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The Toronto Maple Leafs secured the services of right-shot defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks through the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. However, despite this acquisition, speculation continues about the Leafs’ pursuit of additional blue-line talent. General manager Brad Treliving is eyeing more reinforcements. The Maple Leafs are not done looking and there are a few names out there, some more realistic than others.
Recent rumors have connected several names to the Maple Leafs. Among them, Matt Dumba of the Arizona Coyotes, Alexandre Carrier of the Nashville Predators, and Sean Walker of the Philadelphia Flyers. Notably, there is hesitancy surrounding Walker due to a potential high asking price. Reports are the Flyers want a first-round pick, which Treliving aims to avoid in a defenseman trade. He already turned down moving that pick for Chris Tanev and Tanev was the higher-valued player.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman introduced a new potential target for the Maple Leafs on the 32 Thoughts podcast , suggesting interest in Washington Capitals blue liner Nick Jensen . “They were looking at a lot of right-shot D… I heard Nick Jensen was kind of a name that they were looking at,” Friedman revealed.
Jeff Marek contended there was more room to make moves. He then highlighted that the Maple Leafs might not be done exploring trade opportunities.
Why Nick Jensen for the Maple Leafs?
Jensen, who joined the Capitals in 2019, has established himself as a reliable defensive presence, playing a shutdown game. With a cap hit of $4.05 million and two years left on his extension, Jensen could provide an improvement to Toronto’s blue line.
Jensen has been out of the lineup for the past two games. He is expected to make a return against the Philadelphia Flyers. This presents an opportunity for the Maple Leafs to assess his performance closely before potentially finalizing a trade ahead of the deadline.
It doesn’t appear the Leafs are going to pull the trigger on a blockbuster trade. The biggest names still out there on defense are out of the price range for Treliving. So far, he has been trying to scrape together lower picks while the teams selling are looking for big returns.
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Maple Leafs Could Trade Nick Robertson to Bolster Roster
The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the more interesting teams across the NHL, and their offseason has been a little curious. Toronto lost star Mitch Marner to free agency, and while the front office has brought in some pieces to help replace his production, they remain a lesser team. The Maple Leafs can't outright replace Marner, and it could cause some issues on the ice this season. But it seems that Toronto may be looking to continue adding in what could be a late offseason move. According to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thought Podcast, there is a good chance that Toronto still makes some moves. One of them could include Nick Robertson, who has reportedly been placed on the trade block this summer. “The Maple Leafs have to clear some bodies there,” Friedman said. “There’s a lot of them. “I definitely think the Maple Leafs have work to do here,” I don’t know what their timeline is, but nobody expects them not to do things before puck drops, that’s for sure.” Robertson scored 15 goals and had seven assists for the Maple Leafs last season. The young wing appeared in 69 games for Toronto. Toronto has been searching for a way to add another top-six forward to the mix, and this could be the way to make it happen. The Maple Leafs front office may be feeling the pressure to keep adding this offseason, but the team has a limited number of assets to work with. The fans in Toronto have seen their patience wear thin, and this team needs to win at a high level. If this organization has another dud of a season, things could get really ugly in Toronto.
Steelers receive bad news on fan-favorite rookie: 'Better pray'
The Pittsburgh Steelers were handed their first preseason loss of the year. On Saturday night, the Steelers fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 17-14. A preseason loss or win doesn’t mean much, but how the young players performed does. Early in the game, Steelers rising outside linebacker Nick Herbig suffered a soft tissue injury. With Alex Highsmith’s groin injury also lingering, this now could mean that rookie Jack Sawyer might be thrust into more opportunities than originally expected. One of the most respected NFL Draft analysts, Jon Ledyard, watched the Buccaneers versus Steelers game on Sunday and revealed some concerning updates about Sawyer’s game tape. While Sawyer displayed flashes of his strength and relentless motor, the tape also exposed areas of inconsistency in his technique. The analyst pointed out that Sawyer struggled to disengage from blockers on a few critical snaps and at times looked a step behind in recognizing run plays. For a defense that relies heavily on outside linebacker depth to keep constant pressure on quarterbacks, those mistakes stand out quickly. "Missed the Steelers-Bucs game live last night, so re-watching now," Ledyard shared to his X followers on Sunday morning. "Difference between [Nick] Herbig off the ball and [Jack] Sawyer off the ball is like watching a different sport. Steelers better pray Herbig and [Alex] Highsmith are good to go Week 1." Despite the concerning breakdown, the Steelers remain high on Sawyer’s upside. There has also been positive news about the rookie. He has the physical tools and raw talent that made him such a popular rookie among fans when Pittsburgh drafted him. With Herbig and Highsmith both dealing with injuries, Sawyer could find himself in line for more immediate snaps during the preseason and potentially into the regular season. The next couple of weeks will be crucial for him to clean up his technique, prove he can handle the added responsibility and show coaches that he’s ready to step into a bigger role if called upon. It seems that several pundits were not very high on Sawyer's showing Saturday night. Now, it's still early for the fourth-round prospect. He will surely continue to watch the tape and improve as he continues to adjust to the NFL level. Sawyer recorded just one tackle, and while he has put out some troubling tape over the first two preseason games, it is not enough to truly cause concern. If anything, it is reflective of a fourth-round pick still adjusting to the speed and complexity of the NFL. The transition from college to the professional level is never easy, and Sawyer was a fourth-rounder in the eyes of many teams for a reason. He has the tools to develop, but it may simply take time for him to find his rhythm and consistency. Steelers Likely To Need Jack Sawyer In 2025 The silver lining for Sawyer is that the injuries at outside linebacker will give him a real chance to build momentum. With both Herbig and Highsmith sidelined, even temporarily, the Steelers will need depth and fresh legs at the position. Sawyer will have opportunities to get on the field and show progress, but he will need to sharpen his technique and improve quickly if he hopes to make a legitimate impact in his rookie season. The reality is that if Herbig and Highsmith do not return swiftly from their soft tissue injuries, the Steelers' outside linebacker group could be in a difficult spot. Soft tissue issues are unpredictable and can linger anywhere from days to months, making recovery timelines uncertain. That uncertainty puts added pressure on Sawyer, who suddenly finds himself facing a pivotal stretch early in his NFL career.
Milwaukee Brewers: Craig Counsell Blasts Former Team’s 14-Game Winning Streak, Gets Caught Lying
The Milwaukee Brewers saw their 14-game win streak, the longest in franchise history, come to an end on Sunday afternoon in an extra innings loss to the Cincinnati Reds. Milwaukee’s bats, which had been red hot for weeks, suddenly cooled and the taxed bullpen could not close out the game, which the Brewers led in the ninth inning. Now, Milwaukee will look to start a new win streak as they head to Chicago for a five-game series, which will be played in a four-day span, against the Cubs. Of course, the Brewers and Cubs have one of the most intriguing rivalries in the game as Chicago’s manager, Craig Counsell, is the winningest skipper in Milwaukee’s franchise history. But, after the 2022 season, Counsell ditched the Brewers, the team his father worked for and he himself played for Milwaukee for a good portion of his career in order to take the Cubs’ job away from David Ross, who was still the team’s manager when they decided to hire their former rival. Earlier this season, Chicago led Milwaukee in the standings by as many as 6.5 games, but now, thanks to the Brewers’ long run of stellar play, are eight games behind the Brewers in the standings. Chicago Cubs Manager Craig Counsell Doesn’t Think the Milwaukee Brewers Are Doing Anything Great Counsell, who still resides in Whitefish Bay on Milwaukee’s north side, is not much loved anymore by Brewers fans, and he has done little to save face in their eyes with comments he has made about the team since joining their I-94 rivals. He added more fuel to the fire in a recent interview with the Chicago Sun Times, Counsell was asked about his thoughts on the Brewers’ winning streak. “What’s so great about it?” he responded. “They’re playing good. I mean, they’re playing great. They haven’t lost since we played them.” And then, to the bewilderment of many, Counsell claimed that, despite being a Milwaukee native, he had “never seen” a George Webb’s” restaurant. Former Milwaukee Brewers Manager Craig Counsell Flat Out Lied Aside from saying that Milwaukee’s 14-game winning streak was not that great, Counsell flat-out lied about his knowledge of George Webb’s. As fans may recall, he himself was the manager of the Brewers the last time they won 12 games in a row, the needed amount of consecutive wins for fans to be able to claim a free hamburger at the local chain. Local fans and reporters quickly unearthed a story from 2018, the year the Brewers won 12 consecutive games (eight at the end of the regular season and their first four postseason games) in which Counsell talks about the giveaway: “I remember the concept of free hamburgers going back so long, it’s hard to believe that it’s never happened since then.” At this point, it is not hard to determine why Counsell said what he said on Sunday. He is just stoking the fires of what is sure to be a hard-fought five-game series in Chicago.
Red Sox Land Silver Slugger, Gold Glove Winner: Breaking
The Boston Red Sox have had questions at first base since Triston Casas suffered his season-ending knee injury. There have been questions about the position ever since, but it seems like Boston is at least trying to bring another slugger to town. Recently, the Washington Nationals designated Nathaniel Lowe for assignment in a somewhat surprising move. Lowe had 16 homers and 68 RBIs for the Nationals before the decision was made. While this is the case, he was slashing .216/.292/.373 in 119 games played. Lowe was one of the best hitting first basemen in baseball over the last few years, but the 2025 season hasn't quite been his year. In 2024, he slashed .265/.361/.401 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs in 140 games played for Texas Rangers. The year before, he won a Gold Glove Award while slashing .262/.360/.414 with 17 homers and 82 RBIs in 161 games. The best season of Lowe's career so far came in 2022 with the Rangers as he slashed .302/.358/.492 with 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 157 games played. Red Sox adding Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner to Boston This season has been uncharacteristic by his body of work throughout his seven year big league career. Once Lowe was DFA'd by the Nationals, immediately speculation popped up about how he would make sense in Boston. Well, it sounds like the Red Sox's front office agrees. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo reported that the Red Sox are in talks to bring Lowe to town. "Red Sox are in talks to bring in Nathaniel Lowe and are working on getting it done, sources say," Cotillo said. ESPN's Jeff Passan followed up by reporting that the Red Sox and Lowe were finalizing a deal. "First baseman Nathaniel Lowe and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing a deal, sources tell ESPN. Lowe was DFA’d by Washington earlier this week and will head to Boston and join one of the best lineups in the league," Passan said. Since Casas got hurt, the Red Sox have been getting by with Romy González and Abraham Toro getting the vast majority of the work. González is still thriving but Toro has fallen back to earth after a red-hot start to his Boston stint. Now, Lowe will come to town and help fill in at first base down the stretch as Boston pushes for a playoff spot. It's been a good run for Boston -- despite a bad day on Sunday -- and now the club will add another slugger into the mix.
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