Raptors rumors: Toronto still showing interest in Myles Turner

Raptors rumors: Toronto still showing interest in Myles Turner

For the last few seasons, every team in need of rim protection, the Toronto Raptors included, have tried to get the Indiana Pacers to give up on Myles Turnehasith the Pacers projected to be in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes at the beginning of the season, Turner appeared to be as good as gone. Things changed […]
Raptors rumors: Toronto still showing interest in Myles Turner – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Leafs vs. Corsi: Numbers aren’t everything during a hot streak

Leafs vs. Corsi: Numbers aren’t everything during a hot streak

Over the past few seasons, the Leafs have been a pretty solid team when it comes to the numbers. It’s interesting that now that the Leafs are at their hottest in recent history, the numbers don’t really support it.
Here’s a quick look at some of the interesting numbers since November 12th when the Leafs 14 game unbeaten in regulation streak started.
46.58% Corsi For %
Since the Leafs streak began, Toronto has had the 5th worst CF% in the league, and only Arizona, Chicago, Columbus, and St. Louis have been worse. That’s pretty wild, especially when you look at the Bruins, Devils, and Stars being at the other end of the spectrum and all being the top six of the league for CF%.
Is this a love letter to score effects? Kinda. When the Leafs are within one goal of their opponents, their CF% goes up to 50.78%, and when the game is tied the Leafs have the third best CF% over that stretch at 56.04%. When the Leafs have the lead their CF% dropped to a flat 40%.
There is something to be said for protec …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

How the Marlies leadership group looks with Rich Clune retired

How the Marlies leadership group looks with Rich Clune retired

Rich Clune was the leader of the Marlies for the last two seasons and with him retiring from hockey, will the Toronto Marlies be on the lookout for a new leader?
Well, no. More like a group of leaders.
Last season was an interesting year for plenty of players down in the AHL — the Marlies especially.
Filled with mostly younger players, Toronto was a team that was weaving their way through a regular season which brought its complications. Whether it be injuries or inconsistent play, it was clear that this season would allow some players a fresh start.
And a fresh look at the team’s leadership group, too.
There isn’t very much that has changed with the Marlies over the summer. There were some players who departed, like Brett Seney, Josh Ho-Sang, Antti Suomela, Marc Michaelis, Kristians Rubins, and Joseph Duszak. But, aside from those players, the roster has stayed fairly concrete.
One of the bigger additions over the summer was Logan Shaw, who signed a three-year AHL deal with the Marlies. The 30-year-old is joining Toronto after two seasons with the Belleville Senators where he captained the team during last season.
If there’s anyone who’s going to be a big part of the Marlies leadership group, it’s him. There’s also Joseph Blandisi, who joined the team …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Nicolas Aube-Kubel brings a different kind of intensity to the Maple Leafs lineup

Over the last few seasons, the Maple Leafs’ fourth line has featured grit and skill over everything else, but that’s about to change a little bit with the addition of Nicolas Aube-Kubel.
He began the 2021-22 campaign with the Philadelphia Flyers, being in the organization since being drafted by them back in 2014. The 26-year-old spent four seasons in the NHL on the Flyers, leaving the organization with 50 points in 169 games.
Aube-Kubel was placed on waivers back in November by Philadelphia — only seven games into the 2021 season. 24 hours later, he was a part of the Colorado Avalanche, and well, the rest is history.
He won the Stanley Cup, dropped the Stanley Cup, and then signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Maple Leafs. Everything you’d want in a player, right?
The 26-year-old, in 67 games with the Avalanche, was able to put up 22 points before the regular season came to a close. But his impact doesn’t come from being on the score sheet — it’s from his commitment to being a very difficult player to go up …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

TLN Prospect #2: Nick Robertson proves ready for a true test with the Maple Leafs

Nick Robertson has had a rough go throughout the past few seasons, but it might finally be time to take the next step in the Maple Leafs organization.
It feels like the 20-year-old has been through it all — from lighting up the OHL, to playing for Toronto in the NHL bubble, to sustaining major injuries in both seasons with the Marlies — all within the last three years.
Robertson is someone who believes he needs a chance to showcase his worth at the NHL level, and in October, he might just get that opportunity.
LW | Toronto (AHL) | Age: 20 | 5-foot-9 | 164 lbs | Shoots: LAcquired: 2019 2rd Round, 53th Overall | 2021 Ranking: 2
To say this is a huge year for Robertson would be an understatement. This is a massive year for the 20-year-old.
Although he’s been injured for much of the past two seasons, Robertson has improved majorly throughout — when it might not have seemed possible to do so.
Looking back to his first year with the Marlies, there was a lot of room for the 20-year-old …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation