OverDrive - OverDrive - May 26, 2025 - Hour 1

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O’Neill, and Jamie McLennan for Hour 1 of OverDrive! The guys discuss the Oilers dominant performances over the weekend, the Panthers blowout win over the Hurricanes in game three, what’s wrong with the core in Carolina, where the blame should be directed at in Carolina, TSN’s Top 50 Free Agent List, and why Sam Bennett and Aaron Ekblad should not want to go anywhere in free agency. TSN Oilers Reporter Ryan Rishaug joined the show to discuss the media pressure in Edmonton compared to Toronto, the Oilers top players performing, and why the Oilers have gotten better as the playoffs have gone on.

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throw out some social media accounts what else can I throw out out of the gate yeah just get everything out there where you can find us I love it I love the list I need you to get me some excitement hazy I've kind of feeling that leafs are out of the playoff lol for a Toronto market and I'm a little bit down I need you to lift my spirits. Give me something interesting. Give me a team to look for. Give me something to grab onto. It can't be the J's. It's not the J's. I know. Not the J's. Am I latching onto Stu Skinner going Dominic Hasek? Like is that what I'm going to latch onto for the next

month? I think so. This guy fascin this guy fascinating you owe him an apology by the way Listen this what I'm gonna say to him and I think this is this is the best way to describe Stuart Skinner He is either the best goalie in the world. You dare put it into a negative or the worst There's nothing in between snow in between there's no in between he's either the best goalie playing or he's the worst goalie playing and to his credit yesterday he was phenomenal he's been so good I don't know what else to say about the guy I mean I I'm not I'm not convinced we're still not going to see Calvin Pickard at some point I'm not convinced and it sounds like Pickard could back up as early as tomorrow

night do you think it makes McJeez's underpants quiver just a little bit when he goes in he's like i love the guy but i'd share decided the best of the worst noodles there's no in between for this guy i don't disagree i mean we ran a board where it's like it's either shut out or the guys got a seven ninety save percentage like there's just no in between now last night he allowed a goal But he well, you know what? I mean, it's 882 or something like it's not much like higher But last night or sorry yesterday afternoon I had to make sure you always have to when it's an afternoon game

Which I still think is the most ridiculous stupidest thing and I understand it's either is ESPN or ABC or CBS Whoever doing it. it's still stupid, I'm sorry, to watch a conference final hockey game. You're trying to rev up the engine at one o'clock mountain time in Edmonton if you're the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers, trying to get the emotions going and afternoon games stink. But it ended up being, Stu Skinnerner i thought he was unbelievable yesterday like that game was in a six one game i'd i'd just as far as

the chances and stuff like that it was pretty darn close but uh... skinner was better than not injured that's yes he was he was yet i also look at you know who did the damage and this is where i i push back a little bit on you know cuz i've i've heard that description i saw your post game I thought it was great last night you know Pierre LeBun was talking about it and and you guys you know you guys were closer in the in the trenches than I was watching the game because it was an afternoon game and I was still knocking the rust off trying to figure out

exactly what was going on exactly but I think you know the idea that you know it wasn't that type of game my pushback on that is look who? Decided that this is how it was going to happen. Oh, I get you 97 absolutely And and that is where I don't think Peter DeBoer can really say I love my game because that guy just decided You're not this is how it's going to happen because the second period in particular, Skinner made 20 of 21 stops. Dallas had all these chances, all these opportunities, and you guys were highlighting them, and everyone was witnessing it.

And then McDavid twice just goes, this is how it's gonna happen. This is what's happening, and we're winning this afternoon, and there's nothing you can do about it. And that is the definition of greatness. Like that is what is expected and the beauty of this guy and the other guy that he plays with because he's right there you notice they've caught Rantanen now like all of a sudden McDavid's

leading the league in points in the playoffs and Dry Settle is third he's right behind Rantanen and I have no doubt he's gonna blow past him. Now where is Rantanen? Right he hasn't scored in six games I believe it is. Very very quiet. Well my fear for dallas is and i said it last year they got to a point in it was against the oilers where the young guys were looking young and their old guys were looking old that combination basically with the

combining that with mcdavid and dry silent the way they played it just looks like i don't know if they're gonna have any answers for what they're doing well i think you're you're right you're right yeah the thing is though if you're Pete DeBoer you're looking at I know Robertson had an injury but he's coming back you know Matt Duchenne ranton and now hints yes the that what is your read on that man like the guy gets his foot in the boot and goes out for a skate and doesn't play. I was shocked by that.

I was shocked. If you're on the ice, to me you're playing. Now, again, not a doctor. Don't profess to be, but obviously it was a couple hundred bones in your foot. He's broken a bone or something that you can't even push off of. I don't know if you've ever frozen a foot or frozen something to play. I thought for sure Hintz was going to play with just a frozen foot type of thing. Like they probably tried to do that or whatever. It didn't, it was weird because I know he's on the trip and yes he goes into warm up,

but it's rare a guy is a game time decision in this deep in the playoffs and he doesn't play. I mean he must be very hurt. Especially with that, oh you can speak to it but like when you break your foot getting your foot in the skate is incredibly painful but once it's in and laced generally it's like okay I'm gonna play I mean that was like that would be the deal it's like you say to the doctor trainer you get my foot in there and tie that thing up I'm playing right but like it's difficult to judge anybody and you never like to judge injuries but you know all his teammates as soon as they see him skating out there like going up

to him and saying you're good like you're just assuming he's good yes I hardly ever especially that far in the playoffs or it's like I got out here but there was something I just didn't like, so see you later. It would be a buzzkill, man. I was shocked he didn't play. I was shocked too. Now maybe they get him back for game four. Maybe they wanted to give it a day or two to stop swelling or something like that. I don't profess to know. But they certainly need their top players to try and be difference makers.

And in a positive way. Because, you know, it was it's a different animal playing against Edmonton because you know Edmonton's got a quick strike offense that's the the difference you know this Bouchard's playing some unreal hockey. I thought you were going to yell at me about the Bouchard because I made a couple inflammatory comments about him about a month ago. You did. I think justified in the moment, the way he was playing. I think that just one of the comments was, last year is over with, and this is a new animal on the negative.

Yes. He was playing as poorly as I can recall, like a number one defenseman playing. Again, he wasn't alone. When they were playing against LA, they were terrible. They got destroyed the first couple of games. The first two games they look disjointed yeah it looks like a group that hadn't played together which was rightfully so came coming in

you know frederick's limping or keep in mind frederick barely made that gay i think it was game one or game two he was limping around like it are at near the end of the season that he had to come out of the lineup because he was still hanged up like the the in in clang burke we all thought this guy's never put his gear on again all the sudden these curl and drag and play

everything's kind of all come together so rightfully we always talk about we talk what's about what's in front of us a month ago when they were playing l a it didn't look that good and then all of a sudden it looked good and since game five of the Kings I would say they have been consistently the best team in the playoffs that would include Florida in my opinion because I'm having a difficult time maybe I shouldn't say that maybe they're on par with Florida because Florida's been incredibly impressive but you know you referenced

and we'll get to that in a moment what's going on down in Carolina your old stomping grounds uh... but yes you got asked for more to dallas is best players i think you can expect more but i don't think you can expect them to keep up with admittance best if they're gonna play like that i think that that's that is what is an issue and that is

it's almost like you think you can expect why johnston to ride with dry subtle i gonna happen but he can't expect a lot more than what the hell they're doing one hundred let's be honest other than one period and it's in his mop them around the end even better than them all of them one period where they got five in the third period soul

it's go time in the first period for the dallas stars tomorrow night because they don't put it together and show the order something and put something in their mind it's basically game over absolutely in their mind, it's Basically game over absolutely and it's it's just been a weird conference final again Edmonton You can't you can't get too confident. You can't put the cart before the horse Dallas still a really good team I think they'll respond. It's only two one. So that that is a different story. But what's going on in the Eastern Conference? Oh is It is wild to watch like Florida is is so good. They're getting stronger They're like this demon that just continues to grow and grow and grow and get batter and batter and batter

But I find Carolina like talk about a team that just decided to pack it in and fold I I was most disappointed and I I in full. I was most disappointed and I couldn't believe Matthew Kachuk chased that Ajo around and just dumbed him and embarrassed him and there was no Carolina player in there. Yeah that was that's your best player arguably. Top player and you know they destroy him on the on the on the score sheet whatever it was 6-1 whatever whatever it was one one for the longest time and all of a sudden you blink and it's like third period it was yeah it was over man Florida just said we're not doing this and then Kachuk goes okay I'm gonna you know remember what you did to Sam

Reinhart I'm gonna chase you around and it's not like Kachuk is his brother like Brady's the killer Matthew's not but Matthew plays hard and and is a good teammate in that I just thought there would be some form of pushback from Carolina like somebody goes flying in there and you got a Donnybrook like that's like because Rod you know Rod Brendan Moore when he was playing he would have been in there like that's the difference like I yeah that's where how you don't take a piece of flat like because Kichuck is basically asking for it at that point like yes They're embarrassing you on the scoreboard in the series and now he's deciding I'm gonna get some retribution

Which is you know selective? I think it's being I understand why it You know, it's being promoted a lot of people are loving it a lot of people, you know Ah ho is ah ho, you know, is he gonna do that if it's tom wilson that knocked out right now i don't think so and i i still is great a player as he is haze it's like all of them are so light you know i mean by the late late just a place so light and i think that's a philosophy no g m i mean whether you're an analytics guy but i don't believe he

believes in heavy type hockey. He wants to chase it around and get it back and lots of shot volume, and that's how we're going to win. But that's the end of the line for that group. That group is so light, they don't even have a chance. Their players, every year it's the same thing. And I said it before, what does it say for montreal because they're at the end of line against washington washington was at the end of the line against carolina

and now carolina is absolutely getting their ass handed to them where it's absolutely no contest well zero contest there's no light they can't eat they have nothing to say what the florida panthers are doing to them and now the one thing i will say on both sides the longer that you go you start to see some guys dropped right reinhart's not playing meekle i think that was a yeah that that it look good like he's been a hell of a debate defenseman there so there's three guys from florida that weren't playing tonight i missed the

third jay greer is not going to agree or so then there's a three and then looks like connor brown from edmonton. Yeah, it was a big hit last night. We talked about Rupay Hintz. The longer you play, you put yourself in a situation where somebody takes a PC, somebody takes a PC and you're limping along. Carolina, like they have to, I would just like to see some pushback tonight. I don't know what it's going to to you know but i just think it's

i would like to see them make a game of that i i i'm even for the coach because the coaches a hell of a keep in mind we're talking there in the final four and we're just kinda and after them a little bit and it's like you know these guys are they are very good they are there at the end of the line it's a great story getting there but you're getting your ass handed to you. And it looks like...

And they do that every year. Yeah. And it looks like not only are you getting your ass... It looks like you have... A couple years ago, I think Roddy said, you know, those weren't 4-1 games. We were in those games. Yeah. You can't say that this year. No. He wouldn't dare say that. No. If he's got to speak tonight after that game he's like I don't know what else to say but they said it the other day after game one or two he's like

we got to try to find a way to win one period yeah well yesterday out the one period you're in big trouble yeah and the other day it was you know his rookies can't be the best players or it can't be stall or it can't be you know whoever the veterans are basically he's saying oh oh Svetchnikov Jarvis all of them yeah the guys in the middle your guys in your prime they're the ones that they have to be your best players and you know I'm not holding my breath that Carolina does anything tonight and you know it speaks to maybe that division to an extent like it just it's not it hasn't really helped held its own uh... where you get a sea scenario here work and i think

or is going to go back in the state of florida's gonna be represented in the cup final for six years uh... six years in a row to be tampon florida crazy it's crazy it is really crazy they deserve it though that they've earned it if they have i don't think it

has anything to do with tax breaks I'm sorry. I don't think it does. No, I put together a program You know like the yeah like it helps like listen tax breaks help weather help I know but I think they've just put together some great hockey teams like anybody else could have went out and got Seth Jones anyone else could have traded for Sam Bennett or Rodriguez or you know what I mean like they just... the Rangers had Mikala I think St. Louis had Mikala they discarded them yeah yeah it is like these are but again when you add

players to your team that are we'll call them support players like guys that don't have to be your ones, then in a different program, they can either drop off or they can excel. That's the beauty of adding players into your program. If you are comfortable enough with the spine of your team, with the core of it, then you just add, right? And I give Billy Zito a ton of credit, Jamie, because he doesn't... We talked about Carolina being the GMs and analytics guy, and it all small skilled fast puck possession I think Bill Zito

has a or is pro scouting or whoever he leaves it up to just different players that will fit into the system Brad Marsh and Mika leather they're all like different guys that can that can fit into the system he's not like in love with one thing he just finds guys with different attributes and they're gonna fit into his team and it's impressive. I think one thing that we can focus on and even have a Toronto flavor about it is the word culture keeps coming back, right?

Like that's the one thing that, Tampa built it, Florida's built it, and Florida took a big swing on it. Keep in mind it was comfortable, it looked like a country club there at Suburdo and at Sparcoff and they were damn good team, damn good team but they wanted, they jarred the group, they jarred the core group with that trade and Matthew Kachuk helped change that culture and you know, Marchand fits into that culture the way that they want to play. Oh yeah, but it all started with that Matthew Kachuk.

Yes. Matthew Kachuk and that coach of theirs, man, my old buddy Mo, he has the media. He's like feeding them pigeon birdseed. Oh, playing them like a fiddle. You could either, this is his latest, you can either go to church or shotgun a beer and everyone was like, oh my God. So profound. I almost passed out. I'm like, Mo, you've got to stop it. You're just feeding the pigeons. He's throwing bird seed off the podium. He can't get enough though, man. Anything he says, it's gospel right now. Oh, yeah, it is gospel. Honestly. He's

He is so brilliant in the media. He's a great coach. He's well spoken obviously See like these coaches put a bird feeder beside the podium I just let everyone come up and well have some before I start even even our buddy Pete DeBoer like I think Pete's amazing in the media. He just kind of shoots from the hip, he doesn't pull any punches, he's very poised, although his head looked like it was going to blow off its body. When they missed that call yesterday. When that was over the glass and then they scored right after, I thought he was going to put on some skates and skate on the ice and fight the ref.

Charge the match for sure. Because that was a turnaround, that's incredible. I know doing those hits on Sports Center, that is probably the first item, no? It was. Well, we obviously, the layers of our hits yesterday started with Skinner because we thought Skinner was unbelievable and McDavid. But I think that was number two on the docket. That was the TSN turning point.

Because it was 1-1 and then Kulak fires that over the glass. Now, listen, we have the luxury. It was a weird, like you couldn't pick it up. Like the third replay, we're like, oh yeah, that looks like it goes straight out. And then DeBoer, you know, the director does a great job panning right to DeBoer and the look on his face, he wanted to charge the mound. And of course, they score immediately. Bouchard scores and then McDavid scores right after that. And that's too cop. End of the first period.

That was the TSN turning point because Dallas came out like gangbusters in the second and had some great chances, but it was McDavid that put the lights out right near the end of the second with that 3-1 goal. That was it. You goal. That was it You know that was it and you know, we're gonna see Florida It'll be interesting to see what they do moving forward here in terms of playing clearly but also, you know, the TSN's Revealed their top 50 free agent list and to no one's surprised Mitch Marnes at the top of that list But Sam Bennett's number two

Tavares is number three Aaron Ekblad is in's in the top ten, like those are two guys, Bennett and Echblad, that are core pieces, like big big pieces to what they've done the last few years. Yeah and you know somebody sitting in a boardroom saying maybe Carolina, maybe then maybe Carolina is saying we need to get both of these guys. Yeah and they got the money to do it. Yeah they've got the money to do it and you talk about just what I said They're so light and that's exactly what they would need is to sign both of those players. Yeah but you know in the end, let's not forget like I would imagine that Those players would probably want to stay in Florida might want to keep me know

I wouldn't even I wouldn't even if i just want to stanley cop in the group was kind of relatively young i would say i'm not even going into the season thinking about this i'd i'd want to be a florida panther for the next five years because you got to think of the next five years stretch if they wanted again that they're going to have a couple more chances to pick some more off well don't then that's where i do think that the tax break conversation i think is very specific to that it's it's it pushes something over the line

you know you look at a guy like that it let's say it's him and he can make maybe you get ten million somewhere else for seven years and i like we can give you seven five for eight but if you look at it after taxes it's the same amount of money why would you take why would you ever leave take home amount yes why would you ever leave now you might leave if the team's not that good you might leave if you didn't like your role on the team you know you might

leave if there's some sort of issue in the room or leave if there was bad weather if there was bad weather exactly yeah wrong and that's wrong that's all it doesn't doesn't have it doesn't start at the tax break stuff necessarily but it closes right it's got it's got a Mariana Rivera vibe to it like hey not only are we gonna help you win not only are you gonna love this not only are you gonna set up on the beefs not only are you an integral part not only are you blah blah blah also we're gonna do this because of the taxes so we can save a little bit of money and then we can keep that guy and

then you keep winning you know and that's and they've utilized it too because you got to have the stones to do it and like it started really in the state of Florida with Steve Eisenman like it started with Stephen Stamkos and Eisenman saying this is what you're getting go find something else if you want but this is what it's gonna be 8.5 tax free and Stammer said fine I'm coming back and I don't want to leave and then Headman said I'll take 7.8 because I don't want to leave either and then it just and then Florida picked up on that and said you got to have the stones to tell them you're not moving above that number and I guarantee you

they won't I guarantee you Bill Zito will not look at Sam Bennett and say I can't lose this guy fine you can you can have ten he will not do it he won't do it he will stick to his numbers and he will force the players to take it they probably will keep in mind that the people that are willing to overpay are the ones that that are good overpaid to bring them into their system so you know florida's not willing to overpay because they don't have to they

don't have to in that sense now they want the player i'm sure of course but it's it's more about you know we talk about it different markets we call it the cold weather tax or maybe small market tax or whatever keep in mind this is a free agent so you know if Sam Bennett I don't even know what the number would be but let's say it's got eight times eight sixty four million sitting on the table for him in Florida and somebody goes, well, I've got 7 times 10, right? Like 70 million. And it's in a different tax situation. After taxes, exactly. You wouldn't leave. Why would you? But also, you've also got, you don't know what the city's like. You don't know, I believe

he's married. What does his wife value, that type of stuff. He's got kids, like all of the stuff you have to factor in now. Well, in our era, I'm gonna speak for myself, I wasn't married and was single most of my career. But, I didn't, okay, so fair enough. So the point being is like I didn't. So you guys can offer nothing to this conversation.

No, what I'm saying is I didn't have, I didn't come with a posse or a package. Nowadays, guys come with, it's parents come in, it's the brothers, it's the, you've got a whole package that comes in now. It's a- Jamie, I think when we played, I don't even know if anyone was like, oh, Winnipeg, Edmonton, oh, you want me, okay, you want to sign a contract, I'll play there. Like there was, I don't know, there wasn't a whole lot of, obviously guys could pick and choose in free agency, but I got drafted by the Hartford Whalers, went to Hartford

thinking it was the greatest place on earth. Like I don't know. It was just a lot different. It is different and nowadays the people in your lives have a say too. That's the difference. So, you know, I think there's a lot on the table there, but if Sam Bennett's number gets to a massive amount, maybe it's a team that isn't a playoff team that is going, yeah, we'll give you 10, but we're rebuilding this program here. We want you a part of it. Now, keep in mind there are other Tennessee's attacks, Free State, Alberta, you know, there are good tax situations throughout the league outside of Florida. It's just there are there are ones that like California is heavy, New York State is heavy.

Obviously Canada's, you know, Ontario's heavy, that type of stuff. You do have to factor in your take home money. If that that's part of your formula. Yeah, listen, that's I mean, it is a a business and these guys everyone's in it to make money but there's also an element of pressure that would come with that that maybe Sam Bennett can can embrace and will embrace maybe once I don't know but I don't think his contract will matter in Florida like whatever he signs for he just slides in behind Barkov he keeps playing with Kachuk and he'll just play you know where if you sign for let's say 10 million

In whatever city it is you know it doesn't have to be Toronto, Utah fine, Utah. You know they're gonna be like alright You're the highest paid guy. You're this big star that we just signed that's one Cubs. You better be great You know like and again, maybe it doesn't affect this game. Maybe it does, though. Maybe it's a Mike Komiseric scenario. Maybe it's a David Clarkson scenario, where he gets out, and it's like, you've got to realize, I'm scoring 20 goals, and I'm going to have like 45 points, but I'm going to play heavy and be really good. And if we get to the playoffs, then I'm

really going to step up. But if he goes somewhere where they don't make the playoffs. No, it doesn't work with a garbage team. No, exactly. Like Sam Bennett on a bad team doesn't make sense. Like it just doesn't make any sense for him to go to Chicago and play behind Bedard. It makes no sense.

It's like Sergeyev. I think Sergeyev had it in his mind that he wanted to be the top dog, and obviously he has the capabilities. But when you're on a decor with Headman and McDonough and all those guys, it's like you can just go out there and do your thing on, it's not spot duty, but it's like you got other guys

that are just surrounding you. And when you're asked to go out there and be the guy, it's a completely different ball game. Totally different ball game. You're right. Now if those organizations end up turning a corner, I'll give you a San Jose. If San Jose's a team that a couple years from now

is of going concern possibly your sign a seven-year deal and you know you're looking at year three that year you guys are assuming it works yeah again assuming you were and it's guaranteed money and whatever you're gonna live your life I'm just saying I'm talking even from a standpoint of like team building it's like three years from now really I'm gonna spend you know just hope it works for three years from now I don't know I don't know if that makes sense uh... in marner can factor into this to and what will get into that

conversation uh... as we move forward here hazy i just want to give you a little heads up all of your pumping the tires of you to this working just got a tweet from a fan that said you to this incredible for this show i can watch on the new york side of lake ontario while they go we're blown up i want to hear a story on the moral day happy memorial day knowing i want to do i also want to get into the fact that i think we should start swearing

because that would maybe make it a youtube thing like a that you're allowed to swear on you to park trip and pretty sure you're allowed to do basically any of the night just don't think i think this is not a little bit of a lot of the basically and i don't know if i had to share stone thing i think that's not a little bit of a sense of the other is and you know jeff mcdonnell the charge the mountain yeah i was wearing a matter of possibly even further up the exact name and further out can you read that can evil then let us know can we not only dropping some swearing that i know that the live chat is great there's ashton on the you to live chat

saying haze is not a fraud. So I support that. Are you on the YouTube live chat? You just checked it out on the phone. You go to TSN's YouTube channel and we're up there and there's chats and everyone's very supportive. We are making moves. Everyone's always very supportive. All right, Rashad coming up and Ray will join us. Ray Ferraro just after five o'clock today.rive continues tsn ten fifty and on tsn two dollars the u two office blowing up

blowing up just got one that says i only watch on you to know and the other one said oh dog this is the best thing that ever happened overdrive was made a lot of on you too manhook are peaking we're peaking here a lot of that uh... you players current players that's gonna be awesome who am i representing the former players of the media side of that's a great question i think former player

i think your former player jeff luneo yet and uh... will be at uh... the rbc canadian open next week and they're at the memorial this week and they get the rbc canadian open and get the u.s. open so we got a few great weeks ago off coming up you did jay's who just got smoked down in tampa to uh... bike like this is the like destroyed get you like they take it they take care of San Diego And then it's like man, maybe you're turning in the right direction. Mm-hmm And then it's like go down to Tampa Bay and

Absolutely, just lay an egg. Yes, like and I asked Steve Phillips a couple weeks ago I was like is this what to expect like don't get too high or low because they're just this is what they're going to do and he said basically that's it that's what they are uh... you know exactly i i think this was a perfect encapsulation of that the last six games you know your bats are alive you're crushing the pod rays you get into a position where you're

not necessarily right behind the yankees but you're within the Padres, you get into a position where you're not necessarily right behind the Yankees, but you're within shooting distance of them. And then you go down there, you lose three straight, you get pumped 13, nothing in your run. Differential is back down to minus 27. What's the Bassett's deal right now? Is he like, the thing is it's the bats that are the issue. Like you can, you can look at at Bowden Francis hasn't been great. Obviously Scherzer hasn't pitched Bassett has had his ups and downs but you look at a weekend like this like their bats are ice cold man like Springer had a great start the last month

it's been he came up on twitter this week it's all of a sudden George is getting hit again and you know Varsho he strikes out way too much ball the shed never walks like the shed never walks he never gets on the case like the bill hit for average but it's either strikeout or like walking is just not in his in his vocabulary like there's no setting the tone is a leadoff hitter whatsoever and and not you know they're in texas plan the rangers in the rangers have been terrible recently to the lost seven in a row I believe what's your

best explanation for Beau Bechet like the that trajectory I honestly thought he was going to be a megastar I think he's I think that ship has sailed like now this is who Beau is I know how did it go up and down like that like it was trending so often that it just fell off a cliff and they are just a regular joe blow uh... more or less i mean last year was disastrous for him clearly you know start an all-star game at shortstop yeah like when this guy a few years ago when they were chasing like

ninety wins ninety plus you know now she was not as yes you know there's a lot of great short stops in the league like they're always is, but he was a young stud that would hit for power, that's something that's left him completely. He does not hit for power consistently. He will hit for average, he will be chasing down batting titles and he's won that before, but his approach at the plate is really frustrating

because he just gets up and starts hacking but there's no patients whatsoever and uh... as a result you know defensively he's gotten better each year of his career he's an ok shortstop defensively but as bad as just it's good it's not great so so is he averaging money event like what's on yeah compared to what i thought he might have been paid two or three years ago for sure is

uh... he's he's just living in a different stratosphere and again the jays are are two games under five hundred now so you know where what are they trending towards a i guess we'll find out artsy folks will join us a little bit later this afternoon raise coming up in about a half an hour uh... we're talking about emmett's in earlier this uh... this hour and and how much of it was skinner and how much of it was just make david in the second period saying we're not losing

i'll lean towards the latter and a skinner deserves a lot of credit he does he was exceptional but there's something about mcdavid when he's in the mood and he was yesterday uh... here's ryan rushog in edmonton uh... if you had to pick one player to determine why they won yesterday would you pick skinner would you pick mcdavid i would pick here

i would look at that second period and i would say the stars mustered their best and through it the orders in that period with a twenty one shots or something that second period yeah and you were scared with the main reason why they repelled the Stars best. McDavid had a great day. I mean huge goal late in a period, looked like his old self, like was really, really

good no question. But if Stewart Skinner doesn't have the second period he has, then I don't think the orders are in position to, you know, to be able to lean on it go for the end of the generated a file of offense but skinner in that second period of the top of the difference maker for me to give him the not colors so what do you make of you know what's the buzz around ebb and turn about skinner because you know we ran a board it's either feast or famine with him to me and there's no way to worry about the worst

well yeah i mean who yeah who do you want to like who do you want to listen to i mean if you want to hop on twitter and look for garbage you're gonna find it uh... the polarizing player goaltending is top this market is tough on goaltenders and i think that the rabid online fan base and the most vocal of the murder of the negative people so if you want to find it guys you can find it stewards kenner said he chooses not to find it and good for him. I think we got

to let the cooler heads prevail and continue to have the intelligent conversation and not dig too much into this roller coaster ride that fans are on with this goalie. I think this is what it is. Last year he showed he could get a team to game seven of a Stanley Cup final. He showed he was capable of that. Came back this year and wasn't as good struggled this year, but it had showed enough last year that Stan Bowman was willing to stand pat with them. And while it was an up and down regular season and not a great start to the

playoffs, that gamble is paying off because Stuart Skinner once again is out dueling Jake Ottinger in a conference final. The orders once again are spending less than five million bucks on their goaltending, which allows him to spend a lot more elsewhere, which is why we're talking about so much depth, and Stuart Skinner has refound his form. So if you want to be on the roller coaster ride, go ahead. To me, it was simple. He showed him he could do it last year, had a crappy regular season, they chose to believe in him again, bumpy start, but he's doing what they thought he would be able to do.

Raysh, I'm fascinated to know, and I'm sure everyone in this market would be fascinated to know, about playing under the pressure of a Canadian market, because a lot of talk here in Toronto is the market's too tough and then Leon Dry Seidel came out and he said, well it's a Canadian market, hockey is everything, but we can handle it. What does that mean they can handle it? Does that just mean they don't care about what anybody says and they go out and they're the best players in the world? How do you describe the way the two best players in the world handle the pressure of a Canadian market? Okay.

So this is a tough one for me to answer without sounding like, I mean, I cover the orders, but you guys know me. I'm I don't cheer. I'm not a fan. I don't like I cover it straight. Neither do we. Journalism journalism. Yeah. Journal. We're journalists here. meet it up journalism journalism the art journal or journalists here yeah come on now owned i'm gonna sound of the you know whatever i'll just give you an answer

those guys can handle it because in the final analysis in the biggest moments they are told the back of milk cartons and they never have been they've been good in the biggest moments. So whether the orders win or the orders lose, in the biggest moments these guys have had to face in their time here, they have showed up and been pushing it in the right direction. Where it gets difficult in these Canadian markets is where you're the highest paid players with the most pressure and you have these massive moments

and you don't come through in those moments. So the narrative builds. So why does Leon Dreistadel feel like he can handle it? Look at his points per game in the playoffs. Why does Connor McDavid feel like sure maybe it gets a little testy with the media now and then but at the end of the day I can handle it? Look at his points per game in the playoffs and his production when it matters the most so it's the culmination of year after year where the highest paid guys are coming through in the moment at the different kind of pressure

the nice to not winning a game seven of a stanley cup final that there yeah answer well i mean i i think so in other words if you play well there's no pressure to play poorly this pressure so i guess what you're saying is an excuse you have an answer when you're being asked the question you have an answer other than

being be funneled in confused as to why it just isn't happened and never has happened when it matters well in the i mean yeah and to be fair for obviously there's a leaf relation to this belief players have never said that publicly they have never come out so we lost tonight because of pressure it's too much pressure for us or they have never said we do we didn't get it done either re-assertive

sounds like the you to get this year issue wasn't expecting that i like it i want to know what you are to be a question of answering i i i you know i did not get into it well i i i thought there was an angle of piss-ism there. You guys put me in a position to look like I'm waving an oil or foam finger. No, not at all. We don't do that on this show. We are all journalists, Rish. The market has something to do with it too though, O. And I say this respectfully.

This wasn't necessarily you guys. I'm not talking about your show But I did have to laugh after game five of that last series I mean there was so they're down three to in a really important series They're two wins away from a conference final and they played like crap an Entire market did a post-mortem on an entire franchise and season It was after game five of a series that's still very much a series. Shanahan's gone, Marner's gone, like what's happening? It was just you like the the market there is on the roller

coaster with the fans. The ups and downs and it's just after game five of that series is not the time to do a post-mortem on the franchise and the entire market does and they bring that to the players that's different and that's why I think people roll their eyes and go this got a little silly when it was a 3-2 series Didn't it and from my I'm not seeing your guys show cuz I while you are though in many ways Well, we did we yell and scream but let me let me I guess stick up for Toronto and the reasoning for that Yeah is

when you lose and you play like that the biggest moments year after year after year and then you justify that rat reaction four nights later i don't think the market has to apologize at all for reacting the way they did in game five i mean the late it would but you're a hundred percent justified net comment uh... shawker if the leases won game six and won game seven, then you come on here, you guys are a bunch of buffoons,

and what is happening in that market? Everyone knew when they watched game five, they're like, I think I know what's coming. And they were right. It's exactly what was coming, because it was worse in game seven. It was worse. And this is where it is different.

You're right, in Edmonton, like McDavid dry subtle the way they play, if they're brutal tomorrow night, it shouldn't, you know, you talk about the game and they play poorly or whatever, it will not lead to some big picture thing because they burst through that because of what you said. They don't end up on milk cartons. When there's a milk carton nine years in a row, people are very easily triggered and I know why they are. And I think it would why they are and I think it would be different here I know it would be

different if three years ago the Leafs won a cup or two years ago they went to a cup final then people would be like all right I'm gonna have a different viewpoint of what's happening here but there is it's it's deep and it's it's heavy and there it there's a lot of psychology and it's a it's a pretty it's it's been a rough ride in the biggest moments here. So I'm not surprised people reacted the way they did in game five. And I get why you would look at it that way.

And I think people in Florida would and Tampa would and Colorado would, other successful teams would look at that and say, that's crazy. But it doesn't, it never happens here. They don't do it here. They don't show up and they don't win. so people freak out and that's the way it goes you know and add in Ryan add one quick thing to that too we talked about it before you came on early in the four o'clock hour Edmonton you know it was pretty noisy there after those first two games in LA I mean that was that's true

noodles it wasn't exactly quiet out there. It was it was especially down the stretch and we've had you on and we talked to Struddy and that like they did they look disconnected down the stretch because they didn't have all their players guys were banged up. We weren't sure the health and status of McDavid dry settle time off and then we weren't sure what's going to go with Kane and Frederick like it was kind of a mishmash and it rolled into those first two games and then the Oilers, now it's 10 of 12 they've won and this looks like a wagon. So it looks a lot different, looks and sounds a lot different but we could argue a calendar month ago there was probably a few question marks floating around that market as well,

correct? Yeah and that's fair but here's the thing and this is where the experience of having one from series been in some battles battling back from being down three nothing in a stanley cup final there's an in inherent confidence with the group so when they're down to nothing in a series

as a media group we understand doesn't look good they're not a good spot but we also understand this team has the ability to push back into this thing so we don't talk about you know the whole season being you know and do a whole post martyr mine every time it's sort of a little bit down you don't have to go big picture in question everything because this group has shown it it's not out of

it right so it's you yup, not a good start, tough luck for Skinner, wonder if they made the right call on the goaltending, all those things, but it's still very much a series. And more importantly, nevermind what us dummies are saying, the players in that room are not sitting there without creeping in. And I don't know when the doubt starts to creep in

for the other guys in Toronto and those guys because of history, I don't know when that starts affecting them, in for the other guys in Toronto and those guys because of history. I don't know when that starts affecting them, but I do know with this Euler group, when we grill them, they're confident. Whatever situation they're in, they've seen it and they're confident and they kind of ignore the noise and just go about their business. They're really, really good at doing that, but they've earned that through a few years here with some heartbreak and some ups and some downs and shooting themselves in

The foot and paying a price and learning and figuring it out next series and there've been a lot of miles here That they've run as a group in the playoffs and learned a lot of things Reach quickly before we get out of here is at home gonna play tomorrow night Man, he looks good And I know he's pushing like he was following following Knoblock around at practice the other day in his year. And I asked Chris about it. He said, no, no, we're just talking about his family and stuff.

Yeah, right. Like, you know, the CS at home guys, when he first got hurt, they were ready to put a release out saying his year was over. And he was like, let's get another opinion, just another opinion. And they got another opinion and that created a pathway for him to potentially get back. He looks good I think there's a chance he goes in game four He talked today said he wants to needs to be cleared The question I have though who comes out

Because and you have to bring anyone out or can you go 11 and 7 because Connor Brown's not going to play next game So you could see seven defensemen but Troy Stetcher has been excellent next to Darnell Nurse. You look at nurses numbers with Troy Stetcher, I would not want to touch that pairing if I were Chris Knoblock for that reason. And so it's a good problem to have.

All right, we'll find out what comes of it tomorrow night. But the Oilers in the driver's seat, really good start to this series clearly, but I'm sure it's long from over with Dallas being the team that they are. Always appreciate you doing this, Shogger. Thank you. We'll do it again soon. Yeah, I look forward to coming back and just calmly discussing, rationally discussing whatever

happens in the game. Yes, we do. We one game, game by game analysis. That's yes we do we've won game game by game analysis that's what we do we do not do big picture stuff we do not put the car before the horse ever yeah ever on the show well you got a big chugger cement there's rhyme to shock from uh... from edmonton and the evidence of the first method

everyone looking down on toronto the whole country you know this is a ticket Everyone looking down on Toronto, the whole country, just can't take it. And he even, like, he just ignored the past and the history and the choking. He's like, you guys, everyone just goes off the rails. Okay, sorry, we're nuts, man. Notice how quiet he got when you brought up the history of the last nine years? He was like, oh yeah, I forgot about that.

I think you make a good point. Listen, it's got to be fun to cover that Edmonton team, man. Like, it's got to be very soothing to know that those guys are going to put on a performance and make you feel like things are going to go pretty well. And they have so far. Wraith brawling about 15 minutes, overdrive continues. TSN 1050 and on TSN 2. All right, Ray's coming up.

We'll get to something to chew on as well. Jay's in action today. We've got tickets we're giving away every day this week to the RBC Canadian Open as well. It's gonna be a great field. Best field they've had in a long long time. A lot of great Canadians will be out there. Roy McIlroy is gonna be out there. Ludwig Olberg is gonna be out there. Yes, yes he will be out there just doing his thing up at TPC Osprey Valley. So we'll give away those tickets at some point probably in the next hour maybe into the 6 p.m. hour but tickets to the RBC Canadian Open which is great and yeah we got a lot to get

into with Ray. We'll get his take of course on both series but we haven't really talked to him since the Leafs have been out either so we'll're getting a number of things with ray in terms of how he sees this plan out with mariner to bar us in center we gotta see if somebody can get the viz before we get ray on of how angry he looked before the game started he was standing on the bench and he just had his hand on his hip in the players were running beside him. He looked so mad. Try to get that joke from the bridge. Just the look on Ray's face. He looked so mad.

Alright, we'll see what we can do. Hour 2 coming up. Overdrive continues. TSN 1050, end of the line access to shows, parties, and performances across the city. Khalid, The Beaches, Charlie Cardin, and more. With $500 spending cash to do it up right. Celebrate North by Northeast in true VIP style. Enter daily at iHeartRadio.ca.