Happy Friday! On the eve of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Ben and Brent dive into the Maple Leafs’ first-round matchup against the Bruins. They discuss the Bruins’ unique goaltending deployment, their current confidence level in Ilya Samsonov, why starting on the road might benefit the Maple Leafs, Sheldon Keefe’s impending lineup decisions for Game 1, and which players could be the biggest X-factors for each team. Afterwards, Ben and Brent discuss their expectations for Yariel Rodriguez as he prepares to make his second MLB start on Friday, how John Schneider might deploy his bullpen this weekend, the sustainability of Daulton Varsho’s recent offensive surge, and if Orelvis Martinez is on the precipice of a big-league call-up (38:55).
The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliate.
It's not good Friday, but like good Friday morning as well, just little little personal check in before we get deep into the the heart of least ruins preview here. You okay this morning? I feel like I was yammering your ear off a little too much. We have like former leaf Jay Gardner joining us on to the show and that just sent me down a leaf time capsule and I normally feel like I try to summit. I'm a chatty Kathy in the morning. Okay, or a chatty Ken. Okay. And so I tried to restrain myself, but then I got talking leaves and like the throws of playoff pain passed and I feel like I ameter off a bit. So I just like to before even answer the question and I realize I'm doing it again. I'm yammering your ear off. I'm sorry and good morning. Thank you. See it sounds less sincere when you do it on the air when you say I'm sorry. You know what it was was I realized at 59 I was like ooh you're just the backboard here. You know you're just like yep that happened. I'm just like that's all I just I it didn't occur to me until 59 and I thought honestly better. It didn't occur to you. No it doesn't it rarely does. Yeah. Here's the deal, Brent. You're going full master's voice on me right now like hello friends. Well here's least I'm talking. This is a relevant voice for what I'm about to say is that it's not it's not the quantity of words that come out of your mouth. It's the volume at which they come out of your mouth. Oh that that actually will not hear from you of all people. No no no but a quarter to six at quarter to six. Save it for now and now we can yell. Now we can yell. But now I'm like I'm easing in. It's like the nice little bubble bath of a Friday show. I was yelling then. Are you all yelled out? Oh no. Believe me I'm sure we'll step on many a landmine that'll get me yelling today but just to pull back the curtain. How dare you get mad. Like again if you were saying you used a hundred too many words before six I'd say okay I disagree but like that's your prerogative. I will not hear from you that the volume of my voice is the problem. Why won't you hear that? Because at least two to three times a show during the break. No one's we start. No once we start. That's your son. That's all you're saying to those. You've never you never let me know that this is an issue for you. This my guttural screams. It's not an issue for me but if you're going to tell me I can't be loud than it is. That's it. No I did. It's just like if you're going to take away something from me then I'm going to go like okay I have a problem with this too. Yeah okay that's your negotiation tactic. I mean no problem. There's another one. I will sign on the dotted line. Give me the papers. Draw them up today. I wanted the deal. I'm just saying like deal. I have a different deal. We both keep doing it and I get to complain. That's actually my favorite deal. Assign filled a great bit about this of like I don't. What do you like? I like to complain. I like to be mildly aggrieved so I could have something to just like if I could just whine a little bit about that thing. I like calm. I like serene. I like serenity. Before the insanity of three hours of hot sports debate as we are going to do. Today is a very focused show as you would expect on the day before game one of the postseason for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the anxiety that that can produce. We'll do like a little bit of Blue Jays. Will. Must. Produce. I don't know if it must. Like one of these years like I listen I'm going through my head all the the the the the return thoughts that I've had going into the postseason and you know because we've done this show boy. Everybody on this stage. I will say it's a nice thing about working with you is that we haven't done this show yet but like we collectively have done the show a billion times. It's been a lot of these shows but it's like oh man wouldn't it imagine like one of these years is just like easy in around you think that like in around it's like yeah it doesn't lose in five like that that happened like that. It doesn't like not everything has to go to a game seven or a game six and overtime I guess like last year first run that was as easy as it gets coming back from what four one down to force overtime and win a game six. I'm sorry a game five to have the chance to close it out in game six and then needing overtime. Oh how easy that was for the Toronto Navy like one of these years like you are allowed to win a series in four or five. It hasn't happened. God forbid you don't have a winner take all game which again they didn't have last year. But yeah there is like one of these years maybe if the least continue to get into the postseason. I mean just mathematically yeah they're going to win more series and mathematically you would think oh wow they're playing their best hockey of the season. Oh wow the team that they're playing in the first run isn't and everything they get all the bounces one of these years maybe this is the year. Doesn't feel like it but yeah like that's ringing around in my brain that one of these years the anxiety doesn't have to be off the charts from game one second one of the postseason for this leaf steam. That didn't happen in this year sorry I had to break it to you. You have to reside in the Metro apparently to do that where you get to play one of those two sad sack Metro teams that squeaks their way in. I think that's the way you have to go a bunch of business and unfortunately the the Leafs by I don't know Edict of God apparently have to play in the hardest division ever while they have the greatest collection of talent they've ever not ever but I mean in the league right now well they have had their greatest collection of talent. The West is a dog fight though too like unless you think that the Kings are by the way Bizarro and to the regular season. Hand up hand up I sat down here turn on my TV this morning and went what? Euler's Kings. Yeah that's dodgeable at big time. Yeah that again like why couldn't that just happen. Yeah why could the ping pong balls or I guess not ping pong balls just luck of the way the season plays out. But Euler's been sitting there with a death match against the Golden Knights who have Mark Stone limping around getting ready for your match. Last year's second round series and no not not to be because they lost the ducks because they played nobody understandably and you would have figured you know the Kings at home against the Blue Jack or against Chicago would have done the same thing. But instead after the Blackhawks took a 4-3 lead with three consecutive goals to start the third period, power play gold under two minutes to go since it's over time and the Kings win in overtime to set up a first round match up against the Euler's. Yeah that's wild wacky stuff. Anyways let's do our preview of this Leafs Bruin series. Let's game on tomorrow after eight o'clock. What do you start with this? What's your initial thought on this series? Like what is like if you were going to do like a little what do they call it log line right like when you're when you're about to watch a series like a TV series. What's the log line for this series? I don't really know what that is so I'm just going to try. It's just like a small like when you give me yours and then maybe I can understand. All right so this is a coin flip series. Many will view that the Bruins is a significant favorite because of history and because of the regular season and the head-to-head records and the 1959 of it all. But the Leafs have the star player advantage. They have the offensive power power advantage. Bruins have the better blue line and goal tending but specifically they use that goal tending a lot. Logically this should be an imminently winnable series for the Maple Leafs but the key here is that logic has not applied to anything that's taken place with this franchise over the last 20 years. Keep going more than 20 just like since 67 logics has never made a lick of sense with this group. I would say what mine is is that it is a two headed goalie monster facing a two headed goalie monster and it's just a matter of which team they will kill. I firmly believe the Leafs goaltending will either be one of the stalwart reasons that we talk about this series from a winning perspective from a losing perspective. That is the way I look at it. Like it's a clash of two goal tending tandem. Yes, Matthews and star power but it is like it so often does at this time of year just going to come down to that. That's the way that is the way I kind of frame it is the two goalie tandem that we are absolutely certain what you will get from at least one of them at any given time. And then the two goalie tandem in Toronto which has been coin for certain. I mean the hallmark injury whatever that he was dealing with in the seven game series against Panthers last year I guess has to be at play here but he was obviously healthy enough to continue to get the starts until game seven. I mean that's a pretty disappointing postseason performance for the Vesna winner. Are we sure what we're going to get here? Well first of all I'm not sure what we're going to get as far as deployment is concerned because these guys have just straight up alternated into the numbers surrounding this Bruins team and yeah they play a good cohesive defensive team brand of hockey but they also allow some opportunities and they get bailed out by their great goal tending like their goal tending. It's not like well the goal tenders aren't asked to do much. No no no they are and they're great. They're very very good but there's some recent history here with the goal tending not being very very good. In fact gagging all over itself in a seven game series loss to the Florida Panthers that yes in retrospect makes a ton of sense because they went all the way to the cup final and then had a great season this year where they ended up winning the division in the last game of the regular season but that was you look at that the seven game series loss to the Panthers last year. There's number one reason that they lost it is because they're goal tending stank. Yeah I it's a fair thing to point out but I am somebody who if I'm going to have done it with this team in the past and obviously goal tenders and position players are different things but I'm not ready to cast the die on a guy from one postseason even if it's a netminder and I realize that like you sometimes have to do that on netminders in this league but I think if we're going to look at body of work I think and maybe this is part of the mystique of Boston when I think of a goalie that can't hack it in the playoffs. I think that between the years and again maybe this is the mystique of the Bruins and that I'm always seeing those guys do their dumb hug after every win and that's that you know no matter which guy they throw it against the Leafs this year it was always the right guy but I just look at it as I think you look at more the body of work than the seven games last year. That's just that's how I think if that's how I'm going to view it. What I'm talking about the Leafs and I've certainly done that for the entirety of this Matthews era then I gotta I gotta continue that over to the Boston side of the ledger. Okay then how about it going beyond the six games for all mark and it going to eight games in his postseason career and a safe percentage of 888 and Swam and okay he's got it over 900 but 901 like neither of these guys are exactly putting forth this incredible postseason resume. Yeah and the the guy that is getting the start for the Maple Leafs tomorrow while he didn't end his regular season all that strong out duel the future Hall of Famer one of the all like one of the defining goal tenders of a generation. Yeah in six games last season now part of that was Andre Vasolaski didn't look so great but whatever scoreboard and yeah he had to be great at times in a series that unbalance the Leafs were out played in and he had to go to overtime like you talk about the pressures that surround this team each in every postseason game. Yeah I mean talk about the pressure of playoff overtime which we've seen you know Frederick Anderson and some some pretty important games didn't feel like he was up to the task it must be said. Yeah and I mean even going back to season number one against the Capitals and that over what was a game to where there's like shot from an impossible angle just goes right past his glove. I mean recent history tell you the Leafs have in pressure pack moments the goalie who's come through more often than the two Boston guys. Yeah that is like if you're going to just look at playoff track record but again like I just said I look at the body of work that we've seen from all four of these guys were talking about all even lump wall in there. And yeah Samsonov like good on him I'm not I'm not sitting here saying it is impossible or he can't out duel or there's no world. I just think that's what it's going to come down to is you need Samsonov to be great and I think you need him to be great early on in this series. Maybe you feel differently about it but a world where Ilya Samsonov isn't great to start game one but they go back to him and then he's not here's my guess is that if he's not great in game one and he's the reason they lose game one. He's not starting game two. I think it's entirely possible given if I'm going to it's funny we're like I'm kind of talking about sides of my mouth but if I'm going to believe you're goaltending narrative for the Bruins here it's like it's entirely possible the Leafs go win a five four game where Samsonov is okay there's one you didn't like but there were we're doing the thing we did for that Saturday game where oh he bounced back and look at the second and third period he had I just think the start of this series for Samsonov is so critical because you need to get him rolling. It's just been so it's not been so long in the grand scheme of things but it's been a couple weeks since we've seen full fledged Roland Sammy not for two periods but for I don't know. You know two three games in a row and you just it is such a finicky thing goaltending to be going into a series where he has been battling it in that way. I'm not writing him off is saying he can't win it but that is that is why I keep looking back to the goal to any matchup because yeah you can do it with the blue line where there's a cadm you can do it with the forwards but the goal is on the ice the whole game. Those other groups you can kind of mix and match. Yeah and you know one of the questions you posed in our in the in us trying to visualize how this preview would go was hey how important is game one from a pressure standpoint. I should have I should have said I should have sent it like send loud you know you can do that with the text I'm going to start doing that now just to follow you more. Oh I see. No text is fine. Okay. And again it won't be a quarter quarter to six and more. Don't tell me. That's fine actually send. Yeah all the things that you have to say quarter to six in the morning send it loud text. Yeah that sounds great. I'll just read it aloud as I'm texting it to you. So yeah no it feels really important Saturday feels really important you got to get off to that good start and you can't have the bad vibes and oh my god it'll feel like the sky's falling except they lost seven three to the lightning. Yeah in game one last year and the Ilya Sampsonov didn't play the third period because he was yank for Joe wall. At least one in six. Yeah so I don't know I don't know what you're supposed to do with that but yeah it does feel like a lot is on the line emotionally in this game one. Well one considering the least ended the regular season on a four game losing streak. And yes you can start projecting how horribly this is going to go plus they lost all four regular season games of the Boston Bruins but on the other side like do this all the time. Yeah I know I've said this before but it's like 93 the Joe Carter walk off home run the seminal moment in my sports watching young Ben sports watching life. And I'm like oh everybody all everybody around the world also saw the greatness in that moment then you talk like Frank cerebellis who's like oh yeah there was another there's a whole group of people that's not like an insignificant fan base that was like oh that's the worst moment of their lives. But yeah so you forget I mean considering the tortured existence that is being a leaf fan and it's not the same like they yeah they've won a cup and they've been to a cup final since the cup that they won against the Canucks. But yeah this is a team that had a historic regular season and bowed out in the first round. Well it'll shock you and it shocks me as I say it and I pose a question for you. I didn't look at that from a leaf perspective. I wrote that question from a Bruins perspective. I think the Leafs going to Boston and lose game one. And yeah if it is a seven three shell lacking and Marshawn is screaming at everybody after having two and two and you know Connor geeky or Morgan geeky or whatever geeky it is geeky geeky yeah geeky old geeky over there. Gary geeky is Greg geeky. Bill on Bill geeky is having nerd geeky three goals or you know hat trick. Yeah then okay then the pressure feels certain way for the least but if the Leafs go in there and even if it is a squeaker and it's a nail biter or it's you know five four from the least perspective any leaf win in the first two games of this series immediately puts Boston back into that spot and you're right like we have to think about it from their perspective as well. You think they're not feeling the pressure. I don't think anybody around there in Boston is like saying it now but you don't think the conversations are going to happen around like hey what exactly has been the Bradmarshan tenure here it's been amazing no one would ever say let's not have had it. What do we really have to show for it. Couple first round flames. Stanley Cup loss. Yeah like no one's going to sit here and say that it's but if you look at what this era Bruins hockey has been it's been really good teams within the grand scheme of things. If you think you're a cup champion not the initial for it. Yes it's true I think man would kill for that nothing by the way. Sure yeah actually I got to be honest I think I'd be I would rather have everything that have had happened then lose game seven Stanley Cup final I think. Like obviously the team wouldn't and then you like are more confident in your process and you have it but for me personally I don't know that I'd ever recover for that. Just saying just be honest with you. Okay yeah game seven against. Yeah I loved in law better to have loved and lost than never loved at all. Yeah that's an interesting point. Yeah it'd be just weird to think about the Leafs just that's the other thing it's like ah no Stanley Cup victory since 1960s have no finals appearances. What are you talking about. Thanks Carrie. Yeah yeah yeah yeah. Thanks Carrie. Anyways okay so to this point last thing I want to say about yeah the pressure of game one thing. Yeah I mean the road record and the thing that you're talking about I think starting on the road is so good. I mean game seven on the road and in that building is not going to be great. Yeah maybe we all know what's going there. Maybe we all know it's going back to Boston for game seven and that's oh come on. That's not ideal but yeah the series starting there feeling like if you get game one you're playing with house money for game two. Yeah the problem will be not to play like that which this team is want to do when it feels like they did the thing. Yeah but yeah starting on the road I think is an ideal spot for this particular Leafs team. And again if you want to shift the pressure to the Bruins or the Bruins in imagining a world in which you win game one and the anxiety that might start to gurgle up in the Bruins fan base. And I you know again this is me like putting a good thing into the world regarding the Leafs but you know if it does get to game seven we'll all feel the way we feel. And you know the Leafs will have had their game seven history in that building but the last time they played one they lost. Yeah yeah so I just keep looking at it that way like we think of the Bruins as this unflappable monster but if the Leafs were to bounce them in the first round I mean you can spin it and say it's the Leafs. Yeah like they do they're finally supposed to but they're going to be having real conversations about back-to-back first round exits in a post-Persian world. What does that mean for them like come on Jack Edwards is retiring. You can murder this generation of the Bruins it's right there for you. I think roster wise there is one big question for the Maple Leafs and I'm the goaltender. Do you like Sam? Nick Robertson does he play? No probably not. No I think the four groups are pretty sad. Well health like that's the that is the - Tommy McMahon, Callie Arnkrock are good to go those guys are both on the lineup. Yeah of course but God like I'm sitting on pins and needles waiting for an update here like the Arnkrock thing specifically it's like no he's healthy he's going to be fine he's going to be fine. He's going to be fine like it just seems like and it's just the nature of the schedule they have the off day yesterday they're going to be super cagey at this time of year I understand all that but man like what that guy that's a playoff series type of player and it's not that we think of in Bertusi or Dolmy and he's going to be in everybody's face that's not what I mean by that but that is a guy that is going to give you a good honest hard shift every time. And a 20 goal score. Yeah. Yeah don't forget that second part. Yeah I know you're reminding me I know. Yeah it's a it's an important it's not inconsequential. Yeah that they've been without for weeks and weeks and it's been a month now. Feels like it. I just remember I remember April 8th seeing so long ago when it was like he'll he can be activated April I thought I'm like oh obviously who will. Yeah that was 11 days ago. It's been a long time. It has been a while. The number one question is I think it's just one just fought on the blue line and it's the sixth defenseman because it does feel like we're going into this thing with Riley Labushkin at least to start. Yep. That's not that's that's tenuous. Yeah they're like wrote that in an eraser they're like just just like trace the eraser mark and leave the little you know like pink pigment on the page. And like is does it look that way if they didn't get what they got at a Luke Shen playing alongside Morgan Riley last year maybe not. Yeah Ben Wong McCabe I think that's going to be the shutdown pairing. Yep. Joel Edmondson is playing. Uh huh. Because they acquired him and it's who's playing on his right side is it Timothy Lilligrand or is it TJ Brody. The guy who could play on this right side Timothy Lilligrand. Sorry like I would love to have found a way to get got TJ Brody in this lineup playing on his left side in a more sheltered role. Yadda yadda yadda not against this team not to start the series. I guarantee you a short of the Leafs winning in five which ain't going to happen. TJ Brody's playing in this series probably playing a couple games in it. We've just seen the returns with him on the right side. It's not there anymore. He's not the right partner for Morgan Riley. Ben Wong McCabe chemistry matters. Okay. Like we can sit here and have all the conversations about well isn't Edmondson just a better version of McCabe? Yeah he is. But Joel Edmondson hasn't been playing with McCabe all year long and Ben Wong McCabe. They're not perfect. There's a reason you picked McCabe or sorry Ben Wong the scrap heap. And there's a reason Jake McCabe you're able to have him for what you got at the deadline last year. Okay. Like they are not perfect players but that has to be your shutdown pair. And then you know I said I said this mostly tongue and cheek after the Florida game. But I firmly believe it. I don't know why. I don't know what he did. I don't know if they give him like you know how in the NFL the quarterbacks have the green dot on their helmet. I don't know if Edmondson has one of those. But he's allowed to play playoff style rules. He's just allowed to cross check and do whatever he wants. The size. I think it's the size. It's the size that he's been around for a while. He's not an overly mouthy guy. It doesn't seem like two officials. I don't know what it is. Whatever it is. I should probably stop talking about it so he keeps being allowed to do it. That guy's in the lineup and you need a right hand shot. TJ Brody can't play there. I went and looked at the Brody McCabe minutes from this year to see like oh is there anything there? Can you force him it? You can't. Not pair was not good. Yeah in the postseason last year wasn't very good either. Yeah. I think you start. I mean if you talk about it not good though Tim of the little little grin has not been good in the postseason either in his career. But yeah I think you have to start this way. I agree. Like you just. Yeah. It's like that's the thing that is most in flux when it comes to this roster. I mean maybe there's a scenario where boy you really need some offense and you're looking at Nick Robertson to create it for you. But I think that's less likely than okay. We're back to Timothy little grin postseason just it's not there for him. And you got to make a pivot to a guy that. Yeah at least has the upside and we've seen it in TJ Brody. But you got you got to start this way considering it feels like the best of TJ Brody's. Behind him. Yeah and it's I do still think there's a role where if you could and he's a different player than Joel Edmondson and that's why you're not going to put him in that spot. But if Joel Edmondson didn't exist I'd be fine with having given Brody some run alongside little grin on a third pair in that role. And I think he could be still competent in that role. I think he can still be fine but not in this series. It's not the match up for him against Boston. Again he's going to play. Like he's going to get in this series short of the Leafs walking through it in five games. But it's just not the guy to start it. And there's just it's funny it's this is the weirdest thing about the TJ Brody of it all this year is that for a guy who for the first three and a half years of his Leafs tenure. Or honestly like three and three quarter years of his Leafs tenure was the perfect guy to put with any defense been on the team to get them going to get them right. And all of a sudden there's no partner for him. Doesn't matter who you put them with it just doesn't work. And it's just so jarring how quickly that can happen to a guy. Now obviously part of this is roster machinations. If they were hell bent on getting a partner for TJ Brody the way they were for getting one for Morgan Riley then you could find a way to do that. But it's just so jarring that the guy who is Mr. Fixer for everybody. He needs a little help and no one can give it to him. Yeah he's broken. I guess there is a question about who is the third winger on that fourth line. Again this is all, it depends on the health of Bobby McMahon, Cali Yarnkroek. But if everybody's healthy and you got David Camp centering a line with Matthew Nye's you would think who's kind of emerged like on that fourth line. Like he's doing some things. No they should give him a ring at stick so he doesn't even think about the puck. Just go out there and run people through the boards. Yeah it's kind of working for him on that fourth line. I guess there's a question about Connor Doer or Ryan Reeves. And whether you lean towards Doer's penalty killing and I guess the versatility of being able to play him up the middle. Although we haven't seen much of that. Okay sure. This is the William Newlander at center. It's like he could do it. Sure. Yeah yeah yeah. And it did feel like when we were headed for weeks and weeks towards a matchup with the Panthers that the Ryan Reeves game one thing was real, real, real and he has been a real revelation end of the season. I tend to think that they're going to go with Reeves for game one. I suppose if the penalty kill is as horrific as it could be. And yeah you go back to 2019 the major reason the least lose that series because the Bruins power play was unbelievable but there's no Patrick Berger on walking through that door anymore. Please Scott I think they go Ryan Reeves but that's a question Connor Doer or Ryan Reeves. I think Kyle Yarnkrock takes care of that. If Yarnkrock can play he takes Doer's spot on the penalty kill and then that's his biggest utility there. You're right. Like in theory you could play Doer up the middle but in theory you could play Yarnkrock up the middle just as well. I would say just as easily but let's be honest just as poorly. You could you could play either of them up the middle. I think you if you are forced to put in Reeves. Let's say you let's say they let's say everybody's healthy and they go you know what we want our 12 best forward sorry Revo that's not you and they put Doer in there. And then the game goes the way we can all envision I don't think it's going to go that way but where it's the big bad Bruins and the running people through boards and Marchons doing everything he threatened in that clip that Bruins fans love so much for some reason where he's and then he didn't we didn't do anything. Yeah bluffing. Oh yeah look at our guy the Bluffer okay keep bragging about it. Then it's seen as reactive it's it's you having to meet what Boston's doing in the series whereas if you put Reeves in and the game doesn't go that way I mean we saw it a lot at the beginning of the season I highly doubt they lose game one because of Ryan Reeves like I don't think this is a Ryan Reeves is - three scenario right so I think that you have to put him into start so that is not seen as reactive and then if the series has a bit of a different tenor or if he sent his message or I don't know like if he gets suspended crazier things have happened then you get Doer in there beliefs are killing off a five minute penalty or it's something of that nature yeah yeah you can adjust but yeah you got to start with the the game one lineup that I think we all envisioned against the Panthers where Ryan Reeves has been a big part of that fourth line yeah and the idea like it's not just been the Ryan Reeves is there and he's going to be woofed at Marchon and the bench or whatever he's really doing a good job of getting in there on the four check using his body and this is the other part of it as well as that one game scoring streak as well well you can't take him out then that's right good point the need that we always say the need that secondary scoring so if the guy's hot you got to keep him in there but we talk about this all the time playoff series you take bites out of guys in game one and two so that it pays dividends in game six and seven and I don't I don't think Revo is going to do anything stupid but I think he knows exactly where the line is and he's going to be taken as many bites out of people as he can if you put him in there in game one and honestly it's just we talk all the time but wouldn't it be nice if well they have that guy so wouldn't it be nice if go use him who's the biggest Leafs X factor headed into the series I had a trouble with this because it's like X factor where do we draw the line you know this is can't be Matthew's marner Tavares and kneelander although you're trying to force Tavares no no no no I'm like is like is Pertuzzi allowed to be the X factor is he playing on the first line with Matthews no okay he's not allowed no if you're on the first line I'm just making sure okay so then your X factor for this series we talked about him he's on the fourth line nothing is expected of him now Matthew nice this is a guy who can move up and down the line up he can't go move down anymore other than the press box yeah he has no business being there given the way he's playing right now and I think playing him with camp and whether it's reverb revo or doer it doesn't really matter there's no offense expected of him and it allows him to kind of remove that part of the game from his brain and when you do that you get such a more effective player and he still has the hands and the skill to score when it's there so I don't think he is going to be the best leaf forward by any means but they're going to be two or three moments in this series where oh look at that Matthew nice shelving keyflakes what he's doing he's back in the top six oh look at that Matthew nice big screen in front I just think he is going to take a step and a big big part of it is that expectations have taken a step back so maybe it's all just kind of normalizing but that's the guy I look at as my X factor yeah he's been on the ice it's very cute that you thought I was going to say to far as though well I was like yeah I know at least the captain he's also fine in the back of the net recently at the end of the season yeah I mean Matthew nice was on the ice for some pretty important goals for me and believes last year he got made the most he's killed in the florist here correct yeah he's asked to play a different role this year yeah that's an interesting guy hadn't he was not the guy that first came to mind and so much of this has to do with what we're going to find out today one and only practice before game one tomorrow the actual X factor is the team doctor clearing all these guys right man Bobby McMahon was just such a huge part of what the Maple Leafs did when they figured it out after the seven game winning streak right just like the the 15 goals were not flukes right it was such a fun story when he was scoring the hat trick aftermath he was like ah we're joking about the spider man means because like obviously Bobby McMans is the jobber and we'll never see him again no like huge huge part of what the Maple