Good morning and welcome to day two of bye week, an onerous week in the middle of the season when the players head for vacation and fans sit around wondering what on earth they’re supposed to do now. Do people still have backup NHL teams now that the Leafs are heading towards good?

Fortunately, the best player to ever wear 34 for the Leafs sensed we needed entertainment and stepped up for the cause.

You can check twitter for all the questions and answers, or the Florida Panthers have the highlights here:

Highlights from James Reimer's Twitter Takeover
Florida Panthers goaltender James Reimer (aka. Optimus Reim) has been a roll, starting 15 straight games for the Cats. However, Reimer is a man of many talents, and on Thursday, he took over the Cats Twitter (@FlaPanthers) account for a Q&A session with fans from all over the world.

If you prefer your entertainment in the form of current Leafs players, the newest edition of Leaf to Leaf over at Leafs Nation (no, not TLN, the Leafs fanclub thing) has Morgan Rielly interviewing Jake Gardiner for over five minutes and it’s amazing.

Stuff we wrote

Get to know your (likely) playoff opponent: Boston Bruins - Arvind
How do the Leafs match up against their rivals?

Looking back on Timothy Liljegren’s performance at the World Juniors - Kevin Papetti
After succeeding in a second pairing role, the 18 year old defender is well positioned to standout in next year’s tournament.

Team Canada is ready for the Olympics with three ex-Maple Leafs on the men’s roster - KatyaKnappe
Don’t count out this scrappy bunch of players, they all want to win.

Maple Leafs send Travis Dermott and Frederik Gauthier back to the Marlies - KatyaKnappe
But don’t worry, they still get to go somewhere warm for bye week.

Year-ending loss leads to roster changes for Orlando - pas_55
New forwards pay dividends early.

Around the league

A Century of NHL Memories: Talking classic photos with Jim Hynes - Eyes On The Prize
The author and the Hockey Hall of Fame combine for an incredible glimpse into hockey’s past

Oilers Midseason Roundtable: Part I - The Copper & Blue
The folks over at Copper and Blue try to solve their team in the first of a three part series.

Could be Knights out for NHL expansion club in trademark fight with U.S. Army | Toronto Star
Army files challenge claiming it has used the Golden Knights nickname since the late 1960s and owns “common law rights” for the colour schemes. Team owner Bill Foley is a West Point grad and counters that the similarities have caused no confusion.

LA’s Core Trio Underlines Their Comeback Season With an All-Star Game - Jewels From The Crown
Kopitar, Doughty, and Quick were showing signs of age last season. They’re now heading to the 2018 NHL All-Star Game.

Recap: Ullmark Leads Sabres to Victory Over Jackets - Die By The Blade
Sabres end their five-game losing streak on the back of Linus Ullmark

Carolina Hurricanes Game Recap: Hurricanes Open Tom Dundon Era with 3-1 Win over Capitals - Canes Country
The Canes return home tomorrow night to try to sweep the top team in the division.

Lightning fall to the Flames, 5-1, and lose Victor Hedman to injury - Raw Charge
The Norris candidate left the game early in the second period after a collision with a Calgary forward injured his knee.

Women’s Hockey

Looks like Alex Carpenter has elected to start her rookie season with the CWHL this weekend after being cut from the US Olympic team. Those of you joining us at the Fantastic Furies Fete on Sunday will likely get to see her in action.

Another notable “rookie” to watch this weekend will be Furies player Jessica Platt, who came out as transgender on Wednesday night. Platt is in her first season as a regular roster player with the Furies after four games as a reserve player last season.

CWHL's first transgender woman finds comfort, confidence in professional hockey
Jessica Platt of the CWHL's Toronto Furies came out publicly as the first transgender woman in professional hockey. "I'm hoping I can help other trans people and trans athletes know that they can achieve their dreams," she says.

From The Branches