Rumours: Bogosian and Foligno seem to be out, and expansion draft fallout

Last year the signing of Zach Bogosian was met with a lot of skepticism. He wasn’t expensive, he was coming off a Stanley Cup championship, but he’s a stay at home defenseman, and that generally doesn’t go over well, especially when he would be blocking the path of prospects like Rasmus Sandin and Timothy Liljegren, not to mention making it harder for Mikko Lehtonen to be an every day player in the NHL.
Well here we are a year later, and while I’m pretty sure Bogosian wasn’t anyone’s favourite Leaf, his hardnosed style of play and serviceable defending on the third pairing certainly earned him plenty of appreciators, and while fans still want Sandin and Liljegren, the safety net of having Bogosian still has a lot of appeal.
That’s why news like this isn’t ideal (from Terry Koshan):
The Leafs and Bogosian have talked about a new deal, but a source indicated the New York native is interested in “taking a peek” at offers in free agency.
“I would expect him to hit the open market,” the source said. “The expectations are that he will.”
The news comes following Bogosian’s concerns …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Joseph Woll have a contract extension in place

It looks like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Joseph Woll have a contract extension in place

Late last night, news broke on Twitter from John Matisz at The Score, that he was hearing the Toronto Maple Leafs are re-signing goalie Joseph Woll to a contract extension. Woll is one of the many goalies in the Maple Leafs system that is up for a contract this off-season so it’s good to hear they are working together to get something done and by the sound of it, John has the details of the term as well.
 
Joseph Woll contract
According to John Matisz, he is hearing Joseph Woll is re-signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs on a one-year, two-way contract. No official word at this time what the price is, however, we do know it is a one-year, two-way contract for the 23-year-old goalie who will continue to develop down in the AHL and who knows, he might get a shot in an NHL game sometime soon with the Maple Leafs.

Hearing goalie Joseph Woll is re-signing with the Maple Leafs. 1 year, 2-way contract.
— John Matisz (@MatiszJohn) July 17, 2021

Joseph Woll’s stats
Woll is coming off this 2020-21 season in the AHL with the Toronto Marlies playing in only 15 games compared to the 32 he suited up for …

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Author: Joseph Zita / The Leafs Nation

Thanks Ken Holland, the Leafs can now afford to re-sign Zach Hyman

Last week, the Edmonton Oilers locked up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to a contract extension worth $5.125 million per year over a max-term of eight years with a full no-movement clause. Most members of the Edmonton media and the team’s loyal fanbase see the deal as a win-win. A former 1st-overall draft pick and core member of their team commits the twilight years of his prime to the team that drafted him at a noteworthy discount that will give GM Ken Holland some flexibility to navigate the flat salary cap and attempt to make the Oilers an overall better team.
So the one question that remains is, as always, how does this affect the Leafs?
Well, it’s quite simple, thanks to this contract signing, Ken Holland and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins have set the market and in doing so, effectively killed the (mainstream media perpetuated) narrative that Zach Hyman is going to get contract offers in the range of $6 million a year for six years.
Let’s be real here, as much as we all love Zach Hyman and want to see him be rewarded for several years of stellar play (for a player of his skill level), he’s no Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. …

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Author: Dylan Murphy / The Leafs Nation

Sunday’s Rundown: Three free-agent goalies the Toronto Maple Leafs should target

Sunday’s Rundown: Three free-agent goalies the Toronto Maple Leafs should target

Another Sunday is here and it is the last Sunday’s Rundown for now as we’re finishing up the last position on the ice, goalies. We covered everything so far, from free-agent left-wingers to free-agent centres to right-wingers and last week we did the defensemen that are set to become UFAs this summer. The goalie position on the other hand is more important than all the other positions in my opinion simply because Toronto only has two goalies under contract next season, Jack Campbell and Michael Hutchinson, so my point exactly.
Campbell is entering the last year of the two-year deal he signed while he was on the Kings and it is carrying an AAV of $1.65M which is an absolute steal if you ask me. Hutchinson, on the other hand, is also entering the last year of the two-year deal he signed last season and he is more than likely getting exposed to Seattle but they are more than likely not selecting him.
With those two the only goalies under contract and Frederik Andersen set to become a UFA this summer, Kyle Dubas and staff have to make a decision on what they plan to do. Either bring …

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Author: Joseph Zita / The Leafs Nation

Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry declining Team USA invite is the right move

Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry declining Team USA invite is the right move

Last night sent the Toronto Raptors fanbase into a state of unbridled euphoria, as they were able to somehow land the No. 4 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Considering that Kyle Lowry is a free agent, they could use this selection to potentially land his successor if he does indeed decide to leave. Lowry […]
Toronto Raptors: Kyle Lowry declining Team USA invite is the right move – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Former Toronto Raptors coach Phil Handy speaks on time with Nick Nurse

