OverDrive - OverDrive - March 25, 2024 - Hour 2

Episode Date: March 25, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jason Strudwick for Hour 2 on OverDrive! TSN Hockey Analyst Mike Johnson joins to discuss the Maple Leafs' depth on the roster, Scott Laughton meshing with the team and the goaltending trajectory with the team. The guys discuss the headlines around the sports world in the latest edition of Confirm or Deny and the Maple Leafs' matchup against the Flyers.

Whatever you want to achieve in life, a money plan can bring everything into focus. It may be long-term for your retirement or shorter term, like saving for a down payment on a home. A detailed money plan provides peace of mind, allowing you to take advantage of opportunities and prepare for the unexpected. If you don't have one, get one and review your plan every three years. Kelvin the Money Guy can help. Call 416-457-PLAN or visit askkelvin.ca. Hour two overdrive continues powered by FanDuel bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. Brian Hazy or Doug Jeff O'Neill, Jason Strudwick. Big hour here. Mike Johnson coming up here in a few moments. Confirm or deny, aka Strud or Dud in half an hour. So we look forward to that.

Need this weather to go away ASAP. Yeah, it's so depressing when it was so nice here a week ago. Dude, you thought like Strud, how far away from golf are you out in Edmonton? We're flirting with it. We're flirting. I bet you two, three weeks, man, I'll have the old wrenches out. Yeah. What about you guys? Well, that's the plan, but you look at the like 14-day forecast, it's like three degrees, four degrees, five degrees garbage.

We need a bunch of 10s and 15s, man. You got to give me a week of 10 plus. Then you can get outside, you can start doing things, things start growing a little bit. I am jacked up for golf, man I had to I didn't slight you a little bit, but I got all dolled up and Peter miller stuff Yeah, and I had to say my style is Not the same as like I'm more of a do you think you're more stylish on the call?

I just said me okay, but I just had to say we go about it different We're different golfers and we like it there. Let's have a Peter Malar off on fire I will have a Malar off whenever you want. We'll have a poll who did it better done Happy who hits it deeper which one of you two guys? Oh can hit the ball further than I can like that That's not really a debate ready There's only one way this guy competes his first comments on the first tier, how many shots do I get? Yeah. And he licks his chops.

Absolutely. That's what I need. If your cap is dialed in, my cap's dialed in, I can take you down. Not all the time, but that's the beauty of the cap system, right, Strud? It's the great equalizer. So what is it, a choke a hole? Is that what you're at? No, not that many.

I mean, you... What do you give me? It's probably a nine pack. Yeah it's it's probably like four a side you know it's something it's something like that it's probably eight or nine strokes but you put that type of number in play I show up and play you get no shot like you know that. I know if I'm getting eight or nine strokes and I can I'm capable of shooting a 77 78 you know deal with this on a regular I just don't know why you can't man up and say let's just play golf but why that but that's what you would you do that with Scottie Scheffler

right now like if you've Scott you were playing Scottie Scheffler right now for money would you just say stroke play Scottie he'd laugh at you and say dude I'm gonna shoot a 65 and you're gonna get dusted dude I did it I did it in Carolina with a tour player okay Dudley Dudley Hart. Ray Shepard was buddies with Dudley Hart and we went to a course and played and I said to Dudley, let's have a nine hole match. He said, how many shots do you want? I said zero. I took him down on 18 with a birdie. That's how you- You're kidding me.

Dude, I swear to God. Get Ray Shepard on the phone. Okay. Get Dudley Hart on the phone. I want to hear from Dudley Hart. Was he a caddy? Like, is this, was he actually on the Okay, Dudley Hart on the phone. I want to hear from Daddy hard Was he a caddy like is this was he actually on the tour Dudley Hart which tour the Hooters tour? It wasn't the PGA tour dude Google doogie Dudley never heard of that guy. I like Coda winter tour Exactly the Midwest Hooters disrespectful Dudley Hart was an established tour pro Dudley her after the Sun Lee Hart has won on tour okay I challenge that challenge flag exactly Dudley Hart there he is okay let me quickly look this up nice

actually not bad yeah he's got two wins on tour thank you very much actually he won the RBC Canadian Open at that point. It was the Bell Canadian Open. How could you be so disrespectful? Canadian Open winner. Why don't we get Dudley Hart up this year? Get him up to Osprey Valley. Get him out to TPC. We got to get Dudley Hart in the Pro-Am at TPC Toronto. He's not playing anymore. But he's not. He could be an honorary captain. Right, Strud? I like the idea of bringing up duds how many how many beers did he have in this round went a hole there was not one That's a good question. So was he bought something? How long was he playing left-handed dude nothing happened? I just said to him. Let's have a nine hole match

You know where this guy hand me over to him. He's from Rochester. He lives in Buffalo Get this week. We got to get a match make it happen get Ray Shepard on the line I guarantee you the connect with I live in Buffalo full-time he would be down in South Florida it's I mean Wikipedia is always right accurate always accurate and it says that he is born in Rochester New York and his current residence is Buffalo New York he might be might be at the same, he might be with Noodles tonight. He could be watching the Sens and the Sabres. He could be right behind Noodles staring at his bald spot right behind the bench tonight.

He could be doing that. River Ridge. That's where I took him down. Okay. Carolina. River Ridge. Okay. Dudley Hart.

Howard Dudley Hart. I'm going to talk to some people at Golf Canada, TPC Toronto, I'm gonna get the wheels in motion. We gotta get him up to Osprey Valley. And you gotta challenge him again and we'll play it out right. You gotta hear his story though, his side of the story. Probably like I was hung over, I was not feeling good, pulled my back. Dude, he better have been feeling good. He was playing the greater Greensboro open a couple days later He was looking at Tia before the tournament Wow and what that could not have been good for his confidence if he lost to you

It was a night was with you. You guys are making a big deal. I know it's a professional a professional should never lose Yeah, to like a scratch golfer. Yeah, you're a player, but yeah, you brought it up You couldn't wait to bring that one up. I bring the gravy up. I've never heard this Dudley Hart story I've never heard anything about you beating Dudley I know for a fact that I have brought that story up before question years on the radio. I brought that up I don't recall ever hearing that name before Dudley Hart Okay, what do we got? We got Johnny coming up here in a moment. We should, okay, he's calling the game tonight. Lee's Flyers will get to that. We got a bunch of games tonight. See Jacob Chickering got an eight-year deal in Washington. Nine million per season.

To me, this seems incredibly rich and it just feels like a scenario. I credit the player. Great for him, awesome. He's had a remarkable season, everything's going in, everything's going right for Washington. But I don't know where you stand on this strut, were you expecting a Jacob Chickren eight-year, $72 million deal? Well, you see the number and you see the years and you're doing the math in your head because you know what, in my mind, it wasn't nine. I'm like, what's eight times eight? What's eight times seven? Eight times, you're going through it, you're like, oh my God, he got nine million a year.

Well, I think obviously the cap going up inflates it a bit. But I don't know, that's a big number, a really, really big number, but maybe we should just become used to it. There's a guy in Empton, Evan Bouchard, who's probably very happy today to see that from checkering. Yeah, well, what do you think Bouchard's gonna... He hasn't had a great year based on his standards. His numbers are gonna start at nine that was the going rate for a stud defenseman three years ago yeah when Dougie top 50 Dougie signed I mean Kale McCarroll oh yeah it was it

was the going rate nine. Well now like the top dog I think is Dowdier Carlson at 11 million that's right for defensemen Here's Mike Johnson or TSN hockey analyst joining us here the maple Toyota hotline. What what is your what should be the ceiling? I guess for you know defensemen like let's say Quinn Hughes or Kale McCarr were free agents on July 1st What kind of cap hit number do you think they'd get? For a full-length term yeah for seven or eight years 14 or 15 million dollars yeah I mean it's gonna be that there right now like that's the nature of where the cap is headed which

is why it's gonna be hard to sign those kind of players super long term because it almost takes us to a number that seems unreasonable in the shorter term. But you guys are right, like, I like to think I'm quite accurate at projecting contracts. And so I heard Chickward sign, I'm like, oh, what, seven times seven and a half, something like that? Not even, not even a lot. Johnny, like, would he have said no?

Like, if they offered that, would he have said, absolutely not, I'm insulted by that? It's been a great fit, but it just seems like that wasn't there in Arizona, that wasn't there in Ottawa, and all of a sudden that's what he is, and it just seems like to be jumping the gun a little bit as good a player as he is. Yeah, I mean you fall in love with the situation if you're Washington, obviously everything's done so well for them this year, but the challenge for Chickert is not necessarily when he's healthy and right if he's a good player. I think he's shown that he is that. He just has sometimes an

issue staying healthy and right and he's a guy you know he's got the weird taking care of his body routines but he's very dialed into how he feels and well he's incredible but when he doesn't feel good it affects him so that would be my concern going eight years for him like well how many of those years will he be relatively healthy the entire time especially as he gets older but Strati said it we just have to continually quickly adjust our scale higher we can't say that guy's not a seven million dollar player because what we think of a seven million dollar player is actually a nine

million dollar player. It's just where it's going and then Strati will know more about it than most the next little while we're trying to get Mick David's sign. Like what's he gonna be worse if he goes eight years? They can't even pay him enough money. Like he's not even allowed to get the 20% number is not high enough to get him on an eight-year contract That's the nature of a cap. That's gonna be going up ten million dollars a year Yeah, it's incredible and and like defensemen They're like their contracts have not matched, you know, they're like the number one

You know superstar center has always been the pace car and that likely continues with McDavid Dry settles up there Matthews is up there But you look at these defensemen like last night, Quinn Hughes, Quinn Hughes plays over 31 minutes last night. This guy is so good, Hayes. It's unbelievable how good he is. And like that was such a big win for them. And then down the road,

Wurensky played 33 minutes last night in Columbus, won a massive game in pursuit of a playoff spot like between the two of them They played over an hour last night in the greater New York area But dude back in the day Chris Pronger and Nick Lindstrom did that on the nightly on the nightly Well, and there's no clutching and grabbing and it's not a slogan I mean not that it was a slow game back then but it's so fast now Johnny and these guys are just they're so so good Yeah, and so there might be obviously there's two defenders who have separate themselves from everyone right that's Kaila Carr That's Quinn Hughes those two I think they take themselves out of

The rest of the group because of what they could do the fact that they can impact the game offensively they can play so much So those guys should and I imagine will be dragged to the very highest of numbers in a couple years when their contracts are up and part of the reason why Colorado towed the line so hard on Rantenden because they know the car is coming he's gonna be a 15 million dollar player 16 million 17 like you don't know when the caps 130 million dollars in a few years. Morenski, he's getting there. He's certainly having that kind of year this year.

But there's not that many number one defensively who can do both, right? Both shut it down defensively, kill penalties, play against their team's best line, but also drive offense, score 20 plus goals every year, get 85, 90 points. There's only a few, but those few guys, you're right, they should no longer be

Stunted relative to the offensive players. They they should probably like talk about value Can you imagine work Columbus without Wren ski? I mean he should get part you should heart trophy of votes this year for what he's done in Columbus. Yeah, he's been he's been phenomenal Johnny you talked about those numbers like you think there's going to be pushback from teams i mean we've already who knows what's going on behind the scenes in in toronto but of players are asking for these amounts that you have just mentioned

like fifty and sixteen seventeen our teams gonna say you're gonna have to get that somewhere else are like is there going to be any pushback's like I'm not sure about that for sure oh for sure oh but I mean I think nobody wants to get into a percentage of cap conversation right now but it's a very easy argument to make if you're a 10% player today you're a nine million dollars eight eight point eight million dollar player right if you're a 10% player for sure or you're a 12 million dollar player

that's just it's not about dollars it's about the value of to the team if you're the exact same player in the exact same situation and it's hard for a team to convince me oh no no no we still got to pay you eight like that's not how it worked yeah that's a good way to put it I've never really thought about it like that so and the ball and the other problem is oh yes like Jeff O'Neil's team he's like sorry dude we don't pay dude 14 million dollars you're not worth it. Problem is Mike Johnson team says oh yes we do and then then you hold in line is useless because you're losing good players that you would otherwise want to

keep they're just going elsewhere for a number you don't want to pay. Yeah but what if I have a couple eight million dollar players that are really good and I have depth and I can get it done and you don't because you want to blow your brains out on 17 million dollar players but it's still just a percentage right like I think we also have to reset our mind to say this is now where it's at like look at NFL quarterbacks the amount they make so I think you just have to reset and say what was lunch X is now X plus 30 or 40% okay let me give you an example study because your boy here just

said you know what that's the percentage and that's what you got To pay a guy Danny Dime said you got to pay me 45 million dollars And they did it and look what they got but if you just say that's what we got to pay you That's what you're gonna get trash. Yeah It's all leverage. Oh, right like Edmonton gonna save that to Conor Mcdavitt. Sorry, man Well, I'm gonna go 15 and no more else, right? No, but it's some guy that's not going on and putting up stats and performing in the playoffs regular season just says on the temper center guy you gotta give me this

there's a there's there's a certain situations where you can say go stuff it yet but the top story is pick your spot pick your spot we started conversation with jacob chicrin who we all know the nice defender just signed for nine or seven and two without batting an eye. And the cap hasn't gone anywhere yet.

The cap is still the same, although it's going places. You know what I mean? Like, he's not walking into a cap world of 120. Three, four years, like, it's, it's, this is where it's going to be headed. Now, oh, there will always be an argument. Would you be better off taking that 14 million, find two good players for seven, and your time of team a better chance of

winning that goes to roster construction philosophy there is that conversation is very much in play but the scary part oh seven million dollar player in three years is a third It's gonna be Bobby McMan. Yeah. You know what I mean? And like maybe seven might be like, like somebody like that, you're like, that guy's not moving the needle.

Two of those guys are not gonna win us the cup either. So this is just the new reality. You just gotta get used to it. Yeah, it's just the way it is. And we've seen it in other sports, right? The numbers these guys are getting. At hockey, slower. Oh, a basketball strategy, right?

Yeah, basketball, I mean, football, it's crazy crazy. I mean the numbers are crazy, but that's you just and I'm not saying this right or wrong, but that's just the math. It's just math. That's all it is once you get to a certain point. Johnny, we'll shift gears a little bit. Looking at the Toronto Maple Leafs and their situation. So you know, who do you look at to kind of got to find their game this last stretch as they head towards what they're hoping is if not first, at least second in their own division? Alright, so there's basically two situations that I would identify, Strati, that are sort

of paramount for the Leafs. The one is the obvious one, and that is the third line, and they've talked about it an awful lot. They traded for Scott Lawton, they gave up a first rounder. We all know that. Fully understanding and sympathetic to the significant adjustment in his life that is going on and the pressure he's feeling here in Toronto. But they have to figure out, is that guy better than what he's shown? How do we get this guy looking like the guy we think he's supposed to be in the team? How do we get our third line with whatever combination of personnel to be a viable,

we're playing camp in the first round. We need a third line we can trust in most situations and not just hide and hope. How do we work that out? Starting tonight, they got Lawton on the wing, Dome in the middle, Nick Robertson on the other side. I don't know if that's it, but that's number one. Number two is

while the numbers have actually been very good for Carlo and Riley, I'm gonna call them the second pair now for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brandon Carlo has come in he actually has done very much what he's supposed to do which is steady yeti, tilt the ice, good underlying numbers and not get scored against and don't worry about points just have the puck in the offensive end. He's done that but I still think Morgan Reilly is if he can elevate his play just a little bit and make that pair that much better. Morgan Reilly we saw when they beat Tampa a few years ago in the playoffs.

If those two things sort themselves out they will be the favorites to win the series whether it starts at home or on the road In the first round and if they don't they're probably the underdog like that's how tight the series will be and that's how important Those two situations are to me. Yeah, I would agree with you and I think like that's a really in the weeds Answer which we live in the weeds, but I think like and what I mean by that is like on a micro level You got to have a third line What's gonna happen that second pairing? But I come back on a on a on a macro level and say are the best players gonna be good enough And will the goalie play well enough like it you know what I'm saying like that doesn't need to change

I just need to be proven. I understand that I understand It's not that's not what you're being asked but in terms of the big picture right like Stolar's got to be good well obviously but he has been good does he have to be good the playoffs of course there's not keys to winning this is what they got to answer them down the stretch keys to winning is always a goalie is not played rest of the playoffs I imagine if the playoffs started tomorrow Stolar's would be the guy that's a question for sure he's never done it and like you said and like we've always said chatting the big guys and Austin actually the last week has looked fresher spryer quicker yep and he has at times this year which is great news for the

Mableys can those guys get it done in the playoffs at five on five and and be the difference makers winning a series that's what it's gonna boil down to but yeah I think they already know and they don't know what those guys look like already to see if it will or won't is just will it or won't it johnny you mentioned matthews fresher quicker spryer however you want to describe it

how do you handicap the chances that that can continue until the end of the season and if they're going to do what they want to do a long time after that mini Jerry. Yeah mini Jerry I don't know was it 50-50 maybe 70-30 that it doesn't because if it was like a will to do it he will he's obviously so good he would have done it previously right yeah he was just like a mental thing I got to play harder he would have done that I don't think it's that.

If it's a physical thing, like he's feeling physically better or he's gotten treatment that allows him to move better, okay, does that last for three months? I don't know, if it does, why didn't they do it earlier? Or maybe they can't do it that many times? Or is it just a week where his body's feeling better after months of his body not feeling quite perfect? I guess I'm leery of given how long this has lingered

for him, which is like literally since training camp, that it's all of a sudden gonna fix itself while playing through the hardest part of the season. I'm glad it has for him and for the Maple Leaf, but I guess I'm not positive it's gonna stay that way because just the medicine behind it without knowing what's wrong with him, it seems unlikely that all of a sudden he turned the corner in March 10th and is like, oh, I'm feeling better now, when he hadn't been able to turn that same corner with all the stuff he's been through this year.

Yeah. Yeah, it's going to be a topic of discussion between now and the playoffs, still a month away with Mike Johnson, our T hockey analyst leaves Flyers tonight you know the third line is a topic of discussion on a daily basis and you mentioned Lawton's there with Domi and Robertson do you could you do you think they're committed to this top six like do you think Barube is just committed it's gonna be nice Matthews Marner McMahon DeVaris Nylander or do you still think he may be open to the idea of mixing Some of the pieces up and trying to spread the wealth a little bit like who well, I don't know Do you like that 100% not committed to Bobby McMahon being there all the time? Okay, and McMahon's interchangeable

But could you see a scenario where Nylander moves down? They tried it before and he quickly reverted and put him back with Tavares could you see a scenario where maybe does Tavares move down to the third line and you move Lotton up or Domi up and they stay with those wingers McMahon and Nylander like could I don't I'm not holding my breath because we're it's game 71 tonight and that hasn't really happened he's been fairly committed but could do you think that's a possibility and do you think that would be wise to try to spread it out a little bit to try to balance out your top three lines I think I mean there's always a

possibility as you mentioned it is far less likely and those guys change at this point in the year heading the playoffs now you get to the playoffs who knows it goes poorly all bets are off they may do anything but I think the plan is Those five guys are those five guys and the first line is gonna stay and tomorrow the Nylander are gonna stay and they better Hope the letter is just outrageously good Which he largely has been to help drive that line at five on five Now McMahon could swap for Domi McMahon could swap for lot and McMahon like that Six spot could go to any number of players depending

on what you're trying to get out of the second line, what you're getting out of the third line. But I don't think, no, Hayes, that it's going to be likely, unless something strange happens, then it's probably a bad sign if it goes down the road. I think this is a team, this is how they built it, this is how they plan on running it for better or for worse. And I don't see, you know, you could put Willie down there, better for worse. And I don't see, you can put Willie down there, but Willie and Max, I don't know.

I don't see really natural spits to spread them out through three lines and expecting it to be significantly better. Johnny, what is the identity though that Craig is looking for in that third line? He wants energy, speed, a bit of physicality and you know you'd like to be able to play the puck a little bit but mostly just energy and you know add pace to the game and give problems with your pace and your kind of willingness to battle around the puck and you know Robertson

is smaller but he's been actually doing that. As you know, he gets around it. Now he's the smallest. You'd like him to be the third of the three guys doing it, not the first of the three guys. Lawton and Domi can bring that. And I think that's what they're looking for. He understands, like, they're not gonna score a bundle.

But you know, like still, Nick Robertson in his weird year is scoring around a 20 goal pace. Max Domi, we know he just he hates scoring goals He only wants assists and lot and trying to figure out his game here But could they all score at a 15 goal pace at five on five if you do that That's a goal every other game right 45 goals at the goal every other game If that line scores two or three goals in a seven game series, that's all you're looking for the way that he's built that's all you're looking for when it comes with the energy and the

irritation and the in your face and like sort of that's the identity he's looking for whether they have it whether it's in them whether they can do it I guess they're trying to figure it out maybe even starting tonight but that's what we're looking for Strudy. With Mike Johnson our TSN hockey analyst feels like a big game for Scott Lawton tonight like against his former team doesn't it ever gotta have a game tonight I think it's important for him because it hasn't gone his way like don't show your team like don't be yucking it up with your boys and like yeah hugs in the hallway like just get to business and knock someone on their ass and like deal with the

demons tonight and move on because if you see a guy that hasn't been getting it done. Grab Travis Kinnakne and say no we're not friends right now. That's it. I'm showing you and me and my new team, I'm in this new team. There's no more orange, I got no orange sneakers on, I'm with you. And you guys are so right, like the topic of conversation this morning was him and there's been lots of articles written about his emotional departure and I get it. Like it's, we all sort of understand what that's like.

But I also am, the reality of our business is it's been- Time limit on everything. Time limit on everything, including the grace of our understanding. And I get it, like family, kids, all of it. I mean, we all understand it. But yeah, given that it's his former team, it would be the perfect night

to turn the page, find the closure in your mind and in your heart, and just, you know, get comfortable with the new guys and show them what you can do and then springboard yourself down the stretch. That is 100% the hope because if it doesn't happen tonight, you're like, come on man, they keep like, bring it tonight. You're really hoping for him that he can. Johnny, I think the most important thing for him to do is narrow the focus and that's what I would tell him if I sat down beside him. You don't have to think about being traded to the Leafs and being a key part to them getting it done and being traded for a first-round draft pick. Just narrow the focus to I want to score a goal tonight or I want to be the hardest working

player on the ice or I want to be the best penalty killer and just stop trying to think of everything that's happened in the last two weeks and put it all out on the ice at the same time. Just really try to narrow the focus and if he starts there he should have success. So oh different situation but same same story. My very first game of my career, obviously college kid, not drafted, I don't know anything about the NHL,

I'm nervous as you can't even imagine. And Larry Murphy doesn't even know my name, literally doesn't know my name, he sits down beside me in the locker room, I'm terrified, I'm near tears, I can't talk to anyone, I'm so nervous, and he just said, hey kid, because he doesn't, first of all I'm terrified. I'm near tears. I can't talk to anyone. I'm so nervous. And he just said, hey kid, because he doesn't, I'm first of all I'm 23, but I'm a kid. He just looked at me calmly and said, whatever it is that got you here, just do

that. You'll be fine. It was the most spreeing moment of my career maybe. A three-second throwaway comment by a Hall of Famer to me allowed me to park everything you're talking about narrow the focus to do what you do and forget all the other noise and the circumstance and all of it and it's amazing because everyone is Scott Lawton is here to be good for a reason because he can play a certain way if he could just get out of his own way which is what Murph allowed me to do then he'll give himself the best chance so you're exactly right everyone to say it to him

we bring in martha if you want to get he was on like it was by changing the five-second unbelievable for was the picture like kevin costner he'd say in that one movie and i have a mechanism and just like narrow the focus clear the mechanism will be done with us you think you're trying to do i like it it's not that never play gets my old team the first time and you're trying to do so much. You're trying to be someone you're not. And I was like, that's not who I am.

So I got back to running guys and being dirty and all of a sudden your game starts flowing again from there. Yeah, it feels like he wants to strip a puck, hit a guy, fight a guy and score a goal all in once. It just doesn't work like that. No, it doesn't. No, I didn't get dirty and hit guys, but I did it a different way, but same idea.

Yeah, exactly. You skate well. We all have our thing. We all have our thing, right? That's it, we all do. There you go. Fly up and down the wing. So good, it's the same thing.

Do whatever it is that got you there. That's all you need to know. When in doubt, think of Murph or Kevin Costner. And then go to bellybusters on the way home And you're set you know bellies you know bellies you know I've heard anything so stupid in your life a gravy on the sandy Well, you're not a French dip sandwich before yeah, that's different Assorted saw been asked for gravy on top of it Chicken you're right a chicken sandwich with gravy on it?

I was supposed to go to LA growing up. All day man. Of course I've come in, these guys don't know. Dammit, just a lobby. You know what, next time I come in, this establishment is 200 yards from my house. Yeah, I know. I have a stop by, I'll get you a dip or oh and you can try it. I know it's a lot of part of your diet but we'll get you to try it.

Johnny, next week me and Hayes will meet you there. Done. We're going to Bellies. We'll set it up. Done. I'm telling you, it's a life changer, man. It's a life changer. But that's limp bread. You have limp bread. I want a stiff bread. No, no, no. You want dewy, soft, pillowy, soft bread. You can sleep on it. Absolutely. Fresh, bread. You can sleep on it. Absolutely. Fresh bread. But he wants rock-thick bread.

I do. Two day old aisle. Two weeks over two. A little stiff. Not sloppy. Like poutine. That sloppy... You don't like poutine now? I don't like the soft fries. Anyone from like the Western Canadians, they just have no idea how to live. They've got serious problems. No idea how to live. You and noodles, the Western Canadians. They just have no idea. I got serious problems No idea how to live you and noodles the same thing noodles just eats like dry chicken

Here's what noodles and eats a chicken breast plain cut up into little baby bites corn awful and peas Yeah, and rice that's it. It's like a polar bear like guys. I've cooked in a kitchen That has no fish in it ever. I'm like, well, gonna be hard? Never. I can't, that'd be tough. I've been at dinner where Noodles said, I'll take the Caesar salad, hold the Caesar. I swear those words came out of his mouth. And I just looked, it was, I'll take the croutons. I couldn't believe it.

I'm like, is this guy serious? Like grazing. Well, what dressing is he putting on it? Nothing, just plain, probably salt. Lettuce. Straight rabbit food. Rabbit food, that is Noodles and a man he gets shape He gets so mad when like you don't blame the waitress for be like sorry. Can you say that again?

He's like I don't want anything and they're like, okay I guess we could ask for that sandwich to completely be reversed to nothing on it like it is it is one of the more wild experiences to see him try to break down whatever the sandwich is supposed to be or whatever the meal is supposed to be on the menu that a chef has worked hard for and noodles just absolutely looks down on it. Completely looks down on it.

So disappointing. All right, Johnny. Well, there we go. We got a date. We're gonna get out and we're gonna we're gonna enlighten these people Oh We will we will not wait That's soon. There's Mike Johnson joining us here on the maple Toyota hotline Drive the built-in Canada fuel-efficient fun to drive Toyota RAV4 gas or hybrid models available is it maple Toyota comm

Quickly someone writing in here. Where is it? Brian sent me a message com uh... quickly someone writing in here where is it brian sent me a message said duddly heart is a member at park country club in williamsville just outside of buffalo the summers there i think i think he's a coach at like florida he's in florida he's the florida gators men's coach that's a serious golf program he never recovered at jc deakins the coach of florida i don't know how they could book

i'm not sure maybe it maybe that's fake news. I don't know Maybe we should be listening from the loss to you Oh doc never got out of control Send them to the Hooters tour send them to the Hooters tour. All right. There you go Okay, good stuff panel night. We'll catch you tonight on TSN for you guys keep it on the rails We'll do our best str Strutter Doug coming up. Strutter Doug Chris Knoblok, the head coach of the Oilers coming up as well. Overdrive continues.

TSN 1050 and on TSN4. I can neither confirm or deny that this is in fact a segment. Austin trades Andrew Raycroft to Toronto in exchange for the rights to Tuca Arras. It's been my honor and a privilege to serve as the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club. It's time for Confirm or Deny.

Do you regret giving all those gentlemen the no trades or no movement clauses? I can neither confirm or deny that. I can't confirm or deny. Alright, Confirm or Deny, also known as Strud or Dud. You can go either way stride whichever way you see fit all right whichever way you choose i gotcha okay you take whichever way you want

statements are made we go around the table we either confirm or deny them or stride or dot them whichever way we want uh... let's begin with what we're witnessing tonight winnipeg at home against washington confirm it and i one of the capitals or the jet that's will be in the cup final this year? I'm going to say, Dud, I think that that division that Winnipeg is in is really tough. It's a really, really tough one. And I'm looking, I don't know that the East is as strong, but I think there are other teams that are really going to challenge Washington when they get

into it. So I'll take the field in this one. Yeah, I think it's a dud as well. It's like the two of them have been so good. I think I'm sleeping more on Washington in the playoffs. Like they're a big team. They're really well coached. They've been a well-oiled machine all year. Logan Thompson has been really really good. Like they could do some damage. They really could do some damage and it would not surprise me I feel like this is a year Winnipeg's gonna win in the first round and I think put up a good fight against either Colorado or Dallas but that's a coin flip like if you get into the second round and it's a coin flip and I think you're playing either Vegas or Edmonton

in the third round that's a coin flip that to me is just the odds are against it the odds are against two of the 16 teams albeit the best coming in They've been great all year. I think it's a dud as well. I think playing the field Makes sense. I think Dallas Colorado Vegas you mentioned it in the East it's tough to get a read on right now strutty And we'll get to this in a few moments here, but like Carolina's been good But they don't really scare me. Jersey's really struggling right now. The Leafs have their demons, you know like they're it's it's pretty wide open in the East right now.

It is and there are some good teams there but you know can Florida do it again? Right? They've had played a lot of hockey recently then you've got you know suspension on the back end. You know. Yeah, act flat out. Act flat out the first two games of the playoffs. Toronto hasn't done it. They haven't done it on a long period. Washington, I do love their size. They look so big when they're out there.

The Devils, injuries. I don't think that they can win without those two players, Hamilton and Hughes. Then Carolina, I don't know that they're better after those trades. Right, exactly. and Hughes, then Carolina, I don't know that they're better after those trades. Right. So, usually the trade deadline, you're trying to get better and I'm not sure that they, 100% got, if they had me, Ko, I could say, yeah, but now I'm not sure. Then the other teams fighting to get in to the Sands or who are we looking at, the Allenders? The Habs or the Allenders, yeah.

So, I believe the strength is in the West. Yeah, I agree with that. But anyone could probably do it in the East, but I'm not sure. I don't know. I'm not so I believe the strength is in is in the West yeah, I agree So but anyone could probably do it in the East but I'm not sure I I don't know I'm passing I'm going to feel stymied with it. I'm with you on that. All right confirmed that strutter dud Let's stick with this strutter. Dudley on dry settles injury has lost him the hard trophy. Oh I'm gonna go that as a dud. Listen the guy last time I looked, I think it was 10, 11 goals ahead of the next score. The problem for him, it's the timing of year. This is where people start to sharpen their pencils.

Who steps up in these moments? Unfortunately for Leon, he has stepped up many times in these situations. I think he would have continued to because he's been such an important player for the orders. The most important player for the orders has been Leon Dreisler this year. Now the flip side is someone else has to step up. So who's going to step up? Earlier we talked about Hellebuck.

You know, McKinnon has been good the whole time. I don't know really who else in this conversation. Maybe McCarr, but he's taken two players off the same team. So I'm going to go with the dud. I think that Leon, I'm hoping he's back for the league wise after this upcoming weekend So that means he's met list four to five games He still has a little bit of track to get going inflate his totals and hopefully take a run another hard job Yeah, I know I I will I will say I

Would I want it to be done because I think everything you just said is accurate He still had I think as a skater the best season anyone's had all year, McKinnon included. I think he's been phenomenal. You know what you talk about it daily. The guys get been playing with different wingers almost every night. He's carrying these guys like carrying the line. He's going to get back and get healthy and push 50.

He's going to score more than 50, be the only guy in the league to do that. So I don't think it's fair, but I actually think it might be a strut because of what you said to start your answer, which is this is when the pencil start to get sharpened. Recency bias always factors in. It is a marathon and that's the purpose of the award. It's what have you done all season long, but in reality, I think voters look at it and say, well, now I think like McKinnon's going to win the Art Ross now. McKinnon's going to finish with more points than Leon. I think that's safe to say if he misses three or four more games and McKinnon's healthy and playing, I think the buffer is going to be too large. He will still win the rocket. I think that's pretty much locked

in. But with hell about doing what he's doing with McKinnon continuing to stay hot down the stretch, if the Colorado Avalanche can keep chasing Dallas. I just think that that's that's an uphill battle and as unfair as it seems if he had this injury in November it wouldn't cost him but because it's happening at the end of the year I feel like voters are going to take that into account and it probably is going to end up hurting him. He'll still be one of the three nominees he deserves to be. He's had a great, great year. But also, I'll believe it when I see it that he's back in a few games, Strud. You know what it's like this time of year. No one's ever 100% honest and accurate. No one even knows what's going on with the guy. He's banged up. We'll see what happens. If he misses five, six, seven more games, that's it. It's over at that point.

It's interesting to have two stars off the same team out the same time yeah like it's it's a fairly rare thing to happen think of that like the most was the last time I ever saw McCarn and McKinnon both out of the car and ran to the time they made me two top players off anything right Matthew's and Marna they're always playing yeah there was always one of them playing at a minimum yeah yeah you're right it is a very unique situation in Edanston right now uh... strutter dot alex ovechkin is proving he can and he should play at

least two more seasons after this one i'm a sense that because i i i think he probably can do it but does he want to do it and he spoke in the past i would like to finish in the KHL. So I wonder if after he gets the record, does he say, okay, you know, I'm good. And he goes back and plays home, which I understand. If I was playing in the Russian league and did really well, I'd maybe want to come home and play North America as well.

So I think it's more about what he wants to do, whether he can do it. So I'm going dead. Yeah, I will say, I'm'm gonna go with a strut on this because like this guy's gonna finish with likely 40 goals he broke his leg at one point and he also I think he's aware like how difficult this is gonna be to catch him I saw this week there was a website that was calculating the numbers and there's three current players that they feel have a chance of actually catching Ovechkin and it's Matthews, Drysidle and Pasternak. Those are

the three guys if they stay healthy and they play until they're 40 and they keep scoring at a certain pace maybe they can catch them. It seems it seems like a really it's going to be very difficult it almost seems impossible considering you know Gretzky did this 25 years ago and Ovechkin miraculously has caught him. You need so many things to break your way. I wouldn't bet on any of those three guys actually doing it. But if I'm OV, I'm thinking,

A, I want to pad my stats that much more, right? Which Gretzky did, right? How was that 801, I believe it was. And he got all the way to 894. He's like, I don't want to just beat this guy. I want to get way up on him I'd be thinking the same thing with Ovi if I were Ovi also you're in a great situation in Washington They're a really good team like they may win the president's trophy. They're young. They got a lot of guys on great cap heads

They got a great farm system coming So I hear what you're saying about Russia and but in reality He could go there when he's 50 and they'll prop him up and play Them you know what I mean like it's like the army Jagger situation back in in Czechia When ovi decides i'm coming to play in the k he'll be the captain the face of the team He'll be playing 20 minutes a night. They'll prop him up and he'll go out there and play So I I kind of hope he sticks around and I think he should stick around because he's proving he can still do it.

It's pretty incredible. One more thing on Obi. Sorry, I saw someone say that he's also going to be the all-time hit leader in the NHL. Really? That's what I read. Now, I didn't look it up myself, but that's what I read, that he'll be both. I guess that makes sense though, right? This guy, you remember, you played against him when he came into the league.

