OverDrive - OverDrive - December 18, 2024 - Hour 2

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

Join Bryan Hayes, Jamie McLennan and Michael DiStefano for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Analyst and Longtime NHL Head Coach Bruce Boudreau joins to discuss the Sabres' losing skid in the spotlight, the Canucks searching for success and the Maple Leafs' line of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and William Nylander in Toronto. They circle around the sports world in the latest edition of OverDrive Arbitration.

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or visit askkelvin.ca hour two overdrive continues brought to you by fanduel bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score brian hayes jamie noodles mclennan michael di stefano aka al's brother to start the hour and uh bruce Boudreaux will join us here in a few moments. We've got the Leafs in Dallas tonight. We've got a lot going on in the NHL. And I guess we're getting closer to this trade freeze that really doesn't last too long. I don't think we've hit it yet.

No, it's Friday. Friday night, we've got a trade freeze. Do you think we'll see anything sneak in before the doors close or what? You don't think so, Noodles? No. I see teams jockeying already. I don't know if you saw. There's some teams doing some house cleaning,

putting some guys on waivers and stuff like that to just try and free up some money and move things around. I could be wrong, and I want to be wrong in this scenario because I like seeing trades. I like seeing, you know, water cooler conversation stuff popping up. I think the teams are just jockeying for position, dealing with their cap until after Christmas. So it's just more housecleaning stuff in the next couple days.

But, hey, I could be wrong. I hope so, too. The Buffalo Sabres could be all over this. That's what I'm looking at. Those two teams need a shakeup. Maybe Nashville. Throw Nashville. I don't know if you guys saw this,

and maybe it was just a reporter that I was reading yesterday. You sometimes worry about, and I'm careful with fake news and all of that, but, like, Stamko's name out there, was that right or wrong? What is the status of his deal? Does he have a full no move, full no trade? If you can look that up, Doogie, or someone look that up, that would be a shocking development to move off him that quickly. Here's the thing.

Would Stamkos want that? Is he 30 games in noodles and thinking, this is a massive mistake and I have to get out of here? Because it looks like a disaster. It is a disaster. There's no other way to put it. It has been a disaster for him and the Nashville Predators. And I'm thinking, no, it wouldn't be Nashville wanting to move off him.

It would be him going, tough situation, 34 years old, going to be 35. I want another kick at the can here. This isn't about lifestyle. It would be interesting, though though wouldn't that be crazy and again i'm i'm getting a little bit silly here but if nashville wanted to move him they could eat some of his salary make him a pretty cheap option for for a team right doogie is saying he has a full no movement clause okay so he controls the whole operation what kind of market would be out there for Stamkos 34

years left at $8 million even if they eat some of it. Let's say you get it down to $6 million. That's still a big commitment for a guy now who it hasn't been a good start for him and who's to say the next team he'll immediately feel comfortable with. I don't know. He's still got game in him. He can still contribute

but it's been tough for him to find a role feel comfortable with yeah i don't know like he's still got game in him he can still contribute but it's been it's been tough for him to find a role in nashville and that may apply to wherever he would go next yeah i i think that's why i was kind of it was maybe just some conjecture or something that i was reading online like again i this isn't a report it wasn't credible from insiders just like stamkos you know would nash Nashville look at moving off of him? And I was like, holy smokes, that's an interesting one. Like, that would be spicy. But, like, think about it.

Would the Rangers take a flyer if Nashville made him a $4 million player? And would you, you know, I read today, and this is the publicized one, Capo Caco, you know, saying, I'm not sure what they want out of me, all of that type of stuff. Maybe, you know, maybe it involves the Rangers. Like, that would be a pretty interesting scenario. I like that idea. Get Stamkos on Broadway, man. You talk about deeming yourself the rest of the way.

That would be interesting. Again, again, I'm not, I don't like, you know, this is just a gesture. You're the guy that's spearheading this. Your name will be honored. I'm not spearheading it. You can see it coming. I read it yesterday. You know how it is.

Sam Coates wants out of Nashville. I heard it on Overdrive. That's coming. Exactly. That's what's coming. No, no, no. But put it this way. You brought it up, A.B., at the start of the show.

Like, Brady Kachuk does not want out of Ottawa. There was nothing there. It was a nothing burger. And I even, to the point where I was reading this morning, New York Rangers fans going, geez, Larry Brooks kind of fell on that one. He's usually a credible guy, and it just didn't go anywhere. But I do believe the Rangers are going to make a move,

and they should make a significant move. And you start to around this is exactly what happened with the rangers you're looking oh we freed up eight million dollars let's look around the league who makes eight million dollars and it was all brady kachuk's brother did that well maybe that was the same scenario with you know stamp coast or other players on teams that are at the bottom of the standings that's kind of exactly eight million yeah buffalo the thing is buffalo is not going to spend i don't think like or other players on teams that are at the bottom of the standings. Stamkos makes exactly $8 million. Yeah, Buffalo. The thing is, Buffalo's not going to spend, I don't think. The Rangers want to make a move to get back into the playoffs.

The Sabres, they just want to win a game. Mix it up. Yeah, can we find a way to get to $500 would be a win right now. Joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline, here's our TSN hockey analyst, Bruce Boudreaux. Bruce, I'm sure you love some chaos. Is there one team among the whole bunch here in the league right now

that gets your attention the most in terms of the negative, in terms of the chaos right now, and which team would that be? Well, I think you have a few to choose from. Yeah. Off the top of my head, the Rangers and Buffalo, you wonder, off the top of my head, like, I mean, the Rangers and Buffalo,

you wonder what's going on. And that chaotic situation has sort of made the Nashville situation feel like normal. Like, you know, when you look at those three teams that have had very little success, but Nashville won the last game, so everybody's leaving them alone. Poor Rangers and, you know, and Buffalo. I don't know where they go from here. No kidding. Yeah, that's the biggest thing, Bruce.

So I don't know. I mean, you had a long career as a player and as a coach. Have you ever been a part of a team that has had something like Buffalo, like where it's 10, it's 11-game streak, the owners come in and talk, and I'm sure they've had closed-door meetings, and the nice approach, the hard approach, have you ever been a part of that? And where do you think they go from here? Even if they decide they're not going to make any moves,

they believe that it's in the dressing room. As a coach, where do you go from here just even if they if they decide they're not going to make any moves they believe that it's in the dressing room as a coach what do you where do you go from here i mean it's tough like lindy called a timeout last night very early in the game uh if you if you recall like i mean and the goal didn't even count from line a that did that after he called a timeout so they're feeling the pressure and the heat, and he's trying to do different things, not calling it late, not calling it now. I don't know what's said in between periods type of thing, but, I mean, to me, I've never experienced it where the owner has come in and they've talked about the situation about the team, and I don't even know what they talked about the situation, about the team,

and I don't even know what they talked about. The only time it ever came close to something like that was before I got into the... As soon as I got signed by the Vancouver Canucks, when I went into coach, they had a meeting where the GM and everybody came down and talked while I was there, before I was introduced to the team. And that was the only time I'd been in a meeting where the actual management has come in and, and really sat down and sort of said, Hey boys, we got to pick it up. This is not

the kind of hockey we play. We've got a new coach here. I mean, I don't know what they're saying in Buffalo, but they might have said, hey, guys, hey, this is a good team. We've got things going. Let's go out and get them. Rah, rah. And then they go out and lay that six to one egg. So I kind of think that wasn't the message. I wonder if there was a different message sent in the locker room at that day. wasn't the message. I wonder if there was a different message sent in the locker room at that day. Bruce, I'm kind of curious to get your take on what's happening out in Vancouver. Obviously, you were there. You know that team pretty well. And Elias Patterson is kind of a fascinating player right now. And his splits are interesting. We look at with him, with JT Miller in the lineup

and out of the lineup. He's got 15 points in the 10 games that he didn't play, just 11 points in the 20 games when Miller was there. What do you make of that whole situation? Is that a problem that you think Vancouver needs to address? Well, I mean, the easy thing would be to say yes, that it is a problem. And I knew they had a little bit of a problem between them before I got there, but I thought that was all straightened out

and everything, so I'm hoping it's a coincidence. What I think, the point production-wise, is Miller gets, was always getting like Besser and Garland. This was before DeBrusque started scoring type thing, and you'd end up getting, Petey was getting like Mikheyev and Dakota Joshua as a line, and so I think the line discrepancies in Vancouver scoring-wise, he didn't have the wingers he needed to score.

Like when he was getting 100 points, like the year with me, he was playing the wing with Miller and Besser, or he was playing the wing with Horvat. So I think a lot of it has to do with who he's playing with and how good the power play, the rate of the power play is going with him. I'm hoping that it's not a situation, and I haven't phoned anybody, and I don't want to. People have been asking me to phone and get the nitty-gritty going here, and I don't want to phone, and I don't want to find out whether they're having a problem with each other,

because I think they're both great players, and I think that it shouldn't be happening, but I'm one of those guys that wants to dig my head in the sand right now and not know, like it's a hate each other type thing. You know, it's just one of those things because, like I said, you know, you get attached to players when you coach them, and I like both the guys a lot, and I't want to see think that one's a being a real butthead and to the other one so i'm not wanting that situation okay how close or how hard does that make it i guess to coach knowing that there's like a rift in the locker room with two of your

best players well i mean if there's a rift in the locker room, I mean, it's up to the coach in all of these situations. Like, I know the coach is the easy one to move and everything else, but it's up to him to read the room and if something is wrong, to fix it and to fix the room and bring the guys in and talk to them about it. I mean, Vancouver's not doing too bad. They're 16-9, I think, right now. I mean, they haven't played as well as their record would indicate from last year, but Demko just looked like he started to get going the way he can play on the last game.

And so I anticipate them to start to really put on a pretty good streak and contend for the Pacific Division. But, I mean, it hasn't happened yet, so we all want to surmise that certain things are happening, whereas I don't think they are. I hope J.T. Miller, for example, like when he took his month off, I hope J.T. Miller, for example, like when he took his month off, I hope it was for him and it was for him to get back together. And I just hope Petey's back to playing the way he can

because he's a great hockey player. Staying out of the nitty-gritty. I like that, Bruce. Who's bothering you trying to get you to call people? I hope it's not Doogie. It better not be our producer, although that would be pretty good production work by Doogie. No, no.

You know what? I just happen to be working with the NHL Network, with the Washington Caps, with you guys. Everybody wants the scoop. We need scoops. We need a scoop here. If I give you one scoop on something like that, I don't think I'm getting a lot of calls from anybody anymore.

So you've got to really watch what you say sometimes. Absolutely. With Bruce Boudreaux. So the Leafs are in Dallas tonight, and it's being tabbed as the most expensive line in NHL history. Marner, Matthews, and Nylander. Again, they finished the game together the other night. They will at least start the

game tonight. Craig Berube has issued basically a warning shot. Don't be too cute. Get in on the forecheck. Play nitty. I was going to say nitty gritty. Steal a line from you. How long do you think this will last? Are you intrigued by this line? What do you make of

the most expensive line in NH you make of uh the most expensive line in nhl history playing for the leafs tonight well i don't i don't think it'll last too long i mean if they win five nothing tonight and that line scores three goals i think it'll last into the next game but i mean to me it's putting an awful lot of firepower on one line. And, you know, I've never been one to like to load up the one line as a rule. Like, you like to have balance, and you think that you're going to win with balance. So, I mean, as an opposing coach, it's usually not too hard to check one line because your best defensemen are always playing against that line. I mean, every single shift rather than if you have two lines out there,

then sometimes they can't go against each other if they go back to back. So, I mean, and then you can have one defensive line, if that's the way you want to do it, is putting them against them. So, I mean, it's usually easy to check those guys, but I don't think it'll last too long. I mean, listen, Matthews and Nylander, they're all great players, shooters. Now Mitch is going to be looking for both guys who are going to want the puck. You know, I just think it's great when things are going not good during the course of the game and you can all of a sudden put them together.

But I think if you want to have a team that's going to win consistently, you've got to have more than the top three and nine other guys that are hoping to contribute, even though Tavares has been fabulous. And, I mean, you know, you'd like to be able to think that it gives him somebody to continue the way he's been playing bruce uh do you think it's it says much more about maybe craig berube wanted to keep that second and third line intact or at least see they can get well we lost noodles i think he was going to say, you know, considering the way they were playing, Tavares with three goals, Max Domi off the snide the other night,

how much of it could be just Craig wanting to keep them intact as opposed to Nylander, Marner, and Matthews as a line isolated, Bruce? Well, that could be it, too. Like, I mean, boy, with uh domi getting a goal i wouldn't and an assist is in that game i would keep his line together for sure because i mean usually what happens it's like i always said losing streaks follow winning streaks and winning streaks follow losing streaks it's the same with scorers if they go eight games in a row without a goal or 28 games in a row without a goal, usually you get one, you get another one right away,

and you want to keep that unit together for at least a short period of time until their good energy runs out. But that might be the case, too, that everybody's talking about the Marner-Matthews line. I'm thinking maybe more it's keeping the other guys together because they were successful as well. So, I mean, but Craig's got his own ideas, and his ideas have been working, so whatever he would say, I would say I would run with it.

Okay, you're not going to make any calls to the Leafs and try to figure out exactly what's going on in the room, are you? Because that would be a real scoop for us. We would like to hear what's going on. I would think it's a kumbaya type of vibe, wouldn't it? They're kind of playing with house money. They've been dealing with injuries. Now Stolarz is out. But they've really established

a winning culture. I played against Craig for many years. I played against Craig for many years, and I don't want him peed off at me because that's one guy I don't want to get mad. So I would never say anything that went on in that room because he's a dude I'd be taken away from.

I don't blame you. I don't think you're alone when it comes to that. I think most people would suggest the same thing. Joseph Wall getting the start tonight. We stole ours out four to six weeks. What would you expect out of Wall, and how important is it for him to stay healthy now and prove that he can weather that storm

and be a guy they can rely on over the next month and a half? Well, I think it's vitally important that he stays healthy. I mean, because he's been hurt off and on his whole career in Toronto. So, I mean, I think, you know, like, I mean, if you want a long-term contract, I know he's got three years now, but if you want to stay in and the next one be even longer, you've got to stay healthy. And this is his opportunity. Look, he was hurt earlier in the season.

This is his opportunity now where Stolarz sort of stole the 1A position for him to say, hey, this was my job at the beginning of the season. I'm going to show everybody I earned it. And I don't see any problem. I mean, they got a couple back-to-backs, but, you know, like what we did when we would have to play a goalie for many games in a row. Like when I first went to Anaheim, we played Jonas Hiller 32 games straight. I mean, all of a sudden his practice time became very little to keep him energized so he didn't fatigue.

Maybe on the back-to-backs if it was it was three out of four that he wouldn't play but i mean uh i think this is a time that if i'm uh i'm wall i'm sitting there oh boy i can't wait to show my stuff and how good i am and i want that 1a job back and uh i think he's i think he's taking this and he'll want to do it well and he'll want to play every game he'll need a little bit of rest but he'll want to play every game. He'll need a little bit of rest, but he'll want to play every game. Bruce, we've got the NHL trade freezes coming up, and I don't expect the Leafs to make a move now, but eventually it sounds, you know,

we've been talking about how this team could use, you know, an addition down the middle. And I'm curious, when you watch this team, do you think that they'd benefit more from, like, a quintessential shutdown third-line center, or do you think they could maybe use more from like a quintessential shutdown third line center or do you think they could maybe use more so of an offensively productive second line center and then shove Tavares down to 3C which would be I guess the better option for the Maple Leafs

well it's an interesting question if Tavares was uh if you could give him the minutes that he warrants, him being on the third line would certainly awaken every other team that they played against. Because even if they're playing against the number one line, they know they're going against a guy that can not only score, but can defend. So that would be an interesting thing. I thought when Ryan O'Reilly was with the Leafs and when they traded him, he would have been the perfect third-line center, and I think they tried to make him a top-six forward to play left wing with

John and stuff. I think a guy like that that can play both ends, if they could go out and get a guy that like Erickson in Minnesota, they're not going to get this guy, but this know, like a lot, like Erickson in Minnesota, they're not going to get this guy, but this is the kind of guy they need, a guy that can score, defend, play against every other team

and be tough to play against. I mean, that's the kind of guy that I would like in that position right there. And I think they're looking around. I mean, they know they're good, but I think they want to be better. They got to get more balance. Their top six are scoring. Their bottom six aren't. And if they could get more balance out there, I think they'd really be improved.

Great catching up with you, Bruce. We always appreciate you doing this. We'll do it again soon. Yeah, well, you tried doing this driving down the 400 at rush hour. I'll tell you, it's not easy. It's a disaster, isn't it? And it's raining outside. I mean, just 10 and 2 it.

10 and 2, Bruce. Take your time, man. Middle lane. 10 and 2, and now I'm trying to find my way around the airport. You know what this airport's like? Let me tell you. We know and we hate it just as much as you do. Believe me.

Try to protect yourself out there, Bruce. Take it easy. Thank you for doing this. Okay. We'll see you later. You got it. There's Bruce Boudreaux joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. Check out Maple Toyota's huge truck and SUV lineup, including Tundra, Forerunner, Highlander,

and Grand Highlander in stock and ready to deliver visit maple toyota.com yeah you get bad weather it's gloomy man every day it's just dark and awful here right now like just awful i was driving in here this afternoon i'm like it's just it's it's horrible outside wet and people are miserable and i know like the holidays are coming but that also comes with a lot of stress for a lot of people. It's a weird kind of combination. Worlds are colliding right now. It really is but so like I was looking into the weather since we're on that conversation

and it's gonna be like low of minus 14 one day and the next day high of like 4. Yeah. Can we pick a lane here? What are we doing here? Pick a lane and like personally I would take very very cold with no wind and sun yeah every day for the next three months like give me minus 15 no wind but sun every day i'll take that over three degrees and gloomy and windy and garbage it's

awful it's the terrible weather so yeah worlds are colliding right now because you know you're supposed to be all merry and jolly and everyone's excited for the holidays, yet there's so much stress that comes with it. All right, arbitration is coming up. We haven't played this in a while. We've got some good ones. We'll get to that. Alex, brother, you put together your power rankings for the seven Canadian teams

as it currently stands. Yes. You were the originator of the power rankings when it came to the Canadian teams, I think a couple years ago. It was the Canadian teams, I think a couple of years ago. It was the Canadian division year. Yeah. That's right. Canadian division.

Every Monday we came through with a new power ranking. Okay. Well, there's a lot going on with these Canadian teams right now. Yeah. A lot going on. So you will give us a power ranking on that. And we got Darren Dreger still to come. Herm Edwards still to come.

Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 4. It's a brand new year. Overdrive continues, TSN 1050 and on TSN 4. 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. Now, is that going to be a problem? Yeah, it's going to be a problem. It's going to be a problem for them.

It's outrageous, egregious, preposterous. Overdrive, arbitration. I've been wanting a piece of them for years. You think we've got a case? Your face is my case. All right. Overdrive Arbitration brought to you by Boston Pizza's new game day menu. Stop by your local BP for $7 touchdown pints,

shareables for the whole crew, and weekly prizing up for grabs. Football game days are better at your local BP. All right. So we know the way arbitration works here, right? A certain team, a player, a fan base, whatever, they are awarded something, but generally it comes with something else that they'd have to accept in order to take the reward.

So very simple stuff. All right, we'll go around the table here. The New York Rangers enter into the arbitration office, and they are awarded a playoff berth, but they lose in the first round. Do they take it, or do they leave it? You leave it. Yeah.

You leave it. Yeah, you've got to leave it. They're too good of a team. They'll crawl back. You mentioned it starting the show, Hayes. They've got the framework there. They've got the goalie. They've got the defenseman. They've got the goalie. They've got the defenseman.

They've got the forwards, the star power. Something's weird in the water there right now. Something's not right, imbalanced. And I don't think that'll last the whole season. I think something will happen that'll jar them, whether it's a trade or whatever. And to me, they'll get going. Okay. There's that board right now.

They're 3-9 since that Truebuck-Fighter trade report on November 25th. That's the hockey gods coming back to bite you. And I jokingly threw that out, like when this whole situation went through. And then when they actually traded Truebuck, their captain, the way that they traded. I'm like, what if the hockey, like, do you believe in that? And it proves kind of in the pudding at this point. But that being said, I do like the roster. It's a good team.

They won the President's Trophy a year ago, and it's not that different of a team. It really is quite perplexing as how quickly it's fallen off for this club. There are a lot of really good players on this team. And goaltending, I mean, it can win you a lot of games. So Shesty, he gets cooking, which I believe will happen at some point. This team's going to be in the playoffs. They're going to be in the playoffs.

You believe they're going to make the playoffs? I do believe that the New York Rangers will be in the playoffs come April. I do believe so. Oh, man. I think I'm taking this right now. Like, if I'm Peter LaVille. What's a first-round exit? What does that do for the Rangers at this point?

Well, it might save a job. It might not. Lavi might be out anyway. If you're Chris Drury, obviously you had higher expectations, but those, for me, are out the window until they prove otherwise. They are a mess right now. And yes, you have Shusterkin. You've already signed him, so you're committed to him.

You don't have to worry about that in the future. But Zbigniew is really struggling. You've got this Kako, obviously, issued now that they're going to have to handle because they healthy scratched him. Lafreniere has been up and down at different times. They've got a number of guys on that roster. Chris Kreider,

this guy's your longest standing player, and he's of the belief that the team wants him out. There's just so much turmoil hanging around this team that I know what they were in the past. I know what the expectations were. I think you have to reset them at 31 games in this much turmoil. And a playoff berth would suggest, yes, you lost in the first round,

but at least you believe that you turned it around. Like even if they were to, let's say they just had a great year. There's no guarantees you're going to win in the playoffs anyway. You'd prefer the idea that you could go deeper than just one round. But I don't think there's any guarantees. And I don't know if this is going to turn around as easily as you guys are suggesting it will. Like, this is a mess with the Rangers. A mess.

Yeah, but the only thing is, it's a mess, but they're still right there. That's the thing. Like, they're not in Buffalo's spot. They're not eight points out of a... Right, but they were way into the playoffs at the start of the year. Yeah. Like, that's a bit deceptive. What were they, 10-2-1 or something to start the year?

Yeah, and they were on fire. Yeah, and now it's a disaster. In two weeks, they might be six points out, eight points out. That's what you've got to think. It's somewhere in between. Are they 10-2-1? Or they could be the other way. Maybe.

Maybe they will be. I still think they've got 51 games left, and they're at 500. To me, I think there's lots of bandwidth there to get it their act together um there is something dysfunctional about what's going on there but i think it's fixable that's the thing they're three and seven in their last 10 yeah it hasn't gone well but there's good enough players to dig out and that's yeah i always worry like to me i just think there's like philadelphia is ahead of them do you think that philadelphia philadelphia and pittsburgh are ahead of them do you i think

they're better teams than philly and pitt okay so who's coming out if they're going in because it's not going to be washington carolina or jersey that's not they're not catching those three teams in my opinion you want a hot take who Who's coming out? I don't love Boston. You still don't love Boston? I don't love what Boston has been up to. I was looking today, taking a peek at some numbers. Yeah. Noodles, do you know who leads the league in goals allowed

above expectation? Jeremy Swayman. He's allowed 21 goals above expectation. He has been horrendous this season. Isn't he the Rangers, in your opinion, that, hey, it's so early, you give him 21 goals above expectation. He has been horrendous this season. Okay, minus 21. Isn't he the Rangers, in your opinion, that, hey, it's so early, you give him some leeway, the Rangers can turn it around.

Why can't Swayman turn it around? Because I think the situation in Boston is far different than New York. Like, there's not a lot of change in New York from last year. Swayman doesn't have Allmark. And coming into the year, we talked about that. What's it going to look like when he doesn't have that safety blanket? When he now does have to go out and play 50, 55, 60 games, is he going to be able to handle and handle the pressure?

So far, he has not. Reasonable questions. Long way, long way to go. Even with that being the case, they're into the playoffs, and they're 17, 13, and 3. They are. So, again, if you're going to apply the glass half full, if he gets it together, then they're going to be in a very good position.

I'm just answering your question. I hear you. I understand that. And it's reasonable because, again, if the Rangers are going to sort this out and get in, then someone's got to come out. Yeah. So who's that going to be? I agree.

I don't know. That's the great question. Ottawa's not in. Ottawa has to still prove it, right? I think Tampa's a really underrated team, and they haven't played enough yet. They've played 29 games. Everyone else is ahead of them, and they're right there. I look at Boston.

Yeah, there's a question mark. Florida, are they as good a team as they were last year? I don't think they are, but I think they're a damn good team. Yeah, I look at it, it's probably Ottawa, and maybe a surprise out of one of those teams that made it last year in the Atlantic. So pick your poison. If there's a major injury, if there's an inconsistency, mark my words, and this is what I said at the start of the show,

a five-game losing streak in the Atlantic can hurt you. There's no joke about that. And that can happen, same thing in the Metro as well. And that's where I've said this all along, I believe everything is going to be bunched up because if you go on a streak one way or the other you put give yourself a chance like it's not there's not going to be that massive separation like we saw last year uh it is starting like you pointed out detroit montreal buffalo ottawa's climbed into that you know the five

three instead of four four in the atlantic but i i still think the rangers can do it you're right i don't know what team comes out. I don't have that answer, but I do think that the Rangers have enough bandwidth to do it. Sure. I mean, before we close the door on this, a couple things. One, they're 10 points behind Carolina, who are third in the Metro. That would suggest that, like, finishing in the top three of your division, that ship is probably sailed.

Probably out. So you're fighting for a wild card at that point. And then you're talking the Bostons, the Tampas, the Ottawa's, Toronto, Florida, Philly, whatever. I will say this, though. This Rangers conversation sounds a lot like the New York Jets. Week five or week six. How often do we say, love this team, tons of talent.

They got a lot of time to figure it out. And it just kept getting worse and worse and worse. Rangers are not the Jets. The Jets are much more dysfunctional, but when they were 2-3, it was like, oh, tons of time. Rodgers is healthy, no problem. They'll figure this out. Easy sked.

Easy sked. There's a lot of time, and every week you're like, man, I can't believe that's continuing. All right, Patrick Laine walks into arbitration. He is awarded 15 more goals on the season. Does he take it or leave it? 15 more goals on the year. I mean.

What do they got for games? They have 50 games. Yeah, they have about 50. Everyone's on the same boat. Oh, you're leaving that. You're leaving. So that would get him to 21. He's up to 6 already.

He's got 6 in the 7 games since he's returned. Can he get 15 in the next 50? Absolutely. Absolutely he can. What's the number then that would make you think? 20? 25? Where would it stop where he's like, I have to take that?

25 would probably be that number for me. That's pretty bold well that's that video is unbelievable it's so sick guys it's such a cool video that angle is so amazing because it shows how perfect of a shot it is because upl gets there like it's actually like it's creepy how there's literally this the size of a puck to get there, and he puts it like, look at that. That is impressive, impressive. But I think he would sign off on 30 goals right now, so that's 24 for me.

But 15 is too low for me because I think if he stays healthy, the one guy I would be concerned about is Caulfield because that's his spot, right? So now Caulfield, if you're looking at 15 more for Caulfield, I'd sign off on that because Caulfield's going to have to find another spot on that power play from that trigger position because that's Laine's spot, right? Yeah, I guess 15 probably is too low.

He probably leaves that. I do think it's happened so quickly, though. Let's not forget, this guy's got six goals in seven games. They're all on the power play. They're all basically the exact same goal. Like, to say you're guaranteed 15 more when he was injured and he's coming off, you know, he's had his personal struggles. I think it's pretty bold to just scoff at that and be like,

no, that's a gross number. How dare you only offer me 15 more? I mean, 21 is still a pretty good season when you consider what he's been through. You know what? Screw it. I'm going to take it. I'm taking it. That would presume how that means you're playing.

Yeah. I mean, he scored 40 once in his career. He's not a guy that scores every other game at any point in his career. He's not playing a ton of minutes. They're easing him in based on the power play. Like you said, at some point, does Caulfield put his hand up and say, actually, I'd like an opportunity in a scenario like this. I can't imagine he's going to take it from line A right now.

