OverDrive - OverDrive - January 2nd, 2025 - Hour 3

Episode Date: January 3, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Jonas Siegel and Michael DiStefano for Hour 3 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun joins to discuss the biggest headlines around the NHL. In the latest edition of Hayesy's List, Hayes lists the things that he can't believe are still true in sports in 2025 and Bryan hands out his FanDuel Best Bets.

The Weeknd brings Hurry Up Tomorrow to Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles on January 25th for one night only. Get there with iHeartRadio. Two tickets to the show, flights and hotel from TripCentral.ca, plus $500 cash. For your chance to win, enter every day at iHeartRadio.ca. You guys are beautiful. An iHeartRadio experience. The Weeknd in L.A. Jump! Jump! Powered by TripCentral.ca. You guys are beautiful. An iHeartRadio experience. The weekend in L.A. Powered by TripCentral.ca.

The smarter way to book travel. CHUM AM Toronto is TSN 1050, an iHeartRadio station and the voice of Toronto sports. This is Overdrive with Hayes, Noodles and the O-Dog on TSN 1050. Final hour Overdrive continues. Brought to you by FanDuel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. We'll get to our best bets later in the hour. Leafs Islanders tonight. Canada, Czechia tonight.

Brian Hayes, Jonas Siegel, Michael DiStefano, a.k.a. Al's brother. Sorry, hang on. I can't do the show if you guys are both going to wear those hats. I just can't. I can get you an Owen Wilson hat. Yeah, you want a loser hat? You want a loser hat? I can give you a loser hat.

Sure. Will you take a loser hat? Would you wear a loser hat? If we get you, you'd wear that the rest of the show? He did pick a loser. I'm starting to think. Yeah. That he purposely picked, what was it, the Steelers?

You picked the Steelers over the Ravens a couple weeks ago. Yeah, you jammed us. We put you on the clock for us, and you absolutely jammed us. I'm definitely not on your team. That's disappointing. I thought you were objective. I thought you were a journalist. I am, but like this, I don't have to be. Yeah, I guess that's true. It is completely made up, and it doesn't really

matter that much, but still, we'd like to have you on our side, but if you're not on our side, so be it. This is my entire life. I don't know what you're talking about. Yeah, that's cruise wear for you man that's cruise i'm heading down to the caribbean this weekend this lid will be on my dome that is an icebreaker like there are going to be people walking up to you saying hazen bro tell me more tell me more what did you win and you can explain it i'll explain over. Over drinks and chips. That's right. At the casino.

At the blackjack table. Absolutely. So, yeah, we got Pierre Lebrun coming up here in a moment. This Vancouver Canucks story is like a Hollywood story that is playing out in front of us here. The whole thing. The whole thing. Circus. Because you're talking JT Miller, Elias Pettersson. They're both trying to pretend as if there's nothing there,

yet the way they're playing, and Pedersen's hurt right now, but the way Pedersen's been playing with Miller in the lineup has been very concerning. And now Miller, ever since he returned from his leave of absence, has done nothing. Like, offensively, he is not contributing whatsoever. And now we start 2025 with them officially out of the playoffs. If the playoffs were to start tonight, they're out.

Now, they're just out. But Demko's back. He's healthy. He's been okay. There's going to be ups and downs there. Quinn Hughes is still having a phenomenal season. But they're in trouble here, man. And this

feels like a New York Rangers of the West. Not as bad, right? There's still a lot of time, though. There's just as much noise, though. That's what I'm saying, man. There's a lot of time still to get there. The Rangers, it's crazy that they just keep playing the way they're playing. And they got rid of Truba.

They traded Capocacco. And it's like, that's it, I guess. i can't believe they keep going with laviolette you're zach jones out there now speaking out like who is like zach jones not be speaking and squawking off about playing time but i guess he's been healthy in five the last six games and he's out here giving you know larry brooks expletive answers saying i can't believe that i'm not playing. This is outrageous. I need to be playing. And obviously, I'm paraphrasing.

But he's not happy that he's not playing. And they're getting guys like Erhol Vakainen and Will Borgen. They brought him from Seattle. And now Shusterkin's on the IR. He's on IR. Which is a disaster waiting to happen for them. It feels like that ship has sailed for New York. I don't see how New York's going to get back into the picture here they started it's so ugly

started the year seven two and one in the month of october they now sit one point shy of dead last in the eastern conference one point ahead of the buffalo sabers right we lost what 12 games 12 in a row and they're only one point back of them? It's that ugly. But what I'm saying is, in Vancouver, it feels like it's getting there. Because again, you look at New York and you look at the way they're built. Shisterkin. Shisterkin and Demko. You've got Fox and Hughes. You've got star players that you would look at.

Veteran coaches. Ben Ejad, JT Miller. And the parallels are there and for Vancouver, I guess what I'm saying is it can happen quickly. You can snap out of it and it's February 1st and you're 8 points

out of the playoffs and all this turmoil has taken on a life of its own where you can't get everything back together. The one wild card in it is Jim Rutherford. He could do anything, and I wouldn't be really surprised. I love that. I love Raider Jim.

He could come in tomorrow and be like, he traded so-and-so, and you'd be like, yeah, that's all right. And you'd be like, I can't believe he did that. Well, and it's because of the players we're talking about here. JT Miller and Elias Pettersson are studs. That's their core. They're superstar players. Yeah.

