OverDrive - OverDrive - January 13, 2025 - Hour 3

Episode Date: January 14, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan for Hour 3 on OverDrive! Dallas Stars Forward Matt Duchene joins to discuss his notable season in Dallas, the Stars' overall roster and his role on the team. TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston joins to dive into Brad Treliving's comments on the team's center depth and Auston Matthews' 4 Nations Face-Off stance, Anthony Stolarz's injury timeline and the Canucks leading the trade market and Bryan gives his FanDuel Best Bets.

2025 is your year. 2025. Started right with New Year, New You on iHeartRadio. New year, new you. Good vibes playlists like party hits, chill tracks on lo-fi, and motivational podcasts to crush your resolutions. From wellness, finances, travel, and more.

Let's go. New year, new you. New you. New you. Explore it all. Feel brand new. At iHeartRadio.ca and on the free iHeartRadio app. Final Hour Overdrive continues powered by FanDuel bringing you everything from the opening line of the final score Rams Vikings tonight in Arizona because of the wildfires in LA.

So you've got a neutral side gameings minus two and a half totals forty seven and a half will get to our best but later on chris johnston later in the hour on mitch marner what brad tritt having had to say today the leaves inaction against alice tomorrow at matthew shane will join us in a few months have a great season leading the team in points and we see they fell into or he fell into their lap.

He got bought out in Nashville. They're paying him three million a year. Pretty good deal. He's a good player. Yeah, he went from a situation that pissed him off too. Like he was jacked up to go to Nashville. He signed a big long-term deal there. And then to have that kind of swept underneath him,

I don't think he was too jacked up. I don't think anybody would be well in 21 22 he had 43 goals in 86 points for Nashville and then after the next season they bought him out like what is what was Barry Trotz doing I don't know they flushed they flushed him they got rid of Ryan Johansson as well yeah like there was some players there I think they just were like we need to change I I don't know what the thought process is behind it But like we are we are changing the whole look of this. I guess million here looking at this

Yeah, he's probably still getting bought out from Nashville to write. He had three years left on his deal I think it was oh, yeah, but he he's a ufa at the end of this season like he's at what owl is he 34 33 right now 33 Yeah, he'll be 34. So that's That's an interesting one. Yeah, be 34 and like three days January 16th He's a good player though really good player and nifty they've got that Dallas team You know, obviously I did the game yesterday, they've got a really good mix of older players and good young players coming through. Well that's the key to a lot of the teams we talk about, the teams like Pittsburgh.

If you're relying on Gino and Sid as your main guys and you don't have guys for separate nights let's call it, or most nights that move the envelope like Dallas has in some of their younger players. And if you're simply relying on the Sidney Crosby's and Malcon's to be your go-to guy, you're probably going to be screwed at the end. Yeah. But they don't have it, and Dallas does. Yeah, they've got guys like that.

Harley's 23 years old. You know, Lundquist is 24 Hayskne is only 25 like they and then you upfront they've got that Maverick Bork who was a really high-scoring AHL player he's 23 Goalie's 20 fungers. Yeah, 25. Yeah issue this year is they don't score Yeah, like they're having a really difficult like Jason Roberts in the last two years. I don't know what's happened with him but it is his numbers have just completely fallen off

and uh... like again off to a level where it's people are like what the house going on exactly is going to let them go alls this is on pace for twenty goals this year guys scored forty you know i got it he was a guy that you you thought like he went forty one forty six in back-to-back years. Last year he had 29, this year he's got 11. You know, and he's 25 years old.

It's a real conundrum as to what has happened there. You know, again, Matthew Shane leading them in points, Jamie Benz third in points ahead of Johnston and Hintz and Haskin's why inculcate like those those guys like i was looking at it extent of its got one goal of like nineteen games like they have a you're right they don't score a lot but they don't give up a lot of give up much all is still a player of so i was well or there like a really good team i think i want

point percentage that fifth in the league aren't they about getting a fifty five points in forty two and so yeah they're there are yeah they're they're really and peter borr our body peter borr like that team is coached well they are tight but i don't know if the players coach right like that's always his reputation the players love plan for my back to shame was speaking about that recently

about just you know how he's open is honest but he backs you up he gives you a chance to to breathe and others every coach in the league's got a different approach in a different viewpoint on how to operate in and a mingle with the cut with the players and to divorce just kind of figured it out man but they had one seven in a row coming into that game last night like in in irate it wasn't they were they weren't blowing teams out they were just beating them

every night. Yeah seven in a row. Two one three one three two and whatever it takes. Yeah that was a big win by Ottawa that was a big weekend and they needed that in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Especially after that lot you guys want to see the most bizarre game I watched all weekend was the Buffalo Sabres Kraken. Okay? Buffalo's up 2-1 with like a couple seconds in the second period. The Kraken tie it up with a few seconds left, okay, in the second period. I go and do something. I come back. There's 10 minutes left in the third, it's 6-2, crack it! I saw that game. Was that game not being played?

Was that yesterday that game was being played? No, that was a couple of days ago, I guess. It was maybe on Saturday at one o'clock. But I got, and I looked at the screen, I just said to myself, there's no way in hell that that screen could be right. They had just tied it up before the third, and then they went up six to two on the Sabres. I'm like that is something else man. That's outrageous. Well, that's why again if you're the Sabres it's obviously been ugly for you but at least the Bills just keep playing. Like it's all about cover you know like down in Buffalo you obviously have pride you want to win. You finish out the season and then you have a Buffalo Bill at every home game to do an autograph signing. That's exactly what it is.

Every game. Exactly what it is and like I would think the Stars like I'm always curious about a market like that because the Cowboys it's so crazy you know like with the Leafs are here it's the Cowboys down there. Now there's Mike McCarthy story it sounds like he may not be the coach anymore like the Stars are on fire and I'll bet you down in Dallas it's like hey what are we gonna do with DAC next season? Wow, it's that Jerry Jones he calls into radio stations all the time. Yeah. He's a unique owner. We'll call it DAC. Get your act together. Get your act together. Exactly. No kidding. Well the stars will be in town tomorrow

night they're doing their Eastern Canadian trip and again we've got the leading scorer of the stars good Halliburton boy here's Matt Duchenne what's happening Matt hey guys how you doing we're doing well what's I guess let's get to the Cowboys if you don't mind before we get to the game tonight what's it like in doubt like you guys can be red-hot and Jerry Jones might say something on a radio interview and I'm guessing the whole market just kind of goes crazy about that or what you know what it's actually not like that. Really? Our fan base, yeah I mean everyone's got their you know everybody's down there knows about the

Cowboys but our fan base is really sneaky and in a good way I mean like people don't really realize it we didn't realize it until we got there. It's really passionate. They're kind of two separate entities. It's, it's a, the stars are a big deal down there. It was something that caught me off guard. I mean, you, my, my first preseason game down there, I remember it felt like a, you know, the attendance is like a regular season game. People are there for warmup and yeah, there's a really big following of us down there and it doesn't feel like your typical kind of southern US city where you know you have a big football team in town. So yeah, the other thing too is I think the I think because the stadium's so far out it's out in Arlington. I think it kind of keeps them two separate things. So yeah, that thought I was going to feel like, I know what you guys are talking

about. I thought that was going to have that feel, but it doesn't at all. It's pretty cool. Matt, we were talking before you came on about how you have a good mix of veteran players in that dressing room, and then you've got a layer of really good young players coming in. Just maybe talk about that dynamic and maybe that bodes well for the depth of your team. Yeah, absolutely. We have, like you said, we got some really young guys.

We got some guys that are kind of mid-20s and then there's a bunch of us in our early 30s. Yeah, it's an interesting mix. There's some big age gap and we definitely at the back of the bus have some chuckles about it every now and then, as you guys can imagine that have been back there before. It's good. The young guys are awesome. They love the game. They sure roll a different way now, don't they, Matt? Like, they love their phones and oh man, they roll different.

We have some good laughs about that. It's actually, it's funny you ask about that because on this road trip in particular, we had a dinner, it was a bunch of the 30-somethings and we were laughing a little bit about what it was like when we were younger, but the older guys have changed too it's a very different dynamic we especially out on the road than it used to be so yeah it's uh it's different for sure so is that basically guys don't party anymore on the

road like how is it how is it different for vets today compared to maybe 12 13 years ago yeah mean, definitely a little bit less. I think the difference is now is it's like, it's not happening as often and you gotta keep yourself physically kind of there, right? For me, I think there's, try and balance both. I mean, if it's a green light, so to speak, I think you gotta be going as a group.

I think it's so important for your locker room and for your guys and to get together and but also too like those young guys look towards to us to set the tempo and set the kind of the rules that way right so and hey if you know guys will say hey if this guy's going it's okay to go or hey he's not gonna go I'm not gonna go type thing so we've got to be cognizant of that. I think we our group is and we've definitely had a ton of fun together this year when it's been time and then when it's time to kind of get ready for games and and be good pros we got that that mix as well so I definitely though I will say like you know the the road dinners are definitely still going strong so

those are those are important times together and obviously a big part of it. We met to Shane in the Dallas Stars, Dallas and town tomorrow night. You know, we're obviously in Toronto, we're always talking kind of about the Leafs and we were discussing earlier this afternoon, I'm going through Western Canada,

where you know you're gonna play all three teams and eventually you go through California, you're gonna play the three California teams. It's the opposite for Western teams, you're gonna come through Eastern Canada and you're gonna play the three California teams it's the opposite for Western teams you're gonna come through Eastern Canada and you're gonna play the Habs you're gonna play Ottawa you're gonna play Toronto you guys are in the midst of that Bell Center Saturday night Ottawa yesterday Toronto tomorrow you're from you're an Ontario guy you're an Eastern Canadian guy what's this experience been like though when you've been in the West when you've been in Nashville now in Dallas like how

