Lately, there's been some interesting subtweeting going on by journalists whenever The Players Tribune comes out with a hockey piece. Shannon Proudfoot tweeted that she found it amazing how every single piece has the same "omniscient polished ghost-writer voice," and Down Goes Brown wryly responded that he noticed a certain sameness in the way each article is written.

Yeah, I get it. I've pondered the mechanics of writing The Players Tribune piece,s and figured it goes something like this: A nice journalists sits with an athlete and a vocal recorder, and prompts them gently with talking points. Then the journalist writes up a draft and sends it along to the athlete to look over. Maybe the athlete makes some changes, maybe not. Then, if the player approves, it's published. Seems likely, no?

Most of the time I don't care. The stories are interesting enough (and told with a very deft hand, repetitive voice or not) that I'm willing to suspend my disbelief in the means it was written in order to enjoy the inside glimpse into the hockey world. But sometimes I have to squint a little at the page and think, heh, I wonder how the ghost writer spun THAT dross into gold.

Long story short, Milan Lucic wrote a piece for The Players Tribune, and it's all about how much he enjoyed Boston, and how shaking Zdeno Chara's hand was one of the most terrifying things he did as a rookie. Entertaining, even if he ends with a sentence about wanting to drop gloves with his old teammates, just to see what Boston would do.

Okay, sounds authentic. Must not be a ghost writer.

Toronto Furies clinch playoffs, win puppy challenge | PPP
Another super-engaging article about the Furies by Nafio. Really brings it all to life for me.

Potential Leafs Look: Mikhail Sergachev | PPP Fanpost by Showtimekmg
"My goal with this new series "Potential Leaf Looks" is to highlight some of the extremely talented individuals in this draft that could (and hopefully will) find themselves in the blue and white. The focus will be less so on the consensus top picks such as Matthews, Puljujarvi, Laine and company and more on the players you don't see and hear as much of." ~ Neat!

Where Could The Leafs Trade James Reimer? | THW
Currently, teams that have a goalie that is injured include Arizona, Colorado, Columbus, Montreal, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Winnipeg.

With Dustin Byfuglien Off the Board, Who Are Other Potential Defensive Trade Targets | DBD
Feel free to road trip on over and encourage Dion Phaneuf for Tyler Seguin, ok?

Understanding ‘WAR’ and its Practical Applications to Player Evaluation — Part 1 | MLHS
"[M]any don’t know exactly what ‘Wins Above Replacement’ (WAR) is, or how it works in hockey."

Maple Leafs News: Trade Deadline and Injuries | THW
In short, everybody.

Other Hockey Stuff

DGB Weekend Report | Vice
"As we approach the two-thirds mark of the regular season, there's sure to be a few twists and turns left in store. But for the most part, the league is slowly but surely starting to resemble the one we'd expected to see. That's not great news if you love surprises, but it's comforting to know that we weren't all completely out to lunch on opening night."

Martin Brodeur Keeper Of New Jersey | THW
"When one thinks of ways to describe Martin Brodeur, many words come to mind. Stanley Cup champion. Gold medal winner. Vezina Trophy winner. Workhorse. Consistent. Clutch. Class. You don’t have to take my word for it, you could ask some of Marty’s teammates and that’s just what I did."

New Jersey Devils unveil Martin Brodeur 'salute' statue (Photos) | PD

Blues: Losing Alex Pietrangelo is biggest blow yet | SLGT
The Captain of the defense and playing time beast is down for three weeks with a knee injury in a huge blow to the Blues.

Erik Karlsson (Or Someone Like Him) Is The Key Player The Bruins Are Missing | SCOC
Stand in line, Bruins!

Dustin Byfuglien Re-Signed | AIH
5 years with a $7.6 MM AAV

Jets couldn't afford to lose Dustin Byfuglien | ESPN
"I'm going to be as polite as I can be here and say that it won't be every player that's going to feel that way about Winnipeg. That's just a reality of life that Winnipeg Jets management has to live with. So when you know that a player of Byfuglien's ilk actually wants to stay, you make it happen."

NHL expansion draft among mysteries for Las Vegas owner | PD
Foley isn’t quiet about one aspect of the timeline: He’d like an answer by June if this team is going to debut in the 2017-18 season. Why June? For one reason, that’s the earliest he can start looking for a hockey operations staff. "We really can’t talk to potential GMs or coaches or scouting staff [in season]," he said. But an answer this summer means that the rest of the NHL can start figuring out the biggest issue facing the Vegas team on the ice: How its roster will be populated.

Dustin Byfuglien Contract's Effect on Travis Hamonic Trade Watch | LHH "Winnipeg Jets' signing of Dustin Byfuglien to a five-year contract extension adds one more data point to the puzzle of figuring out where and when the Isles might be able to honor Hamonic's summer request to be dealt closer to his Winnipeg-area home."

An In-Depth Look at the Devcore Canderel DLS LeBreton Bid | SSS
This is the kind of article that Species would really enjoy, if it weren't about the SNES.

From The Branches