Rasmus Sandin lands on Frank Seravalli’s offer sheet candidates list

Offer sheets are entertaining when you’re watching from afar, but would you enjoy it if a player from the Maple Leafs received an offer sheet?
Well, that could be a possibility this off-season, according to DailyFaceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
On Wednesday, the NHL insider released a list of seven players who are offer sheet candidates this summer. Third on the list is Maple Leafs defenceman Rasmus Sandin.
From Seravalli:
“Sandin probably isn’t the first player you think of when you think about offer sheets, but an opportunity exists to get a quality player who can slide into your top six. Toronto’s cap crunch is obvious. Every $100,000 counts for the Leafs. With a new two-year, $1.4 million AAV deal for Timothy Liljegren, you can ballpark that Sandin is roughly in the same neighborhood for pay, though they play on opposite sides. An untimely regular season injury made him an easy candidate for healthy scratch in the playoffs, but the Leafs still view Sandin as having more upside than Liljegren. It probably wouldn’t take that much for the Leafs to walk away (by necessity). Would a one-year deal at $4.2 million be enough to get the job done? Compensation would be just a second-round pick. Even if it doesn’t work, for a division or conference rival, it would complicate life for the Leafs.”
Now the chances of this happening aren’t huge, but there’s always a possibility that th …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Raptors reportedly considering Nerlens Noel trade with Knicks

Raptors reportedly considering Nerlens Noel trade with Knicks

When Toronto Raptors executive Masai Ujiri wants to acquire a particular player, he will continue pursuing him for years if it means he can finally snatch the baller in question up. That philosophy must be the reason behind the Raptors once again being linked to New York Knicks big man Nerlens Noel. While some might […]
Raptors reportedly considering Nerlens Noel trade with Knicks – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Rowdy Tellez told the Toronto Blue Jays he was open to being traded

When Rowdy Tellez saw the success Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was having early in his MLB career, he knew his time with the Toronto Blue Jays would be limited.

And when it became more and more clear that Guerrero was owning first base, he approached Jays GM Ross Atkins expressing his willingness to be traded.

Rowdy Tellez acknowledged that he approached Ross Atkins to at least express that he was open to being traded when it was clear Vlad was owning 1B. “I wanted to further my career.” #Bluejays.
— Rob Longley (@longleysunsport) June 24, 2022

It comes as no major surprise, either. As I wrote about yesterday, it was hard for Tellez to find a regular spot in the Jays lineup. Justin Smoak was largely at 1B early in Tellez’s career and into 2020, the team brought in Travis Shaw who ate into some reps, too. While Tellez got DH reps in, the 2021 season saw the addition of George Springer and the club wanted him DH’ing lots, too.
The ceiling became only so high for Tellez, so I can’t blame him at all for asking without asking for a trade.
the Jays will get a good look at him this weekend as they head to Milwaukee for the first time since 2017.
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

The Maple Leafs tradability tiers for the summer of 2022

Often when we talk about trades on this site we focus largely on who the Leafs are targeting. We’ve made some passing mention of players that it makes sense to dump, but never really factor in who other teams would be calling the Leafs for or asking in return. In the spirit of that, here’s a list of 20 non-UFA assets the Leafs have to work with this offseason to consider. We’ll start with who will likely be returning and work toward the players who should hire moving trucks to beat the rush.
Untouchables
Auston Matthews: I truly like to believe that every player in the league is tradeable and there should be a price on anyone, but honestly why on earth would the Leafs even entertain the idea of moving on from a generational goal scoring talent, possibly Hart Trophy winner, their 1C, and guy who has developed a pretty good 200 foot game? If we want to pretend there is any chance of Matthews being on the move we’ll see what happens if he goes into his contract year without an extension, but as for right now there is absolutely no need to jump the gun and we go about our lives knowing that Matthews will be a Leaf.
Hard to im …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Top NHL Buyout Candidates in the 2022 Offseason

When NHL General Managers are tasked with opening up cap space during the offseason, the buyout is a unique accommodation. In many cases it allows a GM to shift much of the burden of a bad contract into the tenure of the next GM. If their job is on the line and they can immediately reclaim 66% of a player’s cap hit, it’s not that difficult to justify the long-term pain of a buyout.
Here’s the rundown on how buyouts work: Signing bonuses cannot be bought out. For players over the age of 25, two-thirds of the remaining salary is spread over twice the years remaining. For players 25 or younger it’s one-third. Then the difference between actual salary and cap hit is factored in. Assume a 30 year old player has a cap hit of $4m and two seasons remaining on their contract, and the salary is $4m then $5m. Two-thirds of $9m remaining, divided over 4 years is $1.5m. That is the buyou …

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Author: Earl Schwartz / The Leafs Nation

Gabriel Moreno’s big game isn’t enough to overcome Yusei Kikuchi’s poor start, Blue Jays lose 6-5

On a day when the Blue Jays lost Hyun-Jin Ryu due to season-ending surgery, Yusei Kikuchi failed to show up yet again. Thank the baseball gods Ross Stripling has emerged as a reliable starter because the Jays are down to just three of five members of their opening day rotation that can be trusted.

Kikuchi struggled with his control early on and the Orioles jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third. The Jays would tie the game at three in the fourth inning but never held a lead against the bottom dwellers of the American League East.
The game would end 6-5 Orioles after some clutch at bats from rookie catcher Gabriel Moreno brought it within one run. Orioles closer Jorge López continued his stellar season with a perfect five-out save to seal the win for Baltimore.
The Blue Jays fall to 36-25 on the season and just 5-3 over their last eight games against three of the weakest teams in the AL (Royals, Tigers, and Orioles).
Things Worth Mentioning…
Gabriel Moreno has arrived. Before he even took the plate against Orioles starter Jordan Lyles, Moreno already had fans leaving their seats. After a one-out single in the second inning, Baltimore speedster Jorge Mateo tried to steal second on the young backstop but a perfect throw to …

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Author: Scott Ony / Blue Jays Nation

NHL Performance Bonus Overages

There is a certain degree of schadenfreude at the end of the season, when performance bonuses overages are announced for NHL clubs. Every team is going to be competing for the same players come Free Agency, and every dollar in overage is one less you have to compete with on the open market. Contending teams tend to be tight to the cap and rely on contributions from players on Entry Level Contracts, which often leads to those teams being punished for their success with bonus overages.
There is perhaps no better example than Artemi Panarin scoring in the last game of the 16-17 season, tying him for 10th in the league in points. That earned him $1.725m in Schedule B bonuses, combined with his $850k in A bonuses left Chicago with more than $2.5m in bonus overages. Right after a disappointing 1st round sweep, the Blackhawks traded Panarin in the reshuffle caused by the cap squeeze. It was the symbolic end to a dynasty that won 3 cups in 6 years, all predicated by an inconspicuous game 82 goal.
In 2021-22 there were over 300 players eligible for performance bonuses. Just 6 of those players were on 35+ contracts, eligible for up to $6m in performance …

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Author: Earl Schwartz / The Leafs Nation

Raptors’ interest in ISU’s Izaiah Brockington makes a ton of sense

Raptors’ interest in ISU’s Izaiah Brockington makes a ton of sense

The Toronto Raptors certainly have a type when adding backcourt players. Masai Ujiri and Nick Nurse have populated their roster with versatile defenders that can be coached up on the offensive end. Commitment to that philosophy of building a team could help Iowa State star Izaiah Brockington end up in Canada during the 2022 NBA […]
Raptors’ interest in ISU’s Izaiah Brockington makes a ton of sense – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Alejandro Kirk has a legitimate All-Star case

When the 2022 All-Star Game rolls around next month, the Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be well represented for a second straight season and one of those spots could potentially be awarded to catcher Alejandro Kirk.

Granted, in most circumstances, Kirk doesn’t immediately stand out in your mind when you think of all-star players on Toronto’s roster. That’s certainly understandable. But that might begin to change over the next few weeks.
As each day passes, the more traction Kirk’s all-star campaign gains as he’s currently putting together a very strong case for himself. At the moment, the 23-year-old stands as one of the hottest hitters in the majors, which has recently sparked this lively debate.
Since May 23, the 5’8″ backstop is hitting .425/.500/.825 with four home runs, four doubles, and nine RBIs over his last 46 plate appearances. His latest blast came during his club’s series finale versus the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. A solo shot that came off the bat at 108.9 m.p.h. and traveled an estimated 416 feet to left field.

Cleared for liftoff @alejandro_kirk pic.twitter.com/HwkIqqHiyd
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 5, 2022

Digging deeper, Kirk is also carrying a remarkable .400 ISO, .394 BABIP, .557 wOBA and a 276 wRC+ score during this recent hot streak. He leads all Blue Jays hitters with a 1.1 fWAR rating, as well.
This current offensive explosion has instantly helped Kirk improve off his slow start, which saw him slash .232/.323/.232 with zero extra-base hits across his first 65 plate appearances of the season. That resulted in a very forgettable April, although he still posted more walks (nine) …

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Author: Thomas Hall / Blue Jays Nation

ESPN’s NBA Mock Draft has Raptors making incredibly weird pick

ESPN’s NBA Mock Draft has Raptors making incredibly weird pick

The Toronto Raptors are always willing to zig when everyone else zags. That unusual draft strategy is one of the main reasons that Pascal Siakam went from No. 27 overall to All-NBA and Scottie Barnes won Rookie of the Year. Masai Ujiri likely won’t completely throw that strategy in the trash in 2022. The second […]
ESPN’s NBA Mock Draft has Raptors making incredibly weird pick – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