The JD Bunkis Podcast

JD sifts through Auston Matthews’ career, why this is Matthews’ hinge moment, and the perception of him in the Toronto market. JD and Producer Armen then continue the Raptors conversation before getting into Don Mattingly's comments on the infamous game 7 play, and the comments made by Tatsuya Imai and Hal Steinbrenner.  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and g...

JD reacts to the Raptors winning their eighth straight victory. Sportsnets Michael Grange joins JD (9:00) to analyze how real this stretch of Raptors basketball is, what's surprised him about Brandon Ingram and the team cohesion, RJ Barrett's role in culture setting, how Scottie Barnes' has grown as a leader, and Jamal Shead's impact of winning. JD closes the hour talking about another underwhelmi...

Kris Versteeg, two-time Stanley Cup champion, joins JD to dive into the Maple Leafs culture and what is contributing to their losing ways (00:00). JD and Kris discuss the Leafs' lack of pointed emotion, if and how they are missing Mitch Marner, the coaching bluepint, working the injuries, and why Auston Matthews is facing the most pressure in his career. The show ends with 'What We Missed!' (38:00...

JD reacts to the Maple Leafs sitting last in the Eastern Conference standings (00:00). FOX NFL analyst, Brady Quinnn, joins JD (10:00) to chat about what team changed his opinion the most in week 12, if the Kansas City Chiefs are still one of the best teams, the concern level for the Philidelphia Eagles, Matthew Stafford turning back the clock, if the window has closed on the Detroit Lions, and qu...

MLB Insider, Robert Murray, joins JD to break down what feels different this season about the Blue Jays off-season pursuits (00:00). Robert gets into the pace of the MLB off-season news, why some quality free agents are signing early, high-leverage solutions for the Blue Jays, Framber Valdez's make-up, and the sweepstakes for Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker. The show ends with 'What We Missed!' (40:00...

JD reacts to the secretive nature of the Maple Leafs injury reports. Justin Bourne, from The Real Kyper & Bourne , joins JD to debate if the Maple Leafs are working themselves out of a funk, Joseph Woll's return, Easton Cowan's improved performance, if the Leafs are too slow to fix, and if Craig Berube's system matches the roster personnel. JD ends the hour talking about the "soft" at Bills. (42:0...

Jackie Redmond of NHL on TNT and WWE Network , joins JD to chat about the potential positives from the Maple Leafs season, how accountability plays out, the biggest issues with the Leafs, Cam Skattebo, and everyone in sports having a podcast (00:00). The show ends with 'What We Missed!' (35:00)  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessari...

Ben Ennis, co-host of The FAN Morning Show , joins JD Bunkis in-studio to chat about the Raptors on the heels of their fifth-straight win. They dive into how quickly the page was turned on Nick Nurse and discuss Scottie Barnes' popularity in Toronto. Later, the guys find ways to try to get over their World Series depression, and look at the Blue Jays' chase for a big fish this offseason.  The view...

Jim Bowden, former Executive of the Year and current MLB insider, joins JD to dive into the Blue Jays offseason intentions, which big name free agents could land in Toronto, the chase for Bo Bichette and what it means if he returns or leaves, what he makes of players opting-in, how personality fit affects strategies, Tarik Skubal's standing with the Detroit Tigers, and the looming collective barga...

JD open with his reaction to some MLB free agency news, before looking into Brad Treliving's address to Maple Leafs Nation. The Athletic's James Mirtle gives his takeaways from Treliving's press conference and discusses the heat on Auston Matthews, Joseph Woll's performance, Matthew Knies' injury and the Leafs short-term outlook (14:00).  The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those...

Blake Murphy from The Raptors Show joins JD in-studio to chat about MLB free agency before turning their attention to the Raptors (00:00).  JD and Blake chat about the Raptors win against the Charlotte Hornets, Brandon Ingram's fit on the offensive end, the biggest surprise of the early season, and Gradey Dick's underwhelming season. The show ends with 'What We Missed!'  The views and opinions exp...

JD wonders how the Maple Leafs will respond after losing five-straight ahead of tonight's matchup against Craig Berube's former team (00:00). Andy Strickland, St. Louis Blues reporter and co-host of The Cam & Strick Podcast, joins JD to get into why the Blues fired Berube in the middle of the 2023-24 season, the desperation of firing a coach mid-season, and the latest on Jordan Kyrou and Doug Arms...

Jason Bukala, Sportsnet NHL analyst and former NHL scout, breaks down Easton Cowan's start with the Maple Leafs; how the Leafs rough start affects Cowan, if he should be on the top powerplay unit, and if the Leafs should be cautious about entitlement. JD and Jason also discuss how to quell the litany of problems the Leafs are facing (20:00). The show ends with 'What We Missed!" (40:00).  The views...

JD touches on the 112th Grey Cup and CFL culture, before moving to the NFL with former NFL quarterback and our Monday morning insider, Brady Quinn (10:00). JD asks Brady about who the best teams in the NFL are, the identity inconsistency across the NFL, if any teams changed his mind in Week 11, what the Kansas City Chiefs need to realize, Sam Darnold's volatile play, the Detroit Lions' offensive f...

Sportsnet MLB writer, Ben Nicholson-Smith, joins JD to go over the American League MVP voting and the criteria that baseball writers lean on (00:00). Then (10:31), JD and Ben get into Blue Jays free agency; if their chase for free-agents feels materially different, what they absolutely need, what positional need they'll look to address first, Jose Berrios' standing going into next season and the n...

JD wonders how this year Blue Jays offseason may be different from years past and touches on the rumours of the Maple Leafs courting Rasmus Andersson (00:00). Sportsnet NHL writer, Luke Fox, discusses the biggest problems with the Maple Leafs, how a lack of accountability is playing out, bringing back Joseph Woll, Bobby McMann's improved play and the lacklustre impact from the new players (12:00)....

Stanley Cup Champion and 19-year NHL forward, Patrice Bergeron, joins the show to discuss what culture and accountability really mean and how they're built, getting to a level in the NHL where you have a voice in the locker room, navigating pressure, and Sidney Crosby's impact on Hockey Canada. JD then relays Bergeron's thoughts into the local market (30:00). The show ends with 'What We Missed!' ...

JD lays out his thoughts about Auston Matthews' injury and how the Maple Leafs might go about handling it (00:00). NHL analyst and fomer NHL forward, Colby Armstrong, hops on with JD (8:00) to chat about Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini and their potential fits on Canada's Olympic hockey roster. JD asks Colby (25:00) if he sees the Leafs improving and about his travelling diet. JD explains why he...

ESPN Front Office Insider, Bobby Marks, joins JD to get into some disastrous situations across the NBA (00:00). Bobby explains why the Dallas Mavericks decided now was the time to fire General Manager Nico Harrison, if the trade market will percolate more this season, and the tricky situations with the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Clippers. JD and Bobby then chat about the Raptors and where th...

JD weighs where the Maple Leafs are at after their third consecutive loss. Kris Versteeg, two-time Stanley Cup Champion, joins JD (10:00) to break down what's structurally wrong with the Leafs, what might be off with the coaching, and the dire situation at the centre position. JD and Versteeg also discuss Nikita Zadorov's hit on Auston Matthews and Duncan Keith's legacy.  The views and opinions ex...

MLB Network's Jon Morosi joins JD to analyze the MLB free agency market; the pace of information, what names on the market might cause a domino effect, why the Blue Jays are in a unique position, Bo Bichette being a priority but not the priority , how the Jays position puzzle may come together, how the team could explore the trade market, and the state of the starting rotation. The show ends with...

JD and Ben Ennis, co-host of The FAN Morning Show , air out some Toronto sports bar gripes, before turning their attention to MLB free agency. The Good Hour duo (14:00) describe why the Los Angeles Dodgers are the real evil empire, as JD announces that the Dodgers have passed the New York Yankees on his most-hated list. Next, JD and Ben sift through the MLB rumour mill, including if they believe i...

James Mirtle, senior writer at The Athletic, joins JD to dive into the pool of problems with the Maple Leafs (00:00). JD and James try to discern what the team's identity is, what the eye test and analytics is telling them about Toronto's poor defense, who deserves a slice of the blame pie and why, what the reason(s) for optimism are, and the strong play from John Tavares, William Nylander, Matthe...

JD reacts to the ugly weekend of hockey from the Maple Leafs (00:00). Brady Quinn, FOX NFL analyst and former NFL quarterback, helps JD (10:00) decipher teams who are contenders or pretenders, the Buffalo Bills brutal loss to the Miami Dolphins, different head coaching styles and what works in the modern game, Aaron Rodgers' reluctance to get hit, and JD's Seattle Seahawks. JD then offers a subtle...

Shi Davidi, Sportsnet's senior MLB columnist, joins JD to reflect on the comments from Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins and offers his read on why the President and General Manager didn't offer many meaningful thoughts (11:00). JD asks Shi about potential parallels between signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, what may sway Bichette, if the Jays payroll is expected to grow, Shane Bieber optin...