As we all seek things to occupy the time that was previously taken up by hockey, distract from a general sense of existential dread, and fight against the urge to give ourselves bangs (I assume all of this is universal and not just me), many people have been spending more and more time on social media. Luckily, this also includes NHL players who are currently stuck at home, bored, and unable to go golfing.

Stalking players’ social media accounts is basically the same thing as watching hockey right?

Close enough. Let’s see what else they’re up to.

First up is Elias Pettersson, showing off some otherworldly golf skills.

Nazem Kadri turns out to also have some pretty incredible golf skills.

Connor McDavid, meanwhile, doesn’t believe in sports other than hockey and is just practicing his shot with his dog instead. [insert generic joke about the dog being better at hockey than most of McDavid’s past, present, and future linemates here].

Travis Dermott is also getting in some quality time with his dog.

And Jack Campbell is officially the first Leafs player to get TikTok.

@jackcampbell.36

#fyp #quarantine #torontomapleafs #toronto #jackcampbell

♬ The Weeknd - Blinding Lights - gregdahl7

Onwards to the links!

The NHL has announced temporary pay cuts for office employees, while various NHL teams continue to test the boundaries of how poorly they can treat their employees before they get yelled at online:

Updated with some backpedalling: NHL and some teams layoff workers, cut pay

Kevin McGran at The Star has pulled together a list of things he misses about covering the Leafs:

A few things I miss about covering the Maple Leafs

The Athletic looks at the biggest four ‘what ifs’ for the Leafs in this abruptly (temporarily?) halted season:

The 4 biggest Maple Leafs 'What Ifs...' that will likely go...

And finally, a video of actual hockey, as a treat/painful reminder of what we’re missing:

That’s all for now!

Happy Wednesday and remember: the bangs are not worth the effort they take to grow out.

From The Branches