Leafs recall Anderson and send Semyonov to the Marlies

Nothing like the excitement of switching up the fourteenth forward on the roster and kudos for the Leafs deciding to keep things fresh…

The Maple Leafs have recalled forward Joey Anderson from the Toronto Marlies (AHL).
Forward Kirill Semyonov has been loaned to the Marlies.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) November 30, 2021

Obviously this is far from anything that warrants a whole lot of discussion. Right now the Leafs have the space to carry 14 forwards, and that seems to be the plan.
Anderson was up prior to the promotion of Kyle Clifford to the Leafs, and never had the opportunity to get into a game. He got in some time with the Marlies, where he has been thriving and now depending on the severity of the injury to Kase, Anderson might get the opportunity to see a game or two, likely while platooning with Clifford. Ideally giving Anderson a shot is a chance at bringing in a slightly greener version of Michael Bunting into the lineup. He’s a little less ratty, but could inject some youthful enthusiasm into the forecheck.
As for the real reason behind the move, I think our own Kyle Cushman hit the nail on the head here.

How …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Toronto Raptors: Best and Worst case scenarios for 2021 rookies

Toronto Raptors: Best and Worst case scenarios for 2021 rookies

A new season tends to bring hope, excitement, and a whole lot of uncertainty, and the Toronto Raptors‘ upcoming 2021-22 campaign is no exception. Far from the perennially playoff-bound roster of yesteryear, these Raps carry a more debatable ceiling and a postseason appearance is far from a sure thing. So, then, what is a reasonable […]
Toronto Raptors: Best and Worst case scenarios for 2021 rookies – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Ben Fisher / Raptors HQ

Bad times at The Trop, the Kiermaier thing, an out-of-town scoreboard update, and more!

Chaos, bad times, and excitement to leave — that pretty much sums up your normal week at The Trop.

After taking two of three from the Rays last week in Toronto, the Blue Jays travelled down to Tampa Bay for a rematch with the American League East leaders. Things didn’t go well at all and the Blue Jays now sit out of a playoff spot.
Robbie Ray’s tough start
Robbie Ray started the first game on Monday with a legitimate opportunity to lock up the American League Cy Young award.
On Sunday, Gerrit Cole got knocked around by Cleveland, pushing his ERA for the season from 2.75 to 3.03. With a good start against Tampa, anything similar to his dominant one in last week’s series finale against the Rays, and the Cy Young would have been all his.
Unfortunately, Ray wasn’t able to capitalize on the opportunity. He laboured through four-and-two-thirds innings and scattered three earned runs on seven hits and two walks. It was far from a disastrous outing, but it didn’t move the needle in the Cy Young race.
The truly frustrating part of this game came in the ninth inning.
The Blue Jays entered the …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Could the Raptors move up in the second round and grab Miles McBride?

Could the Raptors move up in the second round and grab Miles McBride?

While there is a whole bushel of deserved excitement over the fact that the Toronto Raptors were able to land the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the trades of Terence Davis and Matt Thomas helped the Raptors land consecutive second-round pick at No. 46 and No. 47. Is a player like West […]
Could the Raptors move up in the second round and grab Miles McBride? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

NHL 21 predicts the rest of Auston Matthews’ career

The 2021 shortened season is fast approaching and so is the excitement of hockey finally coming back after a prolonged absence. It’s only fitting that predictions and guesses of what will happen are sure to follow in the days leading up to puck drop as well as once the campaign finally gets underway.
One such area of intrigue is how Auston Matthews will followup his impressive performance in 2019-20 in which he flirted with 50 goals and was in the conversation for the Rocket Richard Trophy all year long. While the number of games this season has been cut down to 56 due to the ongoing pandemic, the idea that he can reach the half-century mark in such a short amount of time doesn’t seem so far fetched given how talented he is.
So why not see if can achieve the milestone and how the rest of his career plays out using NHL 21? That’s right folks, the third edition of my own-going series of simulating a Leafs’ career with an NHL video game has finally returned! If this is your first time reading one of these, check out the other two posts below:
Mitch Marner
William Nylander
Before I begin …

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Author: Michael Mazzei / The Leafs Nation

Leafs by the Numbers: Wayne Simmonds

There was a lot of excitement about the Leafs decision to sign Wayne Simmonds this offseason. He followed in the footsteps over other GTA/Ontario players like John Tavares and Jason Spezza, and along with homegrown Ontario players like Travis Dermott, Zach Hyman, Jake Muzzin and Mitch Marner, the Leafs are decidedly shifting towards much more of a local feel. Something they further added to with Brodie and Thornton in addition to Simmonds this fall. While there is plenty of other nationals on the Leafs, the fact that the roster is now 1/3rd local appeases a portion of the fanbase, but despite that we’re not using 416 as Simmonds’ number.
Simmonds number is 145. That was Simmonds hit total from last season, and perhaps the most important element that he brings to the Leafs.
Now, I can already tell there’s an equal number of people rolling their eyes at the thought of hitting mattering and plenty of others thrilled that the Leafs are addressing this area that was perceived as lacking. In reality Simmonds really just replaces Kyle Clifford in that role, and on his own he doesn’t move the Leafs one way or the other on the toughness …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Marlies sign a pair of NCAA Free Agents

The only thing that tops the excitement of NCAA free agent season, is when those free agents get signed to AHL contracts, so hooooo doggy, is today an exciting day.

