Brad Treliving is not the best or worst candidate for the Maple Leafs’ GM role

A wise man once said, “Get busy Treliving or get busy Tredying.” It seems the Leafs might be interested in the former, as they’ve reportedly begun their search for a GM at Treliving. Treliving, due to the nature of his contract, wouldn’t really be able to join the Leafs until July 1st as his contract with the Flames expires at that time, but best case scenario is he is able to come in sooner but is kept from the Leafs draft table as his knowledge of Calgary’s draft plans is something the Flames would like kept from the Leafs. (I’d imagine the Leafs would have identical objections if/when Kyle Dubas lands in Pittsburgh.)
The first person connected to a vacancy makes them worth examining, but to some extent, Treliving is in many ways the convenient candidate. He does have connections to the MLSE board through his Dad’s Boston Pizza empire, he is that rare blend of being an expired NHL GM who isn’t quite Jim Benning, Peter Chiarelli, Dale Tallon awful, and, from MLSE’s point of view, he’s a good fit due to his willingness to appease a highly involved owner in Calgary. Respect for the chain of command won’t be a selling point to fans, but it will be to a group rumoured to be put off by Kyle Dubas’ push for greater autono …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Toronto drops series finale to the Yankees 4-2 as the offence sputters again

Aaron Judge homered once again and Toronto’s offence failed to generate much of any momentum throughout the game as the Blue Jays lost to the Yankees 4-2 tonight, thereby losing the four-game series. Toronto was without Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (knee) for much of the game until he pinch-hit in the 7th, as well as Kevin Kiermaier who was still out with an illness.

Blue Jays Nation’s Player of the Game: Bo Bichette
Bichette came into tonight’s matchup with good career numbers against Nestor Cortes. Albeit a relatively small sample size, Bo entered tonight’s game 5-for-10 against the southpaw with a home run and a double. He continued his successes with a 3-for-3 night against him, and a 3-for-4 outing for the game. This included his ninth home run of the season in the first inning, a solo shot off of a cutter from Cortes. Bo continues to tear it up at the plate, leading the team in batting average, home runs, and RBIs.
Things worth mentioning
I don’t mean to sound like I’m ducking the league’s best, but I’m ready to have a few days off from facing Aaron Judge. Judge smoked a two-r …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Aaron again homered Judge once Toronto’s

Ugly OG Anunoby showing proves Raptors should have traded him at deadline

There once was a time when OG Anunoby was viewed as one of the few untouchable players on the Toronto Raptors roster. Long thought of as one of the most underrated and versatile defenders in the NBA with his offense improving every season, Anunoby is the archetype of the ideal Masai Ujiri player. The script […]
Ugly OG Anunoby showing proves Raptors should have traded him at deadline – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Anunoby once There time viewed when

Coming out of the break: The February Leafs Player Power Rankings

Once again it’s time to for the Leafs Player Power Rankings. This month I won’t muddy the waters by including an overall grade on how they’ve fared throughout the season in addition to where they are sitting for the season as the monthly ranking alongside the midterm grade seemed too much for our Twitter mentions.
This month we’ll go with the straightforward 1-20, but with the notable caveat of Auston Matthews missing five games in that window and with the notation of the rankings being written on Friday before the back-to-backs against the Blue Jackets. No recency bias this time, let’s do this.
1. William Nylander (steady at #1)
It’s a tough call on who to go with as the number one when three players are tied for the point lead since the last time I did these rankings, but Willy stands out because of his additional responsibilities. With Matthews out, Nylander has had to take ownership of the second line and help keep the Leafs competitive while not having Tavares or Matthews to work with. His production might have fallen off in those games, but he’s made Kerfoot and Holmberg second lines viable and that’s not an easy feat.
2. Mitch Marner (steady at #2)
Going to go real boring with the rankings and keep Marner in the second spot as well. The fact that he was the team’s All-Star gav …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

again It's Leafs’ once player time

3 areas where the Raptors are vastly improved in 2022-23

The Toronto Raptors remade their roster once again following a flurry of offseason moves made in quick succession. From re-signing both Thad Young and Chris Boucher to drafting Christian Koloko in the second round, this new-look Raptors team is in a better position than they were last year. Toronto may have won 48 games in […]
3 areas where the Raptors are vastly improved in 2022-23 – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

once Raptors remade roster their Toronto

Recapping the Leafs prospects at the World Juniors

A wise man once said to me, “you can help your stock at these tournaments but you can’t really hurt your stock so much.” that was Nick Richard. Smart guy. He was paraphrasing Gord Miller, but Nick gets credit for saying it to me and I largely agree with it.
I don’t think Leafs Nation needs a summit on the state of Matthew Knies after not dominating at development camp and then going goalless at the World Juniors. His stock may not have risen much this summer, but that doesn’t change that he’s a top prospect in the organization and there is still plenty to be excited about.
On the other side of things, Roni Hirvonen did see his stock rise, at least with me and we’ll get into that too, but it probably makes sense to start with Knies as we recently ranked him as the Leafs top prospect.
Matthew Knies
5 GP| 0 G| 3 A| 3 P| +3
So Matthew Knies didn’t have the tournament Leafs fans wanted to see. Seemingly a player selected to the watered down Olympics and is one year into a success NCAA stint would have excelled more offensive, especially playing on a line with a top prospect like Logan Cooley and another dominating offensive powerhouse like Matthew Coro …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

‘You help once said wise your

3 teams who may tempt Gary Trent Jr. to bolt Raptors after 2023

The Toronto Raptors once again seemed to come out on the winning end of a trade after acquiring Gary Trent Jr. from the Portland Trail Blazers. While Norman Powell was traded to the Clippers after just one season, Trent has become one of the Raptors’ most integral pieces. Trent averaged 18.3 points per game while […]
3 teams who may tempt Gary Trent Jr. to bolt Raptors after 2023 – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

again come once Raptors seemed Toronto

Raptors: Pros and Cons of trading Fred VanVleet for Kevin Durant

The Toronto Raptors will once again try to prove that they are serious contenders for the services of Kevin Durant. Bringing the disgruntled Brooklyn Nets star to Canada would not only deprive their division rivals of the chance to acquire him, but it would create a big four of KD, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and […]
Raptors: Pros and Cons of trading Fred VanVleet for Kevin Durant – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

again once Prove Raptors Toronto will

3 most likely Raptors to make final roster after latest transactions

The Toronto Raptors will once again try to fill out the back end of the roster with a combination of promising young players and veterans looking for one last chance to make it in the pros. Toronto trimmed one last piece of fat after most of the free agency dust settled. The Raptors waived Armoni […]
3 most likely Raptors to make final roster after latest transactions – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

again fill once Raptors Toronto will

Actual picks, newfound cap space, and goalie woes headline day two of the draft for the Leafs

First the bad news, the Leafs once again end the first day of the draft without making a selection. The good news is the Leafs did end the first day without Petr Mrazek and freed up $3.8M in cap space. They’ll also still be picking 38th overall and have the opportunity to select a first round caliber player who just didn’t quite make the cut. It’s not a bad piece of business by Kyle Dubas and the Leafs, but the Petr Mrazek situation still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but that could just be from wanting the immediate payoff of a first round pick last night.

Based on the pick value model I’ve been using for the last few years, the difference in value between pick 25 and 38 is equivalent to a late 7th.
So the Leafs paid roughly a 7th to offload Mrazek’s $3.8m cap hit with 2 years remaining. https://t.co/mNCbd2AMKq
— Earl Schwartz (@EarlSchwartz27) July 8, 2022

After trading Mrazek ($3.8M), #leafsforever have $10.2M Cap Space with 17 Players (10F/6D/1G) on Projected Roster.
RFA: Engvall, Kase, SandinUFA: Blackwell, Mikheyev, Lyubushkin, Campbellhttps://t.co/hB3guL96pk
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 8, 2022

The Leafs cap situation is now revised to see the Leafs sitting with about $12.6M in space (we won’t gift Kallgren, Abruzzese, or Clifford roster spots just yet) to fill 4-5 forward positions, including Pierre Engvall, one defensive position (Rasmus Sandin), and two NHL goaltenders. That is still pretty tight even if the Leafs primarily need bottom six forwards, a cheap backup, and two should be reasonably priced RFAs.
Despite that, the $5.5M of cap space represented by Justin Holl and Alex Kerfoot could be explored today. No specific mention of either player has co …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

again first Leafs’ news once