Raptors adding solid shooter Joe Wieskamp on 10-day contract

Raptors adding solid shooter Joe Wieskamp on 10-day contract

The Toronto Raptors decided to waive former undrafted free agent Justin Champagnie one week ago, as they didn’t see a path to playing time for him despite some poor results from the rest of the team. Toronto needs players that show more competency from 3-point range. Waiving Champagnie was partially motivated by avoiding paying him […]
Raptors adding solid shooter Joe Wieskamp on 10-day contract – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Should Raptors regret signing Otto Porter Jr. in free agency?

Should Raptors regret signing Otto Porter Jr. in free agency?

When the Toronto Raptors decided to bring back both Chris Boucher and Thad Young in free agency, Masai Ujiri needed to make sure that he used his remaining cap space on a proven veteran winner. He appeared to strike gold when he lured Otto Porter Jr. up to Canada. Porter, a former No. 3 overall […]
Should Raptors regret signing Otto Porter Jr. in free agency? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

Raptors: 3 Eastern Conference rivals who got worse this offseason

Raptors: 3 Eastern Conference rivals who got worse this offseason

The Toronto Raptors have decided to run it back and not upset the apple cart too much this offseason. Considering how successful their 2021-22 season was, changing a team that won 48 games despite some issues in roster construction makes a ton of sense. The only issue that the Raptors may face is an Eastern […]
Raptors: 3 Eastern Conference rivals who got worse this offseason – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

The Maple Leafs may have a hard time repeating 2021-22

So you’ve read the title and you’ve decided to be angry. That’s okay, you are a user of the internet after all. It’s to be expected.
But allow me to take the edge off your fury before I dampen your hopes:
The Leafs are still an excellent team
The Leafs will make the playoffs and likely challenge for home-ice advantage
The Leafs’ new-look goaltending, with all its uncertainty, will have a hard time being worse than last year’s 29th-ranked Jack Campbell/Petr Mrazek tandem
However, there are a few things standing in the way of another 115-point season for the Maple Leafs.
The first is history. Twenty-three teams have put up a 0.701 points percentage (115-point pace) or higher in the NHL’s salary cap era, with four of those cases happening last season (FLA, COL, CAR, TOR). Of the remaining 19 teams, just four were able to cross the 0.701 threshold the next season. Additionally, just one of those four teams actually improved upon their point total from the previous season. That one team? Last year’s Atlantic Division-leading Florida Panthers, who jumped from 0.705 in 2020-21 to 0.744 in 2021-22. Simply put, it’s a hard mountain to climb two years in a row.
The second is the strengthening of the Atlantic division. The Athletic’s Dom Luszczyszyn released his NHL offseason improvement r …

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Author: Mark Norman / The Leafs Nation

Raptors: Juancho Hernangomez playing well on international stage

Raptors: Juancho Hernangomez playing well on international stage

The Toronto Raptors decided to dip their toes far into the free agent pool to find one of their later roster additions. Juancho Hernangomez, fresh off his tour de force showing as Bo Cruz in Adam Sandler’s Hustle, signed a one-year deal with Toronto that gives him some guaranteed money. Even though he had a […]
Raptors: Juancho Hernangomez playing well on international stage – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

5 times a change of scenery revived a goalie’s career and how the Maple Leafs can learn from it

As it stands, the Toronto Maple Leafs have decided to enter the 2021-2022 NHL season with a couple of reclamation projects in net. It’s understandable that much of the fanbase would be upset about this, as goaltending is easily the sport’s most important position and can largely be blamed for many of Toronto’s failures over the past few seasons.
That said, the two goalies that will be battling for the job of Maple Leafs starters going into the season are ones with high upside and a proven track record of success before their recent struggles. Matt Murray had the unique distinction of winning two Stanley Cups as a rookie, stealing the net from Marc-André Fleury during the 2016 playoffs with only 13 NHL games under his belt, allowing him to remain a rookie for next season when the Penguins went back-to-back.
Meanwhile, Ilya Samsonov comes to Toronto after failing to meet expectations in Washington. The former first round put up stunning numbers in three KHL seasons after being selected by the Capitals in the first round, followed by a great rookie season in 2019-2020. Since then however, Samsonov has struggled to replicate those numbers and ultimately Washington let him explore free agency despite a strong performance in the 2022 playoffs.
The Maple Leafs are putting a lot of fa …

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Author: Filipe Dimas / The Leafs Nation