Pettersson's the highest paid player on the team. And JT Miller and Elias Pettersson are studs. That's their core. They're superstar players. Yeah. Pettersson's the highest paid player on the team. And JT Miller's their leader, like their heartbeat guy. Yeah. And it feels as if we're moving in a direction where one of them might have to go. But, Hayes, the question that I have for this team is, like, if they've had these issues, and we had Brucey Boudreaux on a couple of weeks ago. Pure fault. He said, we're not going to disclose that.reaux on a couple of weeks here he said we're not going

to disclose that but even he said in that interview he said i thought that they had put this behind them a couple years ago before he got there right before he got there that's what three years ago they both since went on to sign long-term deals with vancouver like why is vancouver signing both of these players to the deal if they know that there's an issue that could have erupted and it's completely, completely backfired on them. Yeah. I mean, again, maybe get out of it, I guess. But right now, oh, it's and last year was going so well for them. Like Pedersen.

I don't know how much of it is. Wasn't going well for Pedersen. It was it was prior to him signing the contract. And then he signed the big deal. And then it's gone awful. And I think that needs to be brought up just as much as like any JT Miller conversation or connection. Is Patterson was rolling last year. And then he signed that deal and the wheels completely fell off.

He had one of the worst playoffs we've seen out of a superstar in years. Yeah. One goal. One goal in the 13 games in the playoffs. And now this year it just hasn't gone so well. The only time he really felt like he was rocking was when Miller wasn't with the team. Yeah. One goal. One goal in the 13 games in the playoffs. And now this year it just hasn't gone so well. The only time he really felt like he was rocking was when Miller wasn't with the team. Yeah. Here's Pierre Lebrun, our TSN Hockey Insider.

Pierre, how are you going about checking in on Vancouver, covering the Canucks? Because it is a circus out there right now. Yes. Are you saying that Christmas didn't't help everything i don't think so i'm not prepared to say that yeah you know it's one of those things that has simmered you

know for a while but but in a way that you don't especially for for me as an insider you don't want to talk about it in a in a factual way unless people involved want to say more, right? It was sort of just like sitting there. But now it's, I mean, they're talking about it publicly, right? That, you know, that there are issues and they're going to try and work through it. But the reality is that it is an issue and it has affected their team. And, you know, I think it's given management an issue and uh it is effective routine and you know i think it's given management a lot to think about potentially between now and the trade deadline which doesn't necessarily mean anything will happen of course because you got way too much experience at the

helm there uh in terms of president jim rutherford and and gm patrick alvean are not going to do anything stupid but you know i think alvean was quoted this week as saying, you know, anything's possible. So read into that what you will. Well, I thought it was interesting because Hayes had brought up that this is almost maybe starting to boil into a New York Rangers situation. And a month ago, you didn't think it was going to get this bad for New York, where they're now one point away from the bottom of the Eastern Conference

basement. How does Vancouver make sure it doesn't get to that, and they solve the problem as quick as possible before the season gets away from them? I wish. I mean, if I knew anything, they would know for sure. That's how

tedious it is, man. Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, you just, there are teams that have, you know, found a way through this kind of thing. Because at the end of the day, you are pros and you're paid to play. And like not every team that has won has all been, let's go out to the bar and have beers together.

I don't know if players today even do that, but I'm showing my age. But, you know, not every team has been kumbaya. I mean, I've been around, I go to the Stanley Cup Final every year, and I've been around teams where you know there's actually, you know, maybe some guys who are best of friends off the ice, but they find a way on it. So

I think that's important to note, but still, this is obviously something the Canucks are working through, and, you know know in the middle of all that i mean you you have a really good coach in rick tockett who who by the way his own deal expires at the end of the year although i think there's a mutual option for another year but i'm just pointing out some other layers to all this that are interesting um and certainly you have a management group that um has been extremely aggressive um you know since they've gotten there um and and normally aggressive in the manner in which they trade waiting for the trade deadline so last year you know alvin traded

in true rutherford s style he traded for traded for Elias Lindholm on January 31st, way ahead of the trade deadline. That's the tradition there, going back to Rutherford and Carolina and Pittsburgh. And in Pittsburgh, of course, Alvin was there as an AGM. So it certainly wouldn't surprise me if Vancouver found a way to do something here this month and not wait until closer to March 7th. We're Pierre Lebrun, our TSN Hockey Insider. Confirm or deny, Pierre, the famous game that we play on this show,

and I want you to partake here. Confirm or deny the Montreal Canadiens are legitimately in a playoff race. I'm going to deny, and maybe it's just that I'm trying to back my preseason take on them when you ask me. I didn't think they were ready for that. And so maybe I'm just unwilling to change my take. I do think that the opportunity is there for them to play meaningful games in March, which honestly, deep down, if that's what happens, I think everyone involved there would take it,

even though the playoffs are obviously what they would rather have but um you know they they have turned around their season and it's not just the recent stretch i actually was at the game in tampa where honestly they dominated the lightning um last uh sunday but um it's really a longer stretch of games that kind of in some ways went unnoticed because it wasn't flashy and there were also some bad losses like the one at home to Pittsburgh but in the midst of that stretch they have been um you know uh above 500 uh you know playing more consistently their best players have finally found their game you know, playing more consistently. Their best players have finally found their game. You know, their best players are not very good in November at all.

Obviously, Montombo is having a terrific season. But, you know, they're – I mean, listen, any team that sweeps the state of Florida and wins in Vegas these days is having themselves a road trip. And that's what they're doing right now. No question. I mean, since Laine returned, they're winning a lot of games and i i don't think they're ready either i i would deny it i would answer it the same way pierre and um the way they started this season and defensively they were

awful like they were the worst defensive team in the league for the first 2025 games and now they've to their credit they could have packed up shop they did not do that now there's still a lot of season left we'll see what comes of it i don't think they're going to their credit, they could have packed up shop. They did not do that. Now, there's still a lot of season left. We'll see what comes of it. I don't think they're going to be in the playoffs, but the Habs are three points out of a playoff spot right now. Yeah, there's tons of teams in there. It's a bit convoluted, but yeah.

Credit to them. What they've done is given the rest of the season meaning, which honestly was in doubt six weeks ago. Absolutely. And the other thing is I like the way management has approached this too i mean the trade for alexander carrier from nashville i think was timely um justin barron had really struggled and they were already one of the youngest blue lines in the league and they just couldn't defend he has really stabilized that right side and i think it's allowed david savard at his age playing the right amount

of minutes i mean that was a really timely and shrewd trade for a carrier player that is dependable second bearing guy got a really good year in nashville last year um so you know so that was timely and the other the other thing that's interesting i don't know you know you guys believe in this stuff or not but when montanaalvo was named as part of the Four Nations roster for Canada, I mean, listen, he was blocked. You know, Aiden Hill and Jordan Bennington were penciled in earlier by management, and there was a lot of debate behind the scenes on who to go at number three, and understandably so.

I think we had a similar debate on this show. But ever since he's been named, look at his numbers. It's almost like he went, hey, you guys aren't going to regret that. You know, to me, I think the opening night starter is probably Aiden Hill at this point based on play, but I know that management and coaching were going to wait until literally a couple of days before February 12th to make that call. But I'm telling you what, the way Mo Tomlin was playing,

he's making a case to actually see games, I think, at the Four Nations. Pierre, usually in a situation like New York, if it goes on and on and on and on, eventually there's a coaching change or there's something big. Why do you think no shoe has dropped like that for a team in that position? Well, how can I explain almost anything that's happened with the Rangers this year? It's one of the strangest stories, that whole thing this year. This is a team that was two wins away from the final six months ago.

Are you kidding me? And legitimately so. Not like Cinderella's story went deep. No, like a team that had built to get to that moment, right? And arguably has the best goal in the world and went deep. No, like a team that had built to get to that moment, right? And arguably has the best goalie in the world and was deep. And I think a lot of people picked them this year to go to the finals, if not win it. And so, honestly, one of the great surprising disasters

that we've seen in the last decade plus in the NHL, like where no one would have seen this coming. It's really bizarre. And, you know, starting with how negative the team reacted to the leaked memo from Chris Jury to other GMs about Kreider and Trouba being available. Like, you know, if that was supposed to shake up the team, it did the complete opposite.

Yeah. I mean, it just... And so where does it go from here? Yeah, listen, I hate that firing the coach is always a low-hanging fruit. I've said that many times. You know, I think it's become a lazy thing to do in this league because I guess there's nothing else you can do. Trades are hard.

But I am still, having said that, with that context, surprised that P. Larry Ouellette is still behind the bench just because, honestly honestly it looks like the the team is not responding whatsoever to him and that happens to a lot of great coaches at the end of their tenure but to me i am surprised um that he's still there a lot of it may be they were on a long road trip but they're home now so um honestly it is it is surprising to me. With Pierre Lebrun, our TSN Hockey Insider, Austin Matthews spoke with the media yesterday and conceded that he's playing through some pain

and that he's not certain he's going to feel 100%. At any point this year, he's hopeful, but he's not certain that that'll be the case. It's obviously quite the story in this town, as you know. How do you think, yeah, this is going to affect what Brad Tree Living and company could do between now and the trade deadline? Yeah, well, I mean, I think they were looking for a center anyway. Jonas would probably testify as well.

But, I mean, obviously this probably gives a greater urgency but you know and i read jonas's story those quotes in it yesterday i think what it does to me is having it come straight from matthews legitimizes the kind of concerns we all had everyone on area that something isn't quite right and in and out of the lineup. And, you know, why is it so difficult to put a finger on this thing? Those are legitimate, realized concerns when you have this happening to your best player. And, you know, again, I think we have to be careful because none of us have, you know, medical degrees, don't know what it means for the rest of the season.

But again, I'm going off based what Austin said yesterday. If that doesn't give you at least a minor level of pause, then you're not paying attention. I think it has to be of concern. And not that Leaf fans have this at the front of their minds, but as a guy that again thinks of these things maybe a little more league-wide, it me wonder about four nations now for austin matthews um you know where is he going to be at health-wise and how does elise feel about it and all these different you know delicate conversations i think that may be coming so um listen i think

ultimately you know i'm sure he gets gets himself right and he's fine. But again, when the player himself answers those questions that way, and Jonas, you could maybe relay the body language for me. But if you're not concerned, then you're not paying attention, I guess would be my point. Yeah, it felt like he was trying to be optimistic and feeling good about getting back in practice but you could also feel that wave of like i don't really know like i i want this to be better but i i don't know if it will be which is concerning yeah like he didn't he didn't come out and say like i'm going to get over this this is going to be fine i guess is what you're asking right and and the thing you hope you that never happens and again this is probably the stupidest thing ever that i'm about to do because every player's injury is different

than another player's injury but and again the least haven't come out and said exactly the nature of this injury although i think we we're we have a certain sense of it but i'm just going to give you another player and again i'm not saying it's the same injury of course not but i'm just going to give you the worst case scenario of something that is scary and it's that the vegas golden knights never quite know how long mark stone will be in their lineup now and and you know you certainly hope that's never the case here with matthews and elise i don't think it will be but i'm just giving you let's start at the most positive which is when he's back he's back for the rest of the year we never talk about this again i think that's very possible but the worst case scenario is you

know is this one of those things that comes and goes i don't know that i honestly don't and but it sounds of what matthews himself said is he he sounds positive that he's gonna get past this but i guess he's allowing the door open by saying i don't know that's what i'm bracing for yeah well pair is there a time like you mentioned the four nations is there a timeline for when he would have to let the americans know like i'm good to go or i'm gonna bow out like do you know what that date has to be like to drop that date no there is no there is no hard fast rules for that i mean listen technically a player could get injured the night before the you know before the break and need to be replaced just like it happens for olympics when hl players go to olympics right um so there is no but um you know i think everyone involved at least team usa

and austin hall at some point i would think you know by late january early feb would have to be on the same page as to what it means because let's face it, for Team USA, oh my goodness. I mean, I don't know who's next on the list, but he's not Austin Matthews. No, I don't think he can play. I think I'd be shocked if he plays. Me too.

I'd be shocked. And I think if he does play, that opens a whole other conversation that we will have if we have to have yeah but i i think it would be silly for him to even entertain the idea of playing and i've reached a point because this is now chapter two right where i think what you just said about mark stone has already been established pierre like hopefully he returns next time and just plays it out remember we have these conversations different context, Ilya Samsonov last year.

Yeah. You ever going to be completely out of the woods with him? No, you weren't. Hopefully you would get back together and play well and it would be all good. But I think if Austin did the Germany trip, time off, came back, looked like himself, then it would be over. The fact that he's doubling into this again, and we don't know when he's going to come back,

and now he's like, I don't know if I'm going to feel 100% at any point. For me, the framework's been laid. You're always concerned this guy is a game away, a hit away, a practice away from more time off. To your point, this season. The injury in camp, September 24th. Right. That's a long time ago.

January 2nd. Right. We've been dealing with this for a long time. Yeah. So I don't think you can put the cap back in the bag in terms of just saying, oh, he's fine, that's it, all good. You can hope, but I don't think that's a reality anymore. And to be fair, I mean, again i i've not talked about this with anyone associated

with matthews but the four nations in the olympics either exactly it's not quite the same conversation i mean when it comes to olympic games i mean different era i guess but steve eisenman played on one knee it's all like city for canada as you may remember now you had won cups by then too yeah so in a way i mean the, the Olympics are something where players will obviously play at less than 100%. Because it's so special and unique. Four Nations isn't that. But it is certainly the first best-on-best in a long time. And it's Matthew's first opportunity to play a best-on-best first country.

Which is significant. And it would suck for anyone to have to miss that. I mean, I'm not downplaying that. That miss that. I mean, I'm not downplaying that. That would suck. I mean, I'm sure he's really jacked to go. Well, Pierre, how do you think that conversation would work? Would that be just a conversation between Austin, his camp, management,

and then they just make a decision? Like, how does that usually go? Yeah, Austin jumped all over his agent. You know, Brad Treeliving, you know, Craig Berube, you know, I think you have that conversation in the Leafs bubble first. I don't think you enter Team USA into that until after you've gotten to a place. I think it has to be a Matthews-led conversation with management

and coaching at some point. And it probably can't be had yet because, again, I mean, once he's back here, who's to say he won't be back for good? I mean, that's the difficulty in all this. We don't know either way. I would think they're having it now, no?

I would think you're starting to talk about that, no? Well, I mean, you know, I think Brad Shreliving's at the World Juniors, so I guess physically everyone has to be in the same place to have it, right? Doesn't it have to be Austin? You're the captain of the team. He has to walk in and say, I'm not playing. It can't be Brad Treliving trying to convince him.

That's not the way the Leafs operate. That's what you wanted to hear yesterday? Well, I didn't need him to say that necessarily. That's a completely different conversation. But the way the Leafs operate. That's what you wanted to hear yesterday? Well, I didn't need him to say that necessarily. That's a completely different conversation. But the way the Leafs have generally operated, especially with their best players, is they afford them a lot of luxuries and a lot of freedoms. They treat them very, very well.

And I think I can't speak for them. I don't know how Tree Living and Shannon, and let's be clear here, ownership, who's paying him more money than any player in the league he's the highest paid guy in the league yeah like that that is a factor here too you're paying this guy a fortune to play for the maple leaves ownership would factor in but this is your ninth season you're the captain the year's not going well for you individually because of injury the pressure to get it done in this window is immense. I don't think it has anything to do with Tree.

If it's a scenario where Tree Living is trying to convince him, you're in trouble. No, but I just mean it's a conversation between them. I know. Like, Austin, what are you thinking? We're thinking maybe you shouldn't go. I don't even think they need to say that. By the way, Georgia is finally on the board with a touchdown here.

Yeah, Notre Dame's rolling, man. Not SEC. They're like the Cowboys down there. It's not good. Hey, hey, hey. You know, but the other thing, again, is that the only examples that we have during our careers covering hockey,

best on best, are dated now. I guess what I'm saying is the last time we had this kind of conversation about a star player at a best on best event would have to go back to the 2016 World Cup. And I can't even remember if there were any injured players. I think so, because I think Canada had injury replacement late. But anyway, yeah, I think Logan Couture came in late or something.

Anyway, but my point is, there's no real point of, this is kind of uncharted for this era of superstars. They've not had this experience in front of them. So it's hard to say, well, this is how it usually happens. Well, we don't know now with these guys. They've never had best on best. So, yeah, listen, I'm not going to lie. The second that I saw the news that Austin was out again,

I immediately thought of the Four Nations ramifications just because I'm so excited to lie, the second that I saw the news that Austin was out again, I immediately thought of the Four Nations ramifications just because I'm so excited to cover that tournament. And obviously in the perfect world, I want him there. Yeah, for sure. You know, we'll see. No, it's tough. I mean, and it's emotional because he hasn't had the opportunity. I'm not downplaying it.

I mean, I'd love to see him play in it. I think it'd be great. As a Canadian, you know, I don't know how I'd feel about see him playing it I think it'd be great as a Canadian I don't know how I'd feel about him competing against Canada but that's the reality it would be amazing in a perfect world that's going to happen but it's not a perfect world

unfortunately because of the season and because of what's happened and the injuries it's not the Olympic Games that's another part of it. And by the way, just as a side note, knock on wood for Don Sweeney and John Cooper, and I just actually had a piece this week.

I sat down with John Cooper in Tampa, and man, has he jacked up about Four Nations and the Olympics, guys. Like, if body language could scream, I mean, John Cooper is all in for what this means to him and his career and what he wants to do for Team Canada. But knock on wood, it's funny because when Canada's roster was announced and he never pleased everyone in this country with the 23, one of the things I kept saying is, well, there's lots of time between December 4th and mid-February, there'll be

injuries. Well, there hasn't been for Canada. So I wonder if some of those bubble guys obviously you're hoping there aren't been for canada so i wonder if some of those bubble guys obviously you're you're you're hoping there aren't because that would be the ultimate but it's kind of weird that uh you know we haven't had this discussion yet team canada wise yeah oh we'll get there pierre we'll get there we got about five weeks still to go um all right we'll leave it there happy new year thank you for doing this thanks for not putting me on the spot with Mike McCarthy, and Happy New Year to all of us. Absolutely.

We'll leave it there. There's Pierre Lebrun, our TSN Hockey Insider. We've got a really cool giveaway coming up again. I think this is the third annual. TSN 1050 wants you to be our unofficial correspondent at the grittiest golf event of the year starting Monday. If you download the iHeartRadio app, create an account, and listen to TSN 1050 for at least

15 minutes straight, whether it's first up between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. or overdrive between 4 and 7 p.m., listen for 15 minutes and you'll receive an entry into the contest. The more you listen, the better your chances. Details at tsn1050.ca. I think we all know what

the grittiest sport event of the year is. That's a good one. Make sure you download the iHeartRadio app. Tune in. First up, Overdrive, the whole nine. All right, we'll come back with a list. What I'm still surprised we're talking about in 2025. Oh, I can't wait.

What is still a reality that I can't believe is still a reality. We'll get to that and more still to come. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on the TSN app. The weekend brings Hurry Up Tomorrow to Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles on January 25th for one night only. Get there with iHeartRadio. Two tickets to the show, flights, and hotel from tripcentral.ca

plus $500 cash. For your chance to win, enter every day at iHeartRadio.ca. And iHeartRadio Experience. The weekend in L.A. Powered by TripCentral.ca. The smarter way to book travel. All right, best bets brought to you by FanDuel later in the hour. Leafs Islanders tonight.

Canada, Czechia tonight. College playoffs continuing. Notre Dame was up early on Georgia. And... Bonesy must be stoked. Yeah,

he would be. Yeah. Yeah, the Irish are up 20-10 early in the third quarter. Oregon got stomped by Ohio State.

Oh, man. Like, that was crazy. That game was over by halftime. Yeah. Done. Done. It was 31-0. Yeah. With, man. That was crazy. That game was over by halftime. Yeah. Done. Done.

It was 31-0 with like eight minutes to go in the second quarter. A Jeremiah Smith kid, though. He looks like a stud. Ohio State stud. But every player's a little different. We were saying that about Marvin Harrison Jr. a couple years ago. And then he didn't drop in the draft, but he went fourth, I think. Went fourth.

And he hasn't had a great year. He's been okay. Not great. Different player, I get. But I'm a little bit hesitant to be like, he's a lock. First overall pick. Wow, I can't believe this. Yeah, I don't think we're talking that.

Well, Dan Orlovsky was saying that on first up. That, like, if he was on, not first up. That's our show, first up. First take. Get up. Get up and first take. That's what I was doing. I was saying that on first up. They're like, if he was on, not first up. That's our show, first up. Get up. Get up and first take. That's what I was doing. I was mashing the two up. He was saying if he was in the draft this year, he'd go first overall.

Like Orlovsky believed that. That that's how good this kid is. Which, you know. Heck of a game, though. Unbelievable. They're favored now. Yeah. For being the eighth seed.

They lose to Michigan, and now all of a sudden they're red hot. And exactly, they're expected to kind of roll. They're favored now. Yeah. For being the eighth seed. They lose to Michigan, and now all of a sudden they're red hot. And exactly, they're expected to kind of roll. They're playing Texas next? Yeah. Anyway. Okay, you guys ready for this list? It is a Thursday. This will continue into January.

Everyone loves Hazy B's list. How are we titling this? Hazy B Listin'. Five things I can't believe are still true in 2025. In no particular order here, out of respect to all five of these items. Number, not five, but the first one we'll get to. Alex Ovechkin is still a goal-scoring machine. It is 2025.

Now, the cherry pick against the Leafs was wild. Six on five. He's out by the other blue line. Credit to him. Read the plays was wild. Six on five. He's out by the other blue line. Credit to him. Read the play. He scored. It counts. That was cherry picking 101. In the National Hockey League, you don't see that often. But then he scored again the next game

for Washington. This guy was out for a month. He's back and he just picked up right where he left off. When you consider where he is, his age, they're first place in the league right now, or at least in the East. Points percentage. Yeah, and Winnipeg is still, I think, 55 points,

and I think they're at, what, 54 or 53. But Washington's been phenomenal, and he's right back in the saddle. Was there ever a point where you guys thought, it's going to level off, he's going to slow down? Yes. Because there were a couple points, like I remember his mid-20s, there was one season where it's like, eh, what's going on here? He had two seasons, Jonas.

Where it was like 32 goals or something, 33. Yeah, 25 and 26, 32 goals, 38 goals, and then, yeah. Yeah. That was it. And then it was a lockout year, I think, where he got it back. He scored a lot. And he won the MVP that year. Yeah, he did. 12-13. And then it was a lockout year, I think, where he got it back. He scored a lot. And he won the MVP that year. Yeah, he did.

12-13. And then it was like, all right, this guy's back. And then he had 51-53, 33, 49, 51, 48. Oh, it's incredible, man. So on, so on. It's incredible that he is still a guy you circle on the board and say, he probably is going to score tonight. Well, to answer the question, did I think there was a point he was going to fall off?

Yeah. Go back to the start of last year score tonight. Well, to answer the question, did I think there was a point he was going to fall off? Yeah. Go back to the start of last year. Right. Yeah, what? Maybe six, seven, eight goals at this point a year ago? Maybe that's how many he had. And he looked slow and old. They weren't a very good team. They stunk, and it's like,

oh, that's going to be tough. Yeah, you're right. He really started to think, maybe he won't catch it, or he's got to stick around for five years, and it's going to be tough. Yeah, you're right. He really started to think maybe he won't catch it or he's got to stick around for five years and it's going to look ugly. And then he had a great second half and he picked up right where he left off. Even the injury, it's like, okay, all right, maybe now we've got to wait until next year. I think it's still very much in play. I think it is too.

The way he's going, man. I mean, when he got hurt and the prognosis was you're out for like four to six weeks, I'm like, all right, done. You'll be back in four weeks. And he's already scoring and playing the same amount of minutes and doing what he always does. The guy is an absolute machine. All right, what else am I in a scenario here where I can't believe

this is still true in 2025? LeBron versus Steph is still the biggest draw of the NBA. Yeah, that Christmas game was awesome. It was a great game. Highest ratings the biggest draw of the NBA. Yeah, that Christmas game was awesome. It was a great game. Highest ratings of the year for the NBA. Primetime game. It was coming off the NFL game, so it actually set up beautifully for the NBA

because the two NFL games ended and it went right into primetime with LeBron and Steph. But this is at the core of what is concerning for the NBA and their future. 100%. LeBron's 40 now. It's remarkable. He's 40, and he's still doing it, and he's still moving the needle.

Steph is still moving the needle. Warriors, good team. Lakers, very mediocre. But it's still those two guys. If you're looking for one bonanza, one game, big ratings, big buzz, it's still LeBron versus Steph. Christmas night, prime time, 8 p.m. tip-off. Exactly.

LeBron's step. But you couldn't have any other two guys that would give you that. No, you can't. What do you think the NHL's version of that is? Is it still Obi Crosby? Is there a new one? I guess it would still be Sid Novy. Like Matthews McDavid, Lee Soilers, that still moves the needle.

That's big in this country. Yeah, I'm not sure that. You know they get big down south, American, face of America, and Austin Matthews. I can't speak for the markets. I don't know. Is there one? Maybe there isn't one.

I don't think there is. It should be Sidney Crosby versus Alex Ovechkin. It shouldn't be anymore. Those guys are at different points in their career. No, but same with LeBron and Steph. Yeah, but you're saying that's not a good thing. No, no, exactly. But what I'm saying is the equivalent is Sid versus Ovi.

For 20 years, those two have gone at each other and they've had a great history and they're two all-time great players. What moves the needle the most? A 1v1? Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I think in this country it's clearly McDavid. It's McDavid-Matthews in this country.

That goes without saying. Yeah, Sid McKinnon. McKinnon versus McDavid. It should be probably McKinnon versus McDavid. Because then you get McCar, you get dry subtle, you get everything. That's probably the game that should bring the most eyes. Not sure it actually would, though. No.

And LeBron Curry was kind of forged in the finals. Like, they were going, I think it was four or five straight finals. Four straight years. Yeah. And the two faces of a generation. Like, LeBron kind of is on his own. And then it's Steph, KD. Yeah.

Like, that's it. All right. Five things I can't believe are still true in 2025. John Tavares could score 40 goals. And he's on pace to do it. Do you know how many 40-goal seasons he's had in his career? One. Correct.

His first year in Toronto. Isn't that surprising? Amazing. A little bit. And that's what I'm saying here. This is the seventh year of his deal. He's 34 years old. And statistically, he's putting up better numbers than he has in any of the previous six other than that first one. Over, under

39.5. I'm going to take the under, though. I would take the under. I'm going to take the under. I'm going to say over because of this Matthews scenario. I don't know how much he's going to play. I don't know when Matthews is going to step in. Is Matthews going to be the guy that draws the attention of the opponents?

Is Perube going to trust Matthews? Is he going to play a ton of minutes? Is everything going to run through him? If it's not, then John's going to get all those minutes. I mean, John's the guy that's going to run through. He's also going to get the top pairings. That's fine. He's done very well so far this year. I think it's close.

