OverDrive - OverDrive - September 16, 2025 - Hour 2 - John Schneider

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

Join Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan for Hour 2 on OverDrive! Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider joins to discuss the Blue Jays' closing stretch, Trey Yesavage's debut with the team and Bo Bichette's injury status. The guys dive into the headlines around the sports world in the latest edition of Confirm or Deny discussing Lane Hutson, the Canadiens' playoff potential and Connor McDavid's contract, if Matthew Knies is considered a star with the Maple Leafs and Bryan gives his FanDuel Best Bets.

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Hour 2 Overdrive continues, powered by Fanduel, bringing you everything from the opening line to the final score. Confirm and deny later in the hour. John Schneider coming up here in a few moments. He's got to be pretty jacked up. Like, if you had all the categories that a manager or coach would want in a team, like the ability to just stick with it and get it done, got to be right at the top of the list. Definitely.

Definitely. And it's not necessarily all skill. It's just sticking in there. there and finding a way to get it done he's got to absolutely love that love it yeah it's a great night after night man it looks kind of nail-biter and then they find a way to get it done perseverance if you i wonder i mean we should ask him did he expect this at a springer coming into the season i mean springers had an unbelievable unbelievable season like how is he doing it like he's going to hit 30 plus home runs well i think was it the other day he turned 36 it was

on his birthday like the other day like he's a he's a hell of a player and you knew he was but from where it was last year compared to this year it's it's seems like night and day so i wonder if you know john saw something different or just maybe a you know a down year last year and a response year this year you know it's it doesn't seem like it's maybe a mechanic mechanics that type of stuff but i don't know man because i don't recall i don't recall ever seen anything like where it's basically a career season for George, certainly a career season as a Blue Jay. And the last two years were a real struggle for him.

Last year in particular was really ugly. And his numbers, he's got 29 home runs. He's got an OPS of 943. He's got a 4.2 wins above replacement. He's D.Hing a lot, but he's also capable of playing in the outfield. And he's been doing that, clearly with injuries and having to move different guys around. It seems like he's getting like down and under it and just smashing it all the time.

Yeah, he's incredibly clutch. He's back hitting lead off, which I thought those days were gone for him. God. Those days, and that's what he was in Houston and that's when he, that's what he was when he arrived in Toronto. But the last couple of years, and there were time, they were hiding him in the lineup last year, hiding him with no expectation. And now tonight, again, he'll DH, and he's leading off. and it's him into Lucas and the Guerrero and to barger and to Kirk, Kirk back behind the play with Perrios on a mound tonight.

And last night was just a bonus with you Savage showing up, your number one prospect who was drafted a year ago. Yeah, and he said each level there was a little bit of nerves and he was able to get over that and perform. And he did the same thing last night. Like, what a stud, man. Incredible. I mean, what a stud.

It was just an impressive first outing. Family there, the whole nine. Yeah. unreal but he does look to like he seems like he's got the complete package like a big guy powerful arm tremendous poise too that's the one thing you know a lot of times you see guys who come up or you know from the miners all that type of stuff and there's nerves in their game this guy had tremendous poise yeah he did it was awesome nine strikeouts nine strikeouts for a debut he almost had an immaculate inning last night it's just incredible how well he he pitched and how well

performed and um it is strange though that like they're in a they're in a pennant race in september and they're playing at a spring training facility yeah that was that was it's just weird i'm sorry it's weird like that hit foul and it's like god that hits it they go that that hit out in the parking lot because there's no sides over there look right the announcers even sound different in that ballpark they do Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Buck sounded like he was on a different planet.

Yeah, it had a different sound to it. Buck sounded like he was in a Winnebago calling that from a game. I was thinking that. Maybe he was. Yeah, like, where's Buck? What's happening here? Because the whole sound system's out of whack down there. You're right.

It was a weird night for broadcasting because Chris Fowler was doing the play-by-play for the nightcap game last night, the Vegas Chargers game, and you could tell he was fighting it. He was losing his voice. And he was really struck. struggling. That's tough. And it's so tough for a broadcaster to be in that position.

If you're doing play-by-play and you're losing your voice, it's such a grind, especially a big game like that. That's Monday night football, week two. Yeah. You've got a bad voice. It doesn't matter. Like, you're drinking honey. You're doing all these mixtures or whatever.

You can't do it. You're trying your hardest. You're trying your hardest. Fowler was grinding it out last night. But, yeah, it's just a weird vibe. I mean, the Js are fine with it. guess it's better than the trough, and we know obviously why they can't play at the Trop, but, you know, you're chasing down the American League East, and you're playing at the

Steinbrenner Field in September, and they're back there tonight. Here he is, the manager of the Blue Jays, John Snyder. How you doing, John? Hey, fellas, what's going on? Doing well, thanks. Yeah, it's great to catch up with you. Is it strange to be in a pennant race playing at a spring training facility in September? A little bit, you know.

We were here in May, you know, and we've kind of, we've really talked about not making this a thing, you know, and it's still major league baseball. But it's, I think, a little bit more unique for us because we come here in spring training all the time, you know, and we're kind of just used to that being the thing here. So you've got to treat it like a regular game. But, yeah, it definitely has a little bit of a COVID feel, things like that. It's just a little bit unique. Yeah, it is. But it worked for you last night. And, man, it worked for the kid.

Trey is Savage. What a start for him last night. nine strikeouts. He goes five innings. His family's up in the stands. It was amazing. What have you learned about him? What did you learn about Trey Savage last night? Man. You don't want to say not much that he didn't know, right? We didn't really know him

for a kid that was drafted last year, but he handled the whole day extremely well. And I think with each inning that passed, as he came off the mound, he seemed to kind of take a deep breath each time, you know, and kind of settle into pitching. But what we learned about him was he's pretty cool. You know, he's pretty collected and obviously can miss him bats. That's kind of the driving factor of bringing him up here. And he's got a unique delivery, unique arsenal. And, you know,

hitters don't see that kind of release point very often. You know, it's pretty well documented. So he went right after hitters, you know, which was something we preached to him. you know, just let your stuff play in the zone. Really couldn't have asked for much more than when he did last night. Yeah, it was pretty incredible to watch. And naturally, people are, you know, putting the carpet before the horse. Like, all right, playoffs a few weeks away. What happens now?

He's not technically eligible to be a part of the playoff roster. Can you take us through the plan with him? Like, what's next for you, Savage, the rest of the regular season? And can he possibly factor into the playoffs for you guys? Yeah, I think in terms of going forward here the next couple weeks, again, we brought him up because we thought he could just help us win. You know, he's done both, you know, starting, relieving this year in the minors. We kind of did that deliberately with him in the last month and a half or so.

And we're still kind of working through what the next outing is, whether it's starting or, you know, could be coming out of the pen. We're just trying to win as many games as we can and think that Trey can be a part of that, obviously. So how that unfolds, we'll see. we'll see how everyone else in the rotation kind of goes and make that decision in a couple days. And then as far as the postseason, he's, I know it's weird.

I think the written rule is you have to get an exemption from the commissioner, and it is very, very likely that that will happen. I think the most recent example was Jackson Job in Detroit last year, a guy that was in their system, but didn't come up before, you know, until after the first of September and he was on their postseason roster. So that's part of our thinking, too, obviously, you know, we called him up. hoping that he was going to perform up to his ability, and then if that's the case, you know, hopefully help us in some way, shape, or form, you know, when and if, hopefully

we get to the postseason. So I'm not really worried about that going forward and just kind of want him to continue to, you know, pitch the way he's been pitching all year. John, you've been around the game a long time. When you see young guys come up, is there something that you need to see the, you know, for yourself as a manager to, you know, gain confidence in a young player, especially really a young pitcher that carries himself that way in his first start? Yeah, you're looking, I mean, we all know about his stuff and, you know, where he was drafted

and why and things like that. We look at things, you know, how he handles himself throughout the day between innings, on the mound, running game stuff, how we execute the game plan, you know, all that kind of stuff in real time. And the first outing is always a tricky one, you know, because there's going to be nerves, there's going to be anxiety, there's going to be excitement, no matter where you're playing, a matter who you're facing, right? So we're looking at kind of how he navigated a day.

has the whole, and he was really, really damn good, you know. Can you throw strikes? Can you kind of slow things down a little bit? He did that with each of the thing that went on. So that was to us just as encouraging as what the stuff was. Okay, we need you to vote on something for us. And basically, yeah, break the tie here, because I think he looks just like Bryson DeCambo. These guys don't.

Do you see Deschambo when you look at Trey Savage? Yeah, I could see it for sure. Yeah, I can. Now, the way you frame that, that would sound very convincing, man. You say it's the way you frame the question, Ryan, saying you're forcing the person with, yes, exactly. I led the witness there a little bit.

Yeah, that did benefit me. I think he looks like Bryson, but anyway, with John Schneider. We saw it today, we were very, everyone was very happy to hear about that second opinion for Boba Shed. it sounds like it was a very positive one. Does that mean the first opinion was a negative one? Take us through that process, why Beau felt he needed a second opinion

and kind of where the team takes it from here on Bichette. Yeah, I think, you know, the first one wasn't a negative one. I think when you're trying to find the right timetable for a guy to hopefully get back, you just want to kind of cover all your bases, and you work with the player, you work with the training staff, and see what that looks like. I think kind of just confirming what the first, you know, meeting what the doctors was, was important for everyone. And, you know, Beau was back here in Florida. He was actually, he was over at our complex this morning, getting some work done.

And he should be over here any minute, basically, I think, around 5, 5.30. And be back with us and hopefully continue to progress forward. You know, again, it was the news that I think we were expecting, but kind of wanted to just make sure. And, you know, there's still no definitive time. table on it, right? But I think he's going to do everything in his power to get back as soon as he can. Is it a scenario with Bichette where, you know, in order for him to return, he's going to play short? Or is a D.H an option for Bowen? If so, how complicated can that make things, you know, come playoff time or down the stretch if he's simply only available to you as a

DH? Yeah, I think we'll get more of a feel on that once he starts ramping up. some activity, you know, I think the goal is, yeah, you know, if you can be ready to play short and kind of get us back to, like, you know, a regular roster that we've been, you know, deploying all year, that'd be great. But when you're talking about the caliber of hitter that he is, you know, I think that if that comes first, I'll definitely take that and you can work around that. When you're talking about guys leading our team in RBI's and is really productive in the middle of our order, you know, we're just going to kind of weigh it out and know that Bo will put in the work to get ready to do as much as he can.

So when we get to that point, we'll make that decision. But, you know, I mean, I would take Bo Bichette's bat in the lineup over a lot of people in this game, you know. So if that's the case, great. If he's ready to play short, great. John, did you see this type of season coming out of George Springer? You know, I'd be lying to you if I said, yeah. You know, I think that we definitely expected George to be better than he was.

last year, right? I mean, I know that I probably took some heat last year saying there's a lot of things that we still think he can do and, you know, it's a down year for him and he attacked him, you know, in the off season, you know, he was working through it in spring training and I know there was a lot of people talking bad about

him in spring training based on results and we never lost confidence in him and, you know, I've never lost confidence in George just because of how athletic he still is. You know, he can still run, he's still really strong, he's swinging the bat faster than he did last year. He's really hit it off with our hitting coaches, you know, David Popkins and Lou Ionati and Hunter.

You know, they've made some changes. So we definitely were expecting George to be more productive than he was last year. But he's really kind of taking his game to a new level. You know, I think it's arguably his best year since he signed here and best year in a while in his career overall. So that's been huge for us, you know, to where you look up, he's hitting 300 with 29 and 80 and stealing bases. He's been right in the middle of everything we're doing. And so he's been so good. So, you know, again, when you're projecting, do you project that? Yeah, probably not for a guy who's just getting older by the day.

But he's been so consistent all year and such a big part of what we're doing. Schneid's for the checklist for a skip or a coach, like the clutch gene and just sticking with it and hanging in games. Like how much do you love watching that the way your guys are finding ways to get it done on a nightly basis? It's funny. I feel like we should just, you know, spot a team one. running the first and then start the game you know um these guys man it's for one the camaraderie the chemistry in this clubhouse you know i've said this all along i i wish you know the common fan could kind of be in here every day and see how they operate um part of it is that and part of that

is real and it gets contagious and part of it is kind of how we're built too you know where if you do get down you know i think that we have the pitching and the defense to keep the game kind of where it is you know to keep the game in arms like the neighbor will come back and then you put kind of our offensive profile into it where we got guys that can hit the ball to the park we got guys that can put the ball in play we got guys that can run the bases it's a pretty sustainable thing to do now coming from behind it's just it's stressful you know it's you don't love it but i think that we have done it enough to where when you're in those situations guys are confident that they can do it because we've done it so much you know so it's awesome to see them

turn the page to the next thing every single day this series and then i'm talking inning by inning, pitch by pitch, and just focusing on what is important in that moment. You know, that was my biggest message to them in spring training was what's important now and figure out what is important right now and go do it and move on to the next thing. So they've done a phenomenal job of it all year. And hopefully we can have a little bit of leeway here with the scores or getting ahead as opposed to falling behind, but they just don't quit and they really believe in one another. With John Schneider, Jay's raised tonight, and we had you on a bunch over the last couple of years, last year, the year before, and we probably started every conversation about clutch hitting and runners in scoring position and, you know, hitting for power and everything is flipped this year.

And obviously that was, you know, point of contention, and that was something I'm sure you and your staff, everyone within the organization realized, okay, we got to find a way to flip this. And it has flipped drastically to the point where, again, you guys, you know, in the driver's seat in the American. American League. What was the plan and how has it worked out so well for you guys? Where, again, you've had such clutch hitting all year and it was such an issue the previous two years. Yeah, I think our personnel has changed a little bit. I think that we've definitely, we realized over the past couple of years that we have guys, guys that have been here, guys that we brought in, guys that we've developed, that make a lot of contact. So within that, you know, we kind of leaned into how do you make better contact last year?

year. And then looking at how we were going to be built this year, you know, you kind of say, okay, we're a team that's probably going to make enough contact to move the ball forward. So it starts with game planning. You know, I think a lot of credit goes to Pop and Lou and Hunter. We definitely have tweaked kind of our preparation in terms of meetings, messaging, keeping it, you know, very, very simple for everyone, but everyone kind of having an individual plan. based on what a pitcher may do to him. So the in-game messaging has improved from the coaches to the players. I think the confidence has improved in the players when they go up to the plate

with a specific plan to execute. And, you know, runners in scoring position can be a volatile thing, you know, over the course of the season or from year to year. And I just think that when you're prepared for any situation, you just put in a better spot to go out and have success and to just do what we're asking you to do. So it's been a combination of a lot of things. We tried to address a lot of things in the offseason

in terms of finding the right matchups, whether it's pinch hitting or finding the right matchups, you know, against a starting pitcher based on a guy's swing, and feel like we've really taken a lot of steps forward from a preparation standpoint. So circling back on you Savage's here quickly in terms of who he's surrounded by. I'm just, you know, I'm looking at the ages of your staff.

You got Bassett's 36, Prio's 31, Bieber, 30. Gosman 34 and Max is 41. They're all married. They all have kids. I don't think you could ask for a better situation, though, for you, Savage. If you're a young kid coming up, if you were to put yourself in his shoes, you got future Hall of Famers, you got studs, you get guys who have been around forever. I can't imagine the other five guys that are, like, hitting the bars on the road or anything.

They're probably all asleep by like 930 or 10. Like, is this a perfect situation for a young pitcher to step into a staff like this? Yeah, it's pretty cool. You know, I think that, you know, we've had that for the past couple of years. We've had a lot of consistency. And then you add, it helped Eric Lauer when he was in the rotation, you know. And then I think you bring in Bebs and he's just another guy, you know, he's another guy that has won a style young. He's been a frontline starter.

He's been in postseason. He is very routine-oriented. You know, so that's been cool. And to have a young kid who got drafted last year be able to be around them. Now, everyone's a little bit different. in terms of how they pitch and their pitches and all that kind of stuff. Max was pretty funny. He came up to me in the second inning yesterday, and he said, man, I thought for,

as only Max can say, he said, man, I thought for a kid who was 20 years younger than me, you know, he would throw harder than me, you know, just trying to give him a little bit of crap. But I think him having the ability to be around these guys and kind of, you know, talked to them, picked their brain a little bit, is going to be eye-opening for him. And, you know, for a rookie kid coming up, making his debut in a pennant race, he's going to hear a lot of stuff you know so it's a matter of what he needs to take in and what he needs to leave

but these guys have always been welcoming to whoever comes in and for Trey it's basically a dream scenario I think yeah it really is and you know I know you're somewhat superstitious I'm sure you are and you guys have not clinched a playoff spot yet but you're you're on pace you know at what point do you start you know thinking about that you know rotation and how you line everyone up is that cigars, darts in the locker room, all of it.

You've got to plan it all out. That's right, exactly, exactly. It's, you know, we've talked about the last couple days, you know, with some players and obviously staff and, you know, front office and things. And, you know, it's, you've got to thread the needle a little bit to where, again, we're trying to win every game. And it's, you know, you don't want to, you know, at the expense of, you know, a guy's workload or a guy who's grinding a little bit physically,

everyone's kind of grinding right now physically, so you want to try to take advantage of some days off from bullpen guys from regular position players, but you also still want to put yourself in position to win and not take anything for granted. So we've talked about it, you know, but it's definitely, it's a balance, you know,

and I think guys understand that and they're ready to contribute however I'm asking them to. As they should be, it's been a great run so far, and it's going to be a really fun stretch run here. So best of luck tonight, the rest of the series down in Tampa, the rest of the way during the regular season.

And we always appreciate you finding time for us. Thank you, John. You back, guys. Thank you so much. Looking forward to getting home, too, back in front of our fans, and they've been amazing. Absolutely. Can't wait to see it.

Thanks, John. Appreciate it. Thanks, guys. All right. I appreciate it. John Schneider, joining us here on the Maple Toyota Hotline, drive the built-in-canada fuel-efficient, fund-to-drive Toyota Rout 4, gas or hybrid models available.

Is it Maple Toyota.com? He didn't believe you. On Bryson? Yeah. No, I know. He was like, what are you talking about? I got a game tonight. Yeah, I could see that.

Immediately regretted accepting the invitation with that question alone. He was good. He was a pro about it. He's a good spirits and he should be. Exactly. You're right, man. They're thinking, you know, once you clinch, you have that party, right? You get the plastic in there.

You get the goggles. You get the cigars and booze and darts. And it's always had the darts going. Right. It's totally accepted. You watch it. It's always a skisgars. Scheduled lost the next day.

Always. Because you know those guys have gone out all night. And sometimes they get after it and they got a playoff game the next day and they still get torched. You're right. Yeah, that is crazy. But I mean, if it's, you know, you're six games or four games left or whatever and you wrap the next day, your best bets or whatever you name it, you know. Just fade whoever that is every time. And it's always seemingly a day game, like outdoors and a heat.

You can just tell some grizzled vet who has to play because of roster constraints. It's like, I'm going off for four. I may not swing and I'm leaving. Like, just get me out of here. But Jay's are in a great spot. And interesting what he said about you, Savage, like basically, you know, you didn't say it's a formality with the commissioner, but it seems very likely the commissioner would sign off on the ability to bring him in.

For sure. And let him be a part of the playoff roster. Yeah. They need an exception, basically. Yeah. And Bichette, again, Again, you know, well, there's no timeline. He's down there in Florida, but if he's available to take swings and hit, he'll be playing

for him, which is, I think, what you're hoping for at this point with Bo Bichette. Yeah. So Barrio's on a mountainite, Jay's raise, and again, the magic number is, what, four for them to make the playoffs to win the ALES at seven. There it is. Yeah, it's moving in the right direction. It's been a magical season for the Blue Jays. All right, confirm with tonight coming up.

Best bet still to come as well. Overdrive continues. 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 Tuka Rask. 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 either confirm or deny that.

confirm or deny. All right, confirm a deny. Statements are made. It's very simple. We either confirm them or we deny them. It's not difficult. We've been doing this for a long time.

It's like riding a bike. All right, let's stay with a consistent theme throughout today. Confirm or deny the Blue Jays need Bo Bouchette in order to win a World Series. A hundred percent confirm. Well, that's the biggest layup you've ever done on this one. Biggest ever. Biggest ever.

Okay. It's not in the lineup now. They're still winning. Pitching in defense. You know what it's like, man. You've got to have the clutch players, your big boys, all dialed in at the same time. Like, if you watch the Phillies playing the playoffs, like, they're big guns. Like, they're the ones that are getting it done.

You need them in there, man. Yeah. 100% confirmed. I'm confirming it as well. I do believe you need everything to win in any sport. You need your top players, and you need everything to fall into place. Health is a big part of it. So the health of Bobauchette, listen, I think they could probably win without them,

but I think they do need them to win. Yeah, I guess to get a World Series, it would have been different. You're right, if it's to win the ALDS, and I think they can win without them. You know, I think it's going to be more difficult, clearly. But I'll confirm it as well to get all the way to a World Series. You know, when the DS, the CS, and the World Series,

you're going to need that guy in the middle of your order that can hit for power. It's clutch all year. It's such a clutch season for Bo. All right, I'll confirm it. Moving along then. All right, confirm it deny. Lane Hudson would make Team Canada

for the Olympic games. If he were playing for Canada, he would be on the Canadian team. Dirty little question, that is. Lane Hudson. I think he might because he's unique. I'm going to confirm it. I'm going to confirm that Lane Hudson would make Team Canada.

I just think he's unique, and Canada doesn't really... I mean, they've got McCarr who plays all the time. But then you want guys that are going to PK. I don't know. No, I'm going to deny it. Sorry, I got to deny it. I got to deny it. Who's spot?

Like, could he take... Well, eight players go, right? No, I know, but I'm saying, I'm just trying to break it down. Would he take Harley's spot? That's the guy. Reasonable? I think if he doubles down on what he did last year, and by Christmas, he's on pace for, like, 75 points and flying. What are you looking for him to do, though?

That's the question. Because a lot of time, when you got your power play guy like McCar and Taze, it's like you're looking for other guys to fill in spots. You know what I mean? And it's not fancy stuff. I also think that a guy like Bouchard might push his way in there. You know what I mean? There was a time where we were calling them the Hutt player. What was it?

What did you have him? The hut. If there was a hut with the top five defensemen, Bouchard was in it. At that point. Now, he certainly didn't have a great regular season last year. But he did play well in the playoffs when they needed him. So I think he might stay. He might stick his nose in there, for sure.

He's so good, Lane Hudson. He's a great player. I just, like I say, who's coming out? You know how Hayes, you always say, like, who's coming out? Like, who comes off for his spot? Like, Harley would be the only guy. Yeah, Harley, you know, is Sandheim, is Paraco. Yeah, Sanhame.

Those guys play a different style. I would deny it because I think Team Canada overthinkes this all the time, but it's reasonable for them to do this. Right. is that, like, Lane Hudson defensively is not, it's not a strength yet. He's not a big guy. Right. He manages, though.

He does. He got better throughout the year. He was great. And Quinn Hughes, McCart, like, those guys, they're not Scott Stevens either, and they're very valuable because of the way they can play and they can move the pocket, and they're so smart. But if he, if he were to make this team and this hypothetical, it would be down the roster.

And I think Canada would look at it and say, they would, prefer Shea Theodore Different type of player Yes, exactly They prefer a veteran They prefer a guy They felt they could rely on Maybe in defensive situations more than him

Because I don't think he's quite ready for that Thing is though Eight spots You know there's There might be I could probably find a spot for him I really could It's just who's coming out

Like is Drew Dowdy in here If you put it like that Jamie Eight spots If you put it like that eight spots I was thinking about like playing on like No I'm saying like there's two extra guys that aren't playing and you just mentioned some guys

parakeo yeah but what's the sense of doing that though i want to know if the guy's going to play drop in the puck big game gold medal game right now and tell me if i'm wrong team canada the quarterback of the power plays kale macar correct that's not that's not changing right and on the u.s side it's quinn hughes correct like so that's his style of game as quarterback all that now you can play second power play you can do all the types of things i think hudson's a special player that you try and find a spot for but then again at the expense of what maybe somebody that you want to penalty kill or somebody it's thin but i i i could try and find him a spot i he's so talented like bully my way in i don't know how

he was not invited to the american camp i know it was weird man that's a really weird play give him an invite for crying out loud he just won the calder playing in montreal of all places yeah And he had one of the great seasons we've seen in a long time. Even if you know you're not going to pick him, why would you not want him to get a taste of that? Experience, exactly. Exactly. And the American defense is really deep.

