The JD Bunkis Podcast

JD and James Mirtle, senior writer for The Athletic, break down Auston Matthews' comments about not being able to predict the future and how the team reacted to his injury from the Radko Gudas hit. JD asks James if the Maple Leafs would consider trading William Nylander, the evolution of player empowerment, the differences between the general managers the Leafs are considering, and how the timeline of the search could unfold. 

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 affiliates.

JD reacts live to the interviews of Craig Berube, Auston Matthews and William Nylander at the Maple Leafs locker room clean out day. To close the hour, JD touches on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s quiet bat.  

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 affiliates.

Chris Pronger, Hockey Hall of Famer and author of 'Earned', joins JD to discuss what he hopes people can take from his book, managing accountability, how a team builds up culture in 2026, and what a best player on a team wants to understand about a franchise's direction. JD and Producer Armen then get into Lamelo Ball's dirty play and Rick Bowness' poignant post-game comments (29:00).

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 affiliates.

Ernie Johnson, host of Inside the NBA on ESPN, talks about the regular season crawl to the NBA playoffs, the success of the Play-In Tournament, who the most compelling player of the postseason is to Ernie, Dillon Brooks' villain arc, Victor Wembanyama's future as the face of the league, and Inside the NBA's first season on ESPN. Later (40:00), JD reacts to Jeff Hoffman blowing the lead for the Blue Jays and wonders how long the leash is in the closing role. 

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 affiliates.

AJ Pierzynski, MLB analyst and World Series champion, joins JD to talk about what the most important factors are early in the MLB season, if there's a chance Max Scherzer would open to pitching out of the bullpen, the importance of Alejandro Kirk, the best way to determine a catcher's playing time, and why ABS makes framing pitches even more important. 

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 affiliates.