I mean, I wouldn't be surprised. He's not scoring like 50. No. I think if he gets to 40, it's 41, 42, 43. But what if they played 38 games? 19 goals? Do the math. Do the math.

Got it. He's on pace. Five things I can't believe are still true in 2025. The Blue Jays have done nothing. Nothing. They made the Guardians trade. Nothing. That's something Guardians trade. Nothing. That's something.

Is it, little brother? Is it? I thought you were going to go a different direction with the Blue Jays. What were you expecting? The fact that in 2025, we're still banking on internal improvement. Well, I don't want to accept that reality yet

because the offseason isn't over yet. Right? Santander is still out there. Bregman's still out there. There's a couple of impact arms still available. There are guys you can still bring into the fold that would help fill out the roster. I don't know if it's going to happen.

I understand that. They never go out and get these guys. That's what I'm saying. We're into 2025. Nothing. Corbin Burns. What is so aggravating is, and I don't even think you can blame the team because it's not like they're coming out

and saying this at a press conference that we were in on this guy. Yeah. But every single prominent free agent. Oh, Jays were interested. Always. Jays put in a big offer. Jays were going to give them the most money.

I don't know if any of it's true. I'm sure some of it is true. But Cor corbin burns who else was possibly coming up here obviously soto and otani was maybe going to happen max freed maybe they were in on before he signed with the yankees um hey oscar hernandez were they going to circle back on tail he said no thank you i'm going back to the dodgers like they ran on a bellinger trade, too, weren't they? Was it Bellinger? Connected to them. Connected to them.

Again, connection. They're connected to everybody. Didn't happen to them. And yet nothing's happened. They still have a runway here. There's still guys out there. But with every passing day, it becomes more and more obvious that this could be very troublesome.

Yeah. And they really could be a big, big conundrum here. Well, and what happens with Vladi is the question. Well, and that's another thing. Vladi's now doing interviews. Yeah. Saying, well, they offered me this. And I've given them a number I'd signed today.

Like, that's the worst thing that this front office in ownership could ever have on the record. Yeah. That Vladi is saying, I don't want to leave. All you got to do is pay me that number and I'll sign it right now and I'm a Blue Jay for life. If you had to guess that number, what do you think it is?

500. He has to? Yeah. 500. Now, I think he would sign for less than that, but that's probably the number that they have told them. Give me half a bill

and I'm a Blue Jay for life. You work out the years. If you want it to be a 15-year deal, if you want it to be 10, this is it. You're not going to get another deal at the end where you're making all the money. Would you sign that if you were the Jays? Listen, it's not my money, so it's easy for me to say yes. Yeah, but just pretend you're Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro. If you want to continue to put forth the front that you're competing yes you have to okay you you can't have it both ways

there's no salary cap in baseball like i get it there's no there's the the floor that you can hit or but there's no reason to not pay him the money and was it corbin burns too i thought there was reports that he came out and basically said, like, I don't know what's happening with Vladdy, therefore I'm not sure I want to go to Toronto. And it really, in my opinion, the fact that they don't have it settled what they want to do with him is crippling this team.

Like, they got to figure out this year before spring training because he also came out on the podcast and said, I got till spring. Which, I'm not sure i necessarily believe that any athlete because it's day one i'm not doing it all right day two here's 500 million no not signing it really yeah you know what i mean like it's an artificial it's him trying to have some leverage which i understand um but i do think there's something to that pitching free agents they're not committed to anybody long termterm. They're committed to like Barrios and Varshow.

Like, that's it. Springer's got a couple years. Now Jimenez. And now Jimenez. So there you go. They did do something. They brought in someone else that they can pitch. Defense, baby.

Possible free agents. But I don't think you can have both, where you can claim that you're competitive and you want to win, but not pave lines. How would you feel if they traded him for a bunch of stuff? I would be fine with that. I would be fine with that if they were fully transparent and said

we're tearing this down and it's going to be ugly and it's going to be Raptors like but by 2030 we want to be the Orioles, or even better yet, we want to be what the Astros were in 2013 or 2014. Again, that's painful.

I don't know if they're going to do it. I don't know if they have the stomach for it. I think it's difficult. I understand why that's very difficult to commit to, but that's the only explanation. Not we're too cheap to pay the guys, so we have to flip them. That's a horrible message. I wouldn't put it past them but that messaging i think is crippling right we're not

willing to pay the guy that we signed we developed he came through our system worth all that that's a different story he's worth what someone's willing to pay him yeah if the red socks are willing to pay him 500 million then he's he's worth $500 million. Okay. Yeah, fair. I mean, that's what it is. Yeah, no, you're right. Like, is Soto worth $768 million? Of course he is. Like, obviously, is Corbin Burns worth $216 million or whatever?

I don't know. He's a really good arm. It's a lot of money. It's a huge commitment. And the truth is, It's just like position. I don't know. Performance to this point has not been Soto-like. It's been inconsistent.

It's been inconsistent. The last four years, he's had two great years and two very mediocre years. Yeah. Well, and even... Yeah, okay. All right. I wouldn't consider last year a great year. I think it was a good year.

He had a great year last year. He had like 30 home runs. 32 home runs. He had a slow start. Look at his numbers. Yeah, he took off when the team was out of it. Isn't that anything? You take out April onward, I think he had an OPS at 1,000.

He was phenomenal. April's part of the season. I get that, but it's a six-month year. Five to six months, MVP. I don't know. 30 home runs? Okay. I'll look up the exact total.

Soto's not exactly hitting 55 home runs. He hit 40 last year. But anyway. Okay. Soto's a better player. Soto is a better player. I'm not arguing against that. We're not making that argument.

Just say, Vladdy, good year. Great year last season. Yes. He's an all-star. Come on, Jonas. I don't dump it on Vladdy's year, man. He had a great year last year. He had a lot of content.

30 home runs. Yeah. Okay. What was the OPS? 940. Poof. Very good. 30 home runs. Yeah. Okay. What was the OPS? 9.40. Whew. Very good. Lights out.

Very good. The year before, 7.88. The year before, 8.18. Exactly. And the year before that, 9.50 something. 1,000. 1,000. There you go.

Yeah. Now, that was playing in Buffalo. Yeah. But still. All right. Finally, before we get out of here, the final thing I can't believe is still true in 2025. This might surprise you. Oh.

Sam Darnold. Oh, yeah. That's what I was expecting. No cup in Canada? Is that what you thought? No, I thought there would be for sure a Leaf one. A Leaf one? What am I going to say?

Nothing surprises me with this team. They finally won a round, though, a couple years ago. Nothing surprises me with this team. Okay. Nothing. There's nothing. I am a beaten down ago. Nothing surprises me with this team. Nothing. There's nothing. I am a beaten down individual when it comes to the league.

There's nothing that they could do. Sam Darnold, what's the finish it off there? Just that he's legit. That's it. That Sam Darnold, I thought hot September, okay October, weak November, by December, you're like, I knew who this guy was. Can I ask you a question? Yes.

Who would you rather have, Darnold or Jordan Love moving forward? Jordan Love. Yeah, I think that's the right answer. If I'm Minnesota, Sam Darnold or J.J. McCarthy, it's Sam Darnold. You cannot move off Darnold now for an unknown project quarterback. And this is a bad draft. You can get a haul for J.J. McCarthy in this draft. He would be QB1.

You trade him. QB1 in this draft. You trade him. You could get a haul. All day. You got to commit to Darnold. Yeah. Best Bets brought to you by FanDuel coming up. Overdrive continues.

TSN 1050 and on the T. The weekend brings Hurry Up Tomorrow to Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles on January 25th for one night only. Get there with iHeartRadio. Two tickets to the show, flights and hotel from TripCentral.ca, plus $500 cash. For your chance to win, enter every day at iHeartRadio.ca. You guys are beautiful. An iHeartRadio experience the weekend in LA.

Powered by TripCentral.ca. The smarter way to book travel. All right, today's best bets powered by Fando. Make your picks and assemble a same-game parlay in seconds on the Fando Sportsbook app. I think Matthew Nye is going to get going here. Anytime goal scoring. You're not getting great odds, but I'll hammer it tonight.

I think he gets back on the board plus 280. And I'm going the under tonight in general. I think the Leafs are probably going to win. I think he gets back on the board plus 280. And I'm going the under tonight in general. I think the Leafs are probably going to win. I feel good about a win against the Islanders. I could see it being very similar to the game two days ago. Boring? Yeah. More or less. Terrible game.

Well, the Islanders are a terrible team. Terrible team. And the Leafs are in kind of like a survival mode right now. Yeah. Like they're trying to get through it. Like Ekman Larson's returning tonight. He missed the game the other day due to illness. Joseph Wall's going to play.

Third straight game? They got a lot of games coming up. They do. And we don't know when his partner's going to be returning. We got a back-to-back this weekend. Do you think it's more likely he'll be, or do we see another Matt Murray call-up? That's a good question. I bet Murray.

I think it's probably Murray. Yeah, listen, we had our conversation about I would have kept going with Hildeby, but I think once you've committed to Murray, he's a veteran guy, you're probably going to give him more than two games. Yeah. Right? Like, he's not, you're going to let him knock the rust off I think they value his presence

I think they value the fact that he's been grinding for them I have an appreciation for that They'll probably play Murray But I think his leash is pretty short Right But he just hasn't played a lot of games Even coming back for the Marlies I think he played the other day

So he's probably played nine or ten games for the Marlies. He hasn't played. That's been two years. Yeah, it's been a long time. And even prior to that, the years before, he had a lot of injury problems. Yes. He hasn't played a lot of hockey in like five years.

Yeah, and they've got to play better in front of him too. Defensively, they have not played very well the last month, really. Yeah. Yeah, they're in a weird little dip in the season. The winter blues. Dog days. Dog days. Why do they call it the dog days? I don't know. What is it against dogs? I couldn't tell you. Not good.

I'll do some research. Alright, Partsy, the hat looks great on you. Thank you. Hazenbro champion. I'll be wearing it very proudly over the next weekend. Yeah, am I going to have contact with you? We're in the playoffs next week. Oh, there will be contact. They got Wi-Fi. I'm not going to the Amazon forest here.

There'll be Wi-Fi. There'll be contact. We'll definitely, we'll talk before we get our picks next week. I'm going to the playoffs alone. Al's brother's cruising during the wild card weekend. Crazy. All right, good seeing you guys. Jonas.

Thanks, man. Thanks, as always. Jonas Siegel of The Athletic, Al's brother. All the guys behind the scenes, appreciate it. We appreciate everyone tuning in as well. Jonas. Thanks. Thanks as always. Jonas Siegel of the athletic Al's brother, all the guys behind the scenes. Appreciate it. We appreciate everyone tuning in as well. Happy new year. We're out of here. Enjoy your evenings. Enjoy the games tonight. We're back tomorrow at 4 PM. We'll chat then.