Expansion drafts are fun, 34 team leagues decidedly less so

There are a lot of fun things that go along with expansion. You get to wait for the team name, the logo, the jersey, there’s all the speculation that goes into the expansion draft and some fun roster fallout (or decidedly less fun if you briefly have Jared McCann on your roster and then lose him in favour of keeping Justin Holl.) Yeah, expansion has a lot of fun elements to it and expanding to 32 teams wasn’t the worst thing for the NHL. It gave the league a nice even divisional/conference balance and now half the league makes the playoffs and the other half doesn’t. Expanding to 32 teams was the next best thing to shrinking the league back down to 21 teams, 24 if you want a bit more of that conference/division symmetry.
Of course, the NHL apparently can’t leave well enough alone and looks be considering expansion again.

👀 🤐.@espn @NHL @NHLNetwork @TSNHockey @DKSportsbook #HockeyTwitter https://t.co/g8aLnSVQgJ
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) March 5, 2023

At least we’ll assume that’s what the eyeballs from Kevin Weekes means. It’s great that he was able to take enough time to tag his favourite sportsbook but was too busy to add any context to the retweet.
Fortunately, plenty of others have been trying to add context to it and the NHL’s taken the first step towards expansion by denying that it is happening and that’s why it’s time to weigh in on this nonsense because in addition to the alluded to Houston and Atlanta locations above, people are taking the opportunity to talk about Quebec City and the most relevant of locations to a Leafs site, a second team being placed in Toronto.
We’ll save the Toronto thing for last and start with the painful suggestion of the NHL trying Atlanta for the third time. Much like how the NHL has a hard time letting go of the Phoenix market given its size and the success of sports leagues there, …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Looking at Timothy Liljegren and if he mets the higher standard for staying in

Looking at Timothy Liljegren and if he mets the higher standard for staying in

One of the things that could be seen from miles away is the inevitable controversy over who would be scratched on the Leafs blueline as the Leafs carry nine NHL defenseman and come to the realization that an 11F/7D model doesn’t work when your coach loves rolling four lines and three pairings at even strength. We all knew that Conor Timmins would be screwed with the nine defenseman approach, but I guess there is still a bit of a surprise when it comes to Timothy Liljegren, and seeing him get scratched for two consecutive games wasn’t something Leafs fans were prepared to see at the same time when pitchforks are out for Morgan Rielly and Justin Holl.
Sheldon Keefe probably didn’t help things with this comment:

Sheldon Keefe on Timothy Liljegren:
“He’s an important guy for us, but, as I’ve talked to him about … our team is deeper on defence now. The standard is higher in terms of staying in. He was in a similar situation last season.”
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) March 7, 2023

Now, I’ll start with the fact that this isn’t some form of attack on the defenseman, I do think to some extent it is a coach taking the easy way out. As he begins to sit defensemen from time to time, it probably made sense for him to start with the youngest one in the current lineup. Also, the one that took a tough hit that almost made it seem like Liljegren would be questionable for the first game he was scratched for an …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Five NCAA free agent targets for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Five NCAA free agent targets for the Toronto Maple Leafs

The NCAA playoffs are still a while away, but things are starting to really ramp up in hockey’s top college ranks.
And that includes looking towards the future. Some of the top college players each year sign entry-level deals with NHL teams as an inexpensive way of adding depth. We don’t typically see many high-quality players go the free-agent route, but Tyler Bozak is a notable one that comes to mind as one that worked out for the Blue and White. Last year, the Toronto Marlies added Dryden McKay, who was coming off of one of the best statistical careers by a goaltender in recent NCAA history.
There aren’t any must-have prospects this year, but we know Kyle Dubas and Co. love scouring the United States for quality, developed talent. They’ll have options this year, depending on need. The theme this year, like most years, is depth, but there’s also a chance to add some skill and size to the lineup, too.
Here’s a look at five NCAA free agents the Toronto Maple Leafs could look to target this spring:
Jason Polin, RW (Western Michigan)
Polin is the big kahuna right now. The 23-year-old Western Michigan captain is having a dominant season, scoring 23 goals and 35 points in his first 28 games as a seni …

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Author: Steven Ellis / The Leafs Nation

News and Notes: Yankees in the mix for Bryan Reynolds, other MLB owners are mad about Steve Cohen’s spending, and more!

Christmas is right around the corner and things in the baseball world are unsurprisingly slowing down but we’ve still got a few worthwhile notes to go through today…

According to Jon Morosi, the New York Yankees are among the teams who are in the mix for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds…

Sources: #Yankees among teams in contact with #Pirates on Bryan Reynolds over recent weeks; one obstacle to a trade is that Pittsburgh prefers starting pitchers to headline the return and top end of Yankees’ system is deeper in position players. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 22, 2022

The switch-hitting Reynolds has been widely discussed as a fit to fill the Blue Jays’ biggest need right now, which is a big bat that isn’t right-handed. He reportedly requested a trade earlier this off-season and there’s an obvious connection between Toronto and Pittsburgh because Pirates general manager Ben Cherington used to work in the Blue Jays front office.
The interesting part of this note is that it gives us a little bit of a look into what the Pirates might be looking for in return for one of their best players. Morosi said that the Pirates are looking for pitching prospects to headline the return for Reynolds, which isn’t all that surprising considering they only have one pitcher among their top five prospects.
With that in mind, you’d figure that the Pirates would be asking for Rickey Tiedemann, Toronto’s top pitching prospect, in a potential Reynolds deal. Pittsburgh’s top prospect is catcher Henry Davis, so they likely wouldn’t be interested in making a deal that centers around Gabriel Moreno. That said, the Blue Jays could always get a third team involved and move one of their catchers for a pitching prospect that the Pirates like. Who knows.
Elsewhere, the New York Mets are close to finalizing a 12-year, $315 million deal with Carlos Correa, days afte …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

Dissecting the Leafs rumoured interest in Tyler Myers

Dissecting the Leafs rumoured interest in Tyler Myers

Few things are more troublesome than hearing that the team you cheer for is kicking tires on Tyler Myers. Unfortunately for Leafs fans, that’s exactly what Bruce Garrioch reported this week:
There’s also been talk the Vancouver Canucks are willing to move defenceman Tyler Myers and the Leafs have been among the teams kicking tires there.
Now it’s very easy to yell “HELLS NO” and run off screaming into the horizon, but we’ll go a little bit further in our analysis than that, despite the fact that this clearly looks like a bad idea.
Let’s start with the well established reasons of why this isn’t a good idea. Tyler Myers has an AAV of $6M for not only this season, but next. There is also the issue of despite being listed as a defenseman, very little defense seems to happen when Tyler Myers is on the ice, and goaltenders tend to get shelled. His Evolving Hockey player card put him in the bottom 11th percentile of players in the league, and his RAPM charts very rarely show any blue. His rate stats are modestly better than that, and speak to the Canucks getting shelled with Myers on the ice, but not necessarily seeing puck go in a ridiculous amount as a result of that. I guess that’s something…
Season
GP
TOI/GP
CA/60
CF%
GA/60
GF%
xGA/60
xG%
HDCA/60
HDCF%
PDO
20212022
82
18.31
58.63
49.15
2.16
53.85
2.60
49.39
11.39
47.61
1.013
20222023
14
18.34
…

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Willy Styles is the name, fashion is his game: Maple Leafs Gameday Fit Week #1 Power Rankings

One of my favourite things about hockey, and all sports really, is seeing what the athletes wear walking into the arena.
Whichever sport it is — hockey, basketball, football, or baseball — players like to show their personality through what they drape themselves in before games.
Hockey, in particular, is no fun when it comes to fashion. It’s a sport where kids are told at a young age to wear suits to their games and they do that all the way to the NHL level, if they make it there.
It’s boring. Unentertaining. Monotonous. Dull. I could go on.
There are some NHL teams that have loosened their dress code a little bit, but for the most part each team still wants their players to enter the arena looking ready for business.
While it’s understandable, I still hate it. I love fun, and dressing different is fun.
Toronto has settled for business casual, which means still wearing a suit. However, they are allowing the players to spice things up a little bit. And as you may know, there are plenty of guys on the Maple Leafs who want to show off their gameday drip.
So, I thought I’d write about it. Maybe it’ll be a weekly series, maybe it won’t. It all depends on if the Maple Leafs cont …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

This could be Wayne Simmonds’ last season as a player with the Toronto Maple Leafs

All good things must come to an end, and for Wayne Simmonds, this could potentially be the last season he pulls on a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey.
It’s always difficult to see such likeable players come to the end of the road with their team or career. Wishing to see them continue to succeed and win the ultimate prize before sailing off into the sunset is something that many fans will hope for, as seen with how strongly the Toronto Maple Leafs fanbase was drawn to Jason Spezza before his retirement this off-season.
But, as with all things in life, at some point, it can’t continue and there could be an argument that this is the case with Wayne Simmonds and the Leafs this upcoming season. Simmonds has been a popular addition to the team prior to the Covid-shortened 2021 season, being well-liked by both his teammates as well as the fans, but his run with the team may not continue beyond this campaign.
The biggest indicator of this is how little Simmonds actually played for the team last season. While he featured in 72 games during the regular season, scoring five goals and providing 11 assists, Simmonds averaged …

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Author: James Reeve / The Leafs Nation

A spike in the salary cap in 2024-25 is a dream scenario for the Leafs

One of the things that seem to constantly be holding the Leafs back is an absence of cap space to improve the team through free agency and trades. Kyle Dubas not being able to predict a global pandemic and signing a core to significant contracts right before was unfortunate and while no one can blame Dubas for not seeing COVID coming, there’s something to be said for signing deals that are reliant on the salary cap moving in favourable manner.
Now that I’ve said that, the cap is going up again, so all the Leafs problems are solved, right?
Via the 32 Thoughts Podcast NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly suggested that the salary cap could spike as early as the 2024-25 season:
I’ve seen some preliminary estimates recently which would make me more optimistic on the cap going up sooner whether that’s in two seasons or three seasons, I think it’s more likely than not two seasons rather than three.
Honestly, this seems like a reasonable expectation given the absolute flurry of gambling money being thrown at the league at the moment. Gambling plus the introduction of jersey ads, the U.S. television deals, and the addition of the 32nd team to the league should have the NHL exceeding their performance of the pre-COVID seasons, and with all due respect to angry people, that income will more than offset the Coyotes going from 11,000 people in attendance to 5,000.
If you are worried that it w …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Toronto Blue Jays CF George Springer leaves game after grabbing at elbow, but feels “really good”

Things are tense in Toronto tonight, and rightly so.

Despite beating the Detroit Tigers 5-3 in thanks to a double-dong game from Matt Chapman, the big news surrounds George Springer’s elbow.
The elbow issue he’s playing through is well known at this point and Thursday night, he left the game in the bottom of the eighth. He hit a deep fly out and immediately grabbed at his right elbow.

George Springer’s elbow didn’t look great on this swing and now he’s out of the game pic.twitter.com/jCp9DNCZwt
— Brandon Wile (@Brandon_N_Wile) July 29, 2022

After the game, Jays skipper John Schneider said Springer “is feeling good, he really is.” Schneider called it elbow discomfort and that they would check in on him tomorrow.
Springer also made some massive throws from the outfield throughout the game and some clips were shown on the broadcast highlighting him wincing a bit at time.
Even if Springer is okay, the concern should be there and it, and could shift Ross Atkins’ focus at the deadline. We’ve already seen Andrew Benintendi shipped to the ‘Yanks, and the New York Mets picked up OF Tyler Naquin from the Reds Thursday night.
Springer’s a trooper and no doubt will continue to work through this elbow problem, but if he is forced to miss anytime down the stretch, the Jays’ outfield depth isn’t tremendous. Raimel Tapia has been solid as a rock from the left side, but Bradley Zimmer has been an issue at the plate, despite some good work in the outfield and baserunning this season.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
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Author: Zach Laing / Blue Jays Nation