Since the Leafs have been out of action, we haven't featured as many James Mirtle's articles as we normally do around here, and it's a cryin' shame. Fortunate then, that this morning, we've got a trifecta of Mirtle "win" to share with you.

The first article is a nice piece featuring John-Michael Liles, and his recent work at SickKids Hospital in Toronto. Liles also has some cool things to say about the other new Leafs, with whom he already has some first-hand experience:

[Tim Connolly] "I’ve known Tim for quite a while. We played world junior together and played against each other for a number of years. I think he’s a great player. I think he’s got an enormous amount of talent and is going to add a lot."

[Cody Franson] "I’ve played him a few times over the past few years. An impressive defenceman – big guy, big shot and a young kid that has got a bright future."

[Matt Lombardi] "Once he works past his concussion issues he had last year, he’s a tremendous player. Very fast, tough to play against. A guy that gave our team fits when he was playing in Calgary."

Read on, for more Mirtle, as well as a number of really great articles from The Leafs Nation. Lots of interesting stuff today, so read up. It's good for you, like broccoli.

Leafs Links:

Net Presence Scoring Chances During Even Strength Play
Really solid work being done here by Slava Duris over at The Leafs Nation. Definitely worth a read.

Do Goons Help Win Games?
Your friend and mine, The '67 Sound makes his voice heard at The Leafs Nation, takes a deeper look at a topic we've touched on here before: the effects of fighting on team success.

The New Leafs by the Numbers
Our newest leafs have some big shoes to fill by putting on their new jersey numbers. The latest from Danny Gray (a.k.a. Plea From A Cat Named Felix) over at The Leafs Nation.

Retired numbers: A long-standing debate in Leafland
Michael Langlois likes the way the Habs have handled retiring jerseys. Maybe that's a bad start, but join the debate.

Is Luke Schenn really a top shutdown defenseman?
A somewhat controversial piece, some of you may have seen this yesterday, but David Johnson at Hockey Analysis has a few numbers to chew on. For further reading, check the comment section for a debate between Johnson and our own Steve Burtch.

Other Hockey Links:

Blackhawks cut Campoli loose
James Mirtle explains that Campoli is now an unrestricted free agent. Thoughts?

On Post-Junior Success; or Couturier vs Scheifele
Gabe Desjardins has a darned purdy graph to accompany this post. Great article too, naturally.

Big signing bonuses becoming NHL's new norm
Another solid article by James Mirtle at the Globe. This very topic came up at PPP just yesterday.

Bill Watters Show Taken Off The Air
SOMEONE LISTENED TO US. From the Usual Suspects at the Globe and Mail.

Red Wings sign Ty Conklin
From the AP at the Globe.

Purcell agrees to new deal with Lightning
From the CP at the Globe, no numbers cited.

Leaning Heavily on Top-Six Forwards
Admittedly, this is only for Western Conference playoff teams, but it is from Mr. Plank at Fear The Fin, so you'll have to forgive the West-centric point of view. It's an interesting thing to check out, anyway.

The Ethics of Sport Journalism: ESPN struggles with media responsibility
Although this isn't strictly hockey-related, Ethics in Sports Journalism is a topic that gets debated around here quite often. Worth a read.

Arena, Part I
The latest entry from Tyler Dellow at mc79hockey. Well done. I noticed he used some big words in there. I didn't really understand all of them, but who cares, because I gave him an A+. 10 PPP Points to anyone who gets that reference and who is not PFACNF.

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