Leafs did and it just yes it just what he brings to this team and in the role that he's going to be asked to play couldn't couldn't you see him coming up with a massive goal and again going back to the five games against the Panthers obviously you need the stars to score but secondary scoring's got to come from somewhere and as much as you want to talk about Nick Robertson shooting it in the back of the net and his limited opportunities again 15 goals yeah in the 56 games that he was playing and only by the end of his regular season tenure before he got hurt was he starting to to get those elevated minutes and an elevated role on this team if Bobby McMahon is good to go I think he's a huge part of what the Maple Leafs do this postseason yeah and just throw like the scoring has to be there but just throw in the physicality of it again like it's not lost on me or I don't think a lot of people like so you know I'm looking at the lines and this is again presuming everybody's healthy it's like they have a guy with some jam on almost all lines I don't think it's fair to say that with like Yarnkrock Holmberg and Neelander it's like even Yarnkrock it's like it's not quite jam it's a berry that hasn't quite been been squished but it's like Nies, Camp, Revo, Jam there the Marner, JT McMahon line like McMahon gives it to you JT's not going to overly get in anybody's face because it doesn't necessarily back down from anything either and then I mean Domi Ember 2's you're crazy you know it's Matthew score 69 goals so I think you just really like what you've got up and down it and that's the thing for so often to pass with these Leafs teams it's like all right the skill line is out there go score goal right all right the two punt lines are out there I kill someone and please give up nothing and now there's it's like you can actually expect a little bit of both from four lines from somebody on each and every line all right what's the biggest boss the next factor it's what version this is unfair because this isn't a person but it's like a question it's what version of Brad Marchon do you get this guy had what 67 points this year I hate that number by the way like he couldn't have got one more or one last point don't like that but that's not what we think of when we think of Brad Marchon team Canada winger stapled to Crosby and Bergeron and Bergeron and and Pasternak and Boston that's not the guy we think of but if he gets his mojo going and they win game one and he's woofing to the crowd and he's woofing at the Leafs and they're feeling he's feeling was about say 10 feet tall but for him feeling tall feels like six feet tall that's the guy that if you get full blown playoff Marchon that's their X factor right there I mean is that cheating no I'll allow it you'll allow it I mean because what it says because yeah mine is yeah I guess also kind of a cheat because it doesn't it doesn't even you had a name like I don't even have a name oh you just have like an idea well it's whoever is starting in goal for game two okay that's fair no that's okay no that's good I like that that's very game to go like because I mean on the one hand if the Bruins lose game one and then they do the thing that we all expect them to do where they alternate goal is the thing that they've done all season long all the pressure in the world on that game to start or not to let the series start to slip away from them and go down oh two and secondarily you win game one and you're the game to start you're like oh well I can't be the reason why great point we split this and then you know then they're real questions about game four and like is this alternating thing gonna work shouldn't they just be riding the hot hand I think there's a myriad of questions that that come out of alternating goal it's like we we've seen it in recent vintage where like the Brayton Holpies don't start game one of a postseason series and then they're hoisting the Stanley Cup over their heads but like I don't man for my money I can't ever remember this no it just and I understand it like why go away from what worked during the regular season you know why because the playoffs are different I guess different it's different yeah it's like oh well the blue jays you know they didn't use their their relievers in a certain way during the regular season so why start doing it because the playoffs are different now it's bad example because they did that here no the playoffs are different so what I'm hearing is they should pull all mark after the second period just depending regardless regardless of how it's going by the way have you recently looked at Brad Marshans hockey reference page I haven't I haven't for my money the next name is out here but no there's so many oh I mean there's the one I'm like I'm like I don't even know if I was like allowed to call them that on air but yeah there's one that jumps out of my mind I mean you it's on the face killer yeah that's like that's the one I immediately think of with him precious little angel not one that I'm familiar with little ball little ball of hate yeah sure yeah sure rat yeah for sure I often brat I can say that Brad Brad the rat emoji is like you know how the phone does it where it's like here you're frequently used emojis rat is right there this time here let me tell you honey badger that's not him all right you know I feel honey badgers like a classic like there's three hundred thousand honey badgers like the real one on Matthew of course mm-hmm yeah million okay well obviously come back around to this nose face killer so good we've redubbed in that great job and listen do am I waiting for the like quadruple overtime game in which and maybe it happens in this series where someone's like man this game is longer than brad marshans nose I certainly am I can very much looking forward to that you said it not me but but same but actually not cuz I think I think one way or another four over tea leaves playoff game I would just cease to exist at one way like one way or another yeah all right when we come back we will delve ever so slightly into the blue Jay's series against the pod raise starts tonight yuriel Rodriguez making his second career major league start and boy somebody killing it in Buffalo right now making waves and potentially becoming a relevant factor for the major league team in the coming days talk about that in more next is the fan morning show continues band and is burnt cutting sports at five ninety the fan hey it's a leash for a fire and I'm just in country join us as we discuss the most important sports stories of the day and tee up the biggest games of the night it's the fan pregame 6 p.m. weekdays on sports that four set five ninety the fan and wherever you get your podcast fan morning show sports at five ninety and then as bright and yumming kudos to the San Diego pod raise for I mean relatively an early start time tonight before 10 o'clock when you get a west coast game that starts before 10 o'clock just okay I'll do it to go hey good job well done so I feel a great observation by you it's pretty really pretty good one of those uh the other thing with it is that I the problem with it is like I can only give them so much credit cuz they're not starting at seven o'clock and I am used to that when like Toronto based teams go on the west coast yeah that's the that's in the bear with you Vancouver no well it's like that's the that's my bar though that's the problem it's like we have full capitulation so it's like this is this is partial capitulation 20 minute capitulation I don't think it's even capitulation I think it's the pod raise like obviously deciding that this is a good time for them because nobody capitulates to the blue jays or the Toronto market and any sport and it's just in that one instance when they're playing Canadian teams on hockey night in Canada but so much other than that though if you're a Canadian sporting franchise you're getting it no capitulation it's like you capitulate to everybody else so I don't think it has too much to do with the blue jays it's just the pod raise like yeah we like to do this thing just four seven hundred Pacific it's classic San Diego they're like we got god we have to like get this over with ever been oh you don't go places yeah why like I have to be honest that is made and this is like just a window into my soul I'm like so what it's nice it's like you got to go to San Diego the weather's nice I'm like really nice you know okay the weather's nice oh great mmm like what what what they don't even have a cool ballpark why would I go yeah it's the coolest it is amazing pet co are you being serious no no no no no out there you're going to you're going to tell me where I got like Dodger Stadium and whatever they call San Fran Park these days on the same coast they're they're all different here's one of the three I'd honestly rank pet co one ew I like have I shouldn't be allowed to have an opinion I guess but I'm going to here's one here's the one time I'd go to pet co they sometimes set up like a par three course in there I've said I don't know if you've seen this if this made its way and you were at the golf base all crossover yeah there's like there's a traveling that was the originator of it that was the first place they ever well like I'm sure somebody set up golf holes it not a golf course before that was first like majorly stadium they did it in so that's like it's like yeah I'd love to go to pet co to play golf now it's amazing it's a truly incredible stadium so nice outside I mean that's part of it I can't imagine ever glossing over you know a nice weather considering you spent nine months a year by the way I was on Calgary radio yesterday and I was talking about leaves James and then the little leaves but I was talking about hey normally I'm going home from my nap I'm playing golf today and like oh yeah I'd snowed yesterday oh yeah okay yeah they mentioned that to me actually at a coffee really Monday and they were like it's so cold yeah as as if like that wouldn't affect your mood and you wouldn't enjoy living in a place where you could golf all year round but okay yeah but okay but like people talk about San Diego like it's like this perfect human like it's like there's no other nice places on earth why is it get to be so nice it's one of the nice places okay it was nice when I was there and which the ballpark is incredible it's like built right into the city it's like you don't even notice there's a ballpark and then all of a sudden you're walking down the street it's like oh you're like in the ballpark and literally left field to show a ticket no you's walking oh I'm like I'm playing I'm playing first base no and left field the foul pole is yeah I was good to have the corner of a building like that looks cool I will give them that that is cool okay it's an amazing ballpark so offensive and go it's so offended when I don't go low enough speak praise of San Francisco it's San Diego alright yeah whatever see this is a little I care yeah so what you've never been fair weather fans never been yeah I never will go San Diego I could not imagine what would bring me out there it's like other cities out there for sure San Diego yeah anyways maybe go to Torpines but okay I guess not other better golf closest closer anyway stop stop putting cheese in the trap you mentioned a golf thing again I'm gonna say something about it blue chase blue chase but playing a pod race team that is obviously minus one of their major contributors from a season ago in Juan Soto but still some dudes there are some guys well they've had they've had their experience with that like the reprieve from Juan Soto is just fine for these three days yeah and they're they're off to a reasonable start just came away with a couple of consecutive series victories including one against their division rivals the Dodgers they're off to an 11 and 10 start but the Ariel Rodriguez the headline item for the Blue Jays making the second career major league start what are your expectations for Mr. Rodriguez yeah I think you want to see him build off of what you saw last time out it's something that I think I think will all be kind of keeping an eye on closely it's what we talked about with Sittle after the last start when he had him on this is a guy who is messing around with his release points during games and if you can do that consistently and effectively it is a incredible weapon to have to your arsenal but it is also something and you know I wouldn't feel this way if we had a long track record with the player but we don't so that's something I'm gonna be watching early it's just a consistency like I don't think you need to see him hit a number on the gun or there's a you know a number of of batters you want to see him face and get through relatively cleanly for me it is just about can he be more or less what he was last time with those with those inconsistent but intentionally inconsistent delivery points on his pitches yeah I think shutting down the Rockies is different than shutting down Fernando Taty's junior Manny Machado and Zander Bogart's but I will say also a couple of walks just not horrible in three and two thirds innings when you're playing a ballpark like Petco you got to fill up the zone can put runners on yeah you got to make him hit their way on base here because it is so so so so difficult to hit a home run in that ballpark and another great start from him really amps up the pressure on Alec Manoa to not just be healthy and like hey I threw strikes and you know him judging by the comments he made of the belief that all I have to do is like get stretched out and the results don't even matter well I'm gonna keep bang at home and I would agree with him based on how familiar and friendly and a part of this team he feels in that dug out like I think he has had some yeah well but another good y'all Rodriguez start and maybe more pitches thrown the less likely that is and the higher the bar for performance is for Alec Manoa if he wants to rejoin this Blue Jays rotation what do you want to see from the bullpen going into this game considering the ninth inning meltdown in game three the Yankees series yeah I think you just want to see I think you want to see Garcia get put in a good leverage spot I think that's maybe the thing to watch most of this is how the leverage spots get bandied out obviously didn't go well for Swanson it's important to get him back in a leverage spot as well in this series though Swanson in a leverage spot what I don't think you put it you don't put him out there to close a game or in the eighth inning but I think you got to get him in low leverage you think you build him up that way I think if he's you're so bad yeah I'm I'm not going to tell you it's a terrible idea to put him in low leverage obviously that's like you have enough you have enough leverage arms especially if Chad Green is healthy and good to go well I think that's the like that's obviously would complicate the picture of Chad Green's healthy I think it's about this is a long term thought versus a win this ball game tonight thought I think that if you I mean bullpen are a capricious animal and you know there's volatility year to year but I think knuckleable but I think you still need you're gonna need Swanson you're gonna need him a leverage and I think there is a piece of you there are a piece of me anyways that says you go back to him and it's not to close the game it's not with Machado coming up with two men on of course but I think you want to give him a spot that has some consequence I'm not saying it has to be tonight but this weekend because I don't think you want that guy lingering with that result and no I don't think him going and cleaning up having a clean sixth inning is doing that for him I think it is I think you got to have him have some positive results and I think you'd be nervous to put him in a one run game either way whether the leading or trailing I think you want to get okay maybe by leverage I mean like it's a it's a 2-3 run spot in the sixth seventh inning so I guess maybe to you that's not leverage it's like lower leverage is how I look at it I'm not putting them in there to close the game I'm not putting them in there in the eighth yeah I think if the Blue Jays are leading by five runs like that'd be a nice spot for Eric Swanson at least the Eric Swanson I saw on the ninth inning against the Yankees on Wednesday Dalton Varsha looking to keep it rolling um did you know like this is small sample size stuff but I mentioned like don't touch him where he is in the lineup right now you know all his damages come as at seven whole hitter on this team amazing all four of his home runs coming in the six games that he's had hitting seventh now now it should be said that those are the most played appearances had there but he said pretty close to the same number of played appearances hitting fifth with an opus under 600 hidden ninth the opus a little higher it's almost 700 but it's well 28 in the six games and 21 played appearances hitting seventh just leave him where he is I know he's going great yep but don't mess with success here this is a ballpark he knows very well as well considering his time in the nationally west one I also just think this is I mean he's not going to hit one out like I feel confident in predicting that just because it's it is pecco and you know he's still Dalton Varsha after all but he's going to matter a ton in this series you mentioned it like there's just so much area to play with from a defensive standpoint you're going to need him to cover a ton of grounds there was that stack going around that going back to the start of last year he leads all out fielders and defensive run saves or outs above average it's this is a good time for him to kind of lean into the other traits of his game that doesn't mean you want him to stop hitting it doesn't mean he needs to stop or anything along those lines but I think that this is a good it's a it's a great place for him to be and that even if the bat kind of cools off this weekend I still think you're going to have a few good Dalton Varsha moments lastly it's easy going into the segment the de relevance martinez is a murder murdering baseballs right now and he murdered one off Anthony ghost yesterday jenny's legend who's who's coming back he had a modicum of success and his brief foray into the major leagues as a reliever I believe he spent last year injured did not pitch in professional baseball last year but all of a sudden he's got three home runs after I think not having a home run in his first seven games or something around that line he is three now with the ops over 900 yeah the the home run potential in particular would be much thanked for if he was in the the major leagues right now for the Toronto Blue Jays a problem for him is the positional fit yeah it's playing second base right now which actually that's a nice position if you can play it I don't know what to make of the five errors that he's committed in how 14 games at second base but that's a guy that like the longer this goes without the blue jays having a real home run threat and him continuing to match baseballs and Buffalo I know Addison bargers also off to a great start as well and maybe his positional fit makes a little more sense because he can play a capable third base and he hasn't committed any errors out there and he can also play corner outfield spot we all I think we already know that Spencer Horowitz I think is a major league bat but yeah he plays first base and is a DH we don't need any more of those but yeah to me a relevance Martinez could be the guy that more people are pounding the table for the more this continues and the more the blue jays continue to get okay capable offensive games out of Ernie Clement and IKF but not homers like there's no chance those guys are going yard I know Ernie Clement has a huge pinchet home run this year that's not part of his game no it's the main part of a relevance Martinez's game yeah he can play with that like feel that like practice fielding mitt they give you where there's no actual glove and make all the errors he wants if he's gonna do that hit ninth inning homers like there is gonna come to a point where even for the pitching and defense team there's gonna be a line of no return where if he can do that at the major league level especially given what is available to this team at the major league level you're gonna have to make it that move at some point in time but this is a beautiful thing about prospects like keep asking to do it keep asking to prove it yep all right when we come back all we're doing is asking the Toronto Maple Leafs to win a post season series for the first time since 1959 against the Boston Bruins yeah it's not hard just do that do that okay we'll get back into series preview coming up next the fan morning show continues Ben and his Brent Gunning Sportsmen 5-9 to the fan.
