The biggest surprises and disappointments of the Leafs season so far

The biggest surprises and disappointments of the Leafs season so far

As we continue the TLN contributors’ walk down memory lane regarding the first half of the Leafs season, we’ve come to one of my favourite topics. Who has been the biggest surprise (usually who did we set the bar exceeding low for) and the biggest disappointment (meet your new scapegoat.)
For the Leafs and their strong first half the surprises have been plentiful, and the disappointments minimal, so keep that in mind as I don’t think anyone is particularly beating up on the disappointments and the team gets a passing grade.
Here are the responses:
Biggest Surprise
Jon Steitzer:
Matt Murray is probably the safest answer here. It seemed like a lot of wishful thinking that he could string together anything resembling even a passable season as a backup and aside from the predictable injury, Murray’s rebound year has been a pleasant surprise.
Mike Westlake:
I would say the biggest surprise this season has been our goaltending. During the majority of our season thus far it has been one of the most consistent (until lately). I was on the bandwagon idea that this team was going to struggle with goaltending issues but that simply hasn’t been the case.
James Reeve:
Justin Holl. He started slow but certainly stood up when injuries really hit the team.
Nick Richard:
Even as someone who has been following Pontus Holmberg for some time and believed he would push for a regular NHL role at some point this season, he has b …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

The Blue Jays just got shut down by Dean Kremer and have now lost five consecutive games with the Baltimore Orioles

The nightmare continues. The Blue Jays continue to go through a poor slump, as they dropped another game to the Baltimore Orioles 4-2.

Last night, it was Kyle Bradish, and, as you can tell by the headline, the Blue Jays had a lot of fits with Dean Kremer, the Orioles starting pitcher tonight. Yes, this is the same Dean Kremer who, before tonight, had an 11.32 career ERA against Toronto (per @JGoldberg12 on Twitter). Sounds like the perfect recipe for coming out of a slump, eh? Nope.
Kremer gave up a 2-run homer in the first inning from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but after that, he put up zeros for the rest of his outing. Kremer threw seven innings, allowing seven hits, two runs, one walk and striking out six. Oof.

Last year if you’d told me Dean Kremer would twirl 7 innings in a game with crucial postseason implications, I’d have said you’re crazy pic.twitter.com/KbDoQ2seSH
— District Orioles (@DistrictOrioles) August 17, 2022

Guerrero’s home run came after George Springer’s leadoff single in the 1st inning. Vladdy hit an absolute seed to the Blue Jays’ bullpen to give Toronto an early 2-0 lead. It was the first time the Jays scored first in a game since August 7th at Minnesota.
Despite the good start, tonight’s game was once again littered with missed opportunities. The Jays would look to add more to the scoreboard in the 3rd inning, as they worked the bases loaded with one out against Kremer by way of a Vladdy single, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. double, and an Alejandro Kirk walk. Unfortunately, Matt Chapman grounded into an inning-ending double play to kill the momentum.
Another critical …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Latest Kevin Durant trade update is bad news for Raptors’ odds

Latest Kevin Durant trade update is bad news for Raptors’ odds

As more suitors continue to flake away in the Kevin Durant trade sweepstakes, the Toronto Raptors remain firmly in the mix. Even though they are unwilling to part ways with Scottie Barnes in a move, the Raptors clearly have some degree of interest in bringing Durant to town. Raptors fans dreaming of a future centered […]
Latest Kevin Durant trade update is bad news for Raptors’ odds – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Leafs have signed Adam Gaudette to a $750k deal

The Leafs continue their depth signings by bringing in former Senator, Canuck, and Blackhawk Adam Gaudette.

We’ve signed forward Adam Gaudette to a one-year contract. #LeafsForever
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) July 13, 2022

The Leafs press release:

The Toronto Maple Leafs announced today that the hockey club has signed forward Adam Gaudette to a one-year contract worth $750,000

Gaudette, 25, has collected 70 points (27 goals, 43 assists) in 218 regular season games with the Vancouver Canucks (2017-18 to 2020-21), Chicago Blackhawks (2020-21 to 2021-22) and Ottawa Senators (2021-22). The Braintree, Massachusetts native split last season between the Chicago and Ottawa, recording 14 points (five goals, nine assists) in 58 regular season games.
Gaudette was originally selected by Vancouver in the fifth round (149th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft.
So that $750k cap hit is about as ideal and low risk as you can get. Like Aube-Kubel he’ll be competing with some Marlies for a fourth line role, but unlike Aube-Kubel his contract will leave him as a risk for being claimed off of waivers. That can be a perk to a player that wants to stay in the league.
Gaudette is also only 25 and sticks with the Leafs plan to stay on the younger side and so far they’ve exclusively focused on players who haven’t received qualifying offers as RFAs. This served the Leafs well last year and it’s nice to see them tapping into it again.

The numbers don’t really like Gaudette much. He hits though, and plays a typical fourth line game and can play some center. This is likely the Leafs looking for someone to push the Marlies in competition or believe they can help Gaudette get back to the potential that was once seen in him during his time in Vancouver.
With the new Leafs in the lineup they have about $3.5M to spend still, although there is plenty of flexibility in the offseason overage, Robe …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation