Happy Tuesday, PPP! Yesterday, I turned on my laptop in the early afternoon to discover that the Leafs waived Jhonas Enroth, and now everyone wants to know who will replace him. Has Karri Ramo's dastardly plot to get back in the NHL come to fruition, or do Lou and Shanny have other ideas? The one thing that's certain is that his replacement will be taller.

After considerable faffing about yesterday afternoon, USA Hockey also released their preliminary roster for World Juniors, featuring both Jeremy Bracco and Joseph Woll. That came with the news that Clayton Keller is expected to be healthy enough to play, which made me do a little dance on my couch. Carl Grundström is also on the preliminary roster for Team Sweden, while no Maple Leafs prospects are on Team Canada. Anyone want to jump ship and cheer for the US with me? I have cookies.

In other news, the Maple Leafs--including post-waivers Jhonas Enroth, who gets points in my book for attending--spent part of yesterday at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto. They were greeted with a seriously awesome cake, as well as Lucy, a medical service dog eager to befriend Human Puppy Mitchell Marner.

News About The Maple Leafs

Maple Leafs place Enroth on waivers - Article - TSN
Enroth was signed as a free agent on Aug. 22, to a one-year, $750,000 contract. He lost all four of his starts for the Maple Leafs this season, posting a .872 save percentage and 3.94 goals-against average.

Leafs need some wins to stay out of cellar | Toronto Star
Four points. That's the difference between where the Maple Leafs were last year -- 21 points after 24 games, and this year -- 25 points in 24 games.

Enroth joins growing list of discarded Maple Leafs veterans - Sportsnet.ca
We now know how thin the margin for error is if you’re a marginal member of the Maple Leafs.

Babcock reaches out to Nylander, van Riemsdyk about trade rumours - Article - TSN
Includes video of Frederik Andersen working with the Maple Leafs' goalie coach, Steve Briere.

News About Less-Cool Teams

Three from diverse 2015 NHL Draft vie for Team USA roster spots for World Juniors | TheColorOfHockey
Twenty-seven players, 23 spots. That's the math problem that Team USA will try to solve as it whittles down its roster down the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship,to be held in Toronto and Montreal Dec. 26, 2016 to Jan. 5, 2017.

Weekend wrap: Defending Linden, weird standings, and what's wrong with the Rangers? - DGB
Down Goes Brown's Monday summary of the weekend in the NHL, which you'll read on a Tuesday because I said so.

The Mysterious James Reimer Regression
Although Reimer saw his numbers climb back up last year after a mediocre 2014-15 campaign, he’s taken a dip once more, which begs the question: is his dip this year indicative that he’s likely a career backup with unshakeable inconsistencies, or is this nothing more than a slow start?

Your Official US Based NHL Donut - Kukla's Korner
Tragically, it's not Krispy Kreme, the best US donut chain. Fight me, all of New England.

Forbes: Carolina Hurricanes last in NHL in franchise value; Hurricanes dispute figures - Canes Country
The magazine’s annual rankings of NHL franchise values place the Hurricanes 30th in the league.

OHL Round Up: Who’s Hot Heading into December – The Bloggers' Tribune
This is the first of our new series where we will look at teams across the OHL. We will take a quick look at the 3 teams who have been hot lately, a team who has played above expectations and the team that is struggling most.

Federal minister calls for sports ‘culture shift’ on head injuries - The Globe and Mail
Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities to join Governor-General in opening his ‘We Can Do Better’ conference on concussions

USA World Juniors Preliminary Roster Reaction - SB Nation College Hockey
It's going to be very fun for Boston University fans to watch Team USA.

From The Branches