The Leafs (and affiliate)

Recap: Leafs win a crazy one in Boston, 6-5 | Nafio
"I don’t drink, but after games like this maybe I should start."

Solar Bears trio has deep ties to NHL | Don Money
Don interviewed three Solar Bears with deep family ties to the NHL. "Conacher, Marchment and Ludwig are all “NHL Legacy” players. Each has had a relative or relatives, be they a father, brother, uncle or, in the case of Conacher, several distant relatives who have played or are currently playing in the National Hockey League. It is a fraternity that might be small in size but it is large when it comes to the tradition of a league that is in its 100th season."

Maple Leafs' Nylander dazzles with first career hat trick | Puck Daddy
"With Matthews and Mitch Marner having outstanding seasons, Maple Leafs fans sometimes fail to give Nylander the credit he deserves despite the fact he’d be the top rookie on almost any other team."

Should the Toronto Maple Leafs Trade for Kevin Shattenkirk? | Tip of the Tower
"Pairing Rielly and Shattenkirk together could provide the Leafs with a devastating offensive force from the blue-line, giving opposing teams a headache if paired with forwards such as Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner and James van Riemsdyk."

SHATTENKIRK NOT LIKELY A FIT FOR MAPLE LEAFS | THN
"Signing Shattenkirk on a long-term deal could cost more than $6 million annually. Over the last two years, the Leafs shed some high-salaried veterans to rebuild with youth. Such an expensive deal could be seen as returning to the bad habits of previous Leafs regimes."

Maple Leafs greats step up after Gordie Howe sweater stolen from Sask. arena | Toronto Sun
"Former Leafs captains Darryl Sittler and Wendel Clark have autographed a commemorative Centennial Leafs sweater and sent it to Asquith for auction."

Maple Leafs Should Draft Kelowna’s Cal Foote | THW
I'm mostly posting this to bait Scott Wheeler.

Other hockey stuff

It’s Not About Your Redemption Arc | The Blogger's Tribune
Some people feel uncomfortable about the inclusion of Shaw as a YCP ambassador. It’s Not About Your Redemption Arc. "Someone who thinks that athletes should come out no matter what should not be the one writing about how this effects the other parts of Queer culture. Coming out is hard and a privilege that not everyone has."

NHL should say no to Olympics | Philly.com
"From a financial standpoint, the estimated $10 million cost - it includes insurance, traveling, accommodations, and other fees - to send NHL players to South Korea had also been a sticking point."

New goalie pants feel ‘a little strange’ for Braden Holtby | Washington Post
"In his first game wearing the league’s new streamlined goalie pants, Holtby had a 20-save performance in the Capitals’ 3-2 win over the Canadiens."

The NHL is instituting a slimmer fitting pair of goalie pants 50 games into the season | SCOC
"Wouldn’t it make sense to just put it off and fine-tune the pants for comfort and ability next year when more players will be there to use them?"

Brandon Saad's father, a Syrian immigrant, supports Trump's immigration ban | Post-Gazette
I read this story and thought: What the **** do you THINK a Syrian immigrant is going to say about Trump? “Without [Brandon’s] financial ability, it’s very difficult to sponsor that many people,” George said. “There’s a minimum requirement the United States immigration law will demand from you. I could have sponsored five, six or even 10 people. But I couldn’t sponsor all of our family members. That’s why Brandon stepped in and helped sponsor the rest of the family."

Two of a kind: Sabres' Eichel and Reinhart aim to be an iconic duo | Buffalo News
They ship themselves, how cute. "Eichel believes it’s these moments, far from the ice, that will feed fans who are starving for a championship. It’s great that the Sabres have some of the game’s rising stars, but it wouldn’t mean much if they didn’t like each other."

Tampa Bay Lightning: The most interesting team at trade deadline | Sportsnet
"General manager Steve Yzerman, so lauded for his productive off-season, has said he has no interest in mortgaging the future to scrape into the playoffs with rentals. It pains Yzerman to lose. He wants another defenceman but who doesn't?"

From The Branches