Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

Nothing like waking up to a morning without a Leafs loss. Granted they didn't play last night but it's still the same.

Now that American Thanksgiving is over, we can move on to rushing around to nab the best sales we possibly can. Will the Leafs do the same?

They have a lot of players on IR right now, and will have to deal with the possibility of losing players on waivers if they can't avoid them entirely when people are healthy.

I'm no psychic, but there has to be something coming. My sources are quiet (they don't exist) but I am hearing one weird name on the socials: Sidney Crosby?

So, I've this in passing but I had to finally look it up. And the source was...not dumb?

Okay. If wasn't the fever dream or a random person. Brian Hayes of TSN says the Leafs are the best fit. While I agree that of course every great player should be a Maple Leaf, I don't see this happening and all I have are questions.

  • Would Kyle Dubas trade with the team that just fired him?

We've heard the Flames don't want to deal with Toronto because of Brads move, there may still be bad blood on the water.

  • Would Crosby want to come to Toronto?

It's hard to move on after almost 20 years with one team. He's won multiple cups there. He's a competitor but it's not worth uprooting everything?

Crosby also grew up a Canadiens fan, and sometimes that rivalry stays in your blood. Josh Gorges refused a trade to Toronto because of it and went to the Sabres instead.

Gorges stands by decision to decline Leafs trade
ConnectedCanadian Press
  • Would the Maple Leafs want him?

What? Yes. Of course. This could be the deal to make up for rejecting Wayne Gretzky becoming a Leaf. Crosby may not out more butts in the seats but think of all the merch that will move.

  • Can the Leafs afford it?

No.

Not with out a big move. Puckpedia has the Leafs $4.4M over the cap due to their injuries and call ups.

Crosby is making $8.7M this season and the next two. After this year John Tavares' contract is up, so there's room right there if you want to swap them out after this season, but Mitch Marner is also becoming a UFA and needs to be re-signed. Could the lure of the choice of playing with either Crosby or Matthews help keep him in town?

There would be a surplus of centres so Kämpf, Domi, or Tavares could be moved, though no move clauses can get in the way.

Overall I would love it. I think it would absolutely be a good for it move, and Crosby isn't slowing down much, he's almost a point per game with the dilapidated Pittsburgh Penguins. Imagine our wingers feeding him passes.

Let's make this happen!

Also, while we're dreaming, I would like a powder blue 1955 Corvette convertible.

Now, onto things that actually happened.

It seems Chris Johnson is hearing that the Leafs and Tavares are discussing creative accounting for his next contract.

Insider Says Tavares and Maple Leafs Talking Rare Contract Idea
NHL insider Chris Johnston is reporting the Toronto Maple Leafs and John Tavares are talking extension and might look at a deferred deal.
NHL Trade TalkJim Parsons

William Nylander speaks!

Wing Man: William Nylander Talks Toronto Maple Leafs & Life in the City
With a contract extension freshly inked and his future in Toronto secured, William Nylander’s focus shifts to making Leafs history, again.
Sharp MagazineDavid Stol

It's good to have a family business.

A look at all the pairs of brothers who played for the Toronto Maple Leafs together
One of the coolest headlines of the past week has been the signing of…
TheLeafsNationAlex Hobson

It's good to see USports become a path to the pros.

Concordia alum Emmy Fecteau looks to make mark in PWHL as 1st U Sports draftee
If there was one thing Emmy Fecteau did in her time at Concordia, it was win.Fecteau’s Stingers reached the U Sports women’s hockey championship game in each of her final three seasons at the school and took home two titles.In June, Fecteau became the first PWHL player ever drafted straight out of U Sports when the New York Sirens selected her with the first pick of the sixth round.The Sirens finished last in the PWHL’s inaugural season last year, but the hope is that Fecteau helps change that.”
Yahoo SportsCBC

Newfoundlanders want a hockey team and they will change the law to get one.

N.L. changing labour laws to accommodate potential return of high-level hockey
Longtime St. John’s hockey executive Glenn Stanford has confirmed that he’s part of a group trying to bring high-level hockey back to the province, but is being very guarded on details. (Ted Dillon/CBC)In another sign that the ground is being prepped for a return of elite-level hockey to Newfoundland and Labrador, the provincial government is amending Labour Standards Act regulations in order to fall in line with other provinces, in the wake of a class-action lawsuit involving major junior hocke
Yahoo NewsCBC

Speaking of....

QMJHL Returning to Newfoundland? Bathurst Could Be The Team to Move
Yesterday, Alex Bill -- a St. John’s based journalist -- reported that a group was interested in buying the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan, in the hopes of moving the team to Newfoundland. This group would be led by Glenn Stanford, who had been an ice hockey executive at the professional level since…
Yahoo SportsJacob Titus

Finally, hockey fundraisers do a lot around the world, and the BC Interior is no different.

Hockey fest raises $20k for YMCA of Southern Interior BC

Enjoy your day everyone!

From The Branches