Looking at Timothy Liljegren and if he mets the higher standard for staying in

Looking at Timothy Liljegren and if he mets the higher standard for staying in

One of the things that could be seen from miles away is the inevitable controversy over who would be scratched on the Leafs blueline as the Leafs carry nine NHL defenseman and come to the realization that an 11F/7D model doesn’t work when your coach loves rolling four lines and three pairings at even strength. We all knew that Conor Timmins would be screwed with the nine defenseman approach, but I guess there is still a bit of a surprise when it comes to Timothy Liljegren, and seeing him get scratched for two consecutive games wasn’t something Leafs fans were prepared to see at the same time when pitchforks are out for Morgan Rielly and Justin Holl.
Sheldon Keefe probably didn’t help things with this comment:

Sheldon Keefe on Timothy Liljegren:
“He’s an important guy for us, but, as I’ve talked to him about … our team is deeper on defence now. The standard is higher in terms of staying in. He was in a similar situation last season.”
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 7, 2023

Now, I’ll start with the fact that this isn’t some form of attack on the defenseman, I do think to some extent it is a coach taking the easy way out. As he begins to sit defensemen from time to time, it probably made sense for him to start with the youngest one in the current lineup. Also, the one that took a tough hit that almost made it seem like Liljegren would be questionable for the first game he was scratched for an …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Raptors draft: Is Keyonte George worth the risk in the Top 10?

Raptors draft: Is Keyonte George worth the risk in the Top 10?

The Toronto Raptors are speeding towards what could be a very quick rebuild, as they will almost assuredly be in the lottery. Toronto is in need of some guards that can make an impact as a scorer if they want to get serious about kicking their offense back into high gear. The Raptors likely won’t […]
Raptors draft: Is Keyonte George worth the risk in the Top 10? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Timelines and expectations for Matthew Knies as a Maple Leaf

Timelines and expectations for Matthew Knies as a Maple Leaf

Matthew Knies could very well be in his last couple of months of college hockey. The Leafs very much wanted to add him last spring after his breakout freshman season and Olympic appearance, but with the Minnesota Golden Gophers coming up short on the national title there was some unfinished business Knies wanted to attend to and with the Gophers having some additional high profile returning players and even more significant freshman additions in Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud, the desire to return to the NCAA was strong.
Since that time, Knies has continued to be a top prospect for the Leafs. Some flaws with Knies might have been acknowledged at the Leafs summer prospect camp where he failed to stand out, and in the summer World Juniors, Knies couldn’t buy a goal even if he was useful in creating space for his linemates Logan Cooley and Matthew Coronato. There might have been concerns, but those are largely gone now that Knies is sitting on a new career best 17 goals (in 5 fewer games than last season) which are good enough for the 3rd best in the country. He also finds himself in the top 20 in the country in scoring and 30t …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Raptors trade rumors: Fred VanVleet being eyed by Western contender

Raptors trade rumors: Fred VanVleet being eyed by Western contender

The Toronto Raptors could be just a few days away from doing what was previously unthinkable and trading away Fred VanVleet. Teams all across the league want to acquire VanVleet and bring his unique veteran presence and deadly 3-point shot over to their mix. VanVleet just fired his agent, which could be a precursor of […]
Raptors trade rumors: Fred VanVleet being eyed by Western contender – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

The Blue Jays apparently have interest in Johnny Cueto

Could the Toronto Blue Jays be in the market for more starting pitching depth?

According to MLB Scoops, the Blue Jays are interested in veteran right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto…

#BlueJays interested in SP Johnny Cueto
— MLBScoops (@mlb_scoops) December 28, 2022

This, of course, is a random, unverified account on Twitter, so the rumour should be taken with a grain of salt, but MLB Scoops said that the Blue Jays were “heavily interested” in Chris Bassitt shortly before the team signed him to a three-year contract earlier in the month.
Cueto made his big league debut with the Cincinnati Reds back in 2008 and developed into an All-Star calibre starter a few years later. In 2015, he was traded to the Kansas City Royals as part of their push for the World Series, and he then inked a huge contract with the San Francisco Giants in free agency.
It looked like Cueto was toast a few years ago, as he had Tommy John surgery in 2018 and then posted a 5.33 ERA over 79 1/3 innings upon his return in 2019 and 2020 but he’s found a second wild since. Cueto put up a 4.08 ERA over 22 appearances for the Giants in 2021 and he posted a 3.35 ERA over 25 appearances with the Chicago White Sox in 2022.
He turns 37 years old in February so anything more than a one-year deal would obviously be a significant gamble, but Cueto could be a nice depth addition for the Blue Jays on an incentive-based contract.
They currently have Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, and Chris Bassitt pencilled …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

3 hot takeaways after Raptors destroy Jazz in preseason opener

3 hot takeaways after Raptors destroy Jazz in preseason opener

Scottie Barnes and  Toronto Raptors could not have started their preseason schedule much better than they did against the rebuilding Utah Jazz in Edmonton. Toronto knew they had the chance to show off the depth this roster has to offer, and they made sure Utah knew this bench is not to be trifled with. The […]
3 hot takeaways after Raptors destroy Jazz in preseason opener – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

With the 128th overall pick, the Blue Jays could select…

While this isn’t a top 100 pick, there could be some interesting prospects available with this pick

Of course I had to feature a hard-throwing college player that everyone knows about, but there are some interesting starters available with this pick.
This will be the last article in the series, but there are still  plenty more players that will be picked in the 20-round draft. Let’s get into this group of prospects.
Ben Joyce: 
Joyce is a right-handed reliever that will likely be picked higher than 128th. You’ve probably heard the name for good reason. He’s only pitched one season for the University of Tennessee, but boy did he ever leave an impression.
The 6’5 righty had an ERA of 2.23 with a K/9 of 14.8 and a BB/9 of 3.9 in 32.1 innings pitched. While the righty is strictly a reliever, his stats aren’t the reason everyone and their mothers want him drafted for their bullpen.

Ben Joyce throws the fastest pitch in college baseball history at 105.5 MPH (via @PitchingNinja) pic.twitter.com/TPgsCwyNrb
— Baseball Bros (@BaseballBros) May 1, 2022

Yup, you read that right. According to the velocity reading at the arena, Ben Joyce threw 105.5 mph. While there are questions about whether or not this was the actual velocity, it’s definitely possible as he often hit 103 mph and hit 104 mph a few times.

Tennessee junior Ben Joyce is hitting 103.5 MPH pic.twitter.com/KXWQdlDWuv
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 24, 2022

There are causes for concern, however. The 21-year-old missed all of 2019, pitched at a community college in 2020, and missed all of 2021 due to Tommy John. While the Jays have shown they aren’t afraid of drafting pitchers with arm issues (Gunnar Hoglund, Nate Pearson), it’s to be seen if Joyce’s arm can hold up.
This leads into the second issue, which is the fact that he hasn’t ever worked in back to back days for his University. In fact, he works on 3+ days of work, according to MLB Pipeline.
Furthermore, some Jays fans believe he would immediately help this bullpen, which is just not true. While at this point, his floor is a major league reliever, Joyce needs to work on command, as his BB/9 of 3.9 is on the high side. His secondary pitches also need work.
…

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Rumours: Dubas speaks and the Draft Day roundup

The trading floodgates should be opening today. Or it could be like last year when every GM quietly makes their scheduled pick and we turn off our televisions feeling unfulfilled five hours later. Still, there’s the hope of trades and that’s what we’re in the business of selling you. There was a Dubas availability yesterday, and we’ll start with some of his quotes from that.

#Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on the state of talks with pending UFA Jack Campbell. pic.twitter.com/qjqEjGR3Mf
— David Alter (@dalter) July 6, 2022

It seems that Kyle Dubas is viewing Jack Campbell as a bit of a safety school when it comes to goaltending options, and that shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. The goal is to either upgrade or get cheaper. The status quo isn’t an option because the status quo is about to triple in price. It’s probably best to make peace with the fact that Jack Campbell won’t be a Leaf next season if that was something you wanted.

#Leafs GM Kyle Dubas on negotiations with Ilya Mikheyev. It’s a bit more ominous here. pic.twitter.com/9MMAG0S87x
— David Alter (@dalter) July 6, 2022

Dubas was far blunter when it came to Mikheyev and reiterated how much the Leafs love the player and how he is likely due for a raise, but that raise has him priced out of Toronto. The communication channels are open but don’t hold out hope here.

Dubas on any concern about Sandin getting an offer sheet: “If there’s going to be an offer sheet, the sooner the better so we can make our decision and move on.”
— David Alter (@dalter) July 6, 2022

This follows a lengthy quote about how the Leafs view Sandin and Liljegren to be very similar, and it doesn’t take a genius to read into the fact that the Leafs see Sandin as needing to take a contract identical to Liljegren’s. The offer s …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation