The heat wave that was baking Toronto like a greenhouse is over, and it is now once again very nice out. Go enjoy it. Soon we’ll be huddled inside watching our frustrating hockey team.

ICYMI

T25U25: Nick Abruzzese is #13 by Species. I can’t believe Abruzzese only wound up at 13th. He never went a game without scoring last season.

Around The NHL

The Athletic’s NHL Pipeline Rankings: #21 Toronto Maple Leafs by Corey Pronman. Pronman seems surprisingly big on Matthew Knies. Maybe it helps that Knies is himself surprisingly big.

St. Louis Blues Sign Colton Parayko To Extension. It’s eight years at $6.5M, and it starts the year after this one, meaning Parayko is now under contract to July 2030. Also, the Blues now have four skaters on term deals at $6.5M a year. I guess it’s their number.

Seattle Kraken Sign Riley Sheahan. Now I know what you’re thinking: are you using the news of his contract (one year at $850,000, by the way) to remind us that Riley Sheahan was one arrested drunk in a purple Teletubby costume? Nope!

New York Islanders Sign Beauvilier, Cizikas, Palmieri, Sorokin. The Pamieri deal looks a little rich for the player he is and the Cizikas deal looks a little long, but the Isles have done okay lately following their own method. They’re also rumoured to be signing Zach Parise, so expect that to be announced by Christmas.

Other Stuff

The Ringer: The Ben Simmons Situation Continues To Get Messier And Messier by Dan Devine. I’m not a huge basketball guy, but the Ben Simmons thing is fascinating. He’s such a bizarre (talented) player and Philly wants to run him out of town.

Defector: Bishop Sycamore’s Capital Crime Was Not Being Good Enough At Football by Casey Taylor. Bishop Sycamore, if you haven’t heard, is a fake high school that exists to lure students desperate to break into football. The article explains how such a thing can exist.

Here’s a shoegaze song for you. Have a lovely day, folks.

From The Branches