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Toronto Raptors 2021-22 Early Season Preview, Predictions

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2020-21: A Lost Season Season

 

Following the most successful run in franchise history — seven consecutive playoff berths, six division titles and an NBA Championship — the Toronto Raptors find themselves in reset mode.

In last year’s Orlando bubble, the Raptors fell just one game short of a second consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearance, bowing out to the rival Boston Celtics in seven games.

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The Raptors never found their rhythm in 2020-21, which saw them play all of their games south of the border. The Canadian federal government wouldn’t allow the Raptors to play in Toronto, so they had to use the Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida as their temporary home.

Toronto finished with a disappointing 27-45 record, 12th overall in the East. Their four Atlantic Division rivals (Boston, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers) all qualified for the postseason.

This marked Toronto’s first losing and non-playoff season since 2012-13. The .375 winning percentage was their worst mark since 2011-12 (.348).

Offseason Recap: Ujiri Extension, Barnes, Trent Jr., Lowry Departs

To say that this was a news-filled offseason for the Raptors would be a massive understatement.

Masai Ujiri, the well-respected and beloved executive, signed a new deal that now gives him the title of “vice chairman” to go along with his role as the team president.

Ujiri, who has been with the Raptors since 2013, is responsible for the Raptors’ rise to the NBA’s elite. He made bold trades for Serge Ibaka (2017) Kawhi Leonar (2018), Danny Green (2018) and Marc Gasol (2019) that fueled the 2019 championship run.

He made the gutsy decision to fire Dwane Casey in 2018 despite the latter winning Coach of the Year honors. Casey was replaced with Nick Nurse, who led the Raptors to a title in his first season on the job.

Ujiri also hit home runs with the draft selections of Pascal Siakam (27th overall in 2016) and OG Anunoby (23rd overall in 2017). The championship season likely doesn’t happen without Fred VanVleet, who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

The track record of Ujiri, simply put, shows that the Raptors’ future is in good hands. Few executives can match his overall success at the draft table or in the trade and free agent markets.

News of Ujiri’s extension came a week after the Raptors used the No. 4 draft selection on Florida State forward Scottie Barnes. Toronto passed on Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs, a consensus top-four prospect in the class.

It remains to be seen if Barnes will be a starter, and how much action he’ll see as a rookie. Nurse has a good problem here: Too many options in regards to constructing his starting five.

The Raptors re-signed guard Gary Trent Jr., acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers in the Norman Powell trade, to a three-year deal worth $54 million. It’s been widely viewed as an overpay, but Trent Jr. flourished in a 17-game audition with averages of 16.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Retaining Trent was a necessity because the Raptors bid farewell to franchise icon and All-Star point guard Kyle Lowry, who left for the Miami Heat in free agency (a three-year deal worth $85 million).

Trent isn’t going to replace Lowry’s leadership, playmaking abilities or reliable scoring ways. But he will reduce some of the damage of Lowry’s departure.

 

 

 

2021-22 Season Predictions

The hope and expectation is that the Raptors will be granted permission to return to Scotiabank Arena for their 2021-22 home games, but nothing has been formally announced.

The Raptors have enjoyed one of the greatest home advantages in the Ujiri era. And it’s safe to say that Toronto would have fared much better last season if they got to play their home games at Scotiabank Arena in front of a boisterous sellout crowd.

On one hand, improvement feels inevitable — especially if the Raptors return to Toronto this season. But the problem is that their division features four likely playoff teams and two bonafide championship contenders, Brooklyn and Philadelphia according to the odds on 888sport Canada.

The Bucks, Heat and Atlanta Hawks feel like playoff locks. The Celtics and Knicks improved their respective rosters and should be in the running again. The Chicago Bulls added Lonzo Ball and former Raptor DeMar DeRozan. The up-and-coming Charlotte Hornets, who earned a play-in berth last year, should be better as the young core continues to grow.

Add it all up, and the best-case scenario for the Raptors is probably a play-in berth. Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Miami, Atlanta and New York will almost certainly finish higher in the standings.

Theoretically speaking, this would leave the Raptors, Celtics, Bulls, Hornets and the always pesky Indiana Pacers in the mix for the No. 7 and No. 8 seeds plus the two play-in berths.

The early prediction is that the Celtics and Hornets claim the final two seeds, while the revamped Bulls and well-coached Pacers find their ways into the two play-in spots. This will be another non-playoff year in Toronto as Ujiri slowly tries to build a new contender. Short-term pain is required.

 

Prediction: Raptors Finish 35-47, 11th In Eastern Conference

 

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Canucks place goalie Thatcher Demko on long-term injured list – CBC.ca

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The Vancouver Canucks have placed all-star goalie Thatcher Demko on the long-term injured reserve list retroactively.

“It’s just cap related,” coach Rick Tocchet said after practice Wednesday. “We get some cap relief, that’s all it is.” 

The 28-year-old netminder has been considered week to week since being sidelined with a lower-body injury midway through Vancouver’s 5-0 win over the Winnipeg Jets on March 9.

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That injury designation hasn’t changed, Tocchet said.

Demko boasts a 34-18-2 record this season, with a .917 save percentage, a 2.47 goals-against average and five shutouts.

Casey DeSmith has taken over the starting job for Vancouver, going 3-2-1 since Demko’s injury. He has a .899 save percentage on the season with a 2.73 goals-against average and one shutout. 

The earliest Demko could be back in the Canucks’ lineup is April 6 against the Kings in Los Angeles.

He’s expected to be a key piece as Vancouver (45-19-8) prepares for its first playoff appearance since the COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign. 

Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin also announced Wednesday that the club has called up forward Arshdeep Bains from the Abbotsford Canucks of the American Hockey League. 

“I’d like to see where [Bains is] at,” Tocchet said, noting he isn’t sure whether the 23-year-old winger will slot into the lineup when the Canucks host the Dallas Stars on Thursday. 

WATCH | Bains makes NHL debut

Surrey, B.C.’s Arshdeep Bains makes Canucks debut

1 month ago

Duration 2:20

Arshdeep Bains from Surrey, B.C., has made his NHL debut with the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night against the Colorado Avalanche. As CBC’s Joel Ballard reports, it’s been a hard-fought journey for the hometown kid to the big leagues.

Bains played five games for the NHL team in February before being sent back to Abbotsford. 

“He went down, he’s done a couple of things that we like, and he’s got some speed,” Tocchet said. 

Vancouver may get another forward back in the lineup Thursday. 

Dakota Joshua practised in a full-contact jersey on Wednesday for the first time since suffering an upper-body injury in Vancouver’s 4-2 win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on Feb. 13. 

The physical winger, who’s set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer, has a career-high 26 points (13 goals, 13 assists) this season.

Sitting out injured “hasn’t been fun,” Joshua said.

“It feels like forever,” he said. “But at this point, that’s behind me and I’m moving forward.”

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Senators score 5 in 1st, cruise past Sabres – NHL.com

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“I thought that we were ready to go,” Ottawa coach Jacques Martin said. “We got some pucks at the net, we got people at the net. Took advantage of our opportunities and, I think, built a nice lead. And then I thought, in the third period, we continued again. Our goaltending was good. Made some key saves. But I thought we shut them down in the third period good.”

Shane Pinto had a goal and three assists, and Brady Tkachuk, Boris Katchouk, Jakob Chychrun and Drake Batherson each had a goal and an assist for the Senators (31-36-4), who have won three in a row. Korpisalo made 34 saves.

“If you want to win, you need balance,” Pinto said. “And we had that tonight and it’s going to be big for the back-to-back tomorrow (against the Chicago Blackhawks) to have that same thing. So, going to need all the guys on board.”

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JJ Peterka and Connor Clifton scored for the Sabres (34-34-5), who have lost four of six. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen allowed four goals on nine shots before he was replaced by Devon Levi, who made 31 saves in relief.

“We wanted, I guess, to play as individuals,” Clifton said. “I’m disappointed we let ‘Upie’ down, he’s the heart and soul of this team. He’s kept us in so many games, and just to not show up and play that careless style, give them freebies all over the place. … Yeah, obviously, the first 20 really dictated the rest of the game.”

Artem Zub gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 2:37 of the first period. He stuffed in a loose puck on the goal line after Katchouk’s shot was redirected by Mark Kastelic between Luukkonen’s pads.

Katchouk made it 2-0 at 4:56, tipping Parker Kelly’s shot from the top of the right face-off circle past Luukkonen.

“It’s keeping the consistency with good effort, right habits,” Katchouk said. “The small things matter so much in this game. And obviously, it worked out tonight with the tip. But kudos to my linemates. ‘Kels’ and ‘Kassy,’ they worked hard to get the puck as well. Those two battle hard every night as well. We feed off each other, and it’s good to play with them.”

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Vasilevskiy stops 23 as surging Lightning beat Bruins – Sportsnet.ca

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