So news broke yesterday afternoon that the Leafs had signed 2012 first round pick Morgan Rielly to an ELC. He had been one of only a handful of players from the first round still without a contract. The news was not terribly surprising, although I'm curious why the Leafs felt the need to sign him before the new CBA. Cam Charron over at Leafs Nation appears to share my view:

However it's interesting that the Leafs stuck with the three-year term. For the new collective bargaining agreement, part of the owners' proposal was to lengthen entry-level deals to five years. The Leafs aren't the only team to sign their first rounder, but I'm wondering whether there was no thought on the part of the team to "well, why don't we see if ELCs are lengthened in the CBA"?

Links after the jump...

When the Leafs spend money, it's our money

VLM wants all of the fans' voices heard, not just the season ticket holders

My favorite HNIC montages

Everybody needs a montage. From Danny Gray at Leafs Nation

What do you mean the Coyotes buyers don't have the money?

Everyone's favorite Ryan Lambert on the NHL's never-ending story

From The Branches