would you compare and contrast this three-game swing through Eastern Canada compared to maybe anywhere else you might go in the NHL? Yeah, it's my absolute favorite. It's really special to me. Actually, my wife brought my six-year-old son up. He turned six on the ninth and he was born in Ottawa. He was six weeks old when we left there to go to Columbus and she brought him up for a birthday trip and it was his first time back to Ottawa since and bring him get him to bring

them to the Bell Center and have it like we were a Montreal Canadians family growing up the history meant a lot to us and I wore number nine because of Maurice Richard and you know there's a lot of a lot of big stuff there so I got I brought him down to pregame skate I had him come in the room with me after. And then I remember just, you know, obviously coming out for games there is really special and they do an unbelievable job. That ring feels like a kind of a cathedral of hockey, right? And you know, before the game started, I was like, geez, I'm kind of emotional here having my kid here watching this game. So it's really special. And then Toronto, Ottawa, for me, I got a ton of family there.

My, my mom's side is all from Eastern Ontario. And, uh, I had a ton of people there last night and my grandparents and my dad's side and, um, you know, and then tomorrow, um, we, I have a ton of, I have a bunch of friends and my sister's coming and, you know, um, you get to play in kind of the fish bowl of hockey, hockey. It's special. And obviously we have a heck of a team in Dallas and we're kind of hidden a little bit from the big medium markets and this is our chance to kind of show what we got on that stage. Everyone knows that and it's

exciting. So this is definitely a, every year when the schedule comes out I definitely look to see when we're going through Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto. So can you speak to the difference of the travel too? Being out east, you've been in Ottawa, you've been in Columbus, but then you've been in Colorado and Nashville and now Dallas. Those are a lot longer road trips and as far as just flight time and time zone changes, is there a big difference from it? Because we do speak to it like, oh, played in Toronto, oh, played in Carolina. I played out West as well. It

does wear and tear on you as far as getting on you a little bit as far as the body. Yeah, no, I can for sure. I think the easiest travel I had was when I was in Columbus. I was only there for a bit though. I was there in the spring when the weather gets better. The big thing is I found in Ottawa is when you're going to the States, you're going through normal airport which takes a little bit longer. Then you get on the plane and you have to de-ice which can take 30 to an hour extra. You end up with a two- flight time anyway, you know? So it's kind of like you're sitting on a plane for the same amount of time. So I haven't

really found a plane in the West. It's never really bothered me too much. The one that always kind of gets to me is when we go out West to the Pacific times. I have a really hard time adjusting when we come back. I don't know what it is. Even when I was in Colorado and it was only an hour, it just always threw me off. But that's not as much when we're out there, it's more when we come back. But yeah, I mean, I don't mind going out on the road for a little while and then coming home and having those home stands

and kind of being able to set up shop a little bit and kind of get into a groove. It's kind of all I know, right? Because I was in Colorado so long to start my career and I've only been in the East a little bit. So I've never found it too bad but yeah, too long of a home stand and too long of a road trip always kind of gets to you no matter who or where you're playing.

What about the quality of your division, Matt? We always talk about the Atlantic with Tampa and Florida and the Boston Bruins but if you guys went on a divisional trip in your division, man, that's murderers row, man. That's a tough division for quality teams. Yeah. I mean, you look at it right now, I looked at it like a week ago, I remember I was sitting, Jamie, Ben and I sit right by each other on the plane and we're always kind of at the back talking about stuff. And I was showing them the standings and where like the fifth place team in our division stands versus fifth place team or fourth place teams in other divisions.

And it's like, you know, I think it was Utah we were looking at and they're a heck of a team. I mean, they've given us as much, as much trouble as anyone we've played this year. They're young, they're fast, they're offensive, they're stingy. I mean, our division is not, is definitely no walk in the park.

And, um, you know, it's been really competitive. I've been in the central division most of my career and it's been, um, you know, every year you're just like, wow, like, you know, it's an arms race. It feels like in the summer and teams are getting good draft picks and, and everybody's just so competitive all the time and you've got to go through those, you know, those rounds and the playoffs. And it's it's tough it's not it there's no easy nights when you're playing in that division that's for sure. But Matt Duchene, Leaf Stars tomorrow night you're leading your team in points and like

you're having a great season you obviously had a great great career but you know when you got bought out in Nashville that was a shock like everyone in the league we were all working that day, we were like, what is going on down there? Then you signed in Dallas and you've been great ever since you arrived and this year everything's working for you. Leaving Nashville, was that like an inspiration?

Do you feel like it had any effect on the way you played? And can you speak to just why it's connected so well for you down there and obviously you're having another great season. I appreciate it, thank you. Yeah, I mean, I, it was a shock. You can't, I'm sure if it was a shock to you guys, you can imagine what it was to me and my family

and total upheaval and uprooting of somewhere that we were ready to be the rest of our career and the rest of my career and rest of my career I should say. Yeah, and you know what, I think the biggest thing with getting to Dallas was the people. I think Jim Nill, Pete DeBoer, Steve Spott, Bishadon Scott, our coaching staff there, Blaine Azzagene, all those people, the people within the organization, the way they brought me in and welcomed me, and obviously my teammates, they just like, it was such a soft place to land

after everything went down. And even coming back this year, like we had no money on July 1, and I didn't even care, obviously doing another one-year deal wasn't ideal, but you know, it was, I just wanted to come back and I wanted to be part of this and the people involved have really, you know, made a big difference and it was when it all went down, I never doubted, you know, myself as a hockey player. I mean the last, you know, when we traded everybody away

my last year in Nashville when we kind of completely uprooted, I was about a point per game that year. The year before I had my best year in the league. And I feel like I've gotten better as a player, as I've gotten older. And right now, you know, I still, you know, I feel like I still have another gear to get to. And it excites me, it gets me up every day.

And to play for a team like this that's such a contender and be part of that and just have that as part of your everyday drive. It's really special and I think I appreciate it more now in my 30s. Jamie and O, I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about. You get a little bit older and you start to see the clock ticking on you a little bit. I still have quite a bit of runway left, I feel like, but at the same time, I got way more behind me than ahead of me. I think just coming into this organization, seeing how they do things and having a chance to win right off the bat, I mean, we could have won last year.

I think if we had had a little bit easier route to the, to the, uh, through, I think we basically played three conference final caliber teams and, and, uh, took, it just kicked the crap out of us. So we had nothing left by the end. And you know, uh, this year we're right, you know, we're right there. We're, you know, we've won seven of our last eight. Um, you know, it's just really exciting to be part of this, this franchise. And it's hopefully somewhere I can, I would love to finish out here if everything aligns.

Matt, thanks for doing this. I want to leave you with one thing. Both of your coaches, Spotter and Pete DeBoer, they're aware I like to comment on other coaches' hair and you speak about runway. Both of those two gentlemen are running out of runway so you tell them to get the Clippers out soon and they're gonna have to go Messier because I'm done Seeing that on the bench so you can let them know I'm gonna have to tell them that tomorrow. That's pretty funny Make sure they know it. Thanks, Matt. Appreciate it, man. Good luck tomorrow night

Take care guys. Thanks guys. Thanks for having me. You got it. There's Matt Duchenne Tell you what you speak of hair man, like Jamie Benz still got the best hair in the league. I'm going to get jet black. It's jet black and his warm up routine, Benz could be like the best in the league. Because he has it all slicked back and he comes out no bucket and he is just old school. I watched him.

I laid eyes on him yesterday and I'm like this guy is like he's just a cool dude. No visor. He's a mountain man. He's a man rocket. I want to be that guy. Like I look at that guy and I'm like I want to be that guy. And I don't say that about anybody. Yeah, he's got him saying like no bucket all the time. Do Shane still got the hair cooking. Just two strips of tape on his twig and it's like, feed me on the left wing. I'm going to rip it under the bar. I could score, I can beat you up.

Like he is a throwback. Dude, he's so awesome. I love that guy. Yeah, he's old school. I was surprised by the reaction and it was more so because like when i go down to leave games i was down there for the next gen game when they played winnipeg uh... and i'm never down there for warm-ups because generally i'm doing the

show that i'm flying down there or if i'm if i'm going down on the weekend i'm talking to people then all the anthems on okay let's get ready i'm never down there paying attention warm-up right because it was the next gen game we went for lunch, and then we wanted to get in there early, the kids wanted to go and check it out. So I actually was watching warmup, two players on the ice without a helmet. Dude, that busted you, like you were bent out of shape.

I was shocked by that, man. Like the Leafs, obviously, they clearly have a policy where they're all wearing helmets, but it was like Colin Miller, I think Morris think Morrissey and actually Lowry there were three Adam Lowry was like I'm going no helmet there were three guys on the Jets without a helmet I'm like I like I remember in Nova Scotia Mark Jansons who was a grizzled veteran on Hartford yeah and it was my first warm-up and I was walking out and he goes, why aren't you putting your helmet on?

I said, Janer, I've been waiting my whole life and it ain't going on and it's never going on. You can do whatever you want, you can think a certain way about me and I never wore my helmet in one warm-up in eight hundred and twenty one games i can't believe guys are not like it's just this it's a special you have to go no you know how i know how i'm saying i've never played in a child get it i know it's a safety thing and again i think that our jimmy who hate like he thinks

everyone should wear their helmets because it's a state or it's yeah i don't know i i'd like there's so many people like, I think Craig is against it too. And Craig I believe had a policy in Calgary, but I, I remember there were warmups where I went no bucket. I'd skate out with no bucket on. I love a goalie with no helmet. Dude, yeah, you got four laps, put the mask on the bench.

That is awesome. That's so good. I don't know why, but i had the long hair of my gandhi and i just put the mask on the bench you go for a twirl and when it was my time to go in the net you put the mask on and go down like that's do it i even love some morning skates if you're the first one out there just fire the bucket on the bench and then do the skate around you know round and around with no bucket it's so you like you look for it's the national hockey league yes on role adults here

i'm on it i love it but there was obviously the taylor hall situation i i i i was on that was bad and over his face yes right like i don't know if you can remember how many stitches he got and i do read me remember uh... greenie travis green i think broke Pierre Terjean's cheekbone with a shot off the crossbar and it hit Terje. I saw it say things.

Stephen Rice was scratched for 20 games in a row and he got put in in Washington. He skated onto the ice, grabbed a puck and was five feet from the net and tried to rip it bar down, hit the crossbar and split his forehead open and he missed another two, like he was gone for the... like he never... Guys like that have to wear... No! Here's what happened. He got the stitches, so he's about to come back again. He decides to wrestle with Stu Grimson in the dressing room, and Stu Grimson puts him

in a full Nelson and jacks his neck neck up and then he was really gone. How do you even like put him on the IR like that? I don't know but why, like you're about to come back and you're healthy and the coach gives you, calls your number and you wrestle with Stu Grimson and Stu put him in a full nelson and jerked his neck and he was gone for another, it was basically game over. Yeah that's concerning. That was probably not a wise decision why are you fighting with Stu Grimson of all people well they weren't fighting I know messing around

wrestling you just seriously sit in a bathroom and don't do anything until that puck drops yeah but even a lot of those injuries man like if you didn't have a visor on it wouldn't have stopped anything you know like a helmet and a I don't know I mean I just I was taken aback by the amount of people that were like hey it's a safety thing how dare you're helmet and a vi- I don't know. I mean, I just, I was taking it back by the amount of people that were like, hey, it's a safety thing. How dare you? You're a dinosaur. I'm like, I don't know, man. I just always thought it was the coolest thing ever. No helmet and warmup. Like just as a kid going down, walking through the gardens, man. Remember, you'd see through the path, you'd just see hair. Like you'd just see mullets and hair and it was phenomenal. All right. Chris Johnston coming

up, his take on the Leaf game on Saturday night, Mitch Marner's comments post game, what Brad Treeliving had to say today and our best bets still to come. Overdrive continues, TSN 1050 in on TSN 2. Alright, hoping to get Nick Taylor on the show tomorrow, we're looking forward to that and he's won now five times on tour and he won last year obviously at the Waste Management and TSN 1050 wants you to he won last year obviously at the Waste Management. And TSN 1050 wants you to be our unofficial correspondent at the grittiest golf event

of the year. To enter you download the iHeartRadio app, create an account, listen to TSN 1050 for at least 15 minutes straight. Once you hit 15 minutes follow the prompts to complete your entry. And whether it's 15 minutes of first up in the morning or 15 minutes of overdrive The more you listen the better your chances Next Monday first up will be calling one lucky listener with a trip for two to the waste management open in Arizona Full details at TSN 1050 dot CA that is where Nick Taylor will be defending Nick Taylor will be defending his championship

For that guy man. I was so jacked up watching that. It was so good. So good. So good now he's back in the Masters right because he wasn't guaranteed to get back in. He's in it. Pendruth is going for the first time. Connors is there. Weir's there. We need to get Mackenzie Hughes in right. That's next. And they're at they're back in California this weekend. They're at AMX and then tori pines and then pebble and scope time uh... or at least back in action against dallas tomorrow coming up to straight losses part of that they've won five in a row user tsn hockey insider joining us in the maple

so you have a hotline here's chris johnston uh... what's happened in cj not much guys are you were doing well We're doing well. We saw Brad Treeliving speaking today. Is there anything you picked up from what he had to say that you think is newsworthy or at least the most newsworthy of what he had to say earlier this morning? Well I felt like Brad was pretty careful not to make too much news today and watching that back. You know definitely addressed some of the issues with the team talked about,

you know, the power play being something that needs to be a weapon for them as opposed to what it, what it has been, which obviously we've hit on a lot to, you know, following the least travails this season. But, you know, I think that, you know, it's clear the Leafs are, are in a mode now where they're starting to look around the league and, and see what might be out there for them. But you just get the feeling, not specifically from Brad DeVille, but just conversations going on right now.

It has quieted down a little bit. And I'm not sure how the Four Nations tournament is going to affect when trades happen or what happens, but we just got so many teams still in the mix. Teams like the Leafs that are not yet sure exactly center market will look like i think are going to take a little time for that they figure out what they're doing that cj what about a power play coordinator market for the fellows like someone to

run the power play i mean it's either like your own it your name in the hot there are a lot of time i'm talking about on the bench i'm talking about on the bench i'm talking about on the ice like a power play quarterback but what is your take on watching the power play with so much skill that's kind of not getting it done right now she a lot not getting it done you know i i think there's a lot of people mention you know it obviously

talented guy that played together a long time and that should be and then i did mean i can see the disadvantage in that because in a way when it's not new blood and things go the wrong way and let's face it they've gone the wrong way at key times in the past with these same players on the power play. I think you know sometimes you want a fresh idea, a fresh approach and you know they just don't have that. I mean it's been the same guys there. I mean, that being said, obviously this personnel has finished the next, you know, a couple of years ago, they're second in the league for a whole season on the power play. And there's no reason to think they won't have a better efficiency than they

have now, but you know, I don't have the answers for them. I'll leave that to the experts. But, but certainly I, I kind of, I liked what I heard from Matthew's other night post game, just talking about too much happening on the outside, not enough being done. It feels to me, even when you have skilled guys at Singapore and you just want to simplify the approach, get more shots, get more action around the net, and it just seems to me they haven't done that enough. CJ, any updates on a guy like Stolars, you know, and his timeline?

I mean, I didn't get to listen to the whole tree living situation, but was he asked about that and, you know, is there light at the end of the tunnel? You know, Hildeby is a guy I think that still needs time in the minors. You know, I wouldn't lay that loss at his feet the other night, but, you know, I don't know if he's an everyday guy right now. Stoller's had such a great start to the season. Joseph Wall has been playing well, but he's not playing every night.

I think they need Stoller's back sooner than later. They definitely do. I'd say the light at the end of the tunnel is he's going to start skating here. Stoller's on his own initially, and then obviously and then obviously start ramping his way back up to return to play and I think probably the biggest question is whether he's back before the Four Nations event starts. You know he's just at about four weeks give or take right now they announced the four to six week timeline on his return and so you know I think that'll depend on how it goes for him once he gets back on the ice and

obviously with it being a knee procedure just seeing how his body reacts to that work. But all indications are it's been positive for him. I think the team's gotten through the stretch pretty well given obviously the team's safe percentage has gone down since he's gone out of the lineup. They haven't got the same quality of goal-tending but you know they've done pretty well with with his absence and you know I don't think it'll be too too long before we're looking at him coming back it's just a matter of if that ends up happening before the four nations break or if it occurs afterwards well if it's after I mean that would be longer than they initially indicated right right yeah I mean that I don't know that's kind of

like Joseph Wall last year where it was always a I'll be four to six weeks then he was out for like three months with that high ankle sprain and I know that Stoller's had this procedure done but that's there's a good they got a lot of games between now and then CJ and if Stoller's isn't back then how many games can we reasonably expect Joseph Wall to play right and that's me amusing about the break right I haven't heard anything that the suggestion's timeline is askew yet but you know they have the Western Canada trip before the break I mean you'd look to see him on that I would think and you know you're right they they they do have

a fair number of games you know at least it's lightened up finally with the back to backs after they just binge on that through December and in the early January there. But you know, I think Wall's done pretty well and you know, so that Matt Murray might be an option too if they don't like what it seemed from Hildeby. So it's certainly not perfect but you know, the goal here is to get Stolarz back and you know, kicking him again soon because he's one of the best goalies in the league by the numbers to start this year. Well, and I'm sure the same applies with Jake McCabe.

I saw he skated today. He was out on his own, I believe, for about 10 minutes. That wouldn't indicate he's playing anytime soon. But there's been so much focus on them, you know, approaching the center position and Brad True Living indicated they're certainly going to look at that. I would presume they probably try to add some depth there, but I'm not convinced they don't look at their defense still and believe that they need something there because you take McCabe out of this.

It's a massive, massive hole. And now he's had multiple head injuries in a short period of time. Morgan Riley, they gave him one shot with Tanev, they took him off on Saturday and said that's it, we saw what we saw in Carolina, you're not playing with Chris. Tanev on Saturday night, they moved around the defense core. Which is crazy, A's, like you would think that would be a dream pairing. Exactly, but it just doesn't jive. I get it.

You know, Benoit's not playing great, you know, he's getting caved in a little bit Like I still think this defense core I don't I guess what I'm getting to CJ is for years leading up to the deadline. It was defense defense defense I'm not convinced. We're not still gonna be attacking that position come to the trade deadline when it comes to the Leafs I would agree. I mean, it's still probably a secondary priority at this point I mean lots of time for that to change. You hope no one gets injured between then and now, but, you know, injuries could blow up the whole plan or force a shifting of the plan. It's still between now and March 7th.

But, you know, the other part of it, too, that we haven't really got to is, you know, Yanni Hakenpa and he was back at practice today. But, you know, the guys played two games all season with the Leafs two more at the Marlies you know he he would find as a potential player that you know I think could help out the third pairing but you know I don't know where everything stands with him and so you know if it doesn't look like you can rely on him to play when it matters even as a 7-8 kind of guy and and then you're looking at some of the injuries that are there I mean sure I think it'd be perfectly reasonable for them to go out as a seven, eight kind of guy. And then you're looking at some of the injuries that are there. I mean, sure, I think it'd be perfectly reasonable for them

to go out and try to get another defenseman. I don't know what's gonna be out there yet. I mean, probably guys like David Savard and Montreal as a rental, a few other sorts of that nature that probably makes sense. But I think that they clearly they think they tried to do that the biggest work in the summer mean that the ten of

acquisitions gone great i think we all you know by and large has been a good signing so far has been a a good part of this blue line but you know i i i'm with you i think it's a work in progress in when surprise me when we get to march seven of the work on the couple acquisitions for a few c and we're talking about a couple of acquisitions for this team. CJ, we were talking earlier about teams pushing back on when to sell just with their fan bases and everyone's basically alive.

And they've got hope. They've given some of their fan bases hope. Do you think it's going to be a delayed, we're selling kind of situation this year? In some markets for sure. I still think a team like a team like Pittsburgh for example Which is kind of kicking around that the wild card chase the guy I still think that they're going to be Looking to be sellers kind of no matter what you know the teams at the very bottom You know it's pretty evident the Anaheims and Chicago's will be selling what they can sell you know where you know you start to?

Come into questions as you know a team like Columbus who I don't think anybody would have had Projected to be in the mix at you know even the midway point of the season You know if they stay there for another month, you know, I think it's going to be harder for them You know just for those reasons to sell for their dressing room for their fan base You know, maybe maybe a team like that could could flip-flop by the way So I think it's a little bit market dependent. The Islanders, for example, who have some pretty intriguing pieces

to potentially move guys like Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri and others. If they've kind of had a recent little mini surge here, I don't see them selling as long as they're in the race. And so I could see it all being complicated. And then you add this, this four nations tournament. I mean, the league doesn't start back up again till February 22nd after that, that tournament

and the deadline's March 7th. So you're less than two weeks from when the league restarts to that deadline. And so it's a pretty compressed window where I think we can see a lot of action and, you know, might be really hinging on and if there's some separation in this karei can i don't know in the east specifically if any of the teams are good enough

it's really separated and i wouldn't surprise me if there's after five or six and mathematically are kind of in it uh... you know right through in the march just because you know i don't look at them and think that one is clearly better and is due to takeoff here at any rubble is around in the r here. Any rumblings around, I mean there is, around the Rangers. We were talking about it I think in the 4 o'clock hour. I mean that team I think is pretty good on paper.

They certainly have players that are not playing up to their potential. We've heard rumblings obviously out of New York and rumors all of that, but do you still think something major is coming or potentially could come from the Rangers or a shakeup because something has to give there in my opinion if they're going to try and get into that playoff situation or that last spot or even go deeper, higher up in the standings? Yeah, I don't think it can be ruled out at this point. In the very short window here, they have turned things around.

They've won a little bit of, maybe, four or five. They've won. And so that helps quiet it a little bit. But even still, I don't see them becoming a buyer. I don't see them giving up draft picks to get rental players at this stage. I think the kind of trades that they're going to look at is perhaps selling a player or two that's on an expiring deal themselves or something a little bit more fundamental if there's a bigger trade to be had. And, you know, between teams like the Canucks and the Sabres, the Rangers, I mean, there's a few others. I mean, I'm not

saying they're all going to, that something's going to connect on a major trade, but there does at least seem to be a couple of teams that are considering bigger deals and just, you know, a rental for a draft pick, the kind of normal trades that say we see in this window. And so, you know, until we get past March 7th, I'm going to say it's everything's on the table for the Rangers. And then you know, when we get into the offseason and the run up to the draft, I mean, they look like a team that probably needs some bigger up to the draft. I mean they look like a team that probably needs some bigger remodeling or has a desire still to do that kind of work. So you know the recent wins have helped a little bit in the standings, made things quieter but I don't think it's changed what management's thinking about the

approach they need to take. Well I'm curious if what's happened in Detroit ever since they made that coaching decision is going to have an effect on a team like the Rangers or other teams in the same boat cj because top the call in maybe it's a coincidence but it would seem to be that this guy's push the right buttons in this team is absolutely on fire right now yeah hard to argue with seven straight wins in pretty crazy they've won seven

around the school on the playoffs but i i just told you tells you where they were. They waited probably even longer than they wanted to fire Derrick LaLonde. I really think they didn't want to make that firing, but they kind of felt like they got to the point where they had to. Their power play has been absolutely on fire. I think they're at about 50% since McClellan took over, which obviously helps things. But he's definitely lit a fire

under them. And for a team like that, you know, it makes a difference. I mean, I think that they're in the same sort of situation as like an Ottawa, you know, they, they want as an organization to get in it. It matters to them, even if they're sneaking into the second wild card, just to play their first playoff series in however many years it's been, I think there's value for the Red Wings and that and that's why you make that kind of change is because you're hoping for the bounce. And so, you know, I don't know how sustainable it is. Obviously they're not going to win out from here on in, but you know, just going on this hot run at least is, you know, revamped in a big way their playoff aspirations. And, you know, I do think that's another front

office that's out there looking to try to find something on the trade market if it materializes to to give the group a boost because you know the years of waiting for draft picks and stuff in Detroit are supposed to be over and you know this is this has been a nice run they've had since McClellan took over. Alright CJ we'll leave it there we'll do it again next week. Right on boys. Chris Johnston joining us here in the Maple Toyota hotline count on Maple Toyota for the right winter tire package for your Toyota. Trade in your old tires, buy a new set, get $40 back, visit mapletoyota.com. CJ we didn't ask him about Mike McCarthy but it sounds like he's out as the coach

of the Cowboys. It's not really a firing it's that like his deal is expired it's it's confusing it's typically Dallas. I guess it is firing and now you wonder does he go to Chicago could the Jets maybe call on him because what are these teams that they watched the last couple years what they had to say that's my guy like well what listen what what he is is he represents some stability. Like I get the Cowboys who are masters this year. Stability, hey, who's the bald guy with the visor in Chicago? People are talking to him.

Naggy. Yeah, Matt Naggy. Yeah, well, he doesn't. I mean, McCarthy has been a coach for 20 years, he won a Super Bowl. Like he, you can't take that away from him. Yeah, it's not even a hiring, like if you're you're the jets of the bears you're not thinking i'm gonna do this up and agree but you know what people have been saying the last couple years doesn't take timeouts clock management that's always been a guy's

up room i know so why the hell would you want to hire him again i i think it's more about we're not even thinking winning super bowls it's can we stop being a complete disaster and a joke. Like there's layers of building up and I think that's what Mike McCarthy represents, is okay some credibility, some semblance of a plan, some understanding of what the culture has to be. Again, he'll probably burn you. You're not going to win many playoff games or a Super Bowl.

Somebody's hiring old Cliffy Queensbury too. queensbury to yeah close gonna get probably hooked up that's gonna happen uh... will come back with a best bet to should point out i mean people are tracking this this roky sasaki the the japanese pitch stop it stop well stop i've got a report on jers and the jays in the front of the case i've got a bit of a job to report this okay jeff passin is reporting vsp and the finalist for the japanese star right-hander or the los angeles dodgers yes now here is the diego pod rays and the children of the ronald blue j

don't do it and stop all here we go sasaki will decide on his team by the closing of his posting window January 23rd So he's using the Jays. It's the Otani thing again. Well the Jays to run the price. Listen, the Jays are in contention They're in the running. They're in the room and they're very excited. They're very excited and You know, I mean this is a totally different story because this guy's not getting any money He doesn't have any rights to post for big money. It's gonna be Essentially like a minor league deal. You'll have rights to post for big money. It's gonna be essentially like a minor league deal. You'll have rights to him for a long time.

He just wants to come over early and make it as a major leaguer. So it's not like you can get outbid by any of these teams. You're simply promoting your program, which again, I don't know how you could ever beat the Dodgers in a situation like this. I have no idea what the j's could possibly say other than maybe he'd be a race like potentially you'd be our guy at depth

chart maybe have possibly but uh... you know listen if you give you got on you realize if you want to be if you got a little bit when for the j's that i'm a times are you sick of seeing i understand that they're running by nodding my brother's not a candidate here he's probably not going to my? They're in the running with the Dodgers. He's not picking the Jays. He's probably not going to. My guess will be in the next 72 hours it'll come out he's chosen the Dodgers. That's probably what's going to happen. Alright, best bets coming up. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 2. Alright, time now for our best bets powered by FanDuel. Make your picks and assemble a same game parley in seconds in the FanDuel Sportsbook app Vikings in the over tonight Hazen bro we need this

one tonight all right it's a neutral site game the games being played in Arizona and Vikings have been better than the Rams all year I'm banking on Sam Darnold it was a one-off last week he figures it out I think both defenses though the secondaries could get exposed at times I think Stafford will put up some points too I said earlier 28-24 Vikings tonight Vikings cover over the number there's your bets powered by Fandall Fandall the home of popular parlay's this NFL season please play responsibly 19 plus physically located in Ontario and I'll tell you what man we're gonna be talking a lot this week about

that ravens and bills game on sunday night and like that is just so good c houston's plan of four thirty again on saturday his kansas city that like it's automatic four thirty saturday houston you're in it maybe somebody else will be reading a book on the sidelines for knowledge a jay brown is that just a hero like that such a stupid i think it's a good else will be reading a book on the sidelines for knowledge. AJ Brown? Yeah. Is that just a hero? Like that's such a stupid thing.

How do you get a book out there? Dude, I think it's insane in a professional sporting event. Playoff game at home? I don't care if there's the most wisdom on earth in that book. You're not picking up a book. It's heroic. It's a total hero play. There's no other way to put it.

All right. We'll break down the game tomorrow. We the least in action tomorrow. Maybe Sasaki is a J by this time tomorrow, right? Brokey to the J's. Might happen, you never know. Alright, thanks to everyone behind the scenes for helping out, everyone for tuning in. TV Radio Podcast Web, we appreciate it. We're out of here. Enjoy your evenings, enjoy the games tonight. We're back tomorrow at jp and luke the first podcast drops tomorrow at four p m but will check

yes and plus taking game day to a whole new level nfl red zone subscribe now for every touchdown from every game every sunday afternoon nfl red zone available on tsn plus