Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

The sun is shining, birds are chilling in their nests and the Maple Leafs made a huge comeback (then a small one) to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning last night.

Recap: Leafs make a huge comeback, win it OT
After being down by three goals in the first period, the Maple Leafs storm back into the game…
PPP LeafsAdam Selvig

No one was injured aside from Samsonov's pride, so I call that a double win.

It's also a big day in Maple Leafs history as well. It's the 35th anniversary of the Russ Courtnall for John Kordic trade.

On November 7th, 1988 General Manager Gord Stellick looked at the roster and decided that no, we have too much scoring talent. We are in the Norris Division. We'll just get more toughness.

So, Russ Courtnall, who was coming off 60, 73, and 49 point seasons, would be traded to the hated Montreal Canadians, who were in the other conference to be fair, for John Kordic.

Courtnall was an NHL regular racking up points and solidly putting up 20-25 goals a season. John Kordic was getting sent down to the AHL at least once a season, would give you about 8 points a season. However this was 1988, in the Norris Division where you were guaranteed a fight a period, and Kordic had 159 penalty minutes the previous season. This was considered a plus back then.

Many people consider this one of the worst trades the Maple Leafs ever made.

https://www.overtimeheroics.net/2022/02/12/worst-trades-in-maple-leafs-history-part-2/

Worst Leafs Trades Since 1967 Countdown – No. 4: Russ Courtnall for John Kordic
Adding <em>truculence </em>to the lineup was a thing that enamoured ex…
TheLeafsNationCam Lewis
Russ Courtnall For John Kordic Was Not a Good Trade
I like Twitter. I can go weeks without checking in with Facebook, but I keep close tabs on my Twitter account. Today, thanks to Twitter, I finally visited Down Goes Brown’s blog, one year old today. Ya gotta love a blogger with the handle “Down Goes Brown”. What Leaf fan
Toronto MikeToronto Mike

However, one Maple Leafs blogger defended the deal.

Russ Courtnall for John Kordic was a good trade. No, I’m not drunk.
An NHL and hockey humor blog. The Best Of Down Goes Brown is available in book stores now.
Down Goes Brown
Russ Courtnall wasn't that good. Yes, I said it. Courtnall was a decent player with great speed, who showed occasional flashes but was generally inconsistent and soft. And that's about it.
... So why does everyone think he was superstar? Largely because the Toronto media feels a need to ridiculously over-rate any young player who the Leafs trade away.

I get both sides of this argument, but you probably could have gotten a better player for Courtnall.

Courtnall would go on to play for the Canadians, North Stars, Dallas Stars, Canucks, Rangers, and Kings. A popular trade piece around the league, he would sadly be moved off Montreal before the 1993 trade deadline. Missing out on their Stanley Cup.

Kordic would end up being traded to the Washington Capitals in 1991 for a 5th round pick, and sadly pass away in the 1992 off-season after struggling with substance abuse his whole career

Turning a second/third line forward into a goon, then a fifth round pick. That pick became Alexei Kudashov who played 25 games for the Leafs, then went back to Russia. He's currently head coach of Dynamo Moscow in the KHL.

So, happy trade-iversary everyone!

Here's some other things to talk about.

Need some early USHL prospects to dream of?

2024 NHL Draft Watch: Early USHL Breakouts
So far this season, I’ve written three watch list updates based on early season breakouts: * Earl WHL breakouts * Early QMJHL breakouts * Early OHL breakouts It only makes sense that I include an update on the early breakouts south of the border in the USHL! So let’s get to it. Matvei
PPP LeafsBrian S

Despite the win there are still worries.

The Maple Leafs’ lack of secondary scoring, and the role Sheldon Keefe’s questionable line construction plays in it
What a difference a week makes. It was only seven days ago that the Leafs wrapped up their season-high five-game road trip, owned a winning record, and were sitting pretty. But a lopsided loss to a top LA team, a shootout loss to an undermanned Bruins team in which Brad Marchand put one of the Leafs…
Maple Leafs HotstoveAnthony Petrielli

Larry Tannembaum sold 5% of MLSE to OMERS, the Ontario municipal employees pension plan(!), for $400 Million. That makes MLSE worth... A lot

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/latest-news/maple-leafs-parent-company-mlse-now-worth-8-billion-us-after-omers-purchases-5-indirect-state-from-larry-tanenbaums-kilmer-sports

Edmonton Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft got a game misconduct after, in his words, "asking a fair question" at the referees.

Jay Woodcroft tossed late in Oilers’ blowout loss to Canucks | TSN
It appears the frustration level has reached a boiling point for the Edmonton Oilers. Late in the third period of Monday’s 6-2 loss to Vancouver Canucks, head coach Jay Woodcroft received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a game misconduct.
TSNTSN.ca Staff

Former Leafs starter Freddie Andersen is out indefinitely with blood clot issues.

Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen has blood clotting issue, out indefinitely | CBC Sports
Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen is out indefinitely after medical tests found a blood clotting issue. He is expected to make a full recovery, according to general manager Don Waddell.
CBC

Finally, remember when the potential PWHL names were leaked and we all said they were awful? At least Ottawa's name has a link to the past

Ottawa Alert a tribute to women who helped break the ice a century ago | CBC News
The proposed name for the capital’s new PWHL team harkens back to the earliest days of women’s hockey, a local historian says.
CBCAlistair Steele

Enjoy your day everyone!

From The Branches