sure these are fun games.

You mentioned earlier sometimes you find yourself being a fan. I'm sure these are fun games you mentioned earlier sometimes you find yourself being a fan sure this would be one of those games where you're like all right let's let's see what we got tonight yeah for sure and then one of my favorite players that i got the opportunity to coach last year on our run to the conference final chris taniff uh you know looking forward to to seeing him and hopefully catching up with him for a minute. I was a huge fan of his game, and we were sorry to see him leave Dallas, but I see his impact on the Leafs and how they're defending really clearly

and not surprised either by his success there. Yeah, I'm sure you're not surprised he's leading the league in blocked shots. No, or missing teeth. Yeah, he's never you're not surprised he's leading the league in blocked shots. No, or missing teeth. Yeah, he's never got those teeth in. Jonas, you're down there every day. I've never seen him with teeth. He hates teeth.

Chris Tannev hates teeth. But he'll be ready to rock tomorrow. And I'm sure you guys will, too. It'll be a fun one. Enjoy it, Pete. We really appreciate you doing this, as always. Thanks, A.D. Take care, guys. You got it. There's Peter DeBoer of the

Dallas Stars. Yeah, they got a good team. They got a good team down in Dallas. That's a good division, too. They just keep developing players. You're like, that guy's pretty good. You rattled off a bunch of kids that have come up. I don't think he mentioned Stan Kovac.

That's the one. Yeah, Logan Stankovic. Who's this guy? Yeah, Stankovic is phenomenal. And Wyatt Johnston and Harley's a really good player in their top four. Ottinger's not an old guy either. Ottinger's in his prime and net.

They're just a really consistently good team. And DeBoer's a great coach. That'll be a good game. And yeah, JP said it was an OT winner where he passed Vive in Dallas. That was a couple years ago, I think. Matthews, when he on pace to 60. So that would have been three years ago now, I guess.

But I remember his reaction. That was a big one. I think Joe Bowen had a great call that night, too. As you would expect. A big moment like that. But these are fun. You only get to see Dallas a couple times a year. And it's a later game. You don't see that always.

I think it's an 8 p.m. puck drop tomorrow night. 8.30. You don't get that too often. Well, and this is like a different test than they've been facing recently. They haven't played like the... It's not their fault. They play the teams they play. But this is like a real test.

And now you just lost your number one goalie. Let's see. It'll be interesting. Yeah, you got tonight. And then you got Monday your number one goalie. Let's see. It'll be interesting. Yeah, you got tonight, and then you got Monday against Winnipeg, if you're the Leafs. And in between that, you got two games that you should take advantage of, Buffalo and the Islanders, who are really struggling right now. The whole state of New York is in chaos.

Who's doing the best? The Mets. Yes. They're not playing, though. The Knicks are doing the best. Eh, eh. The Knicks are in the race in the East. Nets are actually better than people thought.

Like, Jordy Fernandez is doing a really good job down there. Devils are a good one. They're not technically in the state, though. They're Jersey. You're right. That is not New York. Buffalo. The Bills are doing the best.

Okay. What am I talking about? The New York rankings? Yes. If we did the state of New York rankings. The Sabres would be last. The Bills would be first. I really can't believe they haven't made the playoffs in that long. Is it 2011?

13 years. That's crazy. And it's going to be 14 now. You can etch that in stone. 14 years without making the playoffs. And the second team, in terms of big four pro sports with the longest drought, the New York Jets. Yes.

The Jets have been, I think, 11 years or something without making the playoffs. What was it here for a while? It was from 04 until 13 they got in. I think it was 11 years with a lockout. It was probably nine or ten seasons. Yeah. Yeah, because it was like post-LACA, they didn't get there until the short year in 2013.

I just think it's interesting how the bar has changed over the years. Because in the beginning, it was like, ah, they made the playoffs, cool, amazing. And then it's like, well, that's not that great. Just win the, you know what I mean? Yeah. And now it's like, well, you can't win less than one round. You know what I mean?

Like you need to win multiple rounds. Well, nine years in, you would expect the bar to move a little bit. Let's push it forward a little bit here, guys. Come on. All right, Mike Johnson in about 20 minutes. More on the Monday Nighters last night. More on Dan Campbell doing an interview on radio in Detroit.

It's going to get you pretty hyped up. Lions are going back to the Super Bowl. Lions are feeling it here. Dan Campbell's taking on this challenge. We'll get to that more still to come in the NBA Cup happening in Vegas tonight. Oklahoma City against Milwaukee. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 4.

It's a brand new year. Time to review last year's financial decisions and set new priorities for 2025. Kelvin the Money Guy suggests the three-step approach. One, clearly define your goals for the new year. Two, create a plan tailored to your needs and ambitions. And three, make sure your portfolio is designed to serve that plan.

Goal, plan, portfolio. Contact Kelvin the Money Guy and set your plans in motion. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. All right, so we've got some breaking news in Major League Baseball. 416-457-PLAN. Or visit AskKelvin.ca. All right, so we've got some breaking news in Major League Baseball. Jeff Passan of ESPN reporting that Cody Bellinger has been traded from the Cubs to the Yankees. So Bellinger is 29, former MVP, has two years remaining on his contract with an opt-out after the 25 season.

And I'm waiting to see what is going back the other way. But it sounds like the Cubs are trying to get out from underneath it in terms of cash. They just acquired Kyle Tucker, which is a really good pickup by them. But it's weird. Bellinger was available last offseason. The Cubs, he waited. Remember how long he had to wait?

And the Cubs finally paid him. And he set an up-and-down career. Like when he broke in with the Cubs, he waited. Remember how long he had to wait? And the Cubs finally paid him. And he set an up-and-down career. Like, when he broke in with the Dodgers, I thought that guy was just going to be Mr. Dodger forever. Well, he had that one incredible year. Remember when him and Yelich were going back-to-back for MVP? Yeah, but now you look at what the Yankees have done. You know, they've freed.

They've picked up a premium closer. Now they bring in Bellinger. Are you getting a little deja vu for the Jays? Or it's like, oh my God. Well, it's just been very quiet for the Jays. There's still a lot of guys available. They're going to sign players. It's just a matter of whether or not they sign impact players.

Right slash impact. Because they're going to fill out the roster. Yeah, but it's like you went back to last offseason and it was like, Justin Turner? Yeah. And they're letting Matt Chapman go and that's it? That's what it is? That's what is concerning is it was Turner,

Connor Falefa, Kiermaier, who had no market. And at the end of his career. And that was about it. They've signed Garcia. They brought him back, someone they know. Fine, he adds to their bullpen him back. Someone they know. Fine. He adds to their bullpen. Cool.

But they need at least another arm, I would think, in the bullpen for sure. I think their rotation is more volatile than people think. It's old. It's an old rotation. And you're looking at Bowden Francis, who was phenomenal down the stretch. His final 10 starts. Incredible. Outstanding.

Outstanding. Can you truly rely on that guy doing that for 30 starts? Yeah, you don't know. I don't think that that's a smart practice. It's a bonus. If he gives you anything close to it, that's great. You have to get to camp just to see what he's got and see if he can replicate that.

Was it just flash in the pan, or was it more than that? I don't know. Well, and the league will adjust, right? Yeah, and it's not like he doesn't have A-plus stuff. He just was pitching phenomenally well, and I mean phenomenally well. He was unbelievable. But Gosman didn't have a great year based on his standards. Bassett didn't have a great year.

Barrios got it back on the rails, but Barrios is not an ace. He's not a depth pitcher, but he's like a number three on a great staff. So who would be your dream guy for them to get? Corbin Burns? I guess so, because he's generally reliable. He's a guy that doesn't get hurt. You knock on wood with starting arms. And his numbers are phenomenal.

He's got A-plus stuff. He immediately... He's your ace. He's your ace. And then that pushes Gosman down. It pushes Bassett down. It pushes Arios down and then you hope Francis is anything close to what he was and now maybe you're talking.

But then what about your offense? That is the issue. How much money do they actually have? And here's a core issue that I think is being overlooked here because we always get sensitive up here in Toronto and I think there's a core issue that i think is being overlooked here because we always get sensitive up here in toronto and i think there's a truth to it that there's certain guys that just aren't that interested in living in toronto or canada or whatever that's just a reality of our scenario it's no different than other small markets players aren't dying to

go to the pirates or go to the reds or go to the raysays. It's just the way it is. If you're not New York, if you're not LA, maybe Miami, maybe Houston, maybe Boston, maybe Chicago. If you're not in that group, San Francisco maybe, you're battling with different variables. But I think one thing that needs to be stated here is they're not that good. They were awful last year. So what is your pitch to a guy who wants to win? What are you

pitching? If you're a player like Corbin Burns, aren't you asking Mark and Ross, are you two going to be here in the future? Is John Schneider going to be here in the future? Is Vladdy Gouraud Jr. going to be here in the future? They can't answer any of that definitively.

Is Boba Shett going to be here? Exactly. None of them are going to be here in the future. Well, what else is going to be here? They can't answer any of that definitively. Is Boba Shett going to be here? Boba Shett, exactly. Like, you can't get a... None of them are going to say yes. Like, Mark might say, yeah, I'll be here, but he doesn't know that for sure. Right. How's your prospect pool?

Not very good. Bottom third in baseball, according to every publication. So it's a tough pitch just based on competition. Yeah. That's where they're at right now. It could just be Tay Oscar. It very well could be. But I think they could get that done right now if they just paid him.

I think. He wants three years plus of big money. They don't want to go there because they're always trying to win a negotiation. They're trying to be disciplined. So they'll probably lose out. Probably goes back to the Dodgers. You've got to pay $800 if that's what it takes. You've got to pay to play.

You've got to pay to play. Hour two coming up. Mike Johnson will join us. Confirm and deny coming up as well. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on the TSN app. You've been listening to Overdrive, powered by FanDuel.

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