Raptors coaching tier list: Who are the best candidates for the job?

Raptors coaching tier list: Who are the best candidates for the job?

The Toronto Raptors went from one of the first teams to enact some regime change after the firing of Nick Nurse. After over a month of interviewing and reading the tea leaves, only the Raptors and Phoenix Suns still need someone to fill that hole. The Detroit Pistons managed to take the best available candidate […]
Raptors coaching tier list: Who are the best candidates for the job? – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ

What the Bruins’ elimination means for the first-round pick the Leafs acquired in Sandin deal with Capitals

With the Boston Bruins bowing out in the first round of the playoffs to the Florida Panthers, we now know when the Toronto Maple Leafs will make their first selection in this summer’s draft.

The Leafs acquired the Bruins’ first-round pick back in late February in what was essentially a three-way trade between Toronto, Boston, and Washington. The Bruins acquired Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway from the Capitals in exchange for a first-round draft pick among other things, and that first-round pick was flipped to the Leafs a few days later in a deal for Rasmus Sandin.

Leafs trade Rasmus Sandin to Capitals for Erik Gustafsson, Boston’s first-round pick https://t.co/oGCKC0RlBf
— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) February 28, 2023

The Bruins put together the strongest regular season in league history and won the Presidents’ Trophy handily but the NHL bases the draft order on how far teams go in the playoffs. Picks No. 29 and No. 30 go to the two teams that lose in the Conference Finals, the No. 31 pick goes to the team that loses in the Stanley Cup Final, and the No. 32 goes to the team that wins it all.
So, since Boston had the league’s best record and won’t advance any further in the playoffs, we know their pick will be slotted in at No. 28 overall. Barring any other moves, this will be Toronto’s first pick in the upcoming draft, as they moved their own first-round pick to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari.
The Leafs have selected No. 28 overall twice in their history. They drafted Jeff Jackson in 1983 and Daniel Marois in 1987 and they went on to play 263 and 350 games in the league respectively. Some notable players who were sele …

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Author: Cam Lewis / The Leafs Nation

Leafs bargain wingers, praise for puckmovers, and the value of organizational knowledge: Leaflets

Tonight is game three, the first game in Tampa and in order for the Leafs to advance they now need at least one win on the road. Their best chance is getting it while Hedman and Cernak are either still out or at least borderline healthy enough to play. You’d hope to see the Leafs take advantage of the situation a little, but when have we ever seen the Leafs do anything the easy way?
Here are a few other stray Leafs thoughts to get you through gameday.
Discount wingers
It’s certainly worth remembering that not every prospect pans out, but much to the delight of Leafs fans, Matthew Knies has really made it clear that he can be a serviceable NHLer even when he isn’t on the scoresheet. He made the most of his opportunity coming in for Bunting and it seemed that Aston-Reese and Lafferty have also taken notice of how good Knies is and they elevated their game to make their cases for staying in the lineup when Bunting returns for Game 5.
Bunting and Knies have their fates tied in another way. A big selling point on Bunting has always been that he’s been a top six player that doesn’t cost a lot. This summer that whole doe …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Brandon Belt has four RBIs to back six quality innings from Yusei Kikuchi in 6-1 Blue Jays win

Tonight was the first game of the season between the Yankees and the Blue Jays, and fortunately, the Jays dominated from start to finish. There were several different storylines, but let’s start with the guy who hasn’t earned a Player of the Game honour yet.

Blue Jays Nation’s Player of the Game: Brandon Belt
To say Belt had a tough start to the season would be an understatement, as the strikeout numbers were at disgusting heights. Ever since Toronto’s home opener, though, Belt has shown signs of looking up, as he has seven hits in his last 20 at-bats. That includes a 2-for-4 showing tonight, including his first home run as a Blue Jay.
Belt hammered a 91 mph fastball from Domingo German with two outs in the 6th inning, a two-run shot that extended Toronto’s lead from one run to three. Later in the game, Belt hit a ball deep to right field that deflected off the glove of Aaron Judge and landed for a two-run double that put the game out of reach. Belt should deservedly be in the lineup tomorrow as the Jays will face another righty, so hopefully he can keep the hits coming.

Brandon Belt, at last.
His 1st home run with the #BlueJays: pic.twitter.com/tnNb48hJ4g
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) April 22, 2023

Things worth …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Chris Bassitt has a wild ride, Bo Bichette hits a clutch three-run homer, and more as the Blue Jays beat the Angels 4-3

With the exception of the first inning, all signs pointed to the Blue Jays dominating this game. They got several guys on base and got a quality start from Chris Bassitt. The only problem was that, for most of the game, the Jays were playing from behind.

With the team being 0-for-5 with RISP, they just needed one big hit to get in front. They got that hit from Bo Bichette in the 7th inning, as his 3-run dinger put the Blue Jays in the lead for good en route to a 4-3 win on Friday night in Anaheim. The win is Toronto’s fourth straight overall, and their fifth consecutive win at Angel Stadium.
Blue Jays Nation’s Player of the Game: Bo Bichette
With as big a home run as Bo had, he is no doubt worthy of tonight’s Player of the Game. Bichette was 2-for-4 with a double and the aforementioned home run, as he is becoming increasingly more dependent in big situations.
The Blue Jays outhit the Angels 9-3, with Bo’s hits being the only two extra-base hits of the game for Toronto. The three RBIs from that home run put him in second on the team in that category.

Bo Bichette sends it into orbit to give the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead.
107.4 mph, 415 feet, and Chris Bassitt is in …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

Resting Leafs, the importance of home ice, and what’s up with Sam Lafferty: Leaflets

Today marks my first Leaflets in several years as a contributor to The Leafs Nation rather than as the Managing Editor. The change probably doesn’t mean much to any of you reading this, but the move should allow for a future opportunity for someone new to come in and run this site with a level of commitment I never could as someone working a full time job in addition to managing this site. I want to thank a lot of people at The Nation Network like Jay Downton, David Quadrelli, Baggedmilk, Cam Lewis, and so many others who were huge supports to me in my time in the role, but I especially what to thank the writers of TLN for all their hard work over the past three years. I had the joy of stepping into the role right as the pandemic paused hockey and coming out of that I was given the opportunity to build my dream team at TLN and we’ve been going strong ever since. Now the site is ready to take another leap forward and the 2023-24 season will be an exciting one for not on the Leafs, but TheLeafsNation.com
All that preamble out of the way, here are my wee …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Raptors’ all-time starting 5: Players who never made playoffs in Toronto

Raptors’ all-time starting 5: Players who never made playoffs in Toronto

The Toronto Raptors qualified for the playoffs in 13 of their first 27 seasons. They have been a fixture in the postseason for the last decade, but that was not always the case. Before Kyle Lowry started the run in 2014, the Raptors were in the lottery for five straight years and nine of 11 […]
Raptors’ all-time starting 5: Players who never made playoffs in Toronto – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Tyler Watts / Raptors HQ

Here’s why the Raptors should keep Will Barton for 2023-24

Here’s why the Raptors should keep Will Barton for 2023-24

The Athletic’s Shams Charania was the first to report that the Toronto Raptors will sign veteran forward Will Barton, who was waived by the Washington Wizards last Tuesday. In order to free up a roster spot, the Raptors released forward Juancho Hernangomez, who is now a free agent. Hernangomez, who was signed by the Raptors […]
Here’s why the Raptors should keep Will Barton for 2023-24 – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: KC Jordan / Raptors HQ

Villeneuve’s game starting to click, McMann’s strength, and ‘Mr. Consistency’: Marlies Weekly

Villeneuve’s game starting to click, McMann’s strength, and ‘Mr. Consistency’: Marlies Weekly

First place in the AHL’s North Division, the second-best power play in the league — the Toronto Marlies are having a season.
The team is 8-1-1 in their last 10 games and they’re also two points off the top spot in the AHL. This is something that a lot of people likely wouldn’t have predicted at the beginning of the season.
Toronto is undefeated in 2023 and who knows when their first loss could come. The past two games have gone to overtime, but strong play from both Joseph Woll and Erik Kallgren have kept them from having a game go in the lose column.
William Villeneuve’s comfort level rising
Villeneuve is one of the most fascinating players on the Marlies this season. It’s his first professional year, and being a fourth-round pick, his season could could go either way.
As a defenceman coming from junior to the AHL, the initial phase might be a little difficult to get used to. Though over time, things will become easier as you get more comfortable, and stronger.
“He’s an impressive hockey player,” said Marlies head coach Greg Moore back in early December. “There’s a lot of things he does with the puck and how he positions himself around the rink in his reads that is elite.
“Once his body continues to develop, and get stronger and faster, then all of a sudden you’re going to see this pop where he’s going to be able to control games offensively and defensively. (He’s) a really special player. …

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Author: Nick Barden / The Leafs Nation

Toronto Maple Leafs set to visit Arizona Coyotes in 5,000-seat Mullett Arena for the first time

Toronto Maple Leafs set to visit Arizona Coyotes in 5,000-seat Mullett Arena for the first time

The Toronto Maple Leafs will hit the ice for their first game at the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena in Tempe, AZ when they take on the streaking Arizona Coyotes on Thursday evening.

The Coyotes (12–16–5) toppled the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche 6–3 on Tuesday. They’ve been one of the National Hockey League’s best teams at home this season, posting a 6–3–2 record through their first stretch of games at the brand-new arena.
The Maple Leafs are used to playing in front of big crowds at Scotiabank Arena, but the Coyotes have one thing going for them that the Leafs don’t: a sellout streak. Arizona has sold out each of its first 11 home games at Mullett Arena this season, with attendance capped at 4,600 in its NHL configuration; as of midnight on December 29, the cheapest seats for Thursday’s Toronto/Arizona game were listed at $190 USD, with standing room passes also available for $150.
Mullett Arena, the NHL’s newest and smallest rink, has drawn rave reviews from players for the quality of its ice surface. Construction also recently finished on brand-new home and visitor NHL dressing rooms, the latter of which ranks among the largest in the league — a far cry from the temporary hodgepodge put together for the Coyotes’ first homestand.
The new rooms are firmly big-league quality.

👀#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Iqm3JMa5XK
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) December 19, 2022

The Coyotes are preparing for their arena and entertainment district proposal to go before Tempe citizens in a referendum this coming May. Until then, they’re firmly in rebuilding mode, albeit with the likes of Clayton Keller, …

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Author: Mike Gould / The Leafs Nation