It's really good. And I think he'd have to have, he'd have to somehow be better than, he'd have to be better than he was last year in order to get himself into that top eight for the Americans. Because I think they're pretty solidified based on what they have and what they showed at the Four Nations, and that was without Quinn Hughes.

Yeah. Like Quinn was hurt. He didn't even play in that. But, like, Lane Hudson's going to have his day. Same thing, Dustin Wolf wasn't invited either. And again, he's probably not one of the three goalies being picked, but still, why would you not have Dustin Wolf hanging around? Here's a crossover question for you.

Would Dustin Wolf be invited to your Canadian side? Yes, 100%. He might be starting for them. He might. He might. Jordan Bennington did a good job. I get it. Binnington, I get it. And I think

Bennington probably would, based on history and based on, you know, Cooper clearly loves them and everything. But didn't Army come out and say goaltending is our most open position? And yet they said that. They didn't invite anybody else. They only invited the three guys. Well, I thought I heard in a quote, Army said that. That's

our most open position. Well, I think they can be flexible because there's timing. If you have a guy who has a good start, we talked about Logan Thompson had a great season last year. Didn't get invited. Right. Like there's, I think that is, something where there can be some flexibility, but for me, Jordan Bennington is he's starting game one, unless he absolutely falls off a cliff here this season, which I don't see,

but I don't know. I agree with you. He's clearly the guy, but beyond that, it's open season. You know, why would Aiton Hill be a lock to make the team, or Montembo be a lock to make the team? I don't think they would be or they should be. All right, confirmed an I with the Lane Hudson theme here. The Montreal Canadiens will make the playoffs this season.

I'm going to confirm that one. I think they got, they're just building in the right direction, you know. They always say the right things. We're not in a rush. We're just kind of, I think the Demadoff kid might be really good. I think they're going to make the playoffs. Well, they made it last year, just lost to Washington, right? Yeah, they got bullied out of that series.

They've lost 4-1 in the series, but I say yes, because I think they're a better team this year with experience. Like you're out of another player, but you've got. young player we just talked about lane hudson what's he going to be like in year two and it is a scary thing though jamey where you're young and you make it and you're and it's like same with ottawa it's like you got to back it up to not take a step back and then so teams are or everyone's not looking oh that was a one and done and now you're two or three years away from being a two or three years away it's a scary proposition yeah year two's it's scary it really

is like you've got to send a message quickly if you're travis green and marty St. Louis, that you've got high expectations and you've got to follow through. Like Montreal, Montreal got hot down the stretch. Ottawa was pretty consistent all year. They were pretty consistently in it. And, you know, they were, they were pretty steady.

Montreal, post four nations were just like, they were rock stars. They were on a roll. They were on a role. And I think it's more likely, Montreal's, I think Montreal's got to prove it more than Ottawa. And I get Ottawa, just made the playoffs for the first time in a long time. But just based on how consistent Ottawa

was for the most part last year. Yeah, Ottawa was farther ahead and their progression of the rebuild, too, right? Like, that's their... Who do you think has a better... Who would you pick, though, as a core moving forward? If you pick the three best forwards, the two best defensemen and the starting goalie,

Ottawa or Montreal? I say Ottawa. No, I mean, I'm biased, but I mean, I'll take Sanderson over Hudson. I'll take Allmark over... mountain ball. That one I would. And I'll take, I mean, Stutzler I'm taking Suzuki over Stoetsla. I'll say, but they don't have a Brady? No, they don't.

But could Demidov be more, could he match them in a totally different style of play clearly? That's pretty close, man. That's pretty close. I don't think you can hand Demitov that status yet, but Caulfield, like Coffield had a really good stretch run last year too. He's a good player. Yeah. I just

think, I mean, I look at it as I think Ottawa's right deeper down the middle. It's Kachuk, Stutzla, and who would be their third, if you're picking a third guy? Batherson. Third forward. Batherson? Is it Batherson? Yeah. Could it be

Pinto, maybe, with another year? I love that. You guys know I love that Pinto. They got Kirby Doc, like they, you know, I'm sorry, not Kirby, Cousins, sorry, Dylan Cousins. I still think you've got to give Pinto a little bit of a look at Center Ice, Bergeron-type role

puts Stutzelaw on the right and Brady on the left. Just give it a shot in preseason. You never know. You never know. Why? Sanderson versus Hudson's a great chat, though. Both Americans too, right? Both fighting for that American team. Sanderson's ahead of them right now just based

on experience and age. Well, Sanderson is an elite defender. If you look at his numbers, elite defender. And then you add in the offensive stuff. Hudson, I think, is better than... Not, I think. I think Hudson's better than him offensively, but a Sanderson is a complete player. Like, he's, he's a, he's a superstar for me.

Yeah. He is legitimately a superstar, number one defenseman. Like, that's, that's what I see in, Jay, Santers. I think I'd go Ottawa, too. Like, I love Suzuki. I do too. I like, like, Suzuki, great leader, great guy, great player. I just, like, you know, man, man, he's consistent.

But, I mean, that's, you know, what I was talking about, when we look at these teams, like, they're, they're heading. north like these are the teams that are expected to take that next step next step and and and push in the atlantic like that's that's the biggest thing like you look down the middle right now on paper it's suzuki doc new hook evans that's what they've they've got right like i think ottawa has what is it stutzla uh cousins pinto eller like that's three pretty good salmon that are all 24 years old and under Like that's pretty impressive

Yeah And then Kachuk, Batherson You got Juru back Yeah And Peron, Greg Yeah You know another fourth line

Yeah I'd go I would go Ottawa I think with their core But Montreal Again Demenov's going to be a big part of that If Slavkovsky ever You know takes a consistent step That

He did last year Yeah Yeah he was good He was good I just you know I don't know if he's ever going to be Like a star Or anything like that

I guess is what I'm saying You know Is he going to be a guy that is like a true rock star or is he just going to be a really good player this we'll find out but well i mean he just literally he's 21 and had 51 points last year and 79 games what did what did nyes have last year 29 goals and 50 point 55 points at like 23 years old but that's what i'm saying though it's nice of like a star or suit i'm not i don't know he's a star player right now is he

I don't think he's a star. I don't think. Matthew Nyes? Yes. Big strong guy like that. You label him a star, like a star in the league. What else is he? 29 goals?

You know how hard it is to score 30 goals in the National Hockey League? What else would you classify him as? Am I missing something here? Matthew. Yeah, he's a really good player. I mean, it's semantics in terms of how everyone define. It's all arbitrary how you define it. Superstar, star.

You know, star is that, is that, like, I would, I would consider Brady Kachuk a star. I don't think he's a superstar. I think he's got a superstar last thing. Well, if you're going to label Brady Kachuk just a star player. What I'm saying, though, like is star plus, isn't he? A star, like is Nealander a star or a superstar? I think he's on the high-lander's a category where it's like really nice.

Yeah, I know, and it's close. Neander's Star Plus plus as well. Totally, I get it. But, you know what? Nice is a step below those guys. Right. Like that's, I mean, Kay, he's a really good player.

It's loosely defined. It's loosely defined. That's what it is, though, because they are stars in certain situations, others, you know, that's when you look at it. So I think they are on the cusp, and if not, they are on the trajectory of being star players. Let's, let's end up that way to rank. It's a good ranking, though. It's a good conversation.

Star and Star, very good. yeah you know like you keep there's no point wasting time once you get past that but like you know you look at the eastern team the three teams in eastern Canada like Cole Coffield yeah be a star I think Cole's a star hit 40 goals last year I think Coffield's a star he's not a superstar yeah he's a star I think he's a star and that's I guess that's what I'm saying

if Suzuki is I don't think Suzuki's a superstar yet I think he's got a chance again it's all arbitrary it doesn't really matter but right anyway all right let's finish with this one because we haven't we haven't talked McDavid in a while and tomorrow he shows up and puts the jersey on and does his team picture and does his physical and all that

confirm or deny if McDavid plays the season without a contract he's leaving Edmonton next July 1st oh man we had to do this one well but this is a new reality it's not negotiable where it's middle ground it's like confirm or deny it just it's reached

a point now where everyone was like nah it's nothing ah he's just taking us He'll figure it out, and now they're in camp tomorrow. And I, like, maybe he signs tonight, but I'm not bracing for like November 13th out of nowhere four-year extension. I could be wrong, clearly. Like, we'll see, but why would you do that if you're McDavid? Like, why would you not just, if you're going to sign the extension, why would you do it,

why wouldn't you do it before the season starts? So once it starts, then to me, it's like, all right, all everything, everything goes on the table at that point. Yeah. Doesn't mean he's leaving. but it seemed to me, and I think we all agreed three or four months ago, I thought just formality, he'll sign an extension, whatever it is,

and that's what's going to happen. You start the year and you play out the year without one, and you get closer to July 1st. It has to be on the table this guy's leaving. Doesn't mean he will, but it has to be on the table. Well, for sure, it has to be on the table or else you would have signed a contract. Exactly.

You have to... Now it's entered your head if you're anybody involved. You're like, maybe it could happen. Like, if you're Jeff Jackson, you can't have your feelings. feet up anymore, be like, you know, at some point you've got to start getting a little bit nervous, you would think. I think they, I still feel they know what the plan is there,

but I, the longer it goes, I've got to be consistent saying this, like, what are you waiting for? Like, that's the question. Like, that's the, the longer it goes, are you waiting to see something or waiting or looking? That's why I'm going to confirm this. Like, I'm, I'm, if

if they play out the season and it's June and he hasn't signed, I don't know. Maybe he pulls a Brock Besser and goes, screw it, I'm coming back. And if it's a short-term deal, maybe you can sign it on July 1st next year, or August for, who knows? Just to me it would just, it would

reek of something going on. This guy goes throughout the whole season and is thinking of hitting the market to see what's out there. That would terrify me if I was Edmonton. That would suggest to me that was always his plan. Yeah, I'm still denying it because I think he wants to win a cup

in Evanton. Well, I don't dispute that this year. So, depending on if they win like that's the other thing if they win this year i think all bets are off if they don't i still i think he he signs so that's interesting win and leave maybe he's leaving that door open again oh i definitely think if there was only the one year like nothing left and he won he's gone because you got it done he wanted to win in edmonton and then there's your cup and go play somewhere else but but at the end of the day like i'm still denying it but i and the longer this goes, you can't help but just go sniffing or whatever the thought process is, because then

you keep going, what do you need to see? Like, why wasn't this done in July, August, you know, September, October, you name it. Like, that's, you have to think realistically about it, but I still I still believe he's signing a short-term deal. Okay. In Evanston. Yeah. Yes. Okay. Yeah. All right. All right. I'd be wrong. No, listen, no one knows. at this point. Everyone's waiting to see what's going on with him. Yeah. We'll find out.

Well, it's... Either way, he's playing for Edmonton this year. He doesn't want it to be a distraction, but yet we're going to be talking about it every day because... I love that line when you're the best player in the world and you don't have a contract after this year. You don't want it to be a distraction. Yeah.

It's going to be a distraction. It really is. It's a distraction. Believe me. And, you know... Especially in a market like any Canadian market, any Canadian market. Any Canadian market. Edmonton is so hockey crazy.

The team's been so good for two years. It's McDavid. Yeah. You know, it just... It's kind of getting noisy down in the Minnesota there with this Capri Soff character, too. Like, I don't know. I don't know what to believe.

Getting a little contentious. Yes, I don't know what to believe. So, you know, you think about it, like, it's different with Capri Sov, but they're in the same boat. That guy just, he screams like the Blackhawks or the Rangers. Screams it. Oh, that's... Yeah.

I hope not for Minnesota. Like, I, you know, they got to... I'd be so pissed if I offered him that money and he just scoffed at it. Like, come on. Yeah. Like, they've got him quite high on. Like, they've been pretty good to the guy. Like, they paid him.

He's been great there. And now all of a sudden it's just, but you know what it's like with those type of markets? When you get a hot shot that wants something different, who knows? And the bigger... I don't know what's going on there, but I'd be pissed if I was the team, man, Billy Garon. And Billy, you guys know Billy Garon doesn't screw around. Yeah. Well, that's the crazy thing.

That's a guy, though, they probably flip, right? Like, if he just shuts down negotiations, they might trade them. What a deal that would be. Well, that's, you know, there's a few people out there that need deals that if it doesn't go right, that might be on the market, right? Yeah, you're right about that. Haven't heard anything about Kyle Connor. No, another guy in a market in Winnipeg.

I think he wants to stay there, though. A little birdie told me that. I hope so. I hope so. Let's hope so. I like him. Eelers, we were talking the same thing about him last year. Mitch Marner, we were talking about the same thing with him last year. Yep. All right, there you go. Confirm with the night. Best buts coming up. Overdrive continues. TSN 10-50 and on the TSN app.

All right, Best Bet's powered by Fanduel. Make your picks and assemble the same game, parlay on seconds on the Fanduel Sportsbook app. I'm on the Jays tonight. I just think they keep rolling. Burrios. He had a good out in the last time out. He's been a little bit dicey at times down the stretch here, but I like the Jays tonight. raise are done their seasons over Jay's winning tonight Addison Barger to record a hit Vladdy Guerrero Jr. to record an RBA

RBI that parlay paying plus 346 tonight Best bets powered by Fandwell first inning means as much as the ninth when you bet baseball in the Fandwell Sportsbook gap. Please play responsibly 19 plus physically located in Ontario a couple of wins last night for

Hayes and Bro and Owen Wilson charges winning and the box winning so the both parties seen a board. Well, Thursday nighters, Bill's Dolphins. Oh, my word. Who gets the pick us? We get the pick. Oh, come on. Well, the spread's going to be ridiculous,

though. What do you think the spread? Is it going to be 15 points? Oh, I think it's got to be 13 and a half by now. That's usually a sneaky little number. Like, can they beat them by two touchdowns? I haven't looked at it, but I'm guessing that's around where it is. And a lot of people

thinking this could be it from Mike McDaniel. Go up there. to be yeah just get pumped and then you're out and then move on yeah go up there get pumped oh and three then it's a bit of a long week for the next coach to come in and try to settle them down and yeah that's there's probably some odds on that and i can't imagine they're they're very flattering for mike macdon just listen to the guy's pressers and then that's all you need to see yeah he's got lose win win and lose get a win to win and lose yeah all right that's that's motivating for the boys. I'm sure. It's no good.

Yeah, I feel pretty good about the bills being 3 and 0 after week 3. Pretty good about that. Anyway, great stuff today, Adam Copeland. Great to catch up with him. Big Leaf fan. Awesome to see him. John Schneider joining us today. Jay's raised tonight. Leifes are in camp starting this week.

It's going to be a great week. We get the Ryder Cup right around the corner. It's going to be an awesome month. Thanks to everyone behind the scenes for helping out. We appreciate it. Everyone for tuning in today. TV, radio, podcast, web, up on YouTube live on TSN's YouTube channel. We're out of here. Enjoy your evenings. Enjoy the games tonight. We're back tomorrow at

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