Del Toro takes it easy during 18th stage of Giro as Denz wins with solo breakaway

CESANO MADERNO, Italy >> Overall leader Isaac Del Toro had a chance to take it relatively easy during the 18th stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday, which was won by German rider Nico Denz with a solo breakaway.

Del Toro, the first Mexican rider to wear the pink jersey, finished safely in the main pack following the 144-kilometer (89-mile) route from Morbegno to Cesano Maderno, which featured three minor climbs early on before a relatively flat finale.

It will likely be much tougher for the 21-year-old Del Toro the next two days, with grueling back-to-back mountain stages before the mostly ceremonial finish in Rome on Sunday.

“I don’t know what the situation will be. I cannot predict the future,” Del Toro said. “But of course, if I can be with the GC (general classification) riders, and more or less everything in control for the team, I will be happy enough.

“I hope to be mentally ready,” Del Toro added.

For now, Del Toro maintained his advantage of 41 seconds ahead of 2019 champion Richard Carapaz and 51 seconds ahead of British rider Simon Yates.

Maple Leafs GM Treliving says change is coming after 2nd-round playoff loss

TORONTO >> Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving says to expect changes in the offseason after another early exit in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

And not just to the roster — but “between the ears,” too.

Using the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers as an example, Treliving said at a season-ending news conference Thursday that there must be changes in the “DNA” of a team that continues to struggle in big playoff moments despite regular-season success.

“We’ve got to continue to change and evolve our mindset, and we’ve got to find a way to create the team ... to be our very best at the most critical moments,” Treliving said.

Toronto finished the regular season in first place in the Atlantic Division and defeated the Ottawa Senators in the first round for just its second playoff series win in the past 20 seasons.

The Leafs looked poised for a breakthrough when they won the first two games of a second-round series against the Panthers and went up 3-1 in Game 3, before handing the momentum back to their opponent and losing in seven games.

Jonathan Toews is planning an NHL comeback after a 2-year hiatus

Jonathan Toews has informed his longtime agent he intends to come back to the NHL after missing the past two seasons.

Pat Brisson confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday that Toews reached out to him on Wednesday to say he’s 100% ready to move forward on a comeback attempt.

Toews, 37, is a free agent now, and his camp can speak with any of the league’s 32 teams immediately. Free agency opens July 1.

A return to hockey would be a triumphant one if Toews can pull it off.

Chosen one of the NHL’s top 100 players from its first 100 years, the Winnipeg, Manitoba, native played 15 seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2007-23 and captained them to the Stanley Cup three times as one of the faces of the franchise. Toews also helped Canada win gold at back-to-back Olympics in 2010 and ’14.

— The Associated Press

Toews stepped away from hockey two years ago citing the effects of Chronic Immune Response Syndrome and long COVID. His exit coincided with Chicago trading fellow star Patrick Kane and going into a full-scale rebuild.

TSN first reported Toews’ attempt to return.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL