This day in Toronto Raptors history: Raps officially win franchise’s first title

This day in Toronto Raptors history: Raps officially win franchise’s first title

Even after the addition of Kawhi Leonard, the Toronto Raptors winning the 2018-19 NBA championship wasn’t a possibility entertained by sports media as a whole. In addition to the Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference, the Golden State Warriors were once again slated to pick up what would’ve been their fourth title […]
This day in Toronto Raptors history: Raps officially win franchise’s first title – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

AL East Report – May 25

This sucks. This week sucks even more. 
Last Tuesday was my first AL East report where I said this team had a huge chance to take over first place and for the first time this season they had a bad week. All but one of the games this week was unwinnable, but with a bunch of blown leads, a mismanaged game and hard-to-watch extras, it was definitely a tough week.

I wrote my first Jays Nation blog last week regarding the situation in the AL East and made some pretty bold claims in hindsight, such as how they had a 22-17 record, how they had one of the best bullpens in the league and how Vlad demolishes the ball like how I demolish unhealthy food.
While all of these were true at the time, they now own a 23-23 record, are 5.5 games back of the new division leading Rays and the bullpen has struggled mightily since last Tuesday. Vlad,  is still among the league leaders in home runs as well as owning the highest fWAR in the league. So that’s nice.
We have to ask ourselves, what went wrong, what is next, and most importantly, will they be able …

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Author: Brennan Delaney / Blue Jays Nation

Leafs sign a new (future Vezina winning?) goaltender

Why not put pressure on the guy before the ink is even dry on his contract? We’ll spend the rest of this post walking back the title to something reasonable, but the we’ll start off by noting the organization’s shift towards bringing in as many goaltending prospects as possible in past few years. Now we’ll tell you who the new guy is…

We’ve signed goaltender Erik Källgren to a two-year, two-way contract. #LeafsForever
Details » https://t.co/vYvlTLePJo pic.twitter.com/WI264llpod
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 19, 2021

So that’s the guy. What we know about him comes largely from his eliteprospects page. He’s 24, 25 at the start of next season. He’s 6’3 and 198 lbs, so he’s sized like your prototypical goaltender, he’s Swedish, he’s a former pick of the Coyotes, but was buried behind a couple of their goaltending prospects who are now establishing themselves, and he was a teammate of Leafs prospect Pontus Holmberg this year, which means he was part of that championship team. Fun fact there, he had a .930 save percentage in the playoffs.

Season
Team
League
GP
GAA
SV%
SO

2011-12
 Nacka HK U16
U16 …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Toronto Raptors: Dwane Casey extension proves firing was best move for all

Toronto Raptors: Dwane Casey extension proves firing was best move for all

After years of mediocrity that even Hall of Fame coaches like Lenny Wilkens were unable to drag them out of, the Toronto Raptors finally became a consistent playoff fixture thanks to head coach Dwane Casey. After floundering as the main man in Minnesota, Casey helped the Raptors make the playoffs in five straight seasons before […]
Toronto Raptors: Dwane Casey extension proves firing was best move for all – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

What would Franz Wagner bring to the Toronto Raptors in NBA Draft?

What would Franz Wagner bring to the Toronto Raptors in NBA Draft?

The Toronto Raptors draft plans got even more interesting this morning, as Michigan star Franz Wagner announced via The Players’ Tribune that he is going to forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2021 NBA Draft. Wagner was one of the most instrumental pieces in Michigan’s rise to the top this season, […]
What would Franz Wagner bring to the Toronto Raptors in NBA Draft? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Toronto Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. trade looks even better after Blazers slide

Toronto Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. trade looks even better after Blazers slide

Even without trading Kyle Lowry at the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline, the Toronto Raptors made one of the more impactful deals of the evening, swapping out potential 2021 free agent Norman Powell for the younger, cheaper Gary Trent Jr. and a throw-in reclamation project in Rodney Hood. The Portland Trail Blazers made this deal with […]
Toronto Raptors: Gary Trent Jr. trade looks even better after Blazers slide – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Toronto Raptors: Bad break for Rodney Hood could end chances of returning to Toronto in 2021

Toronto Raptors: Bad break for Rodney Hood could end chances of returning to Toronto in 2021

The Toronto Raptors won just one game in March, even after adding Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood from the Portland Trail Blazers in the Norman Powell trade. While Trent is trying to prove that he is a potential long-term building block in Toronto, Hood is doing everything he can to show that his Achilles […]
Toronto Raptors: Bad break for Rodney Hood could end chances of returning to Toronto in 2021 – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Toronto Raptors: Masai Ujiri connection could help Gorgui Dieng land with Raptors over Knicks

Toronto Raptors: Masai Ujiri connection could help Gorgui Dieng land with Raptors over Knicks

Even though the Toronto Raptors already traded Norman Powell away at the trade deadline, they are by no means done adding pieces due to the fact they could still make the postseason tournament, which could help Masai Ujiri try to land former Memphis Grizzlies center Gorgui Dieng. Due to the frontcourt crunch in Memphis, Dieng, […]
Toronto Raptors: Masai Ujiri connection could help Gorgui Dieng land with Raptors over Knicks – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Raptors: Yuta Watanabe deserves a proper NBA contract

Raptors: Yuta Watanabe deserves a proper NBA contract

By all rights, Yuta Watanabe shouldn’t have even sniffed the Toronto Raptors rotation at the beginning of the year, as he is currently signed to a two-way contract that allows him to be sent down to Raptors 905, Toronto’s G League affiliate. However, after Nick Nurse got desperate amid a 2-8 slide, Watanabe ended up […]
Raptors: Yuta Watanabe deserves a proper NBA contract – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Toronto Raptors: Ranking all head coaches in franchise history

Toronto Raptors: Ranking all head coaches in franchise history

The Toronto Raptors haven’t even existed for three decades, yet they’ve already churned through nine different head coaches. While it’s easy to forget the hard times after the success of Dwane Casey and Nick Nurse, the path to regular postseason success was built on the back of decades of trial and error. Toronto’s history is […]
Toronto Raptors: Ranking all head coaches in franchise history – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