Hyun Jin Ryu lands on the 10-day Injured List with left forearm inflammation

After a pair of difficult starts to kick off the season, Hyun Jin Ryu has been placed on the 10-day Injured List with left forearm inflammation.

He apparently felt some tightness in his throwing arm while warming up for his start on Saturday and tried to pitch through it. Ryu would wind up getting tagged for five earned runs on six hits over four innings of work while striking out just one batter.
As rough as that outing was for Ryu, it was actually an upgrade on his first result. Against the Texas Rangers last Sunday, Ryu cruised through three innings and then the wheels completely came off the tracks, as he was drilled for five runs while recording just one out. All told, Ryu went three-and-one-third innings in that start, surrendering six earned.
There’s obviously quite a bit of worry about Ryu, as his struggles date back to the mid-way point of last season. He was his ace-like self in April and May, started to struggle a bit in June and July, and then com …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Bluelines: The Leafs Nation’s game day betting guide for Leafs vs. Panthers

POWERED BY POINTSBET CANADA
What better way to kick off Bluelines, our betting guide in partnership with PointsBet Canada, than with a back-to-back on the first two days of their launch in Ontario. Every Leafs game day we’ll give you a quick look at what is being said about the Leafs, some player props, and a couple of other bets that might be worth your time.
Leafs vs. Panthers (Leafs: +140)
For the second consecutive game, the Toronto Maple Leafs are underdogs. Despite coming off of a strong 6-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Leafs enter tonight’s game with plus odds. On the second half of a back-to-back and facing one of the top teams in the league in the Florida Panthers, it’s going to be another big test for this Leafs team, who are seeing a potentially big boost with the anticipated return of Jake Muzzin to the lineup.
Toronto and Florida are both in the midst of multi-game win streaks, with Florida’s last loss coming against the Leafs. It will be no easy feat, but you have to like the value in the moneyline for the Leafs in this one.
Mitch Marner over 1.5 points (+155)
Mitch Marner is on another planet right now. Marner has hit over 1.5 points in six consecutive games and hasn’t shown any …

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Author: Kyle Cushman / The Leafs Nation

Raptors rumors: Toronto interested in Celtics big Robert Williams

Raptors rumors: Toronto interested in Celtics big Robert Williams

The Toronto Raptors rumors are starting to kick into high gear with the trade deadline getting closer, meaning that the Raptors are one step closer to offloading Goran Dragic’s contract and getting a quality big man in return. the latest buzz makes it sound like both of these goals could be realized in the coming […]
Raptors rumors: Toronto interested in Celtics big Robert Williams – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

TLN Top 20 Leafs: #20 Pierre Engvall

It’s time to kick start our Top 20 Leafs countdown. And to start it off we’ve got a player that we as Leafs fans have generally underrated since day one. Pierre Engvall was a 7th round pick. He then took four years to make it North America, all the while he had a hard time cracking our top twenty prospect list. Now here he is coming in at the bottom of the Leafs roster rankings. On one hand it’s amazing that he’s here, but on the other hand maybe we’re still not giving him as much respect as he deserves compared to some of the other players on this list.
When it came to ranking Engvall, there was a pretty significant range on him. One of our contributors had him as the Leafs 13th best player, some had him ranked exactly where he’s at, and 4 contributors left him off their rankings completely. Somehow all of this seems fair.
Five Interesting Stats
S%
GF%
TOI w/Mikheyev
SH TOI
Career GWG/G
11.5
54.05
282.5
22:50
26.7%
So here’s the thing on Pierre Engvall, he’s billed as a defensive specialist. Still, his 7 goals in 42 games is solid offensive production …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Toronto Raptors draft: Will Moses Moody end up with Toronto after Elite 8 exit?

Toronto Raptors draft: Will Moses Moody end up with Toronto after Elite 8 exit?

The Toronto Raptors draft plans are starting to kick into high geat, as the team is gradually starting to turn their attention away from the 2020-21 season. With a potential Top 10 pick on the horizon, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster are already scouting promising players like Arkansas wing Moses Moody. Moody averaged 16.8 points, […]
Toronto Raptors draft: Will Moses Moody end up with Toronto after Elite 8 exit? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Rumours: A buyers market for defense and the search for secondary scoring

Here we are ten games into the season, and ready to kick off a season filled with trade rumours. Who doesn’t love speculation? Oh, most people. That’s fine. Especially when the Leafs are doing well it’s not always easy to think about upgrades, the playoffs, the expansion draft, free agency, and beyond.
Still, what we’re starting to see is the trade market picking up. And with the Laine/Dubois trade serving as evidence that teams aren’t going to let a 14 day quarantine slow them down, we might as well start considering what the Leafs could be up to.
Speculation around Dermott
While it’s not a locked in trade rumour, there was speculation from Thomas Drance of The Athletic that Dermott could address the need for a defenseman in Vancouver.
Dermott isn’t a dynamic player on the same level as Dunn, but where the Blues want a pick and have no need to take a player in return, the Maple Leafs are looking for a top-nine capable forward. Meanwhile, Vancouver currently has two players — in Gaudette and Virtanen — who scored at a 40-point pace last season currently rotating in and out of the lineup.
…

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

TLN Prospect Rankings: The Honourable Mentions

We are going to kick off our 2020 TLN Prospect Rankings with the three players who didn’t make the top 20 but are still relevant enough to make our honourable mentions.
Dmitri Ovchinnikov
Position: C
Age: 18
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 163 lbs
Shoots: Left
Drafted: 2020 Round 5 #137 overall
Highest TLN Prospect Rank: 12 (By Nick DeSouza)
I personally had Ovchinnikov ranked the highest out of the TLN crew at 15. To many, Ovchinnikov was regarded as a sleeper prior to the draft and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Leafs were the ones to take him. One thing that was surprising though, was the fact that they traded up for the pick, something that we don’t usually see too often by Dubas.
Ovchinnikov is currently playing in Russia for Sibir in both the KHL and the MHL (most of his games have been with the MHL). While Ovchinnikov’s raw offensive numbers in the MHL are quite impressive, it’s his ability to transition the puck up the ice that makes me so high on him. It feels like he’s constantly generating zone entries and odd-man rushes for his team whenever he is on the ice. In the offensive zone, he has …

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Author: Nick DeSouza / The Leafs Nation

Some bold predictions for the Leafs heading into a busy week

As we kick off a post about bold predictions, it seems necessary to dump some very cold water on our expectations for this week. While it seems the Leafs are likely to make a move of significant substance, it is probably going to be that one move and maybe some accompanying filler. Nothing we heard from Dubas on Monday alludes to him scorching the earth and trading the core. While there seems to be an understanding that the Leafs can find money, finding money for Pietrangelo still seems like an uphill battle, and to some extent it seems we’ve all accepted that and downgraded our hopes.
Still with a 1st round draft pick in play, and seemingly at least one more roster player having to be moved no matter what, opening it up to the TLN contributors on what comes next seems like a good idea, and frankly our predictions are as good as anyone else’s.
Nick Richard (@_nickrichard)
Kyle Dubas trades up in the first round
Dubas’ strategy of trading down during the draft to recoup additional picks is well documented. He was making the calls when the Leafs traded down twice, out of the first round …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Rowdy Tellez is on the Blue Jays’ wild-card series roster, Jordan Romano and Julian Merryweather are not

The Blue Jays and Bay Rays will kick off their wild-card series today, and the team has released the 28-man roster that will be active in Tampa Bay.

Let’s do this! Presenting your AL Wild Card Series Roster! #WeAreBlueJays pic.twitter.com/0MN2ImMhIa
— Toronto Blue Jays – x (@BlueJays) September 29, 2020

Some interesting notes…

Rowdy Tellez, who missed the last few weeks of the season due to a knee injury, is on the roster. He wasn’t able to make it into a game for a tune-up, but it seems the Jays believe he’s healthy enough to contribute. Maybe he’ll be used as the designated hitter or maybe he’ll be used in pinch-hitting situations. Regardless, that’s a great addition to the team’s lineup.
While Rowdy made it back without a regular-season tune-up, a couple of key pitchers, Jordan Romano and Julian Merryweather, did not. There hasn’t really any word on Merryweather, who’s dealing with an elbow issue, so his omission isn’t surprising. But there had been talk that Romano could return even though he didn’t make an appearance in the final weekend of play against Baltimore. That isn’t the case, unfortunately. …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

What would a 16-team MLB playoff field look like?

The New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals are set to kick off the 2020 season a few hours from now, the Toronto Blue Jays are currently without a home, and Major League Baseball is focused on… *checks notes* adding more teams to the playoff field. OK!

If you’re a baseball puritan, this is terrible news. Of all the major North American sports leagues, the Major League Baseball playoffs are undoubtedly the most legitimate test of merit.
You have to grind through a 162-game marathon and come out on top of your five-team division in order to guarantee yourself a playoff spot. The two best non-division winners play a one-game playoff for the opportunity to face the team with the best record in their league. Seldom do you see bad teams bullshit their way into the playoffs in baseball.
But, if you’re a Blue Jays fan, this is great news. When you’re trapped in a division with the free-spending New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox and the consistently-frustratingly-good Tampa Bay Rays, the more playoff spots up for grabs the better.
It’s really no surprise that MLB wants to add …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation