The Leafs are 6-3 to start the season, yet it feels like they may never score again. Luckily, Auston Matthews already has 10 goals to his name, so if the Leafs fail to score in their remaining 73 games, he still has a chance to outscore everyone on the Sens.

It would be nice to play an easier opponent this week, but instead we will see a home-and-home against the Winnipeg Jets. The first game of this matchup comes on Wednesday, so I will have to stay entertained by watching the Raptors play the Hornets tonight, and then Timothy Liljegren and the Toronto Marlies on Tuesday.

I am loving the new-look Raptors thus far. Kawhi Leonard looks a bit rusty at times, but he’s far better defensively than Demar DeRozan, and more efficient. Kyle Lowry is off to a great start, the team continues to switch up the starting lineup to add versatility, and I am a fan of separating Jonas Valanciunas and Sergei Ibaka to create more spacing.

Here are today’s links:

In Case You Missed It

Maple Leafs feel the Blues, lose 4-1- Arvind

This is a great read if you just need a good cry.

Furies edge Blades, Canadiennes roll over Thunder- Baseball Annie and Nafio

At least one Toronto team won this weekend.

North American prospect report: Get Gordeev out of Flint- elseldo

The Flint Firebirds are 0-11 to start the season. Just like the Ottawa Senators, they are a bad team that can’t even tank for Jack Hughes.

From the Branches

How Marlies forward Trevor Moore became a puck thief — and a candidate for the Leafs- Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

Trevor Moore is off to a strong start this year, and I can confirm that he’s one of the AHL’s best puck thieves. Wheeler breaks down his takeaway ability in depth here.

Leafs Notebook: Leafs outscoring a high-scoring league, thoughts on defensive pairings, Nazem Kadri’s usage- Anthony Petrielli, Maple Leafs Hot Stove

Petrielli suggests moving on from the Gardiner-Zaitsev pairing, and I wouldn’t mind switching things up either. He is also interested in trying an 11F-7D set up at some point, with Tavares, Matthews, and Kadri getting extra minutes. There’s plenty of interesting ideas in this article.

Is William Nylander undervalued? An analytical look suggests he is- Ian Tulloch, The Athletic

Tulloch breaks down Nylander’s statistics, and highlights just how impressive his scoring production is to date.

Marlies Split Weekend, Snap Losing Skid- Jeff Veillette, Faceoff Circle

Veillette provides a detailed summary of this weekend’s Marlies action. He includes statistics such as CF% and game score, so it’s always a good read.

Enjoy your day.

From The Branches