Leafs Roster Decisions and the Overlooked Matthews w/ Luke Fox

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1:06The Toronto Maple Leafs finalized their roster yesterday. That wasn't a big story. People apparently were not as interested in the future of Stephen Lorenz and the addition of Zach McEwan. As they were, where this team is going to bond before the season starts. So I genuinely don't know if I'm doing a straw man here. Because I don't have the greatest read of the reaction to the story, but I will say this. So I could just because anecdotally, I had a couple of friends who I like to talk about the team with, asked me how I felt about the Toronto Maple Leafs heading to Arizona for a day or an evening at the Casa de Austin Matthews. And I just can't imagine there's a, this is why I'm worried about doing a straw man. I cannot imagine that there's a human being on Earth that's upset by this or that thinks that this is anything strange

2:08or that this is anything that is a problem for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I like it. That's my feeling about this. I actually really like it. I don't know if this is a Zag. I don't know if this is just like the most basic thing that anyone has ever said. But how do you not view this as a good thing? Would be my, would be my question. It's like that I guess the counter argument would be, hey, they're traveling and it's so close to the season and why add miles and time zones and blah, blah, blah, to a season that's going to have 84 games and going to be so grueling and so important for the Toronto Maple Leafs to get off to a good start after the last season. And I just, I ain't seeing that. These are professional athletes. They're not flying to Australia. This is not the LA Rams deciding that they're going to fly last minute into a country that is a cross on ocean.

3:12That's a 18 hour flight. This is a hop-skip and a jump. They're heading down to Arizona. They're gonna play a little golf and they're going to hang out at their captain's house. They're gonna return. But they're gonna be on a PJ. They're gonna be sitting down with a wonderful meal and a huge chair and an app. I don't think that this is gonna drain any of these guys. Sorry, I just don't believe that. What I think is happening here. What I think is the important piece of all of this is that we just came out of a entire season cycle. And really before the Gabbana-Kennel-Autery ball hit, probably one of the biggest prevailing stories of the season was gonna be what is the future of Austin Matthews? And I think it's a fair conversation to have. Some people will be like, why do we always do this? Why are we always talking about who's gonna stay and who's gonna leave? It's like, that's what's going on. That's sports, baby. And especially in a world where there has been

4:13increased player movement and trade demands and specifically from guys that were on Team USA, that won the gold. Yeah, I think Matthews probably would have been a pretty sizable point of interest for people coming into this season. Had they not landed Gabbana-Kennel, brought in a new coaching staff, brought in a new front office. Like there's all these new shiny things that everyone is distracted by. And Matthews' health is obviously at the center of this and this is a guy who's reiterated time and time again that he wants to be a Toronto Maple Leaf. But yeah, obviously there's enough there underneath for people to question what it's gonna look like moving forward. And to me, I just view this as a positive. I don't care about the time zones. I don't care about getting on a PJ for a couple of hours. I don't care about playing golf and having a little fun and maybe not getting the best rest of your night life a few nights before the season starts because what I think is most important here is that the captain clearly wants to host the team where he thinks he can bond with them in the greatest way.

5:17And that is on his home turf. That is in his house. That is at his restaurants, his golf courses. And to me, we've been bitching about, are the Toronto Maple Leafs connected enough for years? And do I think that this is like, oh well, now they're bonded. They went on a one-chip. No, obviously it's gonna be how they play for each other. I've mentioned the import of sticking up for Gavin McKenna this season. I'm gonna ask Luke Fox about it in a minute, but it just certainly feels to me like the reason that McEwan's on this team is because they're like, we cannot have people taking runs at Gavin McKenna any longer, or ever. Sorry, we can't have guys taking shots at our stars any longer, but specifically we've got the lightest player in the NHL on our roster who plays with a ton of skill and we wanna keep his confidence high. We want a mutant that we can pull out every once in a while and say, yeah, if you do something, he's gonna do something. So, you know, just think about it.

6:18So to complain about lack of connectivity within this group and to honestly wonder, genuinely. So Leafs, whenever they would get eliminated, they would always talk about like how great the room is and how tight they were as a unit. And I was like, I don't know. And I've never really bought that. I've never looked at this team and thought, dude, they just love each other. They play for one another. It's been more the feeling of the opposite. So the fact that Austin Matthews, an American born captain on a Canadian team during a period where a lot of American players are leaving markets to basically just go play for the Florida Panthers or wanting to play for the Florida Panthers that he wants to host everybody out on his turf and show his investment to that group. I just, I just don't know how that couldn't be viewed as a positive Luke Fox. NHL writer for Sports said he joins me now. What's up, brother? How are you doing? I'm doing good. I don't have to go to the ring for a couple of days because they're very far away. That's nice. Oh, they didn't invite you on the trip. You don't get to stay at Matthews, does?

7:18No. Oh, that would have been, we're not that tight. That would have been a great embedded series though, like just 24 hours or 48 hours with the Toronto Maple Leafs and you just get to do a tell-all. That would have been awesome. So yeah, I know I'm being probably a little too positive with this story, but what is your read on this? Are people making a big deal about it? I just, I don't know. I'll tell you honestly, I just, I've not been on social media for basically the last 24 hours. Yeah. I'm reading this based off of, I had three different friends who loved Leafs, text me asking what my opinion on this was. That's it. That's the difference. Honestly, people will be shocked to realize that a lot of this show is just conversations I have with my friends and I'm like, oh, well, this kind of interesting. Maybe I'll spend this a new topic. Yeah, and you just send them a link to your podcast. Yeah, pretty much. Here's the response. Yeah. I am not too bento to shape by it. I don't think anything would be. It's, it is unusual. It's a long way to go, right? Normally they just go to Muscoca,

8:20but this idea of team bonding before the season starts is not unusual on any team. Is it, you know, do they pick Arizona because they're trying to keep Austin Matthews happy? And yeah, I think that's part of it. Absolutely. I don't think it's a bad thing. Like he's hosting everyone at his house. John Chica has maintained a home there since he was GM of the coyotes, youngest GM ever at the time. And he's maintained a place there. So he's going to have all the staff there. I think we have to remember. So I counted 11 guys on the roster that are new. And there was an issue last year. They felt behind the scenes because their front half of their schedule was so home heavy. I don't think that it was November 22nd, I think, around there where they went on a road trip of any significance. There were a few like, you know, one night or maybe there was one two night road trips, but everything was, you know,

9:21a lot of home games. So people are spending time with their families. They're scattered. And I think they want the guys to bond quickly. I think there's still lingering effects from the Radco-Gutus hit. And there's a concerted effort to get that out of the culture and create a new culture where these guys play for each other. And I kind of thought back to Rasmus Dalyne and the Buffalo Sabers talking about brotherhood. And I asked them, you know, how do you build brotherhood? And he said beers. And I think they need to break the ice. There's so many new faces. They need to break the ice and just spend some time together. Could this get spun if they lose their first two games back at home, like, hey, maybe you shouldn't have traveled across the continent. There might be some of those takes floating around. But, you know, it's 84 game schedule. There's time to recover from this private jet. I think I'm being earnest when I say this. As someone who is a takest, you know, like, I like the takes.

10:24And I think it's fun to have a take. And I honestly, I think it's boring if you don't have takes on sports. If your take is, they lose the first two games. You're like, they should have gone to Arizona. I think you're being somewhat disingenuous. Like, I really do. I think that that is not based in the reality of modern professional athletes who travel to the degree that they do. Again, if this is the conversation we had about the LA Rams deciding to fly to Australia the night before they played an NFL football game and they look flat, I'm like, yeah, that seemed to be a huge problem and their coach even acknowledged it. I won't be one of the people that does that with the Maple Leafs. I think that this is just exactly what you said it is. A good opportunity for a group of guys that have not spent a lot of time together to bond ahead of a season. But that's an interesting thing you see there about the goodest stuff, which is, so obviously McEwen ingratiated himself well in his preseason, but like, there's two games, brother. And I texted a few different former NHLs. I was like, how do you feel about this? Or, you know, like, what's the repercussion of this?

11:25And the overwhelming response I got back was, I don't know how guys really show themselves what they can do that are bubble players. Like, it's great for the stars because they don't have to play. It's great for the guys that are supposed to, or that are NHL veterans. But dudes who are trying to make the roster, like, if you're Stephen Lorenz, you probably feel a little screwed today because you only played a couple of games and you didn't feel like you could show all the work you put in the offseason. McEwen did well in that limited sample. But do you think he's on the team if not for Radco Goudus' knee? That probably plays a factor, but he might be just because he has a lower cap hit than Stephen Lorenz, too. It's not quite half, but it's significantly lower. He makes less than a million bucks. And I think Lorenz is 1.35 if memory serves me. So Lorenz probably clears waivers. I don't know how many teams are eager to pay that price for a guy who's a fourth liner and carries that kind of money and term.

12:27And, you know, I think he's a serviceable player for sure. And I really like the guy. I think he's a character guy, but he doesn't bring that edge that McEwen has. So I think that's part of it. And he's left over, right? There's a lot of... We saw it in the front office as well. Guys who are tree-living guys or dubuses guys are slowly getting pushed to the side unless you're a star player. And there's this rush of new guys. John Chica has wasted no time trying to put his stamp on the team. And that includes the bottom six. He went out and got his guys. He didn't sign any... What's interesting to me? He didn't sign any single guy to a one-year deal. It was all two-year deals, minimal. So, you know, it's... I think there was a feeling of, hey, we want to quit this trend of, hey, show up for the Leafs for one year. You're going to get a few articles written about you. You're going to be on the national broadcast more and then you can use that one year to maybe get a better contract elsewhere.

13:29I think that was a bit of an issue with the Leafs in terms of the role players. The guys on the... On the outskirts of the roster. And it was like, no, we want guys who feel a part of it. And we want to give them a defined role. So whether that's getting in hard on the 4-check and playing your 9 minutes at night or whether it's killing penalties, at least you know what you're there for. And we want you there for more than one year. You're not just using us to pump up your stock and then go elsewhere. And I think that's part of the culture thing, right? They want guys to feel like part of a team. And that had been an issue in the past. There's a lot of guys who felt like they were on the B squad. They were serving their time. But really, this was all about the guys and, you know, the four or five guys at the very top. This is something we've been talking about for years. Yeah, the Leafs bringing in mercenaries and then trying to staple them to a core and say, no, you're part of the group. I know, you're a mercenary. You're here to get paid. And then hopefully it's exactly the scenario that you outlined

14:30where it's like, well, maybe we'll keep you. But the likelihood is you got seen by a lot of different people and you were a Toronto Maple Leaf and look at the track record of guys that have gotten pilfered from this team even when it comes to waiver claims. There was that period of time where that was happening. So it's like, yeah, the idea that they're trying to build a culture from their dressing room out is a quality thing for me. You know, control what you can control within your organization and then try to re, I guess, reconnect with your fan base after a year where things definitely were, I would say that those two things right odds. That the team and the fan base right odds throughout a lot of last season. And I think a lot of it was culturally and a lot of it stemmed from the fact that the team did not represent the way that the fan base wanted to see them play. If you as a group are prioritizing this, whether it's with a trip and how much of that is like a service level, absolute kind of nothing burger, but also the guys that you have in the room and how long you want them to be there, the type of character that you are bringing around these players. I just, I do view these as positive first steps for an organization that still does have a lot to prove.

15:34Yeah, no, absolutely. And they're gonna have to figure it out fast though, right? Like, yeah, I think we're very excited by Gavin McKenna and rightfully so. Like being in the building and hearing like the audible gasp from the Leafs fans as he's dangling guys and cutting back and splitting the D and, you know, finding Tavaris or finding Matthews with space. Like it is exciting. But I think what we're not really talking about is this was the worst defensive team in the whole Eastern Conference last year. There's a lot of new bodies. There's already an injury to Nick Paul. Like there's gonna be some growing pains, some adjustment period where they're trying to figure it out. And a lot of the teams that they're competing against in the Atlantic didn't have this kind of turnover. They might be more ready to go. Just preseason, but getting a glimpse of Montreal, they look like a more organized team,

16:34a team that's more ready for the season than Toronto. And they're at the high end. But, you know, they're gonna have to figure it out fast. And I think, you know, fans are gonna need to be a little bit patient as they figure things out defensively in particular. But I think one thing that's really stuck out to me is this is gonna be a way more entertaining product. Hiller is letting the leash off these guys. They're gonna, when they get across that blue line, they don't have to chip it in. They can try and create something. And there's gonna be mistakes, but there's gonna be some incredible highlights. And honestly, JD, I mean, you watched practically every game. There was a lack of fun highlights last year. It was a slug. There's a lack of fun. I genuinely don't know what you would point to from last season that was really fun. Like, it was Bobby McMahon to start the season. Like, it was OEL was the standout point

17:34from the Toronto Maple Leaf season. Like, I don't, there was zero fun. No fun was had. That's actually one of the, so I've been doing this whole bit about how this is so refreshing this team, right? Like new bodies in here, new coaching staff in here, healthier off to Matthews, first overall pick, new front office, Matt Sundine returning, like all of this feels kind of new, which is very, very nice. But also what is refreshing is, yeah, obviously the goal is to win a Stanley Cup, right? Like, no one's removing that. This is the Toronto Maple Leafs. They haven't won since 67. And frankly, the fan base is pretty tired about being a punchline. They want to compete, they want to feel like they're going to win. But it is kind of nice that the bar is not just, well, what's this thing going to do in the playoffs? Like from day one, which is what it has been for what, since year two or three of the Austin Matthews era, it just gets to be, hey, are you going to be funer, are you going to be competitive? Like that, that, that, that just alone is a reason to watch. It's just you don't have to have the same conversation with every single person, well, looks at you during the playoffs, that everything you do in the regular season

18:35is no longer just diminished by the playoff question. That you get to enjoy a regular season and watch it for what it is in a way that does not feel anything like what we experienced throughout the core four era. It felt like there were like four or five years where we would say it's an 82 game dress rehearsal. Totally. And like, oh, the last dance. Yeah, or fans would be like, well, wake me up when it's April, totally. Totally. And see how they're doing. I almost think it was a good thing. They bottomed out so bad. Like in terms of, agree, expectations. Right? I think expectations suddenly got lowered because before it was, it felt like cup or bust. Or you got to make the conference final or people are getting fired or it's a disaster. You have to win two rounds, minimum. Or, you know, the heads got a roll. And all of a sudden, they bottomed out fifth worst in the whole league. Their defense was in shambles. It was kind of a joyless watch, as you mentioned.

19:37And it kind of bottomed out so bad that there's only one way to go now. And it's like, oh, now it's kind of interesting. Oh, let's see this big right shot from the point. Let's see if this aging Hall of Fame gold tender still got it. Let's see what this kid can do. How does the power play look now? Can't be any worse. So there's so many storylines, you know, just hanging around camp, talking to my colleagues, the other writers, it's kind of like, it's not just one story. And the other good thing is, not a single maple leaf is in a contract here. So there's not this thing hovering over. Oh, is Mitch gonna leave? Is John gonna leave? Or should they ship John out? Because, you know, he's getting too old and, you know, they need a change. Not a single guy on the maple leaf is in a contract here. How rare is that? So all the focus will just be on hockey. I mean, I know Matthews is two years away. Sure. But even if he wanted to resign, he can't.

20:39He can't until July 1. So those conversations can wait a while and we can just watch some hockey and see how they do. I love it. Okay, so I'm gonna wrap it fire through this because I know you gotta go soon. Was any roster decision, yes, a surprise to you? I think I was a little bit surprised based at the beginning of camp that Stephen LaRence is on the out. So a little bit, just because he was like a fourth liner and then Dakota Joshua was hurt. So in my mind, I thought he'd be on the team. So him hitting waivers was a mild surprise. Was Bogrew then? Was not a surprise? Yeah, yeah, him being in. But he's, so the way they conduct in themselves on July 1, I was like, all these Marlies that just want to call their cup, there's no space locked. Yeah, they're blocked all of a sudden. So good on Bogrew, but as you know, this is, guys are gonna be up and down. Yeah, of course.

21:39You're gonna be up and down. But yeah, good on Bogrew. Yeah, but this is my follow up question when it comes to Bogrew. Does him being on the roster say anything about where they're at with Nick Paul? Because I would think that if Nick Paul is fully healthy, maybe he doesn't start the season with the club given that he's a guy who presents at least a little bit more offensive upside. And I know they're saying Nick Paul, it doesn't appear to be anything serious, but do you have any further read on what this is or are we just gonna continue with Leaf's injury cone of silence land? They're being pretty quiet, but Jim Hiller said he's not overly concerned. Sounds like a day-to-day situation. I worry that Nick Paul had two significant injuries last season, so starting on the shelf isn't great for him personally. I thought he looked great in camp until that. So Bogrew getting in there is because he can play wing or center. Nick Paul can play wing or center.

22:39So I think it's a positional thing and it's an easy fix. Remember last year, Scott Lawton went down in camp and they reworked every line. And I thought it was an overreaction. This is just plug and play. Bogrew fits is the closest thing they have to Nick Paul. Yeah, and then Scott Lawton came back and they were like, you get seven minutes. You get seven minutes to prove what it is you can do. We don't care how well you play. Last one, you've spent a lot of time around the sky and this team and it's only a couple of preseason games, but what is your read on Matthews' health right now? Because I would say out of all the most consequential things that have happened in the preseason, that includes Gab McKenna. Nothing has been more important than the fact that this guy looks genuinely healthy in a way that he frankly didn't even a year ago. He's firing it. Yeah, he's firing it. He, and he's got the legs back. That's it. I think for sure, like this is his longest offseason ever.

23:41So if you have a back that's not quite 100%, I'm sure it helps the back. He rehabbed the knee. I was talking to guys that they're like, I forgot he even had knee surgery. He looks normal. But I think one other thing is there's some excitement back there. I think there's an emotional level where he came back from the Olympics and he's like, this is not on that level. But the Leaf's winning the lottery. The Leaf's going out and getting a real power play threat. The Leaf's going out and getting a goalie who has proven that he can play 50 games. I think all that has brought a little joy back to Matthews and it feels, you know, fans feel refreshed. I think Matthews feels refreshed. I think it's a great point. Luke Foxx again, NHL writer for Sports Senate. Thanks so much for this buddy. We'll be talking to you again soon. Okay, take care, JD. Thank you for having me on. Luke Foxx. That's a great point. Just imagine yourself if you're Austin Matthews for a second. Sure, so rich. No, but you go and you play in the Olympics

24:44and you're there, your team's captain and you've got a lot of pressure on your shoulders. At the four nations, you didn't really produce and when your team lost, you were kind of viewed as the guy that a lot of Americans went, wait, that's our guy? Because the other guys, the McDavid guy looks like the guy. Our guy doesn't look like that guy. You go into the Olympics, you're the captain. There's no pressure greater on any individual on that roster than you. You play well, you play great. In fact, against Team Canada, you could argue outside of the gold tender, you were the team's best player. You win a gold, you've played some of the most exciting hockey in your life and you finally won something. After playing with your club for nearly a decade of just pure utter disappointment, year over year, you're standing in front of the same media members

25:46who are asking you essentially the same questions about why things went wrong with your team and year over year, the patience kind of starts to thin with the fan base and with the media in terms of being like, hey, all the stuff we've been saying seems to be kind of true and you're the leader of this team. You would think he's a little worn out, especially considering the guy who hasn't been fully healthy for this team for a couple of years. You're in the middle of what can only be described as, ah, perfectly, as what Luke Fox said, a joyless season, a year where your team just did not have it from day one. Day one, day one was, you know, questions about your linemate, leave and how you were going to supplement his offense and they put you with, frankly, for a talent with the new replacement winger

26:47and the rest of your roster did not have any semblance of an identity. All the while, you are in your first season back from dealing with a back injury that caused you to have to be so mysterious that people started to ask even more questions because they wanted to know what was going on. The team says you're fully healthy, but you're not, you're not all the way yourself. You're just not. You go play Olympic hockey. It's some of the best hockey you've ever played in your life. You're once again playing with great players. You're once again playing with massive expectations and you win and you have a lot of fun doing it. You celebrate it. You go to 11 in Miami. You even jump on a podcast stream or two and you've had a few. And it's one of the greatest moments of your entire career. Now you get back on a plane and you return to a country that's pissed off and a fan base that is a furious, apathetic

27:53and you've got to play with a team that's going absolutely nowhere in regular season hockey games that for a coach that you don't think is utilizing you well and I'm not saying that's what he thought of. This is me pretending to be him. And it's a joyless season on a non-competitive team playing far lower caliber hockey and then it culminates with a moment where one of the dirtiest players in modern day history, let's say takes out your knee and your teammates basically watches you ride on the ground or on the ice and that's your year. So to go into an off season, where they hire a general manager you have a relationship with, they bring in one of the greatest captains this organization has ever had to help support you. They bring in a first overall pick that could be playing with you as soon as a couple of games in.

28:54They bring in a winger who you have experienced with who is pretty much a lock to score 20 goals when he gets, like again, I'm not a big Ross Levic believer. This is again, down split in between you and Matthews, but either way, it's someone that you have some chemistry with some familiarity with, someone that you like and that you think is probably better than the person that he's replacing, but also you've got the opportunity to play with William Neelander who's fully healthy and reengage, you've got the opportunity to play with a first overall pick who creates time and space and who's number one asset is that he is a playmaker. You brought in a new defenseman to change your powerplay. You've brought in head coach that you have experienced with that got a lot out of you early in your career, especially with a powerplay unit. You got a long rehab, you've been away from the game so long that you probably miss it in a way that you didn't before. So yeah, you're healthy, but your mental state is probably one where you can't wait to compete for this hockey team. You don't have Olympics this year, you don't have four nations this year. There's no other piece of the game that is occupying space

29:55in Austin, Matthews, Brain. And I'm not even, that's not a drag the guy. That's not to say like, oh, he was distracted by USA hockey. Like, yeah, you don't think Conor McDavid gets distracted by Ken DeHockey. He wrote that player's Tribune thing. Well, someone wrote it for him, but you know what I'm saying. Like whoever wrote that player's Tribune article for Conor McDavid, he signed off on it and he probably said two of those lines in there, three of those lines in there. These guys care about that. Matthews has one focus now. That is to be the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs to have the best season that he possibly can and have a year where he can put to bed, not just the doubt within this market, but the doubt that is pervasive around the game, surrounding what he is as a player now. Is this somebody who had more even strength goals than anybody else since he entered the league? And then the last couple of years, it's been as he's the same guy. Is he move the same way? Is the shot going to be the same? By all accounts. And again, this is a pretty private guy, but what literal information we've gotten from people around him is he is genuinely as competitive

30:59as it gets. It just doesn't come off the same way. He's different got what we're used to in this country is yeah, we can understand Conor McDavid. We can understand the Sydney Crosby's. I don't know if we understand the year zone of guy as much as we do, like trying to fit him into the same mold as some of the Canadian hyper intensity leaders of the game. But again, every conversation I've ever had with a person who knows him, every person that's ever trained with him, worked out with him, been around people who worked out with him. He's really intense, he's really focused. He is over competitive and people kind of underestimate that element of him. So if that is the case. And honestly, his part of the reason why I was really optimistic about him last year was one, I believe the team. I believe the general manager and the head coach when they kept saying he can't wait to prove people wrong and boy, he's healthy. And maybe he actually also took the Mitch thing a little personally. And I thought that that was going to be the case for a super competitive guy to have his wing or leave him

32:03and look at the situation and go, yeah, it might be over here. Yeah, I thought that there would be a little bit more push. But then given the roster that was around him, given the head coach, like all of the extenuating circumstances with the health, the Olympics, whatever. It became kind of understandable that would be in hindsight. In the moment I was pissed and I stand by probably every take I ever had. But what might have gotten a little neglected is just like what a drain it would have been on that guy to be in that position. And now that you're looking at a new season and you talk to somebody like Luke about what the future could be for this player. It's reasonable to be a bit more optimistic. Then I think the place we got at the end of last year, where it was basically acceptance that he was not going to be the same player. And now I'm not there anymore. Like maybe he does return to, I think he's going to score 69 goals. Like, I don't know, like that's a really, that's a lot. But do I think that he can return to 50 goal form? Absolutely, I do. And I think that's what he, that's what he's going to end up with this year.

33:07If he's healthy, that's where he'll be. And everybody should be able to relate to this. Like this is one of those things where you can just look at it from just a human standpoint of if you're going to work every day, you don't believe in the organization that is running things. If you don't believe in the talent around you, the community that you have within the building, it's harder to go to work. Flat out. It's harder to motivate yourself when the goals are not defined. What isn't as hard is when you're showing up to a season and it's a bunch of new people who are hungry and who want success and who haven't been worn down by the problems of your organization and you're excited to show up and you feel good. So I'm pretty optimistic about Matthew's season. I'm not going to lie, I'm way more optimistic about it than if you would have asked me four months ago. I would have said, yeah, the way that I was seeing things,

34:08and I can remember this, the way I was seeing things was, I don't think this team's going to be able to do enough where there'll be competitive and enjoyable enough that this guy will be thinking about signing a new contract at the end of the season and that if I had to play though, what's more likely game of Austin Matthew's resigns with the Maple Leafs or Austin Matthew's discusses with the team about what it would look like if they moved him, I would have said move. Now, and maybe I'm being delusional. Like I said, the best time to be a trauma-pleased fan or a commentator is before the season starts. It's like never in the season, it's this time. It's the hope period. It's the delusional period. So I'm not going to pretend like that's not possible here and that it's not going to shift dramatically over the course of even like a month and a half, two months. But as of today, I feel a lot better about Austin Matthews as future in Toronto. And I feel a lot better about the kind of season that I think he's going to be able to have with this hockey club this year. Anyways, you can subscribe to this podcast on Apple

35:09or on Spotify. It really helps the show. Reach out anytime on Twitter and Instagram, AdJDBuncus. I'm going to take a break and do what we missed, but first, but first I got to do that for my guys on the studio. So they don't just throw me to break. Metallica is bringing the M72 World Tour to Highmark Stadium on June 8th, 2027. And we got your chance to win your way in. With what has been described as the largest touring audio system ever, the M72 World Tour is a lot of music experience unlike anything else. Don't miss your chance to see Metallica live. To enter, all you gotta do is listen the code word on the JDBuncus podcast. Then text the code word to 59590. Today's code word is Harvester. Text the word Harvester right now to 59590 for your chance to win. If you don't win with us, take its go on sale today at ticumaster.com. Please note, prize includes tickets only. Traveling accommodations are not included. Contest, open to Ontario residents. Only standard message and data rates may apply. Quick break, what we missed. McDonald's is putting value back on the menu. Whether you're craving a big Mac, McNuggets are sausage egg and cheese. McGrittle's make it a meal and save.

36:12Your favorite is now your wallet's favorite too. Extra value meals are back. Get a big something extra. With a big Mac or 10 piece McNuggets, fries and a medium Coke all for just $9. Limited time only, promotion pricing may be lower than meal pricing. Ba da ba ba ba. That's right, if you win your first $5 lineup, you'll get $150 in lineups. On prize picks, you simply pick two to six players, pick more or less on their staff projections and submit your lineup. Then, sweat it out as you watch your picks play out live. It's the best way to get more locked in on game day. Make all the picks you want. This football season, all in the same app. Also, prize picks is going crazy with the deals to start the football season. Giving users a new promo every day during stack September.

37:12And now, prize picks is available nationwide. So what are you waiting for? Lock in for kickoff because everyone and everything is on prize picks. What you want? Download the app today and use Code BlueWire to get $150 instantly in lineups if you win your first $5 lineup. Prize picks, run your game. All right, Christian Chinede is here. What we missed will be more stable to show again as we go back to two hours starting on Monday. I'm going to miss it. I want to miss my sweet little one hour show. What's up, Christian? What do we got? Stable in the show. Some raptors talk. Bobby Webster yesterday did a pre-training camp. Avail. Talks a lot about stuff. Obviously, a lot of co-I questions. And just a lot of talking about where the raptors sit, going into the air after that deal. We have some of what he said.

38:12For those, I'm a Blake's not here. But we're, I think we're a million over the tax with similar last year. You can see how it goes. And you can get under if you need to. You could also add to it if you felt like the team was in position. So I think that was a big one was, you know, if we want to go for it, we still can go for it. I think maybe that's the distinction. This is sort of a bit of a swing, but I think there's definitely more left on the bone. So the question here is essentially, you know, and he mentioned this a few times in speaking yesterday was that they are still able to make moves to this roster. Because when you look at it, you say, well, you're barely under the tax. You're not going to be able to add more players. You just moved a couple of draft picks. And you've frankly got some really rough contracts on the book. And that's the piece of what Bobby's saying that he's not going to say, which is, yeah, you might have those draft picks, but the contracts that you have involving them in a trade

39:14are going to require assets moved out just to get off those pieces. Like right now, they don't, in terms of the guys who are paid, they do not have contracts that they can involve that do not cost them more picks, right? Like Yacht-Cupertel, you're not getting it. That's the obvious one. Nobody wants Yacht-Cupertel. Nobody wants quickly his contract. And frankly, based on the conversations from last off season, and maybe he's a little bit more valuable as an expiring with RJ Barrett, but this is not someone that you're throwing in a deal for a plus player that another organization is looking at and saying, well, we're getting this back in the trade. Like when you're talking about moving any of those, well, the first two guys specifically, you're talking about stapling added draft picks on just to get off that contract. And secondarily, yeah, if you wanted to make an all-in type of move that didn't involve picks, you're talking about one of your premier younger players. So yes, there is definitely room for this group to improve their roster.

40:14And do I think that they could take a big swing? I do. But it's not as simple as saying, like, yeah, we still have those draft picks. And we've got seeing them on players and we're under the cap so that we can make these moves. Because you do have those deals on the books that are quite harmful to the Raptors' cap sheet, especially if they continue to go the way that they have gone since they've signed those deals. Like Yacht-Cupertel has been rough. Emmanuel, quickly, much better player when he's healthy. I think a better fit with this team. But same thing, dude, you got to stay on the floor and you actually have to prove it over a real sample. And you've got to be there for this team come playoff time and prove that you are going to be someone who is on the floor during crunch time in Raptors' playoff games. What I would say is this is like, it does feel a little 2019ish from the standpoint of you go through a regular season. You see where the team is at. If Kauai looks amazing, he's been mostly healthy. If Barnes takes a step. If, you know, Pertel is just playing OK, right?

41:14Just not. It can't be a disaster. It can't be as he out with the back again all year. If quickly he's playing well and he looks great around those guys. VARJ is playing well. If Chicoi Walter takes a step. If CMB looks as good as I think he's going to. Yeah, you're probably going to evaluate the landscape and say, we're willing to make a more aggressive trade to try and augment this group that we think could already compete with any team in the Eastern Conference and might be a move away from competing with the teams out West or the New York Knicks, who you have to give the respect to. And who I do think are very, very good. But I don't think that the gap between the Raptors and the Knicks is as sizable as some people would think. Like, again, this is the team. The Raptors haven't beaten the Knicks since RJ Barrett was on the Knicks. That's a tough stuff. I think those days are done. This is a softest of predictions ever, but the Raptors will beat the Knicks this year. All right? We're not going to another year without beating the Knicks

42:14in the city of Trent. So yeah, the Raptors have moves to make. Yes, the Raptors being under the cap is absolutely consequential. But the most important thing about that clip to me is our boy Blake Murphy getting a shout out. Because yeah, there are very few people. I still will, I maintain this. Like Blake working here and not being in an NBA front office. There's a cap guy. Is there another in our cap? Kind of. But it's like, why aren't you doing that? Why? Why are you not doing this? I love also that the fact that he mentions him. The reason he wasn't there is because he was doing a live show cover. Exactly. And where he should have been is in the Raptors GM meetings going over what their cap situation is and being their capologist. Like he should work for a team. Anyways, it's encouraging. And I would say this. The thing I actually like the most about this is how quickly we've gone from this notion of a fake rebuild. Like it really was. It was such BS.

43:15I couldn't stand it. I hated when they were doing the whole like rolling in year two of the rebuild. And this is a team we're just trying to grow. Is it we're very young? It's like, yeah, come on. To you got Kauai Leonard, you're trying to win a championship brother. Like flat out, he's he's 35 years old. You just reassign him for his age 36 37 seasons. Scotty Barnes entering his prime. You've got two young players that I think are over promising. No disrespect to Jamal Shed. I just don't think that ceiling is nearly as high on him as it is for CMB and it is for Walter. You've got a really big prove it season for quickly. You've got a really big prove it season for RJ Barrett. Not so much as like what he is, but how he fits with this group. And for your center who you gave a lot of money to, but you're way better insulated with him because now you have CMB. So it's like it's not as crucial that he's good for you other than obviously the contract. So I was encouraged by that statement. And I'm really excited. And I think a lot of people are to watch this Raptors team,

44:15which a year ago, I wasn't as pumped as well, like about watching them. Like I want to see him. I'm a huge basketball fan. It's my first love. But yeah, Brandon Ingram didn't move me in that way. Kawaii and Scotty, that moves me in a different way. And especially given that the organization's sites are aiming pretty high. And yeah, this could be a team that whoof that doesn't have a lot of draft picks in the coming few seasons. If things go according to plan and things go well, anyways, what's next? I will say to you, like it's just, it's not a simple situation with the NBA and like matching salaries. The fact that he brought it up now is encouraging that there want to be that aggressive. Next up would be George Springer, who talked a lot yesterday. Some quotes from Shai's article just about going into his potentially last series with the Blue Jays is retirement looming. He's obviously emotional thinking about it. And he's encouraged, like he wants to go into this last homestead. He's going to do his best to embrace being back home for the last time

45:17and doing anything he can to reciprocate his appreciation to the fans. Do you think he's retiring here? Is this the last series? Well, what's the quote? Because he gave one, yeah, this I got it. Hazel May, a George Springer on whether he'll call it a career after this weekend. Quote, I don't know. I love this organization. I loved being a Blue Jay. I loved every single bit of being here. I haven't really gotten that far yet. I've kind of taken every day with these guys in stride and quote. So yeah. I think that this is George Springer's last homestand with the Toronto Blue Jays. Again, like he's 37 years old and his offense was in steep decline this year. I don't know how healthy he was. There's been quite a few moments with Springer this season where he's ran down to first base and we've had shulman on the call going like, that didn't look good. Is he going to stay in the ball game? He's a DH and the Blue Jays pay to Anthony Santander, a lot of money.

46:21They have a commoto at third base who I think is fine at third, but I don't think it's unreasonable to say you'd like to give him some more days at DH and maybe upgrade positionally a third in terms of a defect. Like when you're talking about ways that the Blue Jays can improve next year, it's very, very difficult for me to see George Springer as a fit for the Blue Jays. Like I just don't I don't see how for a team that has two guys that are going to be one of the be in the DH spot for a team that scored as few runs as they did for a team that has as little power as they do to say that bringing back an age 37 George Springer and having him occupy a DH spot or not be an everyday player is something that they're going to do. And honestly too, for George Springer, if you're him and you do want to keep playing, you want to keep playing everyday. Like you're George Springer, you're still going to believe in yourself. You're not coming back to be a bench player, right? Like a bench bat. You're not coming back to be Matt Stairs. You're coming back to be George Springer.

47:22So I do. I think it's done. And I think that the fans that are in attendance are going to show him a lot of love because he gave this organization one of its best moments. And frankly, like, you know, when they signed that deal and you said, what are you going to get from this contract? George Springer lived up to the deal. He was one of the most expensive front pre-agents in franchise history. If not the most expensive, that's time. And we all thought, hey, the very end of this deal is probably going to be a little rough. They paid this tax so he didn't go be a New York Met of giving him the extra season. And to me, like none of it was regrettable. Like when you point at this season, you say, hey, why aren't the Blue Jays in the postseason? I think it's a pretty big reach to say, well, George Springer's 50 year really didn't help this group. It's like, nah, nah, you would have had to have something quite spectacular in his stead for this group to have made it or for you to feel any certain level of optimism, but what the Blue Jays could have done. So yeah, like I don't think I think he's got like unequivocally, it's not, it's not

48:22maybe I think he's got one of the franchises now most incredible moments. Yeah. He's not a level of excellence guy for me, but he's going to be someone that will be a very, very, very popular Blue Jay for an extremely long time. And I think that's a pretty good legacy to have. So he's sort of got two homes where it's like he's going to be an astro first. There's no question about it. But for him to come to Toronto and not end up winning a World Series, but still be viewed the way that he is. Like yes, pretty special player, good human being, likable guy, fan favorite, a lot of ladies loved him. Yeah, good, good career for George Springer. And if that's it, good, like he's all a favor. Pretty freaking good. Yeah. Yeah. No, I mean, sneakily this is obviously, this is not a big weekend with any stakes for the Blue Jays outside of the fact that there is some send off sentimentality here with George Springer, Max Scherzer as well, if he does end up pitching on Sunday. Here's a hot take.

49:23I think it's more likely Scherzer's a Blue Jay next year than Springer. Okay. Like, I don't think either will be, but I'm just saying I could see a scenario where the Blue Jays are like, why not? Like you're going to take no money and you want to come back and give us some starting pitching depth, given the way that things happen this season. Like sure, there's no room for George Springer in the future. There just isn't. It just unless he wants to be a manager. Yeah. No, I think that's fair to say I, we are going to hear from him kind of, we don't think it's going to be before the season ends, but right after. So I guess that does make it. How do you treat that as a fan? Like on the Sunday, it's just another kind of start for Scherzer. I don't see how it's going to feel just the same as any other start. I'm going to cram this in because I don't have time for it moving forward, but it's just like Packers, I watched the Packers game yesterday. Falcon's beat to break off them 35 to 14. Packers couldn't really get a stop. Their offensive line was makeshift. I think it's full panic time for Packers fans. Like, yes, the offensive line is bad. So you can kind of do the thing with Jordan Love where you look at so that's not his fault. They were rushing attack and they couldn't run the ball and they didn't have an offensive

50:24line. He doesn't look good. Flat out. This is now three games where the Packers have looked mega off. And if it's maybe not for Aaron Glenn having just a unbelievably bad coaching part, brain fart at the end of that game against Green Bay, they could very easily be on three. And I'll say this, they're not a playoff team. Like they're not making the playoffs this year, they stink. And I liked that because I hate to Packers. So I hope you enjoy that Packers fans. See you next week. McDonald's is putting value back on the menu. Whether you're craving a Big Mac, McNuggets are sausage, egg and cheese, McGrittle's, make it a meal and save. Your favorite is now your wallet's favorite too. Extra value meals are back. Get a big something extra with a Big Mac or 10 piece McNuggets, fries and a medium coke all for just $9. Limited time only promotion pricing may be lower than meal pricing.