It’s no secret that the doubters significantly outnumber the believers when you’re joining your seventh organization after recently going unclaimed on the NHL’s waiver wire while owning a contract that can be buried entirely in the minors.
Galchenyuk was a risk-free acquisition for them and helped free up a valuable contract slot since the Leafs traded two low-depth players to the Carolina Hurricanes last Monday to take him. But they are an intriguing landing spot for the 27-year-old forward due to their heavy resources and a nine-member player development staff that should be able to help salvage anything still salvageable in the former third-overall draft pick.
At this stage, he’s a reclamation project for a first-place team that is under no pressure to play him. The Leafs are making a modest bet with the possibility of some upside and the onus is entirely on Galchenyuk to prove there’s a future brighter than his recent past.
“We can sit here and talk all day about my career … but that’s not where my head is,” he said Sunday. “My head is here and I’m really excited to be here.”
His head was spinning a week ago when he celebrated a birthday by getting traded to the Hurricanes from the Ottawa Senators. He was instructed to remain in Canada while Carolina general manager Don Waddell offered him around to the six other North Division teams, reasoning that his quarantine-exempt status would carry some added value during a season where any player typically added from a U.S.-based organization isn’t available to skate for 14 days because of federal regulations.
After being passed through the waiver wire, Galchenyuk was eventually dealt for the second time in a little more than 48 hours — acquired by the Leafs for Egor Korshkov and David Warsofsky.
“It was a pretty wild couple days,” said Galchenyuk.
He was given a couple days to pack up his life in Ottawa and joined the Leafs for his first skate at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday morning. Within minutes, Randi Milani — the team’s assistant skating development consultant — pulled out an iPad and was recording him taking strides up and down the ice.
Galchenyuk’s career was forged on his offensive abilities. He possesses a heavy shot and was a skilled playmaker in his prime, but he hasn’t been able to cultivate other areas of his game while seeing the minutes and production dry up over time.
He arrives in Toronto looking to “just be fully me.”
“You know, deserve that opportunity and then stick with it,” said Galchenyuk. “Keep working, keep attacking, keep playing aggressive and go out there and make plays. That’s my game. And compete.”
It’s not clear how soon he might find himself playing for a 14-3-2 Leafs team that is pretty crowded up front. However, when he eventually gets a chance to join Sheldon Keefe’s lineup, he’ll almost certainly find himself with linemates who possess offensive ability.
Jason Spezza, Travis Boyd, Jimmy Vesey and Nic Petan are among those who have been pulling down fourth-line minutes of late.
All Keefe has told Galchenyuk so far is to get settled in his new surroundings and stay ready. The organization clearly has modest expectations.
“With his skillset and what he’s accomplished in the league, we see great potential there for him,” Keefe said last week. “But obviously, he’s a guy that’s trying to find his way and find his game.”
Galchenyuk is a long way removed from his 30-goal season with the Montreal Canadiens but he was a productive NHLer as recently as two years ago. He’s seen his rope get progressively shorter, though, with a 418-game stint in Montreal followed by 72 games in Arizona, 45 games in Pittsburgh, 14 games in Minnesota, eight games in Ottawa and no games in Carolina.
This could be the last NHL stop if he doesn’t carve out a niche with the Leafs.
At least Galchenyuk finds himself in a place with all of the available tools and resources needed to better himself. It’s been difficult to see a once-promising career crumble so quickly, but he’s still got a chance to live his dream.
“Even if there wasn’t hockey involved, I’ve been moving a few places throughout the last years. It was tough, but it’s part of life,” he said. “It’s exciting, depends how you look at it.”
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.
