Today is one of those summer Fridays you simply want to be over with already. If you have been working this week it actually feels like this week has been extra long, despite the fact Monday was a holiday. It must be the hot weather and those annoying storms that seem to start at the exact moment you leave work for the day.

Perhaps that’s why William Nylander still hasn’t signed his desired “long term” deal. Who has the energy to expend even picking up a pen in this heat?

Well, Fulemin did. Or at least enough energy to type on a keyboard. He will provide his answers to your questions pulled from the mailbag at 8:00 a.m. Then ElSeldo will let you in on the identity of #17 in our Top 25 Under 25 at 9:00 a.m.

ICYMI
Here’s what we wrote about yesterday.

So you’re saying there’s a chance: NHL seventh-round wonders — Part 2 - Katya
Deeper in the past, the career points get more amazing when there’s a big hit in the last few picks of the draft.

2018 Top Maple Leafs Prospects 25 Under 25: #18 Sean Durzi - Kevin
Toronto’s 2018 second-round pick brings another talented right-shooting defenceman into the prospect pipeline.

2018 Top 25 Under 25: #19 Eemeli Räsänen - Katya
The tallest man in most rooms is about to start his pro hockey career in the KHL.

Other News

Coyotes extend Dvorak for 6 years at $4.45M AAV - Five For Howling
Christian Dvorak has signed a six-year extension with the Arizona Coyotes.

2017-18 Player Review: Couturier is elite - Broad Street Hockey
The Flyers finally decided to give Sean Couturier the role and line mates to show he’s not just a shut down center. Boy did he show a lot.

Where the Jets reign supreme - ranking the Central Division wingers - Hockey Wilderness
[Species: Someone has made a ranked list of players. You know you want to argue about this ranking, my pretties. GO! GO! (cackling noises)]

A manager's worth is a data-proof argument and let's keep it that way - Sportsnet
As Sportsnet’s Jeff Blair recently reported, if the Jays do fire Gibbons, they’ll be seeking a replacement who’s both analytically savvy and fluent in Spanish. It’s hard to see how either of those traits could be anything but positive for a managerial candidate.

Beyond that, we just can’t know for certain. For all the tens of thousands of hours that have gone into quantifying defensive shifts, pitch framing, pitch tunnelling, pitcher workloads, ballpark effects, and countless other facets of the game, we still don’t know exactly how much good — or harm — the guy in the dugout does every night.

Have a good weekend, folks!

From The Branches