OverDrive - OverDrive - January 2, 2026 - Hour 2 - Darren Dreger

Episode Date: January 2, 2026

Join Michael DiStefano and Keegan Matheson for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger joins to discuss US Olympic's roster selection, Jason Robertson, Cole Caufield leading the omissions and Auston Matthews leading the Maple Leafs' winning ways. The guys look ahead to the year of sports in the latest edition of AB Sees It and the FanDuel Best Bets.

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watching both Saturday and then Sunday and then you got that late game. He got the Pittsburgh Steelers. He got Baltimore Ravens. You got one playoff spot on the line between those two. The 40th meeting between John Harbaugh and Mike Tom on his head coaches. Like those guys know each other. There's a real rivalry between those two teams.

I can't wait for that game. And to finish off the 2018 season or the 2025 regular season slate with those guys, winner moves on, loser goes packing. I mean, the NFL script wrote it pretty well. Good couple days. The afternoon Sunday, I can feel. that with dumb bets in my own time. No, no problem. But to have some actual marquee Saturday and Sunday nighters. And the Sunday night or too, man, like Aaron Rogers, is this the last hurrah? Lamar

Jackson. There's a ton of noise out of Baltimore. You're a, you know, diehard Packer fan. One-time lover. Then I learned a single thing about him, so I changed my mind. Man. I don't know. Where does he go next year where he can be this again? I don't think he goes out. I think it's Pittsburgh or nothing. Bridge guys. Is it Pittsburgh or nothing? And if it is, it feels as though it's It's like, it's a package deal with him and Tomlin. I don't know if he'd want to come in with, it would depend on who the coach is. Like maybe if he's got a good relationship, you know, a coach that he had previously in, you know, Green Bay possibly. But it feels like those two would have to be a package, package deal.

And it might have to, you know, it might hinge on whether or not they win. If they miss out on the playoffs this year, it's possible that, you know, Tomlin, he's been there a long time, could get the boot. and then if he leaves, does Aaron want to come back? That's a question that I think we'll all want to answer come Monday when we know what happens. I think he understands his own mortality a bit more now. Like he's not going to come back and make some team sign the ghost of Randall Cobb and someone else he played with 10 years ago again. I hope that's out of him.

Yes. But he can only be one more year, a bridge guy who's loosely competent. And God, he needs an O line. But I'd love to see him still pull off some magic because I do. have those Packers years in my brain. I'd love to erase the last five or six. But, man, when you give him a clean pocket, though, and he gets off a throw. He can still sling it.

Special. You can still sling it. That's for sure. On the ice, the Team USA, Sweden, and Finland all announcing their Olympic rosters today, the notable countries, at least, announcing who's going to be taken part in the Olympic Games. Canada did it a couple days ago on New Year's Eve. A couple, you know, notable emissions.

We always talk about who didn't make it. You know, instead of celebrating who made it and, you know, Austin Matthews, you know, Captain of the Leafs, now Captain of the Team USA, Jack Eichel, right, Jack Hughes. They've got their families. They can text them. Yeah, exactly. We all know who made it. Realistically, it's pretty much the exact same roster that they brought to the Four Nations.

I think the only difference is Chris Crider and Adam Fox. Those are the only two players who are not going to be at the Olympic Games who are at the Four Nations and instead they've added, who would they add in front? Tage Thompson, Clayton Keller, and then they have a healthy Quinn Hughes who's going to be there as well. Outside of those three players, the exact same team. That did finish second, but obviously took Canada to overtime at the Four Nations. But there's a couple glaring omissions from that list that online everybody's talking about. And Jason Robertson being the number one.

I mean, you talk about American goal scores and just, you know, scores in general, he leads the group of all America. So everyone you just saw on that board up on TSM 5 and up on YouTube, no other player has more points than Jason Robertson right now. He's got 48 points so far this season. And five of the top 10 American scores this year were not named to the team. Jason Robertson being the most notable, but Cole Cofield as well, a big omission, Alex DeBricket, also. a big emission to the team. Lane Hudson on the back end. Adam Fox, who's been a staple for, you know,

Team USA internationally over the last few years, Norris winner. That was a big surprise to see a guy like that get snubbed and not make the team very, very interesting decisions for Team USA and Bill Guerin and company. And to join us to dig into the decisions the Americans may get into last night's leaf game and much more on the ice.

It's our TSN Hockey Insider, Darren, joining us on the Maple Toyota Hotline. What's going on, Dreggs? Just getting ready for, well, it's been a day of hockey, but now a night of hockey. So looking forward to it. Happy New Year, fellas. Yeah, happy New Year to you, too.

Actually, before we get into the meat, potatoes of what's going on on the ice, heard you add your own little run-in with Frank Carrotto, and you have an update on his driving skills. Well, I'm not going to bury Frankie more than I did this morning on first up. I got it out of my system, but it is somewhat coincidental that I just jet into Minnesota for the Olympic announcement on Wednesday, obviously hung in for the games, and then piled into the rental vehicle with Frank Carrotto, Mike Lane, and Jeff O'Neill, post-game, Canada, and Finland, and, you know, parking lot is tight, so I'm trying to squeeze into the back passenger,

and we're snug up against another vehicle. Well, Frankie obviously doesn't know that I'm not in the vehicle yet, and he proceeds to drive away. And I'm not as nimble as I once was. Let's just say that. So my left leg is, like, dragging on the asphalt and snow here, and I forcibly have to pull myself in. I smack my head on the side of the vehicle.

And in the meantime, Lane is, like, screaming in the back. Frankie Stompbbh, Greg, isn't in yet. So it was an honest mistake, but I did have some fun at his expense, which he's okay with. We've communicated today all as well, but it just seemed a little odd, given how Odog last week, announced that Frankie Corrado is the worst driver in Canada, and then I at least lived through this experience. Yeah, you'd think he'd be on his best behavior now, right? He may have to be relegated to the passenger's seat moving forward. Why does everyone keep giving him the keys?

That's the question I have. Why does no dog just say, move over, pal, I'm driving? Likes to be driven. He's also fortunate because this is the last time I'm going to talk about it. I add my fun at Frankie's expense this morning, continuing here, but it's the holiday season, right? So I'm going to be forgiving. And I'm looking forward to spending a lot of good time. with Frankie Corrado in 26.

I do as well. So good on you, Dregs. Big announcement today, obviously, Team USA announcing their Olympic roster, along with Sweden and Finland, but I think the team that obviously got most of the headlines was the omissions on USA, Jason Robertson, who's the leading American score in the NHL, not named to the roster. Cole Coffield to the Montreal Canadiens, another one, Adam Fox as well, kind of some head scratchers. from people around the league. What did you make of Team USA's decision to omit those players

and, you know, responding to, I guess, Bill Garron's comments about how they're building a team, not a bunch of all-star players? Well, and what was the one quote? You know, I'll paraphrase, but essentially he said, if we're picking a team like that, they don't need a general manager. And what he means is if you're lucky at just the top scores in your country, all right, then just pull up the stat sheet and pick the team, wording. You're not doing that. You know, you're looking at how you match up and you put a piece of the puzzle together to team to battle for gold against Canada or one of the powerhouses in the world. I'm not going to lie. I was a bit surprised. And, you know, this team, more so even than Canada, we've had all of our time talking about, well, should Bedard be on the team, should Chaper be on the team, all of that. A lot of speculation around what Team Canada would look like. And there were.

were dozens of projected rosters put out by Greg Button, Mike Johnson. Good on the list, right? Lots of that. But it feels like Team USA was more or less picked a while ago, a while ago. And right or wrong. You know, I think that's the reality of their situation. But, you know, when you finally learn that Jason Robertson isn't on the team, that's a bit surprising to me. because it's proven this man can score goals.

So they obviously look at Austin Matthews and they look at the Kitchuk brothers. They look at all the other areas, Jack Hughes, you know, go down the list. If you look at their lineup, they've got some offensive scoring punch there. There's no doubt about that. You know, you look defensively,

that blue line looks rock solid despite the fact they don't have Adam Flots. So maybe they felt like, okay, we need full well-rounded players. No different than Team Canada and how Canada assembled its lineup. You can't just have players who are deemed fairly or unfairly to be one-dimensional.

But I do remind, too, if we're looking at Robertson, Robertson guys more for me than Cole Coughfield. I feel like I would have been surprised if Cawfield was on that team because, again, we've reported on this for months, and Cole Coughfield always seemed like he was on the outside looking at. But no different, again, than any other country here, There's a lot of time between now and the drop of puck in Milan, Italy, in February. So if a forward gets injured, it's hard to imagine that Billy Garron, one of the first calls he makes,

isn't going to be the Jason Robertson of Dallas Stars. So we'll see how it plays out, but, you know, all these countries had to make incredibly difficult decisions, and Canada and the United States definitely did. Well, speaking of, you know, injuries could possibly be a thing. Have you been able to kind of uncover what the backup list could possibly be for Canada, the list of players who they have still involved in the testing and might get their call if injuries do arise? Not a full list.

I mean, it really is player by player. Sam Bennett, of course. You know, I said it would be a one-for-one because that's what Doug Armstrong told us. You know, if an injured forward goes down, well, there's a pretty big difference between, God forbid, Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby or Nathan McKinnon, then Sam Bennett. You know, they would like to have the luxury of saying, okay, well, if this rugged sort of all-round player, guy who's going to play in the bottom six gets injured,

okay, well, Sam Bennett, you're our first call. They'd like it to be as easy as that. It may not be as easy as that. So they have, we know they've approached players to say, we'd like to keep you on a reserve list. however to be on our reserve list, you have to maintain the same sort of

script sort of acknowledgement that goes into every Olympic athlete, right? And you have to allow yourself to testing and all of those things. So I'm sure those calls have been made. I'm sure Mark Scheidley, the Winnipeg Jet is on that short list.

Probably Bedard. Certainly Matthew Schaefer, go down the list. But that's not a list that Canada wants us to be aware of because they probably don't want us to think that the pecking order is player one through six. Again, just acknowledging that they want to control the process as, all right, if this player gets hurt, then who's the next closest player to the role that we needed that player to fill? Gregs, when you look down at the decisions on Team Canada in the crease at the goaltenders,

now over the next few weeks, I'm fascinated to see Bennington, Kemper, and Thompson, how this plays out for them. But looking at someone like McKenzie Black, with the run he's been on, with the abs, the success he's had. Do you think there were many decisions being made there? Was that a solid group they went in liking and stuck with? Or how did that decision go, narrowing down the crease for Canada? Well, it was tough. You know, and with all due respect to the gaggle of goalies that were included in the long list,

you know, the reality is pretty obvious here. You know, Canada isn't as deep in the goaltending position as Team USA, but just not. and so that's why, you know, MJ and I had good debate. You know, there will be debate until Jordan Bennington gets the start or doesn't get the start in game one of the Olympics. And then how does he do from there or how is the goaltending, you know, cover off for Canada moving forward in the event? Yeah, I mean, the third goalie, I think, was the one that probably took the most discussion

because I do think that Logan Thompson, Jordan Bennington, have essentially been the tandem for a long, long time. You know, Wedgwood's name was mentioned. More recently, yes, it's been Blackwood. But they feel pretty solid with Darcy Kemper in that three spot. And look, again, I wasn't arguing with Mike Johnson on set on Wednesday. You know, his alignment, I think, was going to think about the Logan Thompson, Darcy Kemper, and Jordan Bennington has the number three.

and hey, it's hard to argue when you look statistically at what these goalies are doing at the NHL level but that's not necessarily the way that John Cooper and Team Canada's brass think. So, goaltending is going to be, for me, when I look at Canada, it's the biggest storyline going into the Olympic Games. How is their goaltending going to match up

against the best of the best? Always is. Always is. And then, you know, last year, same thing. but Bennington pulled it out in the gold medal game, and I think ultimately that's why he was here. He earned himself a spot in the Four Nations last year, and hopefully he can continue to play big in the big moments as he's done throughout his career.

With Darren Dregor, a TSN Hockey Insider, I mean, one could argue after seeing that blockers saved last night from Hildeby, maybe he was a bit of a snub on Team Sweden when their roster got announced tonight, but a big win last night for the Maple Leaf is coming back, down 4-1, they win 6-5, and it was on the back of the captain, Austin Matthews, a vintage performance from him. What did you make of Austin's game and the comeback overall for the Leafs last night?

Well, they just kept competing, right? And, you know, I think Burrubay talked about this post game. You don't compete and dig yourself back out of that hole unless your attitude is sound and it's positive and it's strong. And so for me, that's the takeaway. And I wonder what changed within the group. And it does start with Austin Matthews. Austin Matthews, in the games that we've seen him play since their short Christmas break,

is a different version of the Leafs captain that we've seen arguably all season long. So what was it? You know, did he just need a couple of days? You know, did he look at the standings and go, time to get going here? Yeah, the only way we get going here is if I lead by example. And he's been doing that. And last night he was rewarded.

but, you know, he's not going to be not rewarded when he plays the way that he played last night. You know, he was in it, he was aggressive, just all the things that Austin Matthews can do is a superstar in the National Hockey League. But more important than that was how it was clear everyone, I don't know, at least in later stages of first period on, was invested. You know, Michelli now is playing like a player that is a useful person. peace to the Toronto Maple Leafs. You know, Max Stomie had one of his better games last night. I'm a huge fan of Matthew Nyes. I always have been.

But when that guy is going, he's a bull, and he's near impossible to stop. Their defense seems to be more in tune. And again, to revisit Barue's post game, I think he acknowledged that there's connection now among the players. And, man, have we seen that for a consistent period of time this year? I'll answer that. No, we have it. And that starts from the crease out. And for that team to bounce the way they did,

when Joe Wold got pulled after the fourth goal, and then you just acknowledged the blocker save, we all saw Joe Wohl, when they won the game, come off the bench and look up at the score clock and the video scoreboard to see the save again. And he was smiling. He was as much of fan as every Maple Leaf fan. man, in the building.

So they've got some good mojo happening around them right now, but man, are they going to need it? Because look at the non-playoff team of the East right now, right? So you've got the Leaps, you've got Florida, you've got New Jersey, you've got the Rangers, you've got Ottawa who looked like they were going to fight for that three spot in the Atlantic right to the end of the regular season, and you've got the Boston Bruins who are drifting back.

So that's a pretty big collection. So there's nothing but runway here for the Maple Leafs. take advantage of. Yeah. Like, there's no team out of it in the East. Like, we're in 2026, and each and every one of these teams are still very much in contention for a playoff spot. Gregs, when we were talking earlier about Austin Matthews in the show, not just the goals

themselves, but the sense of energy that it seemed he's changed since the Christmas break. Now, when I ask ballplayers about this all the time, I say, what's working better for you lately? And they tell me to shut up, because if they knew they'd do it all the time. And it's probably a bit of the same conversation with Austin Matthews. What's the difference lately? But when you see Dreg's average Austin Matthews or below average Austin Matthews like we've seen,

and then this peak version again, what is that difference for you? Where do you think that pivot point is because it's so obvious how much better it has been in these last few days? Yeah, it's hard to pinpoint because we have the luxury of seeing an average Austin Matthews. Matthews, still a good player, but not a superstar to what we're seeing now of late and certainly last night where, and then again, I keep going back to the Barubia post game, but Craig Barraubi is always very honest, maybe honest to a fault at times to be fair. But, you know, he talks about how Matthews has played well. But...

Nope. Sorry, fellas. No, I'd clear my throat. He talked about how Matthews has played well, but maybe hasn't been rewarded because the puck hasn't gone in the net for him as often as we're accustomed to. Yes and no. I don't think that's entirely correct. I think that there's some fairness in how Matthews has had chances on the power play

and the puck hasn't gone in. but he also drove play last night, right? So whatever it is, it's impossible, again, to try and describe because I don't know Matthews can describe it. Yeah. Yeah, it is interesting. I mean, you know, we talked about it earlier. It seems to be infectious because then the rest of the team really starts to get going. And the level of urgency, the hustle on the forecheck, the back check really seem like Craig Barouba.

hockey was kind of what inspired it all over the last few days. But a player that I think we all have been very surprised about and really happy for. And drags, I know you don't root for teams. That's not what your job's about, but you are allowed to root for players. Like, how much are we rooting for this Troy Stetcher story? Because again, last night, massive moment, you know, stops a goal from happening late in the game and then goes down the other way, scores the game tying goal. I mean, just the story since he's come to this.

Maple Leaf's team has been nothing but positive. So when he was claimed off waivers, if any one of us had submitted that Troy Stetcher would soon be viewed as a missing ingredient in the success story of the Toronto Maple Leafs, you'd have got laughed off social media. You'd have to just delete your account because when you look at the playing resume at Troy Stetcher, and he's acknowledged it. He doesn't make light of it.

He wears it as a badge of honor. because it is what fuels him. You know, it's not the money, but he's desperate to find a long-term NHL home. Well, the way he's playing and has played for the Toronto Maple Leafs, hard to imagine that if he can sustain his level of play, his level of energy, what he brings, like, vocally to the group,

well, he's going to have a home in Toronto, right? He's not going to hit the financial grand slam. You know, I think he would know that at this point of his career, but he's going to earn another contract, right? And if it's not in Toronto, it'll be somewhere else, based on what everybody can see this guy is bringing to the Toronto Maple Leafs. And he too is rewarded last night. I have never seen this game out of Troy Stetcher.

I really haven't. And, you know, again, you ask me to describe, you know, what's kind of flip the switch for Austin Matthews? Sometimes you don't know. It just happens organically, but you can see it. you can feel it but how do you explain it right that maybe in part that that that's what makes athletes special people um and choice tetra is living in the moment but he also recognizes that this has to be his moment because there probably isn't going to be another one but i would say that

given how he has sustained his level with more responsibility and opportunity under the guidance of Craig Barouba, he'll get another crack now. If it's on Toronto for whatever reason, there's plenty of opportunity for him to earn a longer stay beyond this season. If it's not in Toronto, based on the level of play with the Leafs, he's going to get another chance for sure. Greg, has you got any updates to either Brandon Carlo or Anthony Stolars? They're both seen on the ice this week.

Any chance of them seeing the lineup anytime soon? No, no. Well, I mean, yeah, I guess there's a chance to be fair here, Mike, but there's no timeline. And so that just means that progress is clearly being made. You know, Anthony Solars hadn't been on the ice since, you know, leaving that game in Boston way back when. And Brandon Carlo, you know, that was just a tough injury and obviously needed to be repaired. And so he's had to rest and heal before he could. could amp up his condition

and try and get his game back. So the fact they're back on the ice, I mean, that's a progression report in and of itself, but the Leafs are not saying what date they're targeting not yet. It's still a bit soon. Yeah, they can use Brandon Crow. I think Phil Myers played like eight minutes

last night, Stetcher, like every other shift was going over the bench, double shifting. So, Carlos, someone, they definitely would like to have back as soon as he's able to get back. Drags really appreciated. As always, happy new year again and enjoy the hockey tonight, pal. Yeah, I will.

You guys have a great weekend. You as well. Darren Dregor, or TSN Hockey Insatter, joined us on the Maple Toyota hotline, get in and go, where Adventure takes you in a new 2025 Tacoma from Maple Toyota, near Canada's Wonderland, and the Maple Auto Mall, visit MapleToyota.com. I mean, the Troy Stetcher thing, it's like his, it's almost as if his arrival and and his attitude towards, you know, playing with a level of urgency that we haven't seen from him before has been infectious. Like, you talk about, well, what's changed? What's different?

Like, his attitude in the room could have been something, something that's a little different too. Like, since he showed up, he's had the number one penalty kill, and he's a big part of that. He's played, I think, the second most minutes of any Maple Leaf on the penalty kill since he's arrived, you know? Like, he's out there in big moments. He seemed to have stabilized Jake McCabe. And it seems like any time one of the Maple Leafs players have a chance to talk about his passion and, you know, his doggedness and just how well he's played and how great of a story it's been, they just automatically say, yes, I'm going to talk about this guy. And I just wonder how much that has to do with it, too. Like Dregs was saying, even back in the day Stetcher was claimed, if you had told any of us that on January 2, we'll be talking about Austin Matthews quotes on Stetcher.

Right. Get out of here. Right. No, exactly. But a room can get stale, just like any workplace or anything can get stale. And sometimes you need someone to shake it up. And like Dregs is saying about Austin Matthews, you don't always know the answer to why things start to work. I always want to because I need to write a story about it.

We need to talk about it. But you don't always know. Sometimes there's just some magic and something shifts into the spot it's supposed to be. Stature, I love this story, man. Routing for the guy, this is the type of player who you're hoping gets that contract, gets that money that can help us. This is like the Leafs like Nathan Lucas type of story. That Ernie Clement type of story where it's like this guy came from out of nowhere and really stabilized things.

Like stabilize the lineup, right? Like Eric Lauer last year when he came from out of nowhere brought up to the major leagues and really stabilize that rotation, hopefully Stetcher gets more opportunity than Lauer got at the end of the season. Like he's earned that fact. But the Jays had a lot of those stories and had a lot of those guys, unsung heroes really step up and it led them to a championship, well, to the World Series, two outs, two feet within a championship, I guess you could say. So the Maple Leafs, maybe they got one here, you know, in an unsung hero type of story

with Troy Statcher. They could use a couple more throughout the lineup, you know, like Matthias Michelli showing up was nice. He had a big goal last night. He's played a lot better as of late. So they could use a couple more guys step up. But if 34 can get Revin and get rolling and get going, like he has, eight points his last three games, four goals,

first hat trick of the season last night against Winnipeg, that's when this team is going to realize that they have an opportunity to really get themselves back in the fight this season. So that's ultimately always been the big question is can we get that vintage Austin Matthews back? And last night you saw shades. And you've seen shades of its returning last night. It all kind of came together. And it was a big effort, a big win for the Maple Leafs.

Six-five comeback win. Matthews led the way with a hat trick. All right, we got to fly. But on the other side, little A-B-C-Z-Z-it. We're looking ahead to 20. I like it. 26 should be a lot of fun. I'm Mike DiStefano with Keek and Matheson.

You listen to Overdrive on TSN5. TSN live up on YouTube. Overdrive continues on TSN 1050. Overdrive, brought to you by Fan Duo, bringing more. More ways to play your game, Your Way. Mike DeStefano, filling in for Brian Hayes. Yeah, Kiga Matheson with me of MLB.com. We got, we debuted this segment a couple of months ago.

I was hosting the show, and it just kind of fit perfectly. And we thought, you know what? It's our first show of 2026. So let's do the segment, A, B, sees it, looking ahead into the future of 2026, and things that I think can come true in the sports world. in 2026. Are you ready? You're ready? So you've got to tell me, I see it happening. The titling here is incredible. Folks at home watching on YouTube can't see, the creative

department here, it's sprawling. Good stuff. It's like madman, actually. Fewer cigarettes, unfortunately, but I like it. A.B. sees it. ABCs it. So I just don't see it happening or I see it happening. All right. Ready for this? Hit me. All right. The Blue Jays will make it back to the World Series in 26. I mean, I like to be right more than I like to say the answer. I don't see it just because of how competitive the league is going to be,

and that's 15 teams. I mean, when you look at the odds, you know, it's if you win one out of every 30, you're on average. It would be hard to repeat that. Do you think they're the favorites at least? They are the favorites. Definitely. Now, I would go back and say,

so were the Js after that big Marlins trade, 12 years ago, but that's way different. This is more sustainable. Yeah. I think that they are absolutely 100% of playoff team. Now, to predict going back, I get that I should be saying yes, but it's going to be one hell of a division. The rays are not going to be that bad this year.

The Orioles are going to be a problem. Yeah. Finally spending money. My God, it was so obvious to spend money. But we'll see if they spend any more, but the East is going to be a nightmare. And I don't care how many players and coaches tell me, I love the ALEC. You want to play the best? No, you don't.

Stop. We don't have to do this macho thing. I want to beat up on small ball teams. You want to play the White Sox 16 times. So that'll be tough. That'll be tough. All right.

Next up. The Maple Leafs will make the playoffs in 2026. As if now, at the start of the calendar year, they are not in a playoff position. I say they end up there come April. I think so too. If Austin Matthews is going to be this guy, I'd like to think they'll get.

healthier instead of more injured? Well, that's, I mean, like, both Carlo and Stollars now on the ice, and as Dregs are just noted to us, no timeline for their return, but you would imagine that they'll get back out there at some point. Carlo, they need, because I don't want to see Philip Myers out there for any stretch of time anymore. I don't think Barube did yesterday. He didn't.

He played like eight minutes last night. Like, the guy was stapled to the bench in the third period. It was insane. And that's why Troy Stetcher ended up playing 20, I think it was 2457, nearly 24, five minutes for waiver claim journeyman 30-year-old Troy Stetcher. But, you know, like, I know Carlo didn't have a great start to the year. There's clearly an injury that he was battling. But hopefully, again, he gets back.

He gets healthy, stabilizes the top four and stabilizes Morgan Riley. All of a sudden, he has a partner, you know, McCabe. He's shown that he can now kind of stabilize a pairing, maybe him and OEL, are a pairing if you don't put Stetcher up there. but either way I like what's going on they're going to get healthier and I think that ultimately

they haven't shown what they can be early in the year they have the last few games and it's a style of play that I particularly like and if they can keep playing like this I think for sure this is a squad and get to the playoffs like there's teams in front of them for sure

you know like there are a few there's a few teams on top that they're going to be battling with and some qualities clubs right Florida they're going to get healthier too they're going to get Mac and Chuck back at any point here now, but ultimately I still think that Toronto is a team that will be able to finish

probably most likely as a wildcard team. Yeah, we're looking at it up here on TSN5 now. I mean, Buffalo's won 10 in a row. I think they're going to lose a game at some point here. Probably not all that sustainable. I'm not a big believer that the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to be this good moving forward. So really, it's, you know, like, I think the Maple Leaf deserve to be in that conversation. So I've got them making the playoffs. I think we've seen their worst. All right.

Like, I think we have seen the worst. Yeah, it's a good way to put it. Yeah. Will they get far from this? I don't know. But I don't think they're going back in the other direction in a hard way now. Yeah.

I think I agree. Feels better. With that sentiment. Going to Olympic hockey, international hockey. Team USA will regret leaving Jason Robertson and Cole Cofield off their roster. Hmm. I don't see that. I don't know.

This has made me think a lot more about the way it keeps being said is you're not making an all-star team, but you're making a team. Do we want to play the Garron comments? Do we have those? Can we play the Garron quotes? Because we've referenced it a couple times through the show. And I like the thinking. Well, let's hear from Bill Garron here about the thinking for him as he put together Team USA. If we're doing it like that, then you don't need a gentleman.

you don't need a coach like just just just do it by stats um we actually have to build a team we have to fill roles we have to we have certain responsibilities that that go up and down the lineup that that we need players that are elite in those categories um listen there are so many guys that are not on this roster that could be on this roster i understand that and those decisions don't come lightly. Take my word. Those are not phone calls to make. But in the end, we have a job to do,

and we're putting together a team, not just a group of individuals. It's a team. I like the thinking, at least. And I am, by every definition, a hockey casual. So if I were to sit down and make Team USA and Team Canada, I am going on NHL.com. and searching. Okay, who's got the most points?

Okay. Then you end up with a god-awful defense corps that cannot protect your own end whatsoever. Defensively, okay. Defensively. And that's, you know, a guy like Lane Hudson. But that gets the conversation about Robertson, about Connor Bedard. Well, you talk about, we need to put a team together and guys, we look for guys who can fulfill roles. Jason Robertson can't fill a role for you?

That one does bug me because he's also hot right now. Exactly. This was not like a hot streak to start the season. He's losing steam. I do kind of want guys who are hot. and confident right now. That's got to be important. Robertson might surprise me a bit more, even than anyone on the Canadian snubb list.

I know we're snub obsessive here, but Robertson is a tough one. I guess Bennett as well, that's kind of up the same alley for me. But I'm intrigued by the idea, you're not just grabbing your 25 best players. There needs to be some logic to it. But that said, honestly, I feel for Robertson.

I feel for Sam Bennett, because they are good enough to be on these teams. And you think you're past this era in your life where you can just not make a team? You know, that's back when you're 12 years old. And suddenly there's this one team that you're left an inch off of. And you've done everything you possibly can. Like I look at Sam Bennett. What else has got to do?

Well, Mark Trifley last night literally came out and said that. What more could I possibly have done to make this team? And, you know, he's another one along with Jason Robertson and San Bennett. Like, yeah, he has a case to be made. He's eighth in scoring league-wide, 20 goals. 48 points. I mean, the team's not having a lot of success, but he certainly is, right? So there's, I mean, at the end of the day, there are going to be a lot of heartbreaks.

Well, when you're putting together best on best, there's going to be some great players that are left off. But it is tough to stomach when you look at Team USA, and you think back to the Four Nations, and you think, okay, they didn't win. They came close. It took them to overtime. They didn't win. There wasn't a lot of goal scoring happening. Why would you leave off your highest goal scorer and your top point getter in Jason Robertson,

feels like he could feel some sort of role for you here. And, you know, he's top 10 league. Now, Robertson, he was not on the Four Nation. No. I feel like this is like an NFL replay where the referee is saying, you know what? If it had been ruled differently on the field, they'd probably stick with that too. Well, maybe that's kind of the tiebreaker. I mean, you look at, you look at who USA decided to go with and they only took off two players.

That was it. Chris Kreider and Adam Fox. Those are the only two players who were at the four. nations that did not get the phone call to come to the Olympics. Now, those guys could be on the next man up list, but as of now, those are the only two guys who aren't there. And it does feel like they really just decided, you know what, we liked our team there, we liked the identity, we're going to roll with it and just make a couple of additions.

Just want to tinker. Yeah, like you could add, they're allowed to have two extra players in general, and they take two off, now you're looking at you, like, okay, now we got to. four different players, hopefully that difference can be enough to beat Canada as opposed to losing an overtime. So we'll see. I mean, everyone's still geared up for the Olympics. We're having these conversations about snubs today, but there's still going to be some great hockey to be played once things, you know, start get going here. I can't wait to see where I end up watching these games in what beach bar, Florida.

I have to look. Oh, yeah, because you're going to be down, done even at that point. And we did the same last year, a group of us for the Four Nations. And you kind of, especially the Canada-U-S game, you kind of had to keep your voice down a little bit. You never know what type of folks you were running into. I'm sure everyone was excited in the first nine seconds. I was very muted. Three fights, nine seconds.

I was down, I was in Florida for the Stanley Cup final. I watched Panthers Oilers at a bar in Miami. I'm like, I got to, you know, settle myself because those. Could get a different level of rowdy down. Yeah, yeah, it definitely, definitely did. All right. Next one here. A.B. Sees it. Anthony Santander will live up to his contract in 2026. You see a bounce back out of Anthony Santander, the $90 million man? Okay. I see it because his actual contract and the money he's owed ain't much. Okay. And the way that the contract is structured with some deferrals, his salary just for next year, not much. And I think he can do that. Will he live up to expectations. No, I don't

think so. What does that look like? He can live up to the contract. So what would that mean living up to the contract? Playing 100 to 120 games and adding a little bit of pop. 18, 22 home runs along the way. Not playing every single day. I think the Blue Jays especially if they add another big bat.

We'll kind of need to work him into some corner outfield. Especially to add Kyle Tucker now what do with him. That gets awkward. But frankly, when you're really damn good, awkward is just a cost of doing business. You know, not everyone gets to take their turn in play. You have to earn that.

So for Sontan there, like, I'm excited for him to get to spring training because, God, he must want to get there and start fresh. So he's actually not owed a ton of money. I think he can go up to the dollar, but he is going to be the trendiest bounce back pick ever. I've written that there will be one just that's easy. You got him already saved in the draft. A couple saved in the draft for Sontan there.

Yeah. I hope you're right. I do. I wonder, like, I was having this conversation. with Doogie before we started the show. You know, if they bring in Kyle Tucker, you've got a bit of a glut of outfielders. I know you could, you know, shift some guys to DH at certain times,

but you like Springer at DH. So what do you do, moving back to the fact? I'm not sure. Like, is there even a spot for Santander as an everyday regular if they do sign Kyle Tucker? And if there isn't, like, is there teams out there that would be interested in a Santander at this point? Definitely no.

And in terms of the reps, it would end up being something that starts the season looking at like a two-thirds, you know, you're playing four times a week, maybe five, depending on who they face. And if things go well, you're in there every day, but it gets to the point where I know they gave them a lot of cash last off-season, the biggest they did. But you got to play. And I'm excited to see him healthy. I'm looking forward to that for him, man, because that's a rough first impression. and he's a beloved guy, like teammates, everyone loves the guy, so I hope he gets a chance to show that because it's been really tough. All right, last one for you, a bit of a spicy take, I might add.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will not rebound in 2026. I think the dynasty might be over, man. I think it might be over. I think this is the team, you know, they will probably be competitive until the very end. And, you know, maybe next year this time we're talking about that. them fighting for a playoff spot in week 18. But I think the era of them being the team to beat is over. I'm buying it.

I can see that. And I think they have a lot of change coming up on offense to what Travis Kelsey is going to do. We'll see, Rashi Rice. I think you're down the road to be looking at a contract. And he's a great receiver, but he's not an outside alpha. Also when he's on the field. Keep him on the field.

But he's not a, you know, prime Devante Adams outside of alpha. He's not your ex guy. No, he's going to take a lot of those Kelsey type. of targets. Xavier Worthy is fast. That's about it. And God, who's the running back going to be? I think Prashad Smith is going to be the only one under contract.

Ah, break crime back for a 17th year. Yes, he's been running as fast as I am. So they need, this needs to be when they get ahead of themselves and say, hey, the glory's been great. We need to make sense of them. And that defense is getting a younger either, right? Like that defense has been around Chris Jones, another year older. They're paying the debts for the championships now.

Well, and you'll take that. You'll take that. You know, like you go to six straight AFC championships. You win a few Super Bowls. You went to a couple that you lost. I mean, they've made their runs. And that was a dynasty.

Like, the Mahomes, Kelsey era of the Chiefs the last six years. Like, I think you can say that this was a Chiefs dynasty. And I just, I think it's, it's over, man. Every team ages out. And I'm not saying that they'll never win another championship. but I don't think it's going to be next year. They've got a pivot. They've got a retool, not rebuild. The good thing is they do got the, you know, the most important position, you know,

under wraps. So he'll be coming off, he'll be coming off an ACL injury now. So no full off season for him to recover and he'll be really just rehabbing all offseason so they get off to a slow start. I think, I don't think next year's the year they rebound. I take the under. Yeah, I like it. Whatever it may be.

I like it. Speaking of unders, I got my fan dual best bets. Those are coming up next here on Overdrive. Today's best bets are powered by Fanduil, make your picks, and assemble the same game parlay and seconds on the Fandual Sportsbook app. Looking at the hockey slate tonight. Canada at the World Juniors, I do like the over in this game, over seven and a half. We've seen some high scoring games. Canada, I think they can get over seven and a half.

And then I'm looking at the New Year's Classic, which is on the Winter Classic is on Jan 2 this year instead of Jan 1. but I think the Panthers take that one. So I take the Panthers on the money line, parley those two together. You got plus 234. Today's best bets, power by Fandul. Every NHL game is available on the Fandual Sportsbook app. Please play responsibly 19 plus and physically located in Ontario.

Well, there it is. Show number one of 2026 in the books here. Love it feeling. Good. Thank you for giving me a reason to get out of the house. This has been needed. I'll see you all opening day now. Opening day. That's it. Keegan's done. No message him. No matter what. Well, I mean,

a beshatter Tucker signed the next couple of weeks. I think you'll open up your availability at that point. Yeah. I'm heading on a cruise tomorrow. Actually, so I, yeah, this was a nice way for me to finish off, you know, the work schedule for the holiday. Now it's time for me to head out on my own little holiday. But yeah, really fun show. Really appreciate you, Kegan, boys behind the glass. Enjoy the games tonight. That'll do it for us today. The boys will be back Monday at 4 p.m. They'll chat there. I'm Dylan Playfair.

And I'm Tyler Smith. We're putting loneliness in the penalty box by talking to some of our favorite athletes about the importance of friendship. This is bromance. Bromance is brought to you by Charm Diamond Centers, proudly Canadian-owned and operator. Charm has been part of your love stories

and bromances for over 50 years. And you can find Bromance on the IHeart Radio Network or wherever you get your podcast.