Tiger-Cats make roster moves

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats made a trade with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Wednesday. Two Canadians switching cities and for Matt Bucknor that means leaving his hometown. Bucknor, a Hamilton native and defensive back, was traded to Winnipeg in return for former Queen’s Gael receiver Giovanni Aprile. Aprile was a 2nd-round draft pick of the Bombers in 2012 and a three time OUA all-star.

The Ticats also announced that they have signed 4 Canadian players. Matt Coates, from the Hamilton Hurricanes was the Ontario Football Conference’s offensive player of the year. Jay Diston suited up for 2 games with the Cats last season. Pawel Kruba, a hard hitting linebacker from the Western Mustangs, was the CIS Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, and Kyle Miller is a defensive back.

In other CFL news, quarterback Kerry Joseph is expected to officially announce his retirement sometime soon. He has confirmed it on Twitter. The 40-year old, who spent the last 4 seasons with the Eskimos, was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2007 when he led Saskatchewan to a Grey Cup.

And Zach Collaros is getting a head start on the CFL’s free-agent market. The Argos released the 25-year old quarterback Wednesday, more than two weeks before the free agency window opens on February 15th. Last week, Argos GM Jim Barker indicated that it was likley that Collaros would test the waters. He said he tried to re-sign him and that he remains interested in having Collaros back with the double blue. But the former University of Cincinnati star is expected to have multiple offers. The Blue Bombers are said to have strong interest, especially with head coach Mike O’Shea’s Argonaut connection. And speculation has it that the Ticats are interested. Collaros posted a 5-2 record as a starter when Ricky Ray was injured last season.