Red-hot Raptors have a chance to ignite Toronto sports momentum again - Daily Hive

It’s been just under a month since the Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off a blockbuster trade on the eve of the NHL season, acquiring Kirill Marchenko from the Columbus Blue Jackets in a deal that saw Matthew Knies head the other way. The sample size remains limited, but the early stats suggest Marchenko is proving to be the upgrade the Maple Leafs were betting he would be last month. The 26-year-old winger has four goals and 10 points through 10 games this season, on pace to average a point per game for the first time in his career. After calling on himself to produce more last week, Marchenko posted a hat trick in a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. He has been a consistent producer, posting at least a point in eight of Toronto’s 10 games. The Maple Leafs inked Marchenko to a six-year, $75 million contract extension as part of the trade, boosting his cap hit to $12.5 million when it kicks in next season compared to the $7.75 million Knies is signed for. “There’s a lot of good players in the NHL,” Maple Leafs general manager John Chayka said in the wake of the deal.

O'Sullivan has had a quiet start to the 2026-27 season, with a run to the semi-finals of the Wuhan Open the only significant result in his five tournaments to date. Two last-16 finishes preceded his final-four finish at that event, but he has been defeated in the first round in his two subsequent appearances, in Shenzhen and Belfast. Having earned £513,750 at ranking events over two years, O'Sullivan is £99,350 ahead of Ali Carter, who holds 16th spot in the world rankings, and £154,650 clear of Zhou Yuelong, who sits in 17th, with winnings of £359,100. On first glance, that appears to be a comfortable cushion, with only a set of significant runs from his rivals putting him at risk of having to qualify for the World Championships in May next year. However, there are issues over the horizon, because over a third of O'Sullivan's winnings come from reaching the final of the Saudi Arabia Masters in August 2025. The £200,000 he won in Jeddah will continue to count towards his ranking past the 2027 World Championship, but that money will slip out of the eligibility period soon after the start of the 2027-28 season.

Matthew Knies came out of the blocks flying in his Blue Jackets debut, but has cooled significantly since. What's up with that? Adam Vingan takes a look.