TheLeafsNation Fantasy Gameday — Leafs take on Canucks again

Welcome to TheLeafsNation Game Day where we take a look at today’s Leafs game and a few other things happening around the league all with daily fantasy in mind.

Well, that sure was an interesting one Sunday. I don’t think anyone expected the Canucks to play as hard as they did, so let’s see what happens tonight.
Play free fantasy hockey for huge prizes on DraftKings here.
The Matchup

Toronto
Vancouver

Record
28-12-5, .678  points %
17-18-3, .487 points %

GF/GA
146-120
100-121

Power play %

21.9

19.6

Penalty kill %
76.1

78.5

CF%
50.85
46.66

xGF%
54.80
46.58

PDO
101.9
99.6

Goals in all situations, analytics at 5×5 c/o naturalstattrick.com.
Who I like
I don’t mind David Rittich ($8,200), even though I think his price point is higher than it should be.
Auston Matthews ($9,100) has goals in each of the Leafs’ six games against Vancouver, and he’ll look to keep that pace up tonight.
I also really like William Nylander ($5,500) who will look to bounce back after a missed meeting. He’s got five points in six games already against the Canucks this year.
On the otherside, Brock Boeser ($6,500) has been solid against Toronto scoring seven points in six games, while Bo Horvat ($5,900) also has scored …

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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation

TheLeafsNation Fantasy Gameday — Here goes nothing

Welcome to TheLeafsNation Game Day where we take a look at today’s Leafs game and a few other things happening around the league all with daily fantasy in mind.

The Toronto Maple Leafs will take on the Vancouver Canucks tonight in the first game for the latter post-COVID-19 outbreak. Will there be a mercy rule enacted tonight?
Play free fantasy hockey for huge prizes on DraftKings here.
The Matchup

Toronto
Vancouver

Record
28-12-4, .682 points %
16-18-3, .473 points %

GF/GA
144-117
97-119

Power play %

21.8

19.8

Penalty kill %
75.9

78.6

CF%
50.53
46.96

xGF%
54.41
47.06

PDO
102.2
99.3

Goals in all situations, analytics at 5×5 c/o naturalstattrick.com.
Who I like
There’s really no wrong answer here from the Leafs perspective. I’ve bought into John Tavares ($6,700), Mitch Marner ($7,800), William Nylander ($4,900).
I also grabbed Jack Campbell ($8,200) who will look to get back into the win column after his first two losses of the season.
Toronto’s high powered offence should be on full display tonight, but to the chagrin on the Canucks.
Around the NHL
In non-Leafs land, there’s a couple other players I like tonight.
Adam Fox ($6,700) has been electric for the New York Rangers this year and has a favorable matchup against a …

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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation

TheLeafsNation Fantasy Gameday — I Jinxed Jack Campbell

Welcome to TheLeafsNation Game Day where we take a look at today’s Leafs game and a few other things happening around the league all with daily fantasy in mind.

Sorry if you rode with Jack Campbell last night against Montreal. I think I jinxed him. Take solace in knowing he didn’t help me, either. Alas, let’s see if the Leafs can get back in the win column tonight.
Play free fantasy hockey for huge prizes on DraftKings here.
The Matchup

Toronto
Calgary

Record
28-11-3, .702 points %
17-21-3, .451 points %

GF/GA
140-109
107-123

Power play %

22.9

20.0

Penalty kill %
77.5

80.3

CF%
50.48
52.09

xGF%
54.45
51.63

PDO
102.3
99.2

Goals in all situations, analytics at 5×5 c/o naturalstattrick.com.
Who I like
David Rittich ($8,100) is about as big of a question mark as you can get in net tonight. It’s a 50/50 flip I, personally, won’t be making.
Jason Spezza ($3,000) has goals in three of four games against the Flames this year, but has gone pointless in the last three games coming into tonight. I like his chances to have a rebound game tonight.
Jake Muzzin ($5,100) has played well against Calgary this year with five points in six games. He’ll look to stay …

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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation

The Leafs Nation trade deadline day tracker

Welcome to The Leafs Nation’s trade deadline tracker. We will be updating this post throughout the day with any rumors or speculation relevant to the Leafs’ ahead of the deadline. To get you warmed up, check out our deadline day primer from earlier:
Leafs likely aren’t done making moves ahead of the trade deadline

10:15am EST: Craig Custance of The Athletic reports that Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Laughton is drawing interest around the league with the Flyers still weighing whether to sign or trade him.

Scott Laughton drawing strong interest from contenders. Flyers still weighing whether to sign or trade him at this point.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) April 12, 2021

10:14am EST: St. Louis Blues reporter Andy Strickland is hearing that Anaheim is shopping Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson, perhaps as a package deal. The price appears to be high and the Leafs would have to move out significant money to get involved.

Hearing Anaheim asking for a 1st-Plus for both Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson. Would consider a top prospect as a 1st but would want two. #Flytogether
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) April 12, 2021

10:00am EST: With the Leafs rumored to be interested in adding a depth defenceman, ESPN hockey reporter …

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Author: Nick Richard / The Leafs Nation

TheLeafsNation Fantasy Gameday — Can the Leafs beat out the struggling Flames?

Welcome to TheLeafsNation Game Day where we take a look at today’s Leafs game and a few other things happening around the league all with daily fantasy in mind.

While the Toronto Maple Leafs heat up as the regular season starts to wind down, the Calgary Flames have been doing just the opposite. They’ve struggled under new head coach Darryl Sutter, and these Leafs could be in for a solid matchup tonight.
Both teams have struggled to generate a ton of offence with their being an average of 4.5 goals per game.
Play free fantasy hockey for huge prizes on DraftKings here.
The Matchup

Toronto
Calgary

Record
24-10-3, .689 points %
16-19-3, .461 points %

GF/GA
120-93
97-114

Power play %

24.1

20.2

Penalty kill %
77.7

80.0

CF%
50.62
51.90

xGF%
54.20
51.64

PDO
101.8
99.2

Goals in all situations, analytics at 5×5 c/o naturalstattrick.com.
Who I like
Michael Hutchinson ($7,800) could be a solid play tonight against a Flames team really struggling to score.
Both Auston Matthews ($9,200) and Mitch Marner ($8,200) has scored nearly a point per game against Calgary this year, and they’ll look to once again lead the offensive charge.
On the other side, Matthew Tkachuk ($5,400) has five points in six series games, while Rasmus Andersson ($4,000) has …

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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation

TheLeafsNation Fantasy Gameday — Another night in the six

Welcome to TheLeafsNation Game Day where we take a look at today’s Leafs game and a few other things happening around the league all with daily fantasy in mind.

It looked like the Leafs were going to falter against the Oilers Saturday night, but mounted a tremendous comeback in the third period to snag a 4-3 win in overtime. Can they take another against Edmonton tonight?
Play free fantasy hockey for huge prizes on DraftKings here.
The Matchup

Toronto
Edmonton

Record
22-10-2, .676 points %
21-13-1, .614 points %

GF/GA
114-88
119-101

Power play %

26.3

26.8

Penalty kill %
77.1

76.5

CF%
50.60
49.56

xGF%
53.49
51.27

PDO
101.8
101.2

Goals in all situations, analytics at 5×5 c/o naturalstattrick.com.
Who I like
I’m 50/50 on Michael Hutchinson ($7,800) against one of the highest scoring teams in the NHL. He snagged a shutout win on March 1 against the Oilers, but they’re a different looking team than they were at the start of the month. I’d be cautious.
William Nylander ($5,300) is a solid play against the Oilers. He has six goals and 10 points in eight games against them averaging 3.4 more FPPG against Edmonton than other teams.
Around the NHL
Kaapo Kahkonen ($7,900) has looked solid this year for the Minnesota Wild …

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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation

Blue Jays Nation Radio Ep. 1: Taking a trip around the American League with Dan Szymborski

Welcome to Blue Jays Nation Radio!

No, it isn’t on the radio, but you get the idea. It’s our podcast (which drops every Monday Morning) in which we’ll be talking about all of the good and spicy Blue Jays-related content that you more than likely want to hear. Since we’re just a couple of big-time dumbasses, our plan is to bring as many guests into the mix who actually know what they’re talking about as possible.
And that’s exactly what we did this week! We welcomed FanGraphs’ Dan Szymborski (the father of the ZiPS projection system) to the show to take us on a tour around the American League. Dan walked us through who’s bad, who’s good, and where the Blue Jays stand based on all of that. HINT: things look quite good.
Other random stuff we touched on includes… The pitching puzzle that Charlie Montoyo and The Algorithm have to sort out, being all-in on the Thin Vlad breakout, and whether Nate Pearson might wind up in an Andrew Miller-esque role this season. We also took some insane Hot Takes from the audience to finish things off, which is, as you’ …

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Author: Cam Lewis / Blue Jays Nation

TheLeafsNation Fantasy Gameday — Can the Leafs get back to their ways against the Oilers?

Welcome to TheLeafsNation Game Day where we take a look at today’s Leafs game and a few other things happening around the league all with daily fantasy in mind.

After beating the Oilers in three straight to start the month of March, the Leafs have faltered posting a 3-6 record. Toronto has won their last two in a row, but can they keep it rolling against a surging Oilers team?
Play free fantasy hockey for huge prizes on DraftKings here.
The Matchup

Toronto
Edmonton

Record
21-10-2, .667 points %
21-13-0, .618 points %

GF/GA
110-85
116-97

Power play %

26.8

27.0

Penalty kill %
76.8

76.0

CF%
50.42
49.73

xGF%
53.21
51.62

PDO
101.9
101.1

Goals in all situations, analytics at 5×5 c/o naturalstattrick.com.
Who I like
While Jack Campbell ($8,300) has been red hot in the games he’s played, he’s probably a fade tonight. Despite the Leafs holding Edmonton to one goal in three games earlier this month, they’ve scored the second most goals in the league.
Both Auston Matthews ($8,900) and Connor McDavid ($9,000) could be good options to build around. Both players perform better on home ice, so Matthews could have a slight edge in terms of tonight’s game. Nonetheless, both of them always get up …

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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation

Meet The Baby Blue Jays: CJ Van Eyk could be a quick riser through the system

Welcome to Meet The Baby Blue Jays, a series in which I’ll profile a handful of lesser-known young prospects in the Blue Jays’ system.  

Bio

The Toronto Blue Jays bolstered their pitching prospect pipeline even further by selecting CJ Van Eyk with the 42nd overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.
After being selected in the 2017 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, Van Eyk elected to go the collegiate route, and attended Florida State University. Shortly after arriving there, Van Eyk’s sheer dominance was apparent right away.
In his freshman year as a 19-year-old, Van Eyk posted a 7-0 record along with 71 strikeouts and a 2.86 ERA through 56.2 innings pitched. He had a bit of a down year in 2019 in terms of ERA, but Van Eyk also posted the best SO/9 rate of his collegiate career that season (11.7).
Van Eyk likes to rack up the strikeouts and has the pitch arsenal to do it. Throughout his entire three-year collegiate career, he never posted a SO/9 lower than 10.9. Those are impressive numbers, and it was enough to catch the eye of the Blue Jays’ scouts.
Van Eyk has three pitches that he’s comfortable using in any situation. A fastball …

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Author: David Quadrelli / Blue Jays Nation

TheLeafsNation Fantasy Gameday — In Jack Campbell We Trust

Welcome to TheLeafsNation Game Day where we take a look at today’s Leafs game and a few other things happening around the league all with daily fantasy in mind.

They didn’t get the win last night as the Leafs slide continues, but with Jack Campbell back in net, will the Leafs serve a better fate tonight?
The Matchup

Toronto
Calgary

Record
19-10-2, .645
points %
15-13-2, .532
points %

GF/GA
105-83
86-94

Power play %

28.9

20.9

Penalty kill %
75.3

79.2

CF%
49.94
51.11

xGF%
52.48
52.00

PDO
101.8
100.2

Goals in all situations, analytics at 5×5 c/o naturalstattrick.com.
Who I like
I wouldn’t be shy about playing Jack Campbell ($8,200) as your starting goalie tonight. He’s posted a 3-0 record and a .951 save percentage in his brief appearances this year, averaging 20.9 FPPG.
On a tear in the last 10 games, John Tavares ($6,900) could be a solid play tonight. He’s scored three goals and nine points in that time averaging 11.4 FPPG.
Elias Lindholm ($5,700) has been red hot for the Flames as of late scoring 10 points in his last 10 games, including a 9.1 fantasy point performance last night. On the year, he’s averaged 10 FPPG and plays better on the road.
Mark Giordano ($5,400) has been solid for the Flames …

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Author: Zach Laing / The Leafs Nation