Chapter 1: What are the latest headlines in the NHL?
pretty certain of that i'm not sure he like this is i'll say this yeah i don't think it's outlandish based on history i'm not sure he wins a heart ever again because oh come on it's tough to do man it's tough to do he hasn't won one in a few years in that argument yeah that's enough okay we gotta put this to bed dregs is in here okay i was talking about austin matthews yeah right
I'm not sure he'd win a heart again. I need to start revising everything. Talking about McDavid. I made the case. I don't know if he's going to win a heart again. That's a great thing about sports when you're watching something. I went on the quiz and the Edmonton Oilers were so bad. I said there was a 0% chance they were making the playoffs. I know.
And there was a lot of people that agreed with it. They're like, they're so brutal right now. It doesn't look like they're climbing out of this. Now they're in first in their division. Right.
Chapter 2: How is Bo Bichette's contract situation developing?
First. Subject to change. You also said that Nate McKinnon had vastly pulled away as the best player on the planet. Miles ahead of McDavid. A said that and Duffy. Yes, and the Quizmaster's been pushing that narrative since the summer, too, right? That is something he's been pushing for quite some time. But I've got to own it. I've got to own it. I'm standing by it.
And they're in Winnipeg tonight. Dregs, you're with us. Pierre Lebrun will join us here in a moment. And you guys are going to be on the panel tonight, at least flyers. Even the dialogue around Matthews.
Chapter 3: What impact does Trae Young's trade have on the Wizards?
We've been pumping his tires because he deserves it. And you see, again, the comment section is what it is. It's like, I thought two weeks ago you said he was brutal. Yeah, he was. Two weeks ago he was playing poorly. And now he's playing better. That's the point. That's the way it works. That's a good thing. Yeah, and we'll talk about it as part of the game.
I mean, there's no scientific explanation for how that works. Switch flipped. There just isn't. The best explanation I got today, and you guys are probably going to, whatever, is that even though the agent, the general manager, the coach, everyone associated, Matthews included, kept saying he's not injured. There's nothing lingering from training camp.
Chapter 4: How are the Leafs planning to navigate their roster issues?
He's over all of it. He's over all of it. The way it was explained to me today was while he was over all of it, he wasn't hurt, he wasn't playing injured, he wasn't playing at 100%. And whether or not it's a brief break, couple three days, whatever it is around Christmas. He just started to feel really, really good again. So now he's at like 90% instead of 70%.
And a 90% Austin Matthews is pretty damn good. And that makes sense to me. It does. Even though people are going to dismiss it, that does make sense. Something's got to give. I mean, the guy, he looks great. He's playing really well. He looks like his disposition looks and feels differently. The whole team, it's like...
Chapter 5: What are the implications of Anthony Davis potentially joining the Raptors?
It was like the fog lifted off the team because they were literally skating out. They were all in a fog. They were out of it. And if you don't play the game, and there's only, I don't know if there's ever been a player where no matter what your talent level is, if you don't bring some kind of enthusiasm or excitement to the game, it's just not going to happen. Right. Any of them.
Like, if you don't bring that, like, you've got no chance. Yeah. That's a big part of it. The attitude of the team. Like, whether you have the lead or not. And that's contagious, isn't it? Right? Like, when your leader is playing that way, now there's no excuses as a player who's playing with him or below him. Right?
Chapter 6: How are the NFL playoffs shaping up this season?
Okay. That's what he's doing, so I better bring my energy up a couple of notches. Well, and, like, the injury stuff has got to affect the room, too. Right? Like, every other day, if someone else is going down... Bonkers. And, you know, like... With Tanev, who knows? Stolarz, who knows? Those are major pieces. How do the Leafs navigate this? Well, they're looking for a defenseman.
That's been the case for months. Like an impact guy or a depth guy? Best available. There are depth pieces available.
Chapter 7: What are Bryan's best bets for the upcoming games?
Look at what the Winnipeg Jets are doing right now. I'm pretty sure if the Toronto Maple Leafs wanted to reunite Luke Chen, They'd get him for a lower-end draft pick. And I think that Luke is looking for a better opportunity, bigger role. I mean, we can appreciate, given where he's at in his career.
And I mean this very respectfully, Luke, because, okay, granted, he was never quick, but he's slower now. But, man, he's still a simple, smart defenseman, tough. You know, he's got that personality and the presence in that room, no matter how many minutes he's playing. But, yeah, I mean, Brad Terleby has to be aiming higher. And how much higher?
Again, that depends on what they ask is coming back. Yeah, that's it, man. That's where they struggle. Donus, you're kind of wincing. Well, because I wrote about this for tomorrow, and I mentioned Shen.
Chapter 8: How do the recent performances of the Leafs affect their playoff chances?
I think it makes sense because of the price. And they're a better defenseman. Rasmus Anderson is a much better defenseman, obviously. But I don't think they have the assets to get better defensemen. They have zero assets. Well, they don't have zero assets. You could trade Eason Cowan if you wanted. You could trade Ben Danford. They have a... They're going to laugh.
They have a second round pick in 2027. Cool. They don't have nothing, but other teams have better stuff. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah, exactly. That's the question. Yeah, I mean, what is your team right now, too? Like, Trey Livingston's got to consider that. Right. You know, it's like if you're Colorado, you're like, yeah, we're in it to win it. Yes.
The Leafs aren't even in the playoffs right now. What are you going to do, spend on this? Yeah, exactly. Have any clarity? Let's say you go get Ross Missanderson. Let's say that's the guy. Yeah, and let's say it takes all your best stuff. Cowan, Danford, and Picks. And Picks. Only if you get him on an extension, obviously. And then that's its own thing. Should you be extending this guy? Why not?
Well, your defense is old already. He's going to be 30. You can rejig that in the offseason too, right? You're going to have to move some of those pieces. Can you? Yeah. But yeah, it's a fair question. Do you extend them? But is that the right move for them? To me, it doesn't feel like the right timing for that. I'd give it another 10 or 15 games, personally. Fair, fair.
I know they've been playing better recently. Good for them. They're in a better position right now. I'm not making a play where I'm unloading everything I've got. No. And you know where I stand on this, Jonas. I think at some point they've got to reload and rebuild the farm system. You've got to have young players. There's not much in the Marlies. If it's Quinn Hughes, okay. Yes, exactly.
Anderson's not Quinn Hughes. How can you go from saying you're going to unload Easton Cowan, Ben Danford, a first-round pick from somewhere in 2035, and you've got to have to rebuild your farm system? Yes. Well, they don't exactly. It doesn't work that way. And look, I mean, they high value Easton Cowan. Fair or unfair? I think it's fair. I think it is. He's a good young player.
He's a good young player, and you don't have enough of that moving forward. And he's more or less homegrown. And I mean, there's been speculation in the market that Toronto was pushing him for Braden Shen and all. That's not what happened. Now, if Toronto is going to trade Easton Cowan, you know, wind it back several months or move it forward, doesn't matter. It's for a can't miss.
And to the discussion we're having right now, maybe the miss is the timing of doing it in the first place because... Maybe this team isn't good enough to waste those assets. To your point, Brian, we don't know. We don't know yet. It's too early. Let's bring in Pierre Lebrun, our TSN Hockey Insider, as well, as we roundtable this bad boy. Are we going to five boxes up on TV?
I hope so, because I always love being right in the middle of this. There it is. Yes, Pierre, I love it. Where do you stand on this, Pierre, in terms of the Leafs? Is it a fork in the road? Do you try to improve? If you're going to sell, is it too early to think that way? How do you think Tree Living could be approaching this scenario?
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