The Orlov trade makes the Atlantic Division arms race real for the Leafs

The Orlov trade makes the Atlantic Division arms race real for the Leafs

I don’t think there is really a need to ask how the Orlov trade affects the Leafs, it’s pretty obvious. Toronto took a nice first step to the deadline with a huge move to bring in Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari, and that was a nice little way for a team in “win now mode” to try and close the gap with the heavily favoured Boston Bruins.
As much as we obviously focus on the Leafs need to win this season, the expectations, age, and salary cap realities for the Bruins make this season a do or die one for them as well. Bergeron and Krejci are in the back half of their 30’s and taking deep discounts to keep playing together in Boston. Marchand is crossing over into his later 30s pretty soon as well, he’s likely on his last NHL contract. And of course there’s the small matter of pending UFA David Pastrnak. They are either going to need to pay him a mint or this truly is a last dance situation for the Bruins. They want to win now and they showed their commitment on Thursday night:

The full details ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/4tkcRiMoei
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) February 23, 2023

That price the Bruins paid looks awfully familiar to Leafs fans, and while I think most Leafs fans would take O’Rei …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Avoiding Patrick Kane seems like the best route forward for the Leafs

Avoiding Patrick Kane seems like the best route forward for the Leafs

Sometimes the trade deadline really sucks. One of those instances is when the team you follow is connected to a player you truly despise. If it was just a matter of the Leafs being interested in an overachieving, overpriced shutdown defenseman who is a crapshoot to mirror his success with a new partner in a new system, that would be one thing. Instead, we’re talking about Patrick Kane who has given people plenty of reasons to dislike him.
I feel like we’ve moved past the obvious reasons for not wanting Patrick Kane on the Leafs and now can focus a bit more on hockey-related ones. I say that the myriad of questions that come along with bringing Kane into the Leafs’ locker room would create a three-ring circus environment that typically doesn’t work out so well for the Leafs. If the Leafs think they need a chaotic element to a potential playoff run, I guess you can ignore the fact that the Toronto media will be very interested in reliving the questionable moments of Patrick Kane’s career through questions and in print from before he even gets on the plane to Toronto.

“I just don’t know if that’s going to fit.”@FriedgeHNIC joined @JeffMarek to share his view on Toronto as a potential destination f …

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Author: Jon Steitzer / The Leafs Nation

Clutch hits from Whit Merrifield and George Springer propel Blue Jays to split doubleheader

It was a really gloomy day for the Toronto Blue Jays offense. Pair that with a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays, and this had the recipe to be a nasty sweep.

Toronto dropped the first game 4-2 in a matchup that included Toronto going 1-8 with RISP and leaving 10 runners on base. Game 2 had a similar look to it (with an unreal amount of ground ball outs), until the 7th inning provided some of the biggest hits of the season from guys who needed them badly.
Toronto trailed 2-1 going into the bottom of the frame, and they got a leadoff walk from Santiago Espinal. Espinal would end up on third base due to a couple of wild pitches from Rays reliever Colin Poche. It brought up the first of multiple buttons that John Schneider pushed correctly, as he pinch hit Whit Merrifield for Jackie Bradley Jr. He also pinch ran Bradley Zimmer for Danny Jansen, who had just walked to get on first.
Coming into tonight, Merrifield had been batting .182 as a member with the Blue Jays. Aside from his defensive prowess of being able to play mult …

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Author: Evan Stack / Blue Jays Nation

3 takeaways after Raptors destroy 76ers in Summer League

3 takeaways after Raptors destroy 76ers in Summer League

Toronto Raptors fans can’t really ask for much more out of a Summer League debut. Not only did fans get to see young studs like Armoni Brooks and Christian Koloko put on solid performances against the rival Philadelphia 76ers, but they did so in what became a 97-77 victory. While it was far from a […]
3 takeaways after Raptors destroy 76ers in Summer League – Raptors Rapture – Raptors Rapture – A Toronto Raptors Fan Site – News, Blogs, Opinion and More

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Author: Mike Luciano / Raptors HQ