5 ideal candidates for the Leafs general manager job

It’s been 12 days since Kyle Dubas was fired. As the dust continues to settle, the Leafs are edging closer to finding their next General Manager. As the search continues, I examined all of the names that have been rumoured to be in the running, and come up with my personal top five.
Some names on this list might not be currently attainable, but these are the five that I believe are best suited to be successful (and are somewhat realistic). One name in particular looks poised to take the reins, and is the current betting favourite.
#5. Eric Tulsky
Tulsky’s days as an Assistant General Manager appear to be limited. It’s been widely reported that he has interviewed for other vacant General Manager roles, and I believe he will be appointed somewhere sooner rather than later. Tulsky’s background is certainly unique. He has been with the Carolina Hurricanes for nine years, but prior to that, he was an inorganic chemistry wiz. He holds an undergraduate degree in Chemistry and Physics from Harvard, and a PhD in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. Tulsky was an elite individual contributor but also managed teams that enabled unique nanotechnologies to solve complex problems in multiple fields. Yeah…
Since …

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Author: Bennett Jull / The Leafs Nation

Blue Jays score seven in the first three frames to bury Brewers 7-2

Maybe all it took was a day off.

After playing 17 games in 17 days, the Blue Jays had a chance to recoup and look towards building off of a series win in Minnesota. Their opponent? The NL Central-best Milwaukee Brewers, who have been known in recent years to have some of the best pitching staffs in all of baseball.
The Blue Jays answered the call in a huge way, especially since their offence has been struggling to put together a lot of momentum in recent games. Toronto touched up Brewers starter Adrian Houser for eleven hits and six earned runs, all starters but Bo Bichette had at least one hit, and the Blue Jays put away the Brewers 7-2 on Tuesday evening.
Blue Jays Nation’s Player of the Game: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
There were several pieces of the offence that contributed to the win, but Guerrero was in the midst of a mini-slump by his standards. Among some of the recent series’, Guerrero was 1-for-13 against both the Twins and the Orioles.
Vladdy was 3-for-5 with an RBI tonight, one of two Blue Jays hitters with three hits. Guerrero’s average now sits at .291 after it had dipped below .300 just last week.
Things worth mentioning…
Yusei Kikuchi wasn’t elite, but he was exactly what Toronto …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Blue Jays Rehab Recap: Mitch White struggles, a prospect hurls a gem, and more!

Over the past few days in the minor leagues, there have been a few pitchers with rehab assignments.

In this article, we’ll look at how big leaguers Adam Cimber and Mitch White did, along with CJ Van Eyk, who is returning from Tommy John surgery.
Let’s start with Cimber.
Adam Cimber’s first rehab appearance:

As you likely know, the 32-year-old submarine pitcher made his first rehab appearance on May 11th. He finished with a line of 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Recovering from a rhomboid injury, it’s likely that Cimber was limited to 20 pitches, as he only threw 17 before getting the hook.
He threw 10 four-seam fastballs, averaging 86.3 mph and touching 87.3. Interestingly, this was actually 1.7 mph more than his yearly average in 2023. He also thre five slider, averaging 73.6 mph (0.7 mph below his yearly average).
Cimber also generated a single whiff on the fastball, finishing with a 13 whiff% on eight total swings. He got Ricardo Rosario to fly out to centre field (94.8 mph exit velocity). Before walking the next batter on nine pitches, and striking out the last batter he faced.
Overall, it was a fine appearance for Cimber. It’s likely that he’ll make a few more appearances on his rehab assignment, but I’d expect it to be with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons.
Mitch White’s fourth rehab appearance:
Sadly, Mitch White didn’t have the greatest outing in his fourth app …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Joseph Blandisi scores in overtime thriller to give Marlies 1-0 series lead over Utica

After 11 days out of game action, the Marlies looked a little rusty before returning to their old selves in Game 1 against the Utica Comets.
It wasn’t the best start for Toronto as they began the game looking like that exact team that hasn’t played a game in over a week and a half. Utica began the game scoring three-straight goals — two in the first, one in the second — to go up 3-0.
It looked like it was out of reach at that point for Toronto. But inside the Marlies’ dressing room, that’s not what the they thought.
Just three-and-a-half minutes after Utica found the back of the net for the third time on Thursday, Toronto answered back with a goal of their own.

Marc Johnstone finds Pontus Holmberg with a great pass and he puts it past Nico Daws.#Marlies cut Utica’s lead to 3-1. pic.twitter.com/lmZTm1gfMe
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) April 28, 2023

Pontus Holmberg, a player who looked destined to remain on the Maple Leafs earlier this season, got the Marlies on the board. But it was a slick pass from Marc Johnstone which created the opportunity for Holmberg to find the back of the net.
1:17 later, Topi Niemela found the back of the net, beating Nico Daws over his left shoulder, to cut Utica’s lead to only one goal.

Nick Abruzzese spots Topi Niemela trailing and gets him the puck. He makes no mistake, beating Nico Daws for his first of the playoffs.#Marlies score two goals in 1:17 and now trail Utica 3-2. pic.twitter.com/czd6id4LIG
— Nick Barden (@nickbarden) April 28, 2023

…

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Joseph Woll has played his way into being next goaltender called up to Maple Leafs

Joseph Woll has played his way into being next goaltender called up to Maple Leafs

Joseph Woll last played in the NHL 419 days ago and it’s time for him to return there, again, with the Maple Leafs.
It was a strange Friday night for the team, to say the least. Matt Murray was supposed to start against Ottawa. That was until he suffered an injury in warmups, according to Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe.
“He’s been dealing with something that flared up on him tonight,” Keefe told reporters on Friday night, “so he wasn’t available to play.”
That meant Ilya Samsonov — who’s played in Toronto’s previous four games — was getting the start.
Murray remained on the bench for the entire game, though Keefe did say that he wouldn’t have been able to play had Samsonov got injured.
“We would’ve been EBUG in that situation I believe.” The head coach added.
It’s not known whether Murray will be available to play, or even be the backup for Toronto on Sunday against Washington . And when Keefe was asked if the team would have another goaltender for Saturday’s practice, he really didn’t have an answer.
“We’ll see,” Keefe said to reporters Friday night. “The Marlies are away and we’ll get a better idea of exactly where everything’s at — it obviously happened pretty quickly and right before game time. (We) haven’t had a lot of time to get organized on it, bu …

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Author: Nick Barden / 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

International Free Agent tracker: Blue Jays add six Venezuelans and an intriguing Brazilian pitcher

One of the year’s best days is here, as we’ve officially started the International Free Agency period.

As more signings become announced, I’ll create a new section for each player. Let’s start with the big fish of the class.
Enmanuel Bonilla
It was announced on Sunday morning that the Blue Jays have officially signed Enmanuel Bonilla, a top prospect in the 2023 IFA class.

Source: #BlueJays agree to a $4.1 million deal with OF Enmanuel Bonilla, #7 on Top 50 Int’l Prospect list. The team has not confirmed. https://t.co/A3Ar3oTG3N
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) January 15, 2023

Ranking as Blue Jays Nation’s 20th-best prospect, Bonilla has an intriguing hit tool and some of the best power in the class. Moreover, he may have the tools to stick in centre field as he’s rather athletic and has a strong arm, but he could move to a corner outfield, likely right field.
The 16-year-old ranked as MLB Pipeline’s seventh-best available prospect in their Top 50 international ranking for 2023l. Fangraphs ranked him as their 11th-best prospect, while Baseball America ranked him as their fourth-best available prospect.
Per Jesse Sanchez, he signed for $4,100,000, meaning that the Jays have $1,184,000 remaining in bonus pool money.
Update #1:
The signing on Enmanuel Bonilla was to be expected, but below is a list of the first batch of prospects that have officially signed.

Add C Juan Rosas 🇵🇦to the list
— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) January 15, 2023

Sports Illustrated’s Mitch Bannon was the first to tweet this out, and it was officially confirmed by the team on Sunday afternoon.
Andersson Barvosa:
With a lot of these guys, scouting reports are going to be nearly impossible to find. However, I got pretty lucky and found some video, as you can watch below.

Andersson Barvosa from 2021.
Courtesy of Bendecidos Sport on Facebook.#BlueJays pic.twitter.com/h6VuYczqK8
— Brennan …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

2022 Blue Jays Retrospective: Bo Bichette’s legendary September, the Wild Card series vs. Seattle, and more

Over the next few days, we’ll be taking a look back at the year that was for the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Bo Bichette Revenge Tour
One of the only ways that Blue Jays fans could describe September of 2022 was simply the name Bo Bichette. Bo went on an absolute tear, in which he was undoubtedly the best hitter in baseball through the first couple weeks of the month.
The numbers are truly eye-popping; Bichette posted a .403 batting average with a 1.134 OPS throughout September, with 7 home runs and 27 RBIs. His 48 hits set the Blue Jays record for most hits in a single month, and if it wasn’t for Aaron Judge, the MLB would have likely named Bichette the AL player of the month.
Let’s take a quick dive into how Bichette did in some of the September series.
September 2-4 @ Pittsburgh: Bichette went 6-for-12, with 5 RBIs. His clutch three-run double in game two of the series broke a 1-1 tie in the 7th inning, sealing the series win. He also added two much-needed insurance runs in the 9th inning of game one with a two-run home run off of Pirates reliever Yohan Ram …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

2022 Blue Jays Retrospective – Pt. 1: An Opening Night for the ages, Vladdy lights up the Bronx, and more

Over the next few days, we’ll be taking a look back at the year that was for the Toronto Blue Jays. 

Spring training was fun and all, and it was good to see the Blue Jays back out on the field competing again after the lockout. To make things even more exciting, the city of Toronto was able to witness an opening night at the Rogers Center for the first time since 2019.
A wild opening night comeback
Opening night was a rollercoaster, to say the least. The vibes of the fanbase were about as positive as they could be — a World Series-contending roster was about to take the field with the highest expectations since the ’15 and ’16 playoff teams.
Let’s start with Jose Berrios, the opening night starter. Oof, talk about a performance that served as a harbinger of things to come. Berrios allowed a leadoff home run to Brad Miller, and it only went downhill from there. Berrios recorded only one out before being pulled from the game, after he allowed three hits, four runs, and two walks, serving him up an ERA of 108.00.
Tayler Sauc …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

3 reasons Raptors must be your go-to NBA League Pass team

3 reasons Raptors must be your go-to NBA League Pass team

The Toronto Raptors are just a few days away from opening up their regular season in a year where they will look to improve upon a 2021-22 campaign that featured 48 wins, multiple starters receiving individual honors for their play, and two postseason victories against the 76ers. If you’re not necessarily a Raptors diehard who […]
3 reasons Raptors must be your go-to NBA League Pass team – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