OverDrive - Siegel on Stolarz's timeline to return, Tavares and Knies being close and Vasilevskiy's stature in the crease

Episode Date: January 29, 2025

The Athletic Maple Leafs Reporter Jonas Siegel joined OverDrive to discuss the headlines around the Maple Leafs, Anthony Stolarz's timeline return and when he plays for the team, John Tavares and Matthew Knies skating with the group, Andrei Vasilevskiy's stature with the Lightning and more.

Listen to Tech Talk with Mark Saltzman, Sundays at 5 p.m. on Newstalk 1010 and the iHeart Radio app, the show that makes sense of the ever-changing world of technology, brought to you by LG CareQ, keeping the life's good promise with elevated customer care. The Leafs are in action and they're starting to get some guys back. Patcha Ready has been activated. He'll go tonight. Matthew Nyes has been placed on the IR, but it's retroactive. Feels like Nyes is close to a return. Tavara is close to a return. And here's our good friend Jonas Siegel of The Athletic. What do you make of all the

news at Skate today, Jonas? And what are you preparing for in terms of possible adds to the lineup as of Saturday night in Edmonton? I don't know if it'll be that soon like you never know with injuries with this team like when they say like it'll be close it could be like another week like Tavares like still needs to get into a practice like he skated with the team but he hasn't practiced with the team and I think the next practice will be Friday in Edmonton so like is he gonna turn around and play Saturday like maybe but Patch already like I'm interested to see just because they need something. Like they're, I don't know, like you don't want to overreact, but they're missing a little

something in that bottom six and could use him kind of getting back to where he was. There was like a really, it wasn't a long stretch, but that stretch when he was playing with Tavares and Nylander where he was giving them something, he was physical, he was providing some offense. I know from talking to him, he thinks he can be more offensive than he's been. I don't think the production is where he thinks it can be. If you look at their lineup, it's six guys who basically score all the goals. They get someone else who could maybe score the odd goal once in a while. That would really help them. Obviously, and obviously getting nice back will eventually help

with that I like I've been I don't know about you guys and I've been talking about Brandon Todd but like to me that's something like I would think about just because of the issues that they've had lower in their lineup with offense hey said they should be really interested agree or disagree i agree i could he hasn't had a great year obviously act over you know that i'll pay back but but my name on the house cases like that this guy's done

uh... you didn't now we know you treat by it but i i don't know what he's got left but go ahead jonas that will go to the bottom of all in on this guy go ahead i just don't see a downside for them like you look at what they have on the wings like in that middle six territory it's like nick robertson haven't been a great fit obviously for

credo bay and you look at the plathons like if you can apply the press i don't know what he's done that is not not a real day himself would maybe be a massive factor in that because he coached the guy, knows all about it. A hundred percent. And that's a big part of it. And then just like go down the list. Like Cal Yarncroc hasn't played all year.

He didn't make the best first impression. I don't think a training camp gets heard. Like it's not going great. He hasn't played. He's a question mark. We don't know how he fits under Barube, Patrick Reddy. You know, the health has been an issue. He's been in the lineup.

It remains to be seen like what his second half is going to look like. Max Domey hasn't had a great year. Like, you just look in all these options, and I look at Brandon Saad, and it's like he scored 26 goals last year. This team could use a little bit more offense. He's played in big games, obviously. Has two cups. I don't know. Like, to me, it just makes sense. He's free.

Like, you just sign him. Like, you don't have to trade anything to get him. And I was even thinking, like, just about their deadline and what they have to do. And I was thinking, like, I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know, like to me it just makes sense. He's free. Like you just sign him. Like you don't have to trade anything to get him. And I was even thinking like just about their deadline and what they could do. And obviously we've talked about center.

We've talked about the fence. They could kind of use another winger just like him. Uh, and if he hits great. And if he doesn't, you play someone else ahead of him. So to me, it makes some sense. Go ahead. Oh, I was going to ask him makes some sense. Go ahead, O. I was going to ask him about Brandon Sod, but you just answered it, Jonas. It's a guy

who came up and I'm like, deaf player? I don't know. I think you got to at least think about it, but we just covered that. Yeah. No, with Jonas, where I was going to go is Joseph Wohl, because I want to get into eventually... Oh, your goalie? ...Vasilevsky, but would you play Wohl right through? Yeah, well, we're getting to the Vasilevsky nonsense after, but Joseph Wohl, would you

play him right up to the Four Nations faceoff? So no other games for the backups? Well, I mean, although I guess you've got to clarify, Stolar's going to return? If Stolar's isn't going to return, why would you not play Woll every single game? You play Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Why would you not? Go ahead, Josh. I mean, we have different views on this.

I guess you could squeeze in one game for the backup if Stolars isn't gonna play. Stolars has had one full practice. He's obviously not gonna play Saturday. Is he gonna play next week? Calgary, Seattle, Vancouver, I guess. I don't know. I'd mix in a start for Matt Murray. I guess I don't really see the downside in that.

Why? No? Why though? Why would Matt Murray get a start when you have all this time off in between? I can't battle that. Dude, I totally agree. They haven't played. It's not like they're coming off some crazy schedule.

They haven't played since saturday they played tonight they don't play again until saturday and then tuesday thursday saturday and then two weeks off like it's just dreams you play joseph wall we can see the world differently as we do play here we just like will never agree and i don't know i don't know what is your reasoning like just the really your sports science guy now yeah i i and i don't know i don't know what is your reasoning like just the really useful or science right now but i i i i wish

he's already passed a career high for start to the season already like we're in we're not even in february yet i don't know like why i don't know why risk tuesday like saturday tuesday it's very tuesday thursday there's Thursday? Yeah. I don't know. We're not going to agree on that. Here's the argument that we were talking about, Jonas, is if you're going to build them up

to that, how are you going to manage them in the playoffs if you want to play every second night and try and have a run? It's a fair point, but think of it like, I think a little bit like starting pitching in baseball, like you don't just ramp up from, I don't know, 100 innings to 200 in one season. You probably go like 100 and then 125 and then 150, don't you?

Like I know what you're saying, but do you guys actually think he's gonna play every other night in the playoffs? I guess maybe, but that seems like... I don't know. If he's playing well, he better be. I kind of wonder if he's in the boat. Well, I think...

I mean, what could mitigate all of this is if Stolars is ready, then you give him starts and go, hey, let's get them going back as a tandem instead of just a guy who's a stand-alone right now. But if he's not, I think Stolarce is going to probably... Jonas, you're around. Do you think that Stolarce is going to get a start before the Four Nations face-off? I think it's possible. Again, if you talk to the sports science, they obviously have all the information on

this stuff, but I don't know. Would you rather just give him the extra two weeks and just let this further heal? Like the timeline initially was four to six weeks. I believe today is exactly six weeks, or we're basically at six weeks, so we're right at the end of the timeline. So yeah, like it's conceivable,

he's not gonna start, I wouldn't think, Saturday in Edmonton, but maybe he starts that next game in Calgary, maybe he starts the Seattle game. I don't know, like I would just continue to be mindful of the workload thing with respect to Wall and with even respect to Stolar. Like you saw that stretch when he was starting to play a lot, suddenly he gets hurt. And obviously he's never been a guy who's been used in the way that he's been used this year in Toronto. So this is new for him still. So like when the poor nations come back, I would just, I don't know, split them.

Quick follow up then. So in a one game playoff, would you take Joseph Waller or Andre Vasilevsky? See, here's the thing. I'm just picking up second hand information. They're like, Jonas was mother of you know whating Vasile uh... that's a less games like okay i i didn't know so i need to know what you said and and you know just some logic to back it up here what what did you say and what do you believe but at that time first up i don't remember what i said

but i know that what those guys are misremembering now jonas holy smokes a year on was right now uh... i had roger that he is not the goalie he wants to what is accurate i know what i said and it was basically like if you look at what his number last year he wasn't good like he had a nine hundred paper send in this year he is bounced back

but he's still not you're not talking about him like he should be the MVP of the league. You're not saying he should be the Vezna. Are you even talking about him as a Vezna finalist right now? No, but I mean are we talking about Panarin as a heart finalist right now? He's a pretty damn good player, right? Well, we can't just start doing that. I think what he's saying is it's a fair statement.

He didn't say the guy was garbage. He just said his numbers are down and he's been off. That's all we're saying here. Yeah, but that's not true. We could nitpick any other. No, it's just saying like that. It's not, you just even admitted that his numbers are better. Last year coming off a three-month injury, he was hurt and came back wasn't great.

This year he's been better, correct? Correct, but remember correct but remember and just reminded me when we were talking about this this was back in he didn't start again police and we're like that's kind of weird why do you turn in place and then you remember the the recent game he's putting a strong not been very good and so i think that's how we got into the conversation like why is he suddenly like giving up all these goals to the least then you look at his numbers last year. I don't know. Jeff made the point.

He's not... So it's an oaf that started all this and not you, Jonas. I think it was Hayes that mentioned the not starting of the Leafs is strong. Everyone else is to blame here. Everyone else is to blame. I think what Jonas was pointing to, correct me if I'm wrong, is that the Leafs broke Vasilevsky in the playoffs two years ago? Is that your argument that they broke him and that now they kind of own him?

Is that what you're suggesting? The Leafs own Vasilevsky? Those are aggressive terms. Yeah, that is really... You're not willing to go that far? You might want to go that far anyway when it is. The guy that's won two cops and went to three straight finals has been broken by the team that beat him in the first round uh...

they did torture that series we all can recall it's not like samson offers you know patrick one eighty six because that's not what's it that good i a lot of our series like that i a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a No, they didn't march to the cup that year. Put it this way, I still believe he's an elite goaltender and you can't have your best season every year. That would be my argument. Look at Bobrovsky.

I think Bobrovsky is top tier Russian goaltender. Florida's right there. They're giving Spencer Knight some more starts this year, giving him an opportunity. Can I ask you, Noodle, is heudo, top five one-game goalies, is he in the top five? For me, yes. Absolutely. Okay, so do the top five. Who's the top five? Right down? I don't know. I mean, you're off the top of my head. I mean, does Hellebuck deserve the

love given that his playoff track record? So but I would give him that because I think Hellebuck is, you know, you don't go back to back Veznas and he is the Vezna winner right now, arguably, correct? Oh, it's unanimous right now. So why would you not put him in one game and believe that he can get it done? So I think Hellebuck has to deserve that love. I mean who else am I? You know, he put me on, I love Asa Leskis, that's a category. Wow, would you put your sturgeon in there? So I think Hellebuck has to deserve that love. Who else am I?

I love Asalewski. Would you put your sturgeon in there? I think you have to. What you're doing is asking these top tier players to play to their capabilities for one game. I think that's really what you're looking at. So I mean really, who are the best goalies in the league? That's what I would go in a one game scenario.

Yeah? That's kind of what I... So you're probably talking Hallebux, Shusterken, I guess Vasilevsky, Bobrovsky? I'll say one thing about all those guys we're talking about. If they were going through a Western Canada and had breaks between every game, they would play every game. They're playing game. 100% oh they would unless they've had a big night at the Roxy or Cowboys or something like that they're like we gotta give this guy a night off. Maybe.

Maybe. Even then they might play guilty and play well. Yeah you're right. Alright Jonas I don't know what we've established here but I like it. I like where we're at and we was pointing fingers and that i don't know if you know what you i love it how it's just jones is that what this is actually all of us that actually has a slight oh my god like

well that's a lot of steelers who are the blue jays gonna sign that that you're gonna be happy with that you mean where they're not gonna try and i think that they were close and i think that they were close? That's the next step, right? That's what's coming. Pete Alonso back to the Mets and the Jays were right there. He desperately wanted to sign in Toronto. He just couldn't pull the trigger on it.

You can feel it. You can see it coming. All right, Jonas, we'll catch you again soon. Thank you for this. Later, fellas. There's Jonas Siegel of The Athletic. Corey Schneider coming up in 20 minutes We've got Jerry's still to come as well Darren Dreger and Leafs and Raptors both in action and the AT&T at Pebble Beach

Starting tomorrow. We got to do some picks today, man. We got to do some picks. We have to start doing some picks Do you think Scottie Scheffler is like prime tiger as far as a pick? I don't think he's winning this week. First week back on after the surgery. Tiger Woods was the same thing. That guy would be gone for like six months and then just wheel to a tournament and win. Yeah. Listen, he's coming up in the picks.

It's a matter of, is he a first overall pick for you? Is he the first overall pick lock? How are we going to decide who was going to do that? I'll tell you. Doogie will figure that out. Doogie or Noodles could flip are we gonna decide who was gonna do that? Do you figure that out do you or noodles could flip a coin? Yeah, I'll do that noodles a flip a coin Okay, that's still to come as well overdrive continues TSN 1050 and on TSN for Time now for TSN 1050 time saver traffic on the 401 Westbound Express at the 400 We have a crash block in the left lane with heavy delays on approach. Eastbound on the 401 is also moving slowly from Dixie all the way to Kennedy

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