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Maple Leafs Rumours: Toronto a team to watch on Nick Foligno trade front (Pierre LeBrun) – Maple Leafs Hot Stove

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Jan 9, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno (71) goes to the net with the puck as Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly (44) defends at Air Canada Centre. The Maple Leafs beat the Blue Jackets 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

In today’s Leafs Links, the trade scuttlebutt is coming fast and furious with GM Kyle Dubas aggressively shopping ahead of the April 12 trade deadline.

Johnston: Still hearing the Leafs are tied to Mattias Ekholm (SN590)

On Leafs Hour, Chris Johnston provided his latest feel for the Leafs‘ approach to the trade deadline and the targets they are inquiring about.

It is clear that getting a forward is what they want to do, and that might eat up all of the cap space. But you can’t rule out a defenseman, either. I saw Elliotte had in 31 Thoughts that he thinks they’re out on Ekholm. I keep hearing that they are still tied to Ekholm. I am certainly not going against Elliotte, but we are hearing conflicting things on that.

I don’t know if that is on the table or not, but I don’t think they can say, “We are totally done at D.” You have to make a wishlist, and then you have to be realistic about what you can get done.

Johnston on the Leafs‘ aggressiveness in the market:

The Leafs are putting first-round picks, top prospects, even potentially a roster player — someone like Alex Kerfoot — on the table which is more than most contenders are willing to give up at this point in time.

… I have heard something like seven names with the Leafs: Alex Iafallo, Nick Foligno, Granlund. I don’t know who it is. I am not convinced it is just the obvious candidates here. I think the Leafs are the type of organization that, smartly, goes through the entire league and thinks of every possible fit there could be. They are playing chess on a different level than we are in terms of understanding what they can do with their cap situation and considering every possible move. I’ll be honest: I don’t know who the player is.

Johnston on whether the quarantine impacts the price of players:

I think the Leafs are going to have to overpay, frankly. I think there is no way around that because of the quarantine issue. The U.S. teams that are selling have no reason to lower the prices right now. They know they have these Canadian teams in a spot where they want to make these deals soon. They have the luxury, if those deals don’t come together, to say, “Alright, the trade deadline is still not for three-and-a-half weeks.”

For U.S. teams, some of them won’t even have a one-day quarantine if the player can drive from city to city. If Kyle Palmieri gets traded from Jersey to the Island, he can play that night for the Islanders. That is a huge difference when it comes to making deals.

There is almost no way around, if you are in the Leafs’ position, that you are going to have to expend a bit more to get someone. At the same time, I would say it doesn’t mean it is not worth doing. If you believe in this season and in the importance of getting that player sooner than later — of getting that person through the quarantine but also comfortable in the new environment — and the fact that you said you are looking for rental players, the clock is ticking. I don’t think it is ticking in Kyle’s favour or any of the other Canadian GMs.

Johnston on whether the prices could fall by deadline day:

Talking to some teams not the Leafs, they think the prices will come way down on April 12th. The sellers are not going to have the same number of buyers as usual. Some teams, at that point, will say it is not even worth bringing players in at that late of a date.

Dreger: Taylor Hall wants stability — either in Buffalo or via trade to a team interested in an extension; LeBrun: Leafs a team to watch on Foligno (TSN)

On the latest edition of Insider Trading, Seravalli, Dreger, and LeBrun provided updates on Nick Foligno, Taylor Hall, Kyle Palmieri, and the cross-border 14-day quarantine rule.

LeBrun on Nick Foligno:

There are teams that have kicked tires on Nick Foligno. He is just the kind of guy you wnat to add to your top six come playoff time. For now, the message from Columbus, I am told, is that they want to make a run here. They want to try to get on a run over the next couple of weeks.

Foligno has a 10-team no-trade list. He is part of this discussion. Columbus hopes it is not a discussion, and that he stays on board and they make the playoffs. The New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs are teams to watch on that front.

Dreger on the latest with Taylor Hall:

Taylor Hall has acknowledged he is still open to his options. One of them is staying in Buffalo and signing an extension. The other being a trade negotiation. Darren Ferris, his representative, and Buffalo GM Kevyn Adams are expected to have discussions in the near future. Hall wants some stability moving forward — either with an extension with the Sabres, or navigating a trade to a team that is interested in extending him in the future.

Seravalli on the likelihood that the cross-border 14-day quarantine rule could be lifted by the deadline:

It could. The NHL is certainly hoping it will. The NHL has been in discussions with the Canadian government hoping to get it reduced from 14 days down to 7 days. At this point, they don’t have an answer. They are waiting on one. The federal government has been busy over the last several months, and it is not happening as quickly as they want. The GMs are not holding their breath.

Mike Johnson’s top Toronto Maple Leafs deadline targets (TSN1050)

On Leafs Lunch, TSN analyst Mike Johnson provided his Leafs trade wishlist ahead of the deadline, including three rentals and one player with term.

1. Taylor Hall — He can’t score goals right now — he is infected with whatever else is going on in Buffalo — but he still drives play. He is still a fast skater. He would be here as a complementary player. Buffalo is a wealthy club that would eat half of his salary for sure. You’d have to find a way to make it work, but imagine him playing with Nylander and Tavares and the pace he could add to that lineup when he is not required to be the best guy? I think Taylor Hall would be great. The salary makes it hard, but it would be great.

2. Kyle Palmieri — Big, strong, fast, and he scored 30 goals a few years in a row. He is defensively reliable. He is a physically stout player. Playoff hockey is not going to be a problem for him. He is not bad defensively. He will fit in on your top six and won’t cost as much money. He makes $4.65 million. He might not cost as many assets as Taylor Hall as well if they don’t extend him. I’ve liked him for a while. I think he can fit seamlessly onto a lot of different teams in a lot of different roles. The Islanders will be calling for him as well, but I think he would be a really good fit with either Matthews or Tavares.

3. Alex Iafallo — He plays in LA’s top six, on their power play, on their penalty kill. He doesn’t make nearly as much money and would not cost nearly as much to get. Think of him as Zach Hyman-lite. He has a good motor an decent hands. He only makes $2.4 million — way easier to get in under the salary cap — and he’s 27 years old. He could be really attractive. LA probably wants to re-sign him as he has been good for a while there and has grown as a player. He had 17 goals and 43 points last year in 70 game — Zach Hyman-like production. He brings energy, is strong on the puck. I like him as an option.

4. Rickard Rakell — He has one more year at $3.8 million. I am thinking about Rakell if Hyman is pricing his way out of Toronto. He is playing so well that he might get $5.5 million somewhere. I think he should be in the fours and would want to pay him in the fours, but he might be able to get more elsewhere. Edmonton needs winger and has a ton of cap space. If they don’t get Nugent Hopkins done, it might be something Edmonton is interested in. They have a lot of money coming off of the books. If you don’t think you can get Hyman signed — even though you’re obviously keeping him for the playoffs this year — Rickard Rakell is really good and can play with good players. For another year at $3.8 million, he can play in your top six and score 30 playing with good players. He will cost a bit more to get because of his term.

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Ravens win fifth straight game by beating Bucs 41-31

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October 22, 2024

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.

The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.

Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.

Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.

The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.

Elsewhere in the NFL:

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CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.

Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.

Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.

It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.

Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.

Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.

It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.

Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Struggling Whitecaps, Timbers set to meet in MLS wild-card matchup

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October 22, 2024

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VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.

With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.

The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.

The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.

An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”

Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.

There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.

“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.

Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.

“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”

Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.

“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.

“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”

The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).

The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.

Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).

The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.

To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.

“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”

A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.

The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.

“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)

Wednesday, Providence Park

HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.

ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.

POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

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No rugby, field hockey, badminton, triathlon or cricket at leaner 2026 Commonwealth Games

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October 22, 2024

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.

Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.

The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.

There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.

The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.

It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.

“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.

Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.

More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.

The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”

Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.

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