Just over 7 minutes into their second game, the Toronto Six scored their first goal ever! Lindsay Eastwood got the honours of marking this amazing moment in franchise history.
EASTWOOD!
FIRST TORONTO 6IX GOAL! pic.twitter.com/9UuPkMPxQJ
— Omar (@TicTacTOmar) January 24, 2021
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Author: Mer / The Leafs Nation
The Michael Brantley era in Toronto is over before it began.
Despite a report earlier today from Hazel Mae that said the Blue Jays and Brantley had agreed to a three-year contract, the veteran outfielder is sticking around with the Houston Astros.
MLB source: #Astros reach an agreement with Michael Brantley on a two-year deal worth $32 million.
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 20, 2021
This is certainly unfortunate, but it isn’t the end of the world.
When it came to the George Springer and Michael Brantley package, the former was obviously the one to get hyped about. There’s no doubt that adding Brantley’s bat to the lineup would have been huge, but we still have Springer.
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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation
Over the past *checks notes*… oh god, it’s been 10 months since we’ve been in lockdown. Sorry, over the past 10 months when we’ve all been trapped in our houses with not much to do, we’ve been lucky enough to see sports return to provide some of us with some form of entertainment. This has also allowed an opportunity for more eyes to watch hockey, and we’ve seen more fans join the fun with not much else to do. I would know, I was one of them.
This year, I decided to put more of an effort to watch Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Dolphins (my favourite MLB, NBA, and NFL teams, respectively). While they all have certainly made it fun to watch, I’ve also found myself lacking some knowledge. With the Leafs, I liked that I could see a player on the ice and know exactly what their skills and responsibility are, something that I didn’t know with the other sports.
So, while I might not ever get that closer, you can. I give you The Beginner’s Guide to the 2019-20 Toronto Maple Leafs, a three part series where I give …
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Author: Scott Maxwell / The Leafs Nation
2020 is over. Finally.
It felt like everything bad that could possibly happen last year, did. Hockey was postponed due to Covid-19, everyone was asked to stay in their houses to slow the spread and when we finally had a taste of freedom — the second wave came and now we’re back in lockdown.
Although most of the year was horrible, there was some good that came out of it. That’s also why I’m writing this article for you today.
Martin Marincin with the tie breaking goal for #LeafsForever! pic.twitter.com/AeKKb5Gwgm
— SiriusXM NHL Network Radio (@SiriusXMNHL) March 1, 2020
This was probably the highlight of my year. If you don’t know the story, I promise I’ll explain it quick. After this goal, I tweeted “500 RT’s and I’ll buy a Martin Marincin jersey” and after 20 minutes, I got well over 500 retweets and the next day I bought the jersey.
Yes, I am an owner of a Toronto Maple Leafs Marincin jersey.
Martin Marincin’s number is 282.50.
No, it’s not the number of games he’s played, plus his point total put together. This is the total that was rung up at the cash register …
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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation
Welcome to the yearly wrap up of the top read articles over the last year!
We did it! We finally made it to number one.
The most-read article this year was penned by TLN editor Jon Steitzer who on Aug. 30 wrote about some of the latest rumours surrounding the Leafs.
Elliotte Freidman had wrote a 31 thoughts piece looking at some rumours surrounding Andersen and Nylander.
RUMOURS: A landing spot for Andersen and the asking price for Nylander
Here’s some of what Steitzer wrote:
Speaking of moving on from Andersen, here’s a potential landing spot. Now obviously the Leafs would love to get back their 13th overall pick, and would probably need to take one of the Canes goaltenders for doing so (preferably Mrazek because he’s better), but there are a lot of interesting roster players on the Canes that Leafs should be interested in as well, but I’d assume Pesce and Hamilton are off limits, obviously.
Nylander being worth a legitimate top four right handed defenseman has shades of Hall for Larsson all over it, and in that situation it’s pretty easy to pass on the idea of trading Nylander, even if you aren’t …
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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation
Welcome to the yearly wrap up of the top read articles over the last year!
It was back in February when there was lots of smoke around Joe Thornton and the Toronto Maple Leafs. And a few days after the trade deadline, Elliotte Friedman had some thoughts on Jumbo and the Leafs.
TLN editor Jon Steitzer wrote about it in a piece that was the 2nd more read article this year.
Elliotte Friedman on future Leaf Joe Thornton and more
Here’s some of what Steitzer wrote:
So let’s start there with Elliotte Friedman’s thought(s) on Joe Thornton coming to Toronto…
If Thornton is not sold on the Sharks, and he’s willing to seek out new life (boldly go where no one has gone before), my prediction is Toronto will be a factor. I can’t confirm this, but I believe the Maple Leafs considered adding him now.
Elliotte goes on to discuss how optically it didn’t make sense for Dubas at the deadline, but next season could make more sense…
Thornton’s made it clear he will make his salary fit. He’s a left-hand shot who could feed Auston Matthews/John Tavares from …
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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation
Welcome to the yearly wrap up of the top read articles over the last year!
We’re back after a small Christmas break and today we’re looking at some “trade requests.”
Last December, Elliotte Freidman reported Jeremy Bracco, Dmytro Timashov and Ben Harpur asked for the Leafs to gauge interest on them on the trade market.
TLN writer Mike Stephens broke it down, and it was the third most-read article this year.
Friedman: Bracco, Timashov and Harpur Have Asked Leafs Management to “See What’s Out There”
Here’s some of what Stephens wrote:
For Bracco and Harpur, this is relatively understandable.
Bracco finished second in the entire AHL last season in points and has established himself as arguably the most gifted passer in the Leafs organization. He had one of the most prolific offensive seasons for a 22-year-old in AHL history in 2018-19 and became a dominant force on a terrific power play. And yet, as the Maple Leafs have continued to experience horrific injury luck this season, Bracco’s name has been passed over for a promotion time and time again — save for a brief emergency recall that ultimately only netted him a day or so of …
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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation
Welcome to the yearly wrap up of the top read articles over the last year!
There were tons of rumours that the Leafs have been linked to over the years, but somehow PK Subban has always been in that conversation.
And on Sept. 4, TLN Editor Jon Steitzer took a look at one proposal that could make sense.
It was the fourth most-read article this year.
My (horrible?) idea for a P.K. Subban to the Leafs trade proposal
The proposed deal was this: PK Subban and the Canucks 2020 first for Frederik Andersen, Andreas Johnsson and Travis Dermott. Here’s some of what Steitzer wrote:
So as much as this deal is about acquiring Subban, it’s equally about the Leafs picking up another 1st round pick, giving them even more flexibility at the draft, or enabling them to restock for the future.
From the Devils perspective they get a decent defenseman, a decent forward, both of who can play significant minutes for them, and a goaltender that they can test out for the year and potentially flip at the trade deadline if their season goes as expected and they don’t want Andersen back for another year. This might be …
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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation
The Walker Lockett era in Toronto is over before it began.
The Blue Jays claimed the righty off of waivers from the Seattle Mariners earlier this month ahead of the Rule 5 Draft but it looks like he’ll never pitch for the club. Lockett has reportedly inked a deal with the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization.
Several media outlets in Korea are reporting that @walker_lockett is close to signing a new contract w/ #DoosanBears. Since Lockett is on #BlueJays 40 man roster, buy-out needs to be worked out between the Bears and @BlueJays. More to come. #KBO https://t.co/xHUA7QpMGj
— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) December 21, 2020
Lockett has had a wild few months. He was claimed by the Mariners from the Mets in September and then he was claimed by the Blue Jays in December and now he’s off to Korea.
At best, Lockett was going to be organizational pitching depth for the Jays, so this isn’t much of a loss, and it’ll open up a spot on the 40-man roster that the team will need when (if???) they sign a free agent.
Elsewhere, according to a minor-league transactions post from Baseball America, the …
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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation
Welcome to the yearly wrap up of the top read articles over the last year!
It didn’t take long after the Leafs were eliminated in the return to play for the focus to shift onto the offseason.
And with that, talk of Freddie Andersen being traded resurfaced.
On August 13th, TLN writer Brian Reid took a look at five potential trade targets for Andersen. It was the fifth most-read article this year.
Five Potential Trade Partners for Frederik Andersen
As no-brainers for potential trade destinations, Reid listed Chicago and the Minnesota Wild. Two possibilities were the Carolina Hurricanes and the Calgary Flames, while a galaxy brain option was the San Jose Sharks.
Here’s some of what he wrote:
With the Leafs also potentially moving on from one (or both) of Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen this offseason, Kevin Lebanc is an intriguing option to fill a top nine wing role. Lebanc signed a cheap, one year, $1 million extension last summer to help the Sharks and it ended up costing him as the Sharks didn’t really put the savings to good use and Lebanc’s production dropped from 56 points in 2018/2019 to 33 points this past season. The Sharks would …
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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation