Probably the worst part of the Stanley Cup Final is the long delays between games - on the one hand, the players get to rest, but on the other hand, us fans are stuck in suspense and go days without hockey. After the constant hockey of the early rounds, those gaps in the schedule are a bummer, reminding us that the end of the season is not so far away.
But with the end of the season comes the draft, trades, and the frenzy of free agency day, all of which have a heightened excitement this year with the Leafs picking fourth and the new management team in charge. Will the Leafs draft a prospect who's (gasp) even better than William Nylander? Will Shanahan hire a GM before draft day, or will the Leafs keep bucking tradition and make their decisions with whatever front office they have? Which of the Leafs' core players will get traded, and how much can they get in return?
After getting out from under the Clarkson contract, will the Leafs manage to avoid taking on another terrible free agency deal? There's a lot of optimism and trust from Leafs fans right now, as well as a little undercurrent of fear that the front office is all talk. I'd take this cautious optimism and nervous excitement over the doom and gloom of some of the previous offseasons, though. At least if someone gives Carlyle a contract this year, it won't be the Leafs!
In the meantime, the Lightning/Blackhawks series seems like it'll be exciting and hard-fought, if the first game is anything to go by. Last year, the Final felt lopsided, since the Kings almost immediately started dominating the Rangers, but this years' Final has felt evenly matched so far. It's early yet, but even if the Lightning don't win, I think they'll give the Blackhawks a run for their money. Let's enjoy the hockey we have left...and fill the off days with wild dreams of the Best Offseason Ever.
Some links for your Saturday morning:
Saying Farewell to the "Stanley Cup Experience Myth"
DGB talks to the players about whether they think "Stanley Cup experience" actually makes a difference in the game.
Because It’s the Cup | The Players' Tribune
Some great stories and pictures from Philip Pritchard, aka the Keeper of the Cup. Can't wait to see what adventures the Cup has this summer.
I guess the Leafs - junior hockey pipeline goes both ways.
Friday Mashup: Leafs Ink Two | Maple Leafs Hotstove
Links within links! Some interesting Leafs news here as well as other articles from around the league.
2015 NHL Draft Analysis with Brock Otten | Maple Leafs Hotstove
Insights into prospects and draft questions answered. Interesting even if you, like me, know next to nothing about prospects.
Makinen: The lonely voice of the NHL in Finland - Sportsnet.ca
A true labor of love - the story of the man who calls NHL games in Finland all by himself.
With the Stanley Cup in full swing, ice maintenance is a balancing act - Tampa Bay Times
How to keep the ice in 40C weather? It's done by a guy named Miracle.
Mirtle: Tampa teaches NHL what a sunbelt success story looks like - Globe and Mail
"But a funny thing happened when the Game 1 ratings came in. By hockey standards, they were big. And they were particularly impressive in Tampa, where a record 18 per cent of households tuned in, up 50 per cent from their opener in their last trip to the final in 2004."