Let's link to some good Leafs news today, shall we?
Thank you, Miss Taylor.
Leafs News
Toronto Maple Leafs Should Not Trade for Frederik Andersen | Editor in Leaf
"The Toronto Maple Leafs are better off sticking with Bernier for one more season. They must use the expansion draft as a tool to poach a new franchise goaltender."
Should, Would, Could the Maple Leafs trade for PK Subban | Good Grief Leaf
"There have been rumors out of Montreal that the Canadiens may explore trading PK Subban before his no-trade clause kicks in this summer. He has 6 years left on a deal that carries a $9mil cap hit so any team calling should have either cap space or players with money and term that Montreal would actually want (ie. a Taylor Hall). So let's break down if the Maple Leafs Should, Would and Could trade for PK Subban."
London’s Contributions to Leafs’ Rebuild Plan | THW
"The end of 2014 marked the end of the Leafs’ reign as most valuable NHL franchise and of course, Forbes was nearly finished preparing ‘The Business of Hockey List’ for release. This list would soon publicize the profitable franchise for their new first-ranking position: the NHL team with the biggest decrease of value in just one year. A ripple effect came into play upon the club’s increasing loss of profits and some of these ripples hit the Ontario Hockey league’s (OHL) London Knights."
Leafs’ Timashov leads list of NHL-drafted QMJHL prospects | Sportsnet
'"Sleeper" is a tag that’s followed Timashov throughout his career. The Québec Remparts selected him 95th in the CHL Import Draft in 2014 after seeing him with MODO playing on a line with Toronto Maple Leafs first-rounder William Nylander.'
TLN Draft Prospect Watch: Pierre-Luc Dubois | TLN
"Dubois is now ranked 4th overall by 3 of the 9 rankings used in the TLN Consolidated Rankings which still have him 6th overall. Craig Button, Draft Buzz Hockey, and Hockeyprospect.com all have him as the best option after the Finns, while a couple of others have him at 9th to balance that out."
Playoffs and other hockey news
Recap of last night's games:
Boyle’s chicken dance only matters if Lightning win series | My favorite Fennelly
"Anyway, Boyle wanted to fight Abdelkader to end Game 3 to send a message, to give the Bolts a leg, breast or thigh up on Game 4. Abdelkader wanted no part of it. His punching hand was apparently taped below the wrist. An NHL rule says that can result in a match penalty and possibly lead to a suspension if said taped hand results in the injury of another player."
Experts: Stamkos unlikely back before Final | TSN
Existential angst dot gif
Flyers vs. Capitals Game 3 recap: Ugly on the ice and in the stands as Flyers lose 6-1 | BSH
"What was expected to be an emotional tribute game for Ed Snider turned ugly in the third period, as Washington scored four goals to win 6-1, while Flyers fans threw objects on the ice in a display of frustration and anger."
Tribute to Snider:
Rapid Reaction: Los Angeles Kings 2, San Jose Sharks 1 (OT) | ESPN
"Perhaps the series-saving moment came in the third period when the Sharks buzzed with 10 shot attempts on a power play and Anze Kopitar broke his stick, but the Kings blocked shots and survived that scare. It was the key moment of the night."
Postgame: For first time in 13 years, Wild rallies to win playoff game after being two goals down | Star Tribune
"For the seventh time in its past eight playoff series, the Wild won a Game 3, but tonight was in the most unexpected fashion possible."
NHL offside coach’s challenges must die | Puck Daddy
"Sometimes it takes a while before one sees the error of their ways, and such is the case with NHL rules changes. It took the Brett Hull incident in 1999 … um, we mean "a desire to regain some of the time and spontaneity lost to review" to end that insipid video review process for skates in the crease. It took a decade before the NHL did something to reduce those inane exhibitions of anti-hockey known as shootouts by applying 3-on-3 overtime as the antidote."
Bad blood and playoff hockey is the NHL at its best | DGB
"But here's where the cognitive dissonance kicks in. Because as much as we can all appreciate the strides the game has made over the years, it's hard to deny a simple fact about NHL hockey: Hatred is fun. Bad blood is fun. Playoff hockey is good, but playoff hockey played between two teams that seem to genuinely hold each other in contempt is so much better."
ET SI SUBBAN ATTIRAIT STAMKOS ? | La Presse
" P.K. est un ami d’enfance et un très bon ami de Stamkos, explique Lawton. C’est à ne pas négliger, parce qu’on voit ça parfois dans le monde du hockey ; deux vieux amis qui veulent jouer ensemble et qui décident de se retrouver avec la même équipe, ça arrive. C’est exactement ce qui s’est passé [en 2012] quand Zack Parisé et Ryan Suter ont tous deux choisi de se joindre au Wild du Minnesota. Il y a des liens comme ça, des amitiés, qui peuvent influencer une décision. "
EYES DOT GIF
ZEFR Rate: A New and Better Way to Evaluate Power Plays | Hockey-Graphs
"The core tenets of hockey special teams more closely resemble football than they do even strength hockey, and yet the product we observe during man advantages is nowhere near the structured, polished, well-defined package we get when we watch Aaron Rodgers drop back in the pocket."
Source: Las Vegas NHL Expansion Franchise Confirmed, Announcement In May | Sin Bin Vegas
"The wait is about to be over… soon. A source close to the team has confirmed the expansion announcement awarding Las Vegas an NHL franchise will come within the first two weeks of May."
