21 Takes on the first quarter of the Leafs season

It’s the quarter mark of the season. Or technically half a game past the quarter mark. Sometime between Tavares’ 9th goal of the season and Auston Matthews’ 8th of the year, we hit the quarter mark, and after a sluggish start to the year, the Leafs have easily been one of the hottest teams in the league. And before getting into the takes for real, I’ll drop one for you here. The Leafs were never as bad as their start, but we shouldn’t be buying into them as the 12-2 darlings they’ve been since either. Sorry if that take is too hot. Here’s a healthy mix of hot and cold takes on the start of the year for the Leafs.
In hindsight, signing Campbell in the offseason could have saved the Leafs a ton of money and given them the option to maintain a very deep crease. Assuming Toronto could have locked Campbell in at the rate they gave Petr Mrazek, Toronto would have dodged the bullet that now seems to have the Leafs paying at an absolute minimum, $5M/yr going forward.If they can get that rate still, I think you take it …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Leaflets: Thoughts heading into training camp

It’s been three and half months since we’ve been adequately disappointed by the Leafs, and it’s almost time for some fresh hurt. How will the team wrong us this year? Will this be the year a concession stands worker injures Auston Matthews? Will Mitch Marner be thrown in a Chinese prison during the Olympic break? How will the Leafs keep the hurt fresh, yet quintessentially Leafy? Training camp is our first step on this voyage, and while this entire year feels like it will be a wait and see for the playoffs kind of year, there are going to be important stories to pick up at the start of training camp.
How will the Leafs adjust to Matthews not being in camp?
Auston Matthews’ decision to have surgery in August is potentially going to keep him out of the early on-ice work and preseason games to start training camp and while there doesn’t seem to be any risk to him not being ready for the start of the season, the question remains about how do the Leafs get their lineup sorted for game one.
It will be interesting to see if the Leafs at least explore …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

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The Toronto Maple Leafs Bet on Matthew Knies and His Tale of Two Seasons

Scouting the past year and a half has been strange, to say the least. No OHL games were played, resulting in numerous prospects heading overseas to play in random European leagues. The QMJHL started…then stopped for five weeks. WHL prospects played minimal games but were limited to in-division opponents only. And biggest of all, at any time a team or player could be shut down and have their entire season impacted with a positive COVID test.
That last group is the one that Toronto Maple Leafs 2021 second-round pick Matthew Knies falls into and is a major factor as to why the Leafs decided to bet on Knies despite a relatively disappointing season in the USHL.
Heading into the 2020/21 USHL season, expectations were high for Knies. The previous year, Knies had led the USHL in total points and points-per-game among prospects eligible for the 2021 Draft. That’s more points than Matt Coronato and Mackie Samoskevich, two USHL regulars who went in the first round, as well as a higher scoring rate than the USNTDP’s Matthew Beniers and Chaz Lucius, who also became first-round picks.

When the 2020/21 season started though, it was a struggle out of the gate for Knies. …

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Author: Kyle Cushman / The Leafs Nation

been half past scouting strange year

Toronto Raptors: Jalen Harris needs support, not scorn, from Raptors fans

In the second half of the unlucky 2020-21 Toronto Raptors season, second-round pick Jalen Harris started to show signs that he could be an integral member of the rotation next season. His 7.4 points per game belie his play at the end of the season, in which he averaged 18.5 points per game in his […]
Toronto Raptors: Jalen Harris needs support, not scorn, from Raptors fans – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

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Toronto Raptors: 3 offseason moves that make Toronto competitive

The second half of this season has started with more struggles for Masai Ujiri and the Toronto Raptors. A trio of tough losses, one via a buzzer-beater three in a 121-120 loss to Atlanta, a disappointing effort in a 114-104 loss to Charlotte Saturday night, and a Sunday Night blowout at the hands of the […]
Toronto Raptors: 3 offseason moves that make Toronto competitive – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Jason Mills / Raptors HQ

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Raptors: 3 players that need to bounce back in the second half of season

The first half of the NBA season just wrapped up and the second half of the season has recently been released for the Toronto Raptors. It was quite the up and down first half of the season for the Raptors as they went 17-19 during the stretch, and ended it with the league’s health and […]
Raptors: 3 players that need to bounce back in the second half of season – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Joseph Zita / Raptors HQ

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Raptors writers roundtable: Thoughts on the first half of 2020-21

The first half of the 2020-21 NBA season has come to an end, and the Toronto Raptors are in the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference standings after a very turbulent season. Despite the fact that all of their star players have missed some time due to either injury or the league’s health and safety […]
Raptors writers roundtable: Thoughts on the first half of 2020-21 – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

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Raptors: 5 games to look forward to during the second half of the season

It’s been an interesting first half of the 2020-21 season for the Toronto Raptors. They started the season at the bottom of the Eastern Conference with a 2-8 record, but they are currently at the No. 4 seed with a 17-17 record. They went from being a team that looks like a lottery team to […]
Raptors: 5 games to look forward to during the second half of the season – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Pirasanth Gunasekaram / Raptors HQ

202021 been first half interesting It's

Raptors schedule release: Important dates, crucial contests, takeaways

The Toronto Raptors schedule for the second half of this unusual 2020-21 season has officially been revealed. After a 2-8 start, the Raptors have managed to climb back to .500, taking down some of the best teams in the league in order to do so. Nick Nurse and Toronto looked destined for a No. 1 […]
Raptors schedule release: Important dates, crucial contests, takeaways – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

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Toronto Raptors NBA schedule release: February will be biggest challenge for team

The schedule for the first half of the Toronto Raptors’ 2021-21 season was unveiled this Friday. With many road games, back-to-backs, and matchups against East contenders. February is looking to be a tough month for the Raptors. Released through March 4, the Toronto Raptors are set to play 17 of 37 games at their new […]
Toronto Raptors NBA schedule release: February will be biggest challenge for team – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Jessica Aldos / Raptors HQ

202121 first half Raptors schedule Toronto