Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Alex Galchenyuk in exchange for Egor Korshkov, David Warsofsky - Maple Leafs Hot Stove | Canada News Media
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Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Alex Galchenyuk in exchange for Egor Korshkov, David Warsofsky – Maple Leafs Hot Stove

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired left-wing depth in the form of Alex Galchenyuk in a Family Day trade with the Carolina Hurricanes.

Heading to Carolina is Russian prospect Egor Korshkov, who appeared in one NHL game for the Leafs in 2019-20 and scored in that game, as well as AHL veteran defenseman David Warsofsky.

While Warsofsky’s inclusion is a case of off-loading a Standard Player Contract, the cost of Korshkov is not something to entirely write off as a nothing piece in the deal; he was a unique prospect in the system with his size (6’4), and he flashed some offensive ability with the Marlies (16 goals in 44 games) and in his one appearance with the Leafs (as well as some promising camp performances). He’s also tallied 16 goals in 53 games this season in the KHL. While the situation with Covid and Korshkov spending the year in Europe meant he didn’t appear in camp this year, Korshkov looked like he could have a future with an NHL team and bring a hard-to-play-against element to a team’s fourth line if he does indeed come back overseas.

Worth noting here is that Galchenyuk cleared waivers today, meaning he can be shuffled back and forth to the taxi squad for the next 30 days without being exposed to the other 30 NHL clubs. He carried more value having cleared waivers already than he would’ve previously. He also is not bound to 14-day quarantine restrictions as he was last a part of the Senators organization before he was included in yesterday’s trade that sent Cedric Paquette to Carolina in exchange for Ryan Dzingel (Galchenyuk never crossed the Canada-U.S. border).

Toronto is the sixth stop for Galchenyuk since the former third overall pick in 2012 left Montreal for Arizona in 2017-18 as part of the Max Domi trade. He headed to Pittsburgh as part of the Phil Kessel trade the next season before spending time in Minnesota, Ottawa, and technically belonging to the Canes organization for 24 hours.

A 30-goal scorer in 2015-16 and a two-time 19-goal scorer (in his final season in Montreal and lone season in Arizona), Galchenyuk has two 50+ point seasons and two 40+ seasons to his name. With three different teams since 2019-20, however, he’s tallied just nine goals and 25 points in 67 games.

Galchenyuk has a skill set and shooting ability that belie the trajectory his career has taken over the past few years. Since rumours of off-ice and character issues plagued him in Montreal, he’s struggled to make the consistent impact required to really catch with any of his last five teams. He got off to a good early start in Ottawa, where he scored an impressive goal on the power-play, but he followed it up with too many games where you had to double-check the score sheet to see if he played.

Friend of the site, Callum Fraser, summed up his stint in Ottawa like so:

He was impressive in his first couple of games. Thought he would turn into a PP1 mainstay – wired a couple in just first game, one of them a goal, bar down – but he fizzled after that. On the power play, I specifically remember him whiffing on three perfect passes on his final game. At 5v5, he disappears too often. Think he was feeling the pressure the past few games, because he was far more aggressive and active at even strength, but not enough to save him apparently. Still carries a lot of potential, but he’s disengaged too much.

– Callum Fraser of NHL.com on Galchenyuk’s short stint in Ottawa

That last sentence has largely been the story with the 27-year-old in his recent tours around the league, and you wonder when the urgency to save his career is going to really kick in. Playing at around a 30 or 35-point pace in scoring situations isn’t good enough if the engagement level and overall impact in terms of his 200-foot play isn’t a net positive.

The Leafs will likely put Galchenyuk in a prime opportunity to succeed with their space on the left wing. Expect him to receive a few opportunities next to John Tavares and William Nylander, as well as on power-play unit #2. At a minimum, Galchenyuk should have plenty of motivation to prove two former teams of his (Montreal, Ottawa) wrong in this Canadian division.

Jimmy Vesey and Alex Barabanov have not staked a firm enough claim to a LW spot for the Leafs not to go seeking other alternatives, and the team was understandably looking to improve on its scoring depth, as it has often looked like a two-line (or one-and-a-half line) team in terms of its offensive production at 5v5.

Galchenyuk makes $1.05 million this year before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

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Ravens win fifth straight game by beating Bucs 41-31

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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:

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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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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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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