#Marlies sign a pair of captains – Gordie Green of Miami University and Bobby McMann of Colgate – to two-year AHL contracts. Both are forwards, both are 23. #Leafs
— Terry Koshan (@koshtorontosun) April 2, 2020
That’s right, two, count ’em, two NCAA players will be joining the Marlies/Growlers the next time hockey is played.
First up, we have Bobby McMann, a 6’1 center from Wainwright, Alberta. He’s played all four of his seasons at Colgate and is 23.
Year
School

GP
G
A
P
PIM
2016-17
 Colgate Univ.
NCAA
35
5
14
19
12
2017-18
 Colgate Univ.
NCAA
40
14
16
30
20
2018-19
 Colgate Univ. “A”
NCAA
36
8
15
23
32
2019-20
 Colgate Univ. “C”
NCAA
34
10
10
20
58
None of his numbers really speak to being NHL bound, but he’s got the potential to help out as system depth, and if a shortened offseason is anticipated, getting depth figured out now makes a lot of sense.
From Eliteprospects.com:
A big-bodied all-around forward that has good offensive instincts and excellent …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Who’s Left and Who’s Leaving: The Leafs First Round of Cuts are Complete

Few things match the excitement of cut day, and bucking the trend of previous Leafs front office regimes, Dubas and Babcock got right down to business and got rid of a number of junior and AHL/ECHL bound players.
From MapleLeafs.com:

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced Sunday that the hockey club has trimmed their training camp roster. The Maple Leafs now have 54 players (31 forwards, 17 defencemen and six goaltenders) remaining in camp.

The following seven players have been reassigned to their CHL teams: Mikhail Abramov (Victoriaville), Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (Peterborough), Filip Kral (Spokane), Kalle Loponen (Sudbury), Marc-Antoine Pepin (Shawinigan), Nicholas Robertson (Peterborough) and Riley Stotts (Calgary).
The following 15 players have been reassigned to the Toronto Marlies (AHL) and will skate with the Maple Leafs Player Development Staff ahead of the Marlies’ 2019 training camp, which will open on September 24: Matthew Bradley, Justin Brazeau, Giorgio Estephan, Brady Ferguson, Alex Gudbranson, Ryan Johnston, Michael Kapla, Aaron Luchuk, Tanner MacMaster, Zach O’Brien, Scott Pooley, Marcus Power, Sergei Sapego, Ian Scott and Maksim Zhukov.
So at first glance there’s not a whole lot of surprises there. You’d wonder about high draft pick like Nick Robertson getting a chance to show his chops in …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Leafs unsigned prospect on the move

I’d imagine there are very degrees of excitement around this ranging from: “Why are you bothering me with this?” to “Who is that guy?” Well, that doesn’t change the fact that this is something that happened with the Leafs and we’re going to cram it into your eye holes.

MIN and TOR have a trade for the rights to unsigned junior Fedor Gordeev, who goes back into the draft if not signed before June 1. 7th round pick if he signs in MIN. Which is fully expected to happen.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) May 30, 2019
Cool. A 7th round pick isn’t bad. Especially when the Leafs had no intention of signing Gordeev…

Can confirm that #Leafsforever will not be signing Fedor Gordeev & Ryan McGregor to ELC’s before the June 1st deadline, meaning they’ll enter the 2019 NHL draft. Furthermore, Dakota Joshua (Ohio State, NCAA), will not sign with the Leafs. He will become a UFA on Aug 15. @TLNdc
— Jacob Stoller (@JLStoller) May 29, 2019
So yeah, that’s what went down. The Leafs could have either had Gordeev go for nothing or they could get a 7th for him. They got a 7th for him. That’s a win.
When …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

MLSE announces plan for Maple Leaf Square tomorrow

Not even the excitement game seven hockey can sway Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment to changing their traditions at Maple Leaf Square.
MLSE announced earlier today that they will be broadcasting the Toronto Raptors Game 5 in their first round series against the Orlando Magic instead of Game 7 between the Leafs and the Bruins.

MLSE confirms Raptors Game 5 gets big screen in Maple Leaf Square tomorrow. Home team priority has been their standard last few years.
Leafs Game 7 will be broadcast on smaller support screens (inverse of Friday). There will also be support screens along Bremner playing Leafs.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) April 22, 2019

The Raptors also have an opportunity tomorrow to move on to the second round, although the stakes are much, much lower, as they currently hold a 3-1 series lead over the Magic.
However, the Raptors being the home team in this scenario get priority, as that has been the precedent established over the last few years when the teams postseason schedules have clashed.
That’s not to say that their won’t be any broadcast of Game 7, but they will be on smaller screens, while the Raptors get the infamous big screen that we see everyone staring at when the …

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Author: Scott Maxwell / The Leafs Nation