Former Toronto Raptors coach Phil Handy speaks on time with Nick Nurse

The success of the Toronto Raptors over the last few years has been due, in part, to some of the assistant coaches that Nick Nurse has populated his bench with. Even though he was only in town for one season, Phil Handy made quite the impact on the squad. The current Los Angeles Lakers assistant […]
Former Toronto Raptors coach Phil Handy speaks on time with Nick Nurse – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Page 6ix Wednesday, June 9th: The postseason/offseason drama continues

It’s Wednesday, and last week we brought you a special edition, so we’ve got two whole weeks of drama to catch up on! As we all know, hockey is very serious and has no drama (no soap operas!) so we’ve got nothing to talk about.
Heh. Yeah right.
Leafs Land
As usual we start with what’s happening for the Boys in Blue, even though the answer is Not Hockey. But there IS drama.
I try to stick my head in the sand and ignore any Zach Hyman leaving the Leafs talk, but it’s getting harder to avoid. First, though, let’s wish him a happy birthday!

Happy Birthday to @MapleLeafs own @ZachHyman! Have a great one! Hopefully there is a new contract extension waiting for you as a gift! #LeafsForever #zachhyman #leafsnation #Leafs pic.twitter.com/LyG0tLevwB
— Centre of Leafs Nation (@CntrLeafsNation) June 9, 2021

Meanwhile, yes, there is lots of chatter about whether and for what type of contract the Leafs re-sign Hyman. I’ll just go cry now.

Will Zach Hyman be a Maple Leaf next season? What deal would make sense to keep him in Toronto?@FriedgeHNIC joined #WritersBloc with @SNJeffBlair & @richarddeitsch …

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Author: Mer / The Leafs Nation

Reinforcement Options for the Struggling Bullpen

It’s no secret that, over the last week or ten days, the once strong Blue Jays bullpen has taken a turn for the worst.

It’s not entirely unexpected of course, given the injuries they’ve suffered and the total offensive numbers put up by all teams playing at TD Ball Park in Dunedin. With very few pitchers in The Jays bullpen overflowing with equity, it wouldn’t be shocking to see a number of developing arms in the high minors get their chance to shine as the team packs up and moves back to Buffalo. So, let’s have a look at some of the names you may not be familiar with who are likely to get consideration as the season progresses.
Tayler Saucedo – LHP
Saucedo was a 21st round pick of The Blue Jays in 2015. He’s a tall, slender lefty who’s pitched both out of the bullpen and as a starter over the course of his 142 appearances minor league career. It’s been an up and down road for him along the way, but after last year’s lost season, he appears to have discovered the strike-out in a meaningful way. Never having averaged more …

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Author: DeuceDoucette / Blue Jays Nation

Toronto Raptors: Top 4 moments from unusually unlucky 2020-21 season

Toronto Raptors: Top 4 moments from unusually unlucky 2020-21 season

Last year, the Toronto Raptors didn’t repeat, but we watched the champs get their rings and uncover the championship banner in Toronto. This was THE moment. Although The Raptors 2020-21 season was underwhelming, marked by COVID-19 related issues, injury, and unpredictability, the team still put on some grand performances. The Raptors showed that when COVID-19 […]
Toronto Raptors: Top 4 moments from unusually unlucky 2020-21 season – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Kahfeel Buchanan / Raptors HQ

Auston Matthews has won the Rocket Richard trophy, but you already knew that

What has felt like a formality for the last few weeks has now become official with the regular season finally ending: Auston Matthews is your 2021 winner of the Rocket Richard trophy.

Auston Matthews wins the Rocket Richard! pic.twitter.com/tnoqrJh01B
— The Leafs Nation (@TLNdc) May 15, 2021

Matthews finished the campaign with 41 goals, with eight goals separating him from the runner-up (Connor McDavid with 33), making it the largest gap since the 2014-15 season. He is also the first American-born player to win the award and the first American since Keith Tkachuk in 1996-97 to lead the NHL in goals.
This is his first major individual award since capturing the Calder Trophy following his rookie campaign in 2016-17. Last season saw Matthews come close to winning the award but missed the cut by a single goal (47), losing out to David Pastrnak and Alex Ovechkin (both with 48).
We can only hope this isn’t the only trophy added to Matthews’ collection by season’s end, but I’m sure this isn’t the last time we talk about him winning the Rocket Richard.

All stats unless otherwise noted are from Hockey-Reference.com and Natural Stat Trick.

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Author: Michael Mazzei / The Leafs Nation