July was fun. In July, we could pretend that there were great players the Maple Leafs could sign or trade for that they could actually afford. August is about reconciling our minds to  choosing which third liner plays too many minutes.

Tonight on Canada’s greatest Top Six Fakes....

Michael Bunting vs Nick Ritchie.

Meanwhile these were the signings, all deals avoiding arbitration:

Very sad news yesterday that Tony Esposito died.

When I was a kid, I always really liked the younger brothers, the lesser known, less famous sibling. And Tony was hardly unknown, but he wasn’t Phil, so naturally he was my favourite. I think that’s where I got my interest in goalies from, too. How about those pads, though.

Condolences to Phil, the rest of the family and everyone who was a fan.

Our Top 25 continues, and remember, you have until Monday to vote in the Community Vote. We’ve had to compress the start of the event this year thanks to the weird NHL schedule, but we will start posting our articles on Monday with number 25.

2021 Maple Leafs Top 25 Under 25: The Unranked - Pension Plan Puppets
Two players under NHL contract got zero votes.

As the offseason progresses, teams are making vaccine rules for their arenas:

The NHL and NHLPA will have to negotiate the protocols that apply to players and team staff.

And this was announced yesterday:

By October, I might be of a mind to watch it, but just the teaser had me rolling my eyes several times.

Happy Thursday, everyone, enjoy the lovely summer weather!

From The Branches