Alek Manoah and Simeon Woods Richardson among the Blue Jays re-assigned to “Minor League Working Group”

The Blue Jays announced on Thursday that 25 players have been optioned/re-assigned to the team’s Minor League Working Group.

Here are the 40-man roster players who were optioned: Otto Lopez, Elvis Luciano, Gabriel Moreno, and Ty Tice.
Here are the non-roster invitees who were re-assigned: Nick Allgeyer, Bryan Baker, Chris Bec, Phil Clarke, Jordan Groshans, Hobie Harris, Miguel Hiraldo, Leo Jimenez, Adam Kloffenstein, Cullen Large, Alek Manoah, Austin Martin, Orelvis Martinez, Joey Murray, Jackson Rees, CJ Van Eyk, Jacob Waguespack, Logan Warmoth, Simeon Woods Richardson, Chavez Young, and  Yosver Zulueta.
With Opening Day in two weeks and the minor-league contract opt-out date coming shortly, the Blue Jays likely want to focus on the battles they have for positions on their 26-man roster. These players who were re-assigned can all still appear in spring training games, but none of them were really in the mix to crack the team.
The non-roster invitees still left with the team are: A.J. Cole, Anthony Castro, Francisco Liriano, Tim Mayza, Tommy Milone, Kirby Snead, Joe Panik, Kevin Smith, Richard Urena, Tyler White, and Forrest Wall. Any of those players would need to be added to the 40-man roster if they crack the roster …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Raptors: How playing in Tampa could help them on the buyout market

Raptors: How playing in Tampa could help them on the buyout market

The Toronto Raptors aren’t typically huge players in the NBA buyout market but now that the team’s stuck in Tampa, it could be different. The Raptors have been a great team for the past seven years, but they struggle to recruit free agents and players who get bought out. The stigma of playing in a different […]
Raptors: How playing in Tampa could help them on the buyout market – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Stephen Nixon / Raptors HQ

Raptors: Will the latest Spurs rumors DeMar DeRozan back to Toronto?

Raptors: Will the latest Spurs rumors DeMar DeRozan back to Toronto?

DeMar DeRozan is one of the greatest players in the history of the Toronto Raptors, as the former lottery pick out of USC became a four-time All-Star in his nine-season run north of the border. He has spent the last three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, as he was moved in order to get […]
Raptors: Will the latest Spurs rumors DeMar DeRozan back to Toronto? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Staturday Weekly Column #10: What’s going on with John Tavares, and why?

As the Captain and one of the highest paid players in the league, a lot is expected of John Tavares. When he decided to join Toronto in the summer of 2018, it was a joyous day. Adding a top flight center to what was already an elite offense brought mouthwatering visions of having two 30-plus-scorers (good name for a new dating site) on one team. His first season in Toronto seemed a blessed one, scoring 47 goals in a nearly unstoppable combination with Mitch Marner.
In this season, Tavares hasn’t had the same punch to his play. With 6 goals and 17 points in 21 games, it’s not like he’s been terrible in a producing role. However, something seems to be up with his ability to be an impactful player that can change the game the way an Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and even William Nylander can.
The “What?” — Production Stats
We know that Tavares is billed, primarily, as a points-scoring forward. There’s some talk of his defensive ability as a center — we’ll talk about that misnomer later — but, primarily he’s a scorer. All stats in this section are from naturalstattrick.com, unless otherwise noted.
Production Rate
There’s …

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Author: Ryan Hobart / The Leafs Nation

Rumours: A short introduction to the rental market

Nothing gets you thinking about bringing in players quite like having Jake Muzzin, Zach Hyman, Joe Thornton, Jack Campbell, Freddie Andersen, and Wayne Simmonds out of the lineup. Last time I checked missing four key players and your top two goaltenders is a bad thing, and while it’s exciting to get a look at Mikko Lehtonen and Alexander Barabanov, it’s not as much fun as winning, and the Leafs might face some real challenges to win with this lineup, despite the four incredibly good players at the top of the roster.
So with that in mind, it’s time to consider some rental players. And given how early it is in the season, and the unfortunate nature of league parity, it’s pretty slim pickings at this point for who is selling and who might be available. Luke Fox of Sportsnet has compiled the list:
Buffalo: Taylor Hall, Eric Staal, Brandon Montour, Jake McCabe, Matt Irwin, Tobias Reider, Riley Sheahan, Carter Hutton, Linus Ullmark
Detroit: Darren Helm, Valtteri Filppula, Luke Glendening, Bobby Ryan, Sam Gagner, Marc Staal, Patrik Nemeth, Jon Merrill, Jonathan Bernier
Nashville: Mikael Granlund, Erik Haula, Pekka Rinne, Brad Richardson, Luca Sbisa
Ottawa: Derek Stepan, Ryan …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Raptors: Domestic assault charges against Terence Davis dismissed

Raptors: Domestic assault charges against Terence Davis dismissed

A few Toronto Raptors players have disappointed in this 2020-21 season, and shooting guard Terence Davis stands out as someone that is starting to take a step back in his sophomore season. Davis is averaging numbers somewhat similar to what he put up in his rookie season, but his inability to improve his scoring and […]
Raptors: Domestic assault charges against Terence Davis dismissed – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Raptors: Keep or waive these 4 players on the roster fringe

Raptors: Keep or waive these 4 players on the roster fringe

Recently, Raptors Rapture examined four players the Toronto Raptors should pursue or pass in the trade market. This time the Raptors’ roster is getting examined as we review four players that they should either keep or waive. The trade deadline is March 25th, and the Raptors’ management may need to clear cap space and or […]
Raptors: Keep or waive these 4 players on the roster fringe – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Jason Mills / Raptors HQ

Raptors rumors: Kyle Lowry reportedly lists Toronto house on sale

Raptors rumors: Kyle Lowry reportedly lists Toronto house on sale

Kyle Lowry has emerged as one of the greatest players in the brief history of the Toronto Raptors, if not the outright greatest. A steady hand at point guard for the last decade that helped bring Canada their first NBA championship, Lowry might be in the middle of his final season wearing Raptors colors. Lowry, […]
Raptors rumors: Kyle Lowry reportedly lists Toronto house on sale – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Raptors: LeBron’s Courtside Karen interaction could change things for Raptors, NBA

Raptors: LeBron’s Courtside Karen interaction could change things for Raptors, NBA

While NBA players and fans occasionally getting into some verbal altercations is by no means extraordinary, the negative interaction between a star player and a fan that made waves on social media could serve as a sobering lesson that both the Toronto Raptors and the league as a whole must learn from. The incident involved […]
Raptors: LeBron’s Courtside Karen interaction could change things for Raptors, NBA – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Jason Mills / Raptors HQ

The NHL announces new measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19

With roughly 90 players placed on the NHL’s COVID protocol list and over 20 games postponed, the league announced on Thursday some new measures to try and slow the spread of the virus.

The @NHL announced today a series of additional COVID-19 preventative measures, which all Clubs must implement beginning with today’s games.
Details: https://t.co/U7Ywo6C8X2 pic.twitter.com/tNIiDenEg3
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) February 4, 2021

Along with a statement from Commissioner Gary Bettman, the new measures are as follows:

The glass behind both benches have to be removed to allow airflow to move more freely away from the benches
Players and staff are not permitted to arrive at the arena beyond 1 hour and 45 minutes before puck drop unless to receive treatment before the game and to prepare. Team meetings are to be held virtually as much as possible
Locker rooms are to be expanded which would allow the players to practice social distancing. Teams are expected to provide plans of the reconfigurations by February 10th
Air cleaners with HEPA are to be added behind the bench to improve air quality in the arena

While these are certainly improvements to the NHL’s plan to …

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Author: Michael Mazzei / The Leafs Nation