But he has to start. He's not scoring 15 more just on the power play the rest of the way. He's got to score some five-on-five goals. In order to officially be back, he's got to do that. You're right. Here's another scenario, though, Brian. Is it a massive failure if he scores 14 more the rest of the season? To me, it's just getting back healthy, getting back enjoying the game of hockey,

coming from where you just laid out, coming from where he's been, to me, anything is a bonus. That's why I think you leave it and you just go, I'm going to take my chances that I can continue on a nice ride. If he ends up at 13 or 14 the rest of the season, you're like, yeah, it's still a good season, 19, 20 goals type of thing. Well, that was the number that I was thinking. You get to 20, I think that's a bold enough number that means something. And everything's going in form right now.

Like his shooting percentage, I think Joe from the Bridge said, it's like one in four shots is going in. That's probably going to slow down. He's probably going to slump. He's running on adrenaline right now. The Bell Center is really reacting to him, though. And again, it's not like this guy's Guy Lafleur and flying up the wing. He's standing there and going shelf.

And it is going viral immediately throughout Montreal and throughout Quebec. And I think the whole league is responding to it. All right. Blue Jay fans enter arbitration. Oh, boy. And they are offered. Vladdy Gouraud Jr. signing a long-term deal to stay here in Toronto, basically for the rest of his career.

But it's attached to Shapiro and Atkins being here the whole time. Oh, God. Al's brother, how do you answer that? Oh, my God. It's a three-pack. Vladdy, Ross, and Mark. Oh, geez, Luis. Take it or leave it.

I think I'd take it. I think I'd... The other way, though, do we lose Vladdy? If we leave it, do we still have a chance at Vladdy? Well, I guess so, yeah. That hasn't been determined, yes. I guess you could wing it that Mark and Ross, the guys that you're not willing to commit to,

could get the job done to keep Vladdy long term. I'm leaving it. I'm leaving it. I'm leaving it. I don't have much faith that they can get this done anyway. Now, I guess in this hypothetical, it gets done, but once they bring in Vladdy, what else are they going to do? Do I trust them to build the team around

Vladdy after that? Not really. What have they done? That's the concern. They've been here a decade. They haven't won a playoff game. Exactly. With or without Vladi. Vladi's been here for a long time. Exactly.

So what does that really do for you? Yes, I suppose you have a superstar hitter, a guy you can market around, guys who you're going to go to the ballpark to watch, but if you're watching them lose, who cares, ultimately? At least you bring in some fresh blood. Maybe you can get something cooking. And maybe even a new face, a fresh face up top, gives Vladdy a little bit more assurance that maybe this team can change

and we can get some victories moving forward and he'd be maybe more likely to sign a long-term deal. I believe in it. I'm leaving it. To me, there's just so much uncertainty. And there's no guarantee that if you if you brought in new management they could get vladdy signed too it's just it's a number like to me i i think you leave it and you take your chances because you just laid out it's been a decade and vladdy's been here

there's been no success and looking forward if we if you said right now like if i held a gun to your head or whatever and just said are are they making the playoffs next year? You go, I don't think so. I don't know because look at this team. Yeah, the answer's no. And you leave it every day of the week. And again, that is saying something because there's, I think, a lot of anxiety hanging around Blue Jay fans right now on the future of Vlade

and whether he's going to stay and whether they have the capabilities of keeping him. But I think it's more about ownership now than it is about management anyway when it comes to Vladi and whether he's going to stay and whether they have the capabilities of keeping him. But I think it's more about ownership now than it is about management anyway when it comes to Vladi. Like, if it's simply he's willing to stay and he likes it here, and everything I've heard is always suggested

he likes being a Blue Jay, he likes living here, and he'd be comfortable staying here a long time, but you're going to have to pay him, like, $500 million. That has nothing to do with Ross Atkins. That's my point. This doesn't feel like a negotiation anyways.

This is an owner sitting with Vlade now. Like effectively. This is my number. Take it or leave it. Well, and I saw our boy and your boy, Josh, don't call me Jingles Goldberg, tweet out, Hey, Jingles, we've got to get that drop for people that don't know that reference.

What's up, Jingles? Josh tweeted out last night. He pointed out that the Blue Jays have only signed two players to contract extensions with Ross Atkins as their GM. Randall Gritchick got that five-year extension, 52 million total. That was in 19. And Jose Barrios got the seven-year, $131 million extension in 2021. That's it?

He's been the GM for nine years. He signed two guys to extensions. Now, he's picked up arbitration years. They signed Bo to that deal. Yeah. Team control,

those different. We're talking guys like Richard or Barrios who are like, I could hit the market and leave, and they got out in front of it

and signed extensions for those players. That is a remarkable stat. And I don't know how that compares to other teams in baseball. I'm not sure. I mean, this may be par for the course to an extent.

But Rossman, the GM, for nine years, two guys they got out in front of and signed and kept around. That is pretty crazy. That is crazy. And what's crazy is this isn't a small market team. So it's not like they don't have the money to spend. If this was Oakland and the Pirates, they were not going to pay their players.

So that would make sense that they didn't retain guys. The Blue Jays are willing to pay. They go out and they spend money in free agency. They are willing to do that. They are willing to spend $700 million on Juan Soto. So the fact that they still were unable to get something done with more than just two players, one of which turned out to be an awful contract in Randall Gritchick, so they only battened 500 on those contracts anyways.

That's a pretty big indictment. It's like, what would you say you do here, fellas? Well, and here's the thing. They have had a top-ten payroll for quite some time. I do believe they were genuinely willing to pay Otani pretty much anything, and they lost out. I'm not convinced they were really willing to pay Soto. Now you're seeing conflicting reports on did they even get to 700?

Did they get over? Did they know they were being used and he was never going to come here anyway? Or that Cohen was going to get it? But I saw someone from MLB.com post the 30 teams in baseball and their largest current contract. And obviously Soto at 15 years, $765 million at the top. Shohei would be two in LA. Mike Trout would be number three with the Angels, 12 years, $426 million.

Aaron Judge with New York. The Padres are at five with the Machado deal. The Blue Jays are sixth from the bottom with the Springer deal, six years at $150 million, and that also is the largest contract they've ever signed in team history. So they do sign in bulk. They spend in bulk. They get into the top 10.

But they're never comfortable, and they've never done it, where they have signed a massive contract, where Devers in Boston is over 300, Bryce Harper in Philly, Seager in Texas. Stanton at one point signed a $300 million-plus deal with the Marlins back in the day like the Jays only St. Louis Cleveland Pittsburgh the White Sox and the Athletics have a smaller contract on their books in terms of the largest that they currently have to be fair I think you

could also to you know stick up for Ross and and uh and Shapiro like Toronto we know is not a desirable place to go and play. Like a lot of players just automatically rule it out. They don't want to come here. They don't want to come to Canada. So like that does probably play into that stat as well. Possibly. Yeah, possibly.

But, you know, I think they could have probably matched a couple of these deals that are out there in terms of free agents. And just because you match doesn't mean that they're going to come here. Maybe not. But maybe if you exceed. probably matched a couple of these deals that are out there in terms of free agents. Just because you match doesn't mean that they're going to come here. Maybe not, but maybe if you exceed. I'm not saying it would be the smartest business or you have to do it to prove. These are facts that the largest contract they've ever signed is $150 million total. That's peanuts in Major League Baseball.

What's going on, Jingles? There's Jingles. Shout out to Josh Goldberg. Get it. What's going on, Jingles? There's Jingles. So shout out to Josh Goldberg. Let's get it right. What's up, Jingles? This isn't Jingles. I think you got the wrong Josh. That was a great, great, great radio.

What's going on, Jingles? There he is. All right, I've got more arbitration. We'll get some more arbitration after dark. I've got a Buffalo sports fan one. I've got a John Tavares one, a Josh Allen one. There's a lot still to come. Overdrive arbitration brought to you by Boston Pizza's new game day menu. Stop by your local

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All right, Darren Drager, Herm Edwards coming up. We'll tell you about what happened in Charlotte the other night. What a fiasco. The Hornets, you talk about my irrelevant team list, my easiest team to goof on list, a team that's done nothing in professional sports for what?

15 years? 20 years? Ever? Ever? Has Charlotte ever? Like Larry Johnson back in the day, that's when I think they were relevant last. I can't think of a time where Charlotte, the professional basketball team, was one where you're like, I got to see these guys play. They're most known probably for being the team that Michael Jordan bought.

Yes. I'd imagine that's what people know the most for. Right. And he has since sold his majority stake. There you go. So he isn't tied to this PR nightmare from the other night, but we will get to it at six o'clock. We'll tell you about this one.

Oh, boy. Because it's just such a great story. It's such a good story. Is that the same owner as the Panthers? Does he own both clubs? I don't think Tepper owns. The Hornets? Like, Tepper's got big money, man.

I don't think money's an issue with Tepper. Tepper owns the Panthers. And I don't know if this was a money issue or just someone in the marketing department completely fumbled, but we'll tell you about it at 6 o'clock. And naturally, they pulled a 180 and now they've got to go over the top.

I'm seeing that Andreas Jimenez is speaking with the media now. One of the newest Jays. He's already talking about turning double plays with Bo Bichette, which I appreciate. And that's what he's great at. I want to get to him and say, please say you're going to hit a home run.

That's what people at Toronto want to hear. No, I understand that. I know. And I get that he is like an A++ defensive player. And that'll be fun to watch. And him turning double plays will be very important. Infield Varshow. But please say I can't wait to hit a home run at the Dome. That's what I'm dreaming of doing.

Give me one home run comment, please. Put that on your Christmas wish list. Maybe that's a Thursday thing. Okay. Christmas wish list. What you want to see or hear from Toronto athletes. I like that idea. I like it.

It's done for tomorrow. Okay, we'll get to that tomorrow. All right, final hour coming up. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on the TSN app. TSN Plus is taking game day to a whole new level with NFL Red Zone. Absolutely incredible! Subscribe now for every touchdown from every game every Sunday afternoon.

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