I’ve been away from Leafs Land doing some Bolts work lately, so when I returned this morning to write the FTB, I wondered what the Weltanschauung of Leafs media has been. Turns out they are continuing to try to find things to stress out about, even when this glorious season is all about unexpected wins and the glorious possibility of a playoff berth.

Darn those youngsters for being so young, energetic, exciting, and for prematurely blowing their ... leads! The National Post has this cautionary tale:

But when seasoned opponents disrupted that flow, the kids weren’t all right. It took some fire and brimstone speeches by Babcock, eye-straining video sessions and the skate of shame back to the bench while the opposition celebrated to get the message through. Not that some veterans weren’t culpable as third-period leads disappeared, but Babcock has tended to keep his rookies on the ice in more late-game situations to get them used to defending tight games.

But don’t worry, kids. You look like swift learners.

Here are a few other interesting things to think about:

Editor in Leaf has “What Will A Zaitsev Contract Look Like?” (They also think that the Backup problem has been solved.)

Oh — so here’s a thing I’ve noticed. I think that Fox Sports has made some kind of deal with Fansided to republish their works. I’ve noticed it in Bolts land (Bolts by the Bay is now getting republished by Fox Sports Tampa), and I just noticed it here. Tim Chiasson of Editor in Leaf is also featured over at Fox Sports Toronto today, in an article entitled, Toronto Maple Leafs: Are We Too Used To Losing?

Today I’m also using WIIM’s links format for you guys, just to try it out. What do you think?

From The Branches