The deal has worked out splendidly for the Leafs who added a top pairing defenseman, and one of the best play drivers of the last decade, for next to nothing.
With no first round pick, the Leafs selected Nick Robertson, a player just four days from being too young for the draft, in the second round. Robertson has lit up the OHL this year and if he was born four days later, would be a for-sure first rounder this year, a fact that negates most of the cost of the Muzzin trade (since the Leafs essentially ended up with a first rounder anyways).
But what will the Toronto Maple Leafs do this year? Does Dubas has another heisting hidden up his sleeve? Will the league’s best general manager further cement his reputation by adding the player that puts his team over the top?
Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Deadline Plans
Complicating the Leafs ability to add players is the fact that (with a fully healthy roster) they are at the salary cap limit.
That makes Cody Ceci, Kasperi Kapanen and Andreas Johnson prime candidates to be used for trade bait.
Johnson has a history of first line production and I find it highly unlikely the Leafs would trade him. Kapanen, however, has mostly disappointed this year, and teams might also overpay for that crazy speed he has.
Ceci is a perfectly adequate #6 but makes too much money for that role.
If the Leafs moved two of these players, they could add almost any piece that could conceivably be available, so cap space isn’t likely to be an issue.
The issue is: what do they want?
You would assume they’d love to add a defenseman, but the Leafs blue-line is a much bigger strength than most people realize. Rielly, Muzzin, Barrie, Dermott, Sandin, Holl is – in my opinion – an excellent blue line.
I wouldn’t turn my nose up at a solid upgrade, but unless the Leafs are going big game hunting for a player like Ryan Ellis, I don’t see the need. Why trade for a Ceci upgrade when Liljegren and Sandin already provide you with two?
The Leafs are always rumoured to be after Alexandar Georgiev from the Rangers, but does it make sense to spend a lot of assets on a back-up goalie? I don’t think it does. If the price isn’t too high, I’m on board, but I wouldn’t spend too much on a player you’re just gonna lose in the expansion draft anyways.
What I would look at if I was the Leafs is two things: a top pairing defenseman, and a top line forward.
Roster balance is not a necessary thing in a game where you use so many players. Another elite forward would make the Leafs impossible to defend against and add just as many wins as a top pairing defenseman would.
I think forwards might come without a premium and that you could add a forward that upgrades the team at a cheaper cost than a defenseman.
But if an elite player is not available, I’d stand pat if I was in charge of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The team is so deep that you’d have to add a very good player for there to be any kind of upgrade.
CLEVELAND (AP) — Restricted free agent forward Isaac Okoro has agreed to re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Okoro’s new deal is worth $38 million, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract has not been signed or announced by the team.
ESPN.com first reported the agreement, citing Okoro’s representation.
The fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft, Okoro is Cleveland’s best perimeter defender, often drawing the assignment of guarding the opponent’s top scorer. Okoro also has worked to improve his offensive game.
The 23-year-old averaged 9.4 points and 3.0 rebounds in 69 games — 42 starts — last season for the Cavs, who beat Orlando in the opening round of the playoffs before losing to eventual champion Boston.
Okoro shot a career-best 39% on 3-pointers, forcing teams to come out and guard him.
His agreement caps an extraordinarily busy summer for the Cavs that began with coach J.B. Bickerstaff being fired and replaced by Kenny Atkinson. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell signed a three-year, $150 million extension in July, ending months of speculation that he wanted out of Cleveland.
Also, power forward Evan Mobley signed a five-year, $224 deal and center Jarrett Allen signed a three-year, $91 million extension.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Canada’s Marina Stakusic fell 6-4, 6-3 to Poland’s Magdalena Frech in the quarterfinals of the Guadalajara Open tennis tournament on Friday.
The 19-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., won 61 per cent of her first-serve points and broke on just one of her six opportunities.
Stakusic had upset top-seeded Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (0) on Thursday night to advance.
In the opening round, Stakusic defeated Slovakia’s Anna Karolína Schmiedlová 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday.
The fifth-seeded Frech won 62 per cent of her first-serve points and converted on three of her nine break point opportunities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s long single with the bases loaded provided the Toronto Blue Jays with a walk-off 4-3 win in the 11th inning of their series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday.
With the Cardinals outfield in, Kirk drove a shot off the base of the left-field wall to give the Blue Jays (70-78) their fourth win in 11 outings and halt the Cardinals’ (74-73) two-game win streak before 30,380 at Rogers Centre.
Kirk enjoyed a two-hit, two-RBI outing.
Erik Swanson (2-2) pitched a perfect 11th inning for the win, while Cardinals reliever Ryan Fernandez (1-5) took the loss.
Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman enjoyed a seven-inning, 104-pitch outing. He surrendered his two runs on nine hits and two walks and fanned only two Cardinals.
He gave way to reliever Genesis Cabrera, who gave up a one-out homer to Thomas Saggese, his first in 2024, that tied the game in the eighth.
The Cardinals started swiftly with four straight singles to open the game. But they exited the first inning with only two runs on an RBI single to centre from Nolan Arendao and a fielder’s choice from Saggese.
Gausman required 28 pitches to escape the first inning but settled down to allow his teammates to snatch the lead in the fourth.
He also deftly pitched out of threats from the visitors in the fifth, sixth and seventh thanks to some solid defence, including Will Wagner’s diving stop, which led to a double play to end the fifth inning.
George Springer led off with a walk and stole second base. He advanced to third on Nathan Lukes’s single and scored when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. knocked in his 95th run with a double off the left-field wall.
Lukes scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from Spencer Horwitz. Guerrero touched home on Kirk’s two-out single to right.
In the ninth, Guerrero made a critical diving catch on an Arenado grounder to throw out the Cardinals’ infielder, with reliever Tommy Nance covering first. The defensive gem ended the inning with a runner on second base.
St. Louis starter Erick Fedde faced the minimum night batters in the first three innings thanks to a pair of double plays. He lasted five innings, giving up three runs on six hits and a walk with three strikeouts.
ON DECK
Toronto ace Jose Berrios (15-9) will start the second of the three-game series on Saturday. He has a six-game win streak.
The Cardinals will counter with righty Kyle Gibson (8-6).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