It was 13 shots, shots eleven hits two goals like the guy he hit everything in sight when he showed up so you know we we talk about brendan shannon how he would score and fight again la uh... could chuck all these guys but for a guy that's going this much and all those guys scored a lot like i don't diminish what they did but the fact that he's scoring and hitting and i i just, I saw that and I could not believe it.

To last that long scoring and hitting at that pace. Incredible. Incredible. Yeah, it is. And you're right, I guess he's 300 hits off the pace. Which that's gonna be, that's a few years, right? Take a bit. Like that, you're looking at maybe a hundred and

what 150 hits a year one i don't know i don't know what his average would be i think that i think he's gonna have to play two or three more years to get that and that's not a that's not a record that is revered necessarily but i think it's well respected by players right like to your point i think a lot of players would say this guy's gonna score 900 goals and have more hits than anybody Like that is crazy. What his what his resume is gonna look like With three hearts. I think he won a cons might was it him or hold be the one that cons might there I think he won the cons might when they won the cup Cup cons my three hearts like seven eight Rockets or whatever it is most goals most hits

It's just an incredible career, man. And arguably the best Stanley Cup celebration we've ever seen. Yes. Right, like he carried on for a while. And like any of us would have done, but he was first star. Oh yeah, man.

In that first star. Remember him in the fountain in DC? Oh, I loved it. Like swimming around in the fountain. Loved it. No shirt. Absolutely loved it. No shirt. Like it was just incredible. Yeah, he did win the ConceMite that year.

So like his resume, we talk about Sid a lot and where does he end up on the Mount Rushmore? Does he push someone out? Is it him, Gordie Howe, him, Bobby Orr? Oh, he's a top 10 player all time, in my opinion, already. I don't know where you stand on that But like should he be considered top five like it can he? You know, it's it's difficult with with errors and how do you compare Gordie?

How to Alex Ovechkin, but I don't know man Like how many wingers are better than this guy ever in the history of the game? The challenge is that it's hard to compare to players you didn't see. But if players I've seen, he is right up there. Right? So, I mean, Mario Gretzky for sure. And I think, you know, obviously Bobby Orr is there. I didn't see him play live, but I think those three are on everyone's list, I'm guessing. Then after that, it's like, okay, you've got all these others, amazing players, and the

guy who scores the most goals ever, how is he not in that group? Right, exactly. In the conversation. Right. Just think about that. We just, wow, this guy, well, no, he scored the most goals ever in NHL. Has to be. Has to be.

So, for sure top 10 and then where does he go after that? Now, the problem is if you, you know, are there other players that could be, if they played longer, could they have got closer? I get all those things. But the players I saw, him, Sid, Connor, incredible. Yeah. Yeah. No, Connor, incredible. Yeah, no it's exact and there probably should be a line like I don't know if it's post expansion, I don't know if it's you know whatever is in 1980, I mean that's arbitrary but maybe

it's when Gretzky arrived. Like maybe that's what it's like when Gretzky showed up in like 79, 80 the last 50 years he's certainly absolutely in the top 10, I think he'd be in the top five, but you're right. You got Messi You got Le Fleur you got Richard you guys Lidstrom You've got you know noodles would say hashing should be in there and goalies and yeah fair point, you know Alright Chris knob lock head coach of the Oilers in about 15 minutes strutter dud will continue Bunch of games on TSN tonight including least flyers will keep teeing that up overdrive continues tsn 10 50 and on the tsn app all right strud we've sent al's brother out into the city with another pair of leaf tickets and you have to guess where he's

hiding for your chance to win them this is the second clue of the week big tickets to lease panthers big big tickets oh let's hear from al's brother. Hey Overdrive fans, happy Tuesday to you. I'm back with the new clue to help you get your one step closer to finding out where is Al's brother and land yourself a pair of Leafs and Panthers tickets for April 2nd. Here is your Tuesday clue. I'm saving up for my next cruise so I'm looking for some free things to do in the city and the spot that I'm in right now is a great place for me to visit or any other Leafs fan for that matter. Okay I love it. Tune in tomorrow for another clue and the first call are

through on Friday with the correct location again wins a pair of tickets to see the Leafs take on the Panthers April 2nd. Fine Al's brother brought to you by McAlpine Ford in Aurora, our family, the Ford family and you full details at TSN1050.ca. Chris Knoblach coming up. This is big strut. This is big. You got to carry this one.

Head Coach of the Oilers. This is big. I'll be ready. I'm a little nervous, but I'll be ready. Okay. We're ready to go. The Head Coach of the Oilers coming up to start the 6pm hour. We'll continue with some strut or dud.

We might have a draft coming up in the 6pm hour and least flyers tonight will continue to tee that up. Overdrive continues TSN 1050 and on the TSN app. All new, all Canadian, the best of our great nation one song at a time. This is Justin Bieber. Hi this is Terry Clark. We are Nickelback. Made in Canada on iHeartRadio. Rock, pop, hip hop and when it comes to country, it's the true north all the way. Loud and proud. An all-new digital radio station from coast to coast. Made in Canada, played in Canada on the free iHeartRadio app and at iHeartRadio.ca.