A 22-year old man named William Nylander has been mysteriously added to Toronto’s roster, and someone is going to have to be traded, placed on waivers, or sent down as a result. Authorities describe Nylander as a 5’11” Swedish man with long blonde hair, and he’s known for his reckless rocking on ferris wheels.

Travis Dermott has been sent down for now, but seems likely to play for the Leafs on Tuesday:

So, who will be the odd man out? Justin Holl seems like the most likely candidate to hit the waiver wire, as he’s played in just one of Toronto’s 27 games. However, Holl is under contract for the 2019-2020 season at “just” $675k, so there’s a chance that Kyle Dubas tries to keep him around as a cheap depth option for the upcoming cap crunch.

Martin Marincin could also be an option, as he’s only under contract for this season, and the Leafs carry plenty of depth on the left-side. Given Mike Babcock’s preference for playing Marincin over Holl this year, waiving the former would be a bit of a surprise, but Marincin has cleared waivers before.

Marc Savard of Sportsnet tells us that a trade could also be on the horizon:

Could Marincin or Holl fetch a late-round pick? Frederik Gauthier is also an option, but I don’t think the Leafs will waive a centre. A bigger deal could involve one of Connor Brown, Josh Leivo, or Tyler Ennis, but they would require a solid asset in return. Brown, in particular, is an interesting trade asset, as I think the Leafs will eventually part ways with him ahead of next season’s cap crunch, and it will be hard to increase his trade value while he’s playing on the fourth line with no powerplay time.

In Case You Missed It

Back to Excited Episode 40 - All Nylander, all the time- Arvind and Acting the Fulemin

The Back to Excited hosts are back to being excited after the signing of William Nylander.

European Report: Injuries and limited ice time this week- Katya Knappe

Katya provides an update on Toronto’s European prospects here. I’m excited to watch Pontus Holmberg at the World Juniors.

CWHL Recap: Markham Thunder fall 5-3 to the Calgary Inferno- Nafio

Rebecca Leslie, Brigette Lacquette, and Jamie Lee Rattray were the three stars in this one.

Recap: Toronto Marlies defeat the W-B/S Penguins 7-4- Species 1967

Jeremy Bracco’s four point night led the Marlies to a 7-4 win on Saturday.

From the Branches

Timothy Liljegren: Evaluating his development 18 months after his draft selection- Kevin Papetti, Maple Leafs Hot Stove

I wrote an updated scouting report of Timothy Liljegren here. He got injured on Saturday, so let’s hope that he gets better soon.

Beyond Headlines: What we learned about Dubas during Nylander saga- Chris Johnston, Sportsnet

I don’t know what everyone else learned, but I learned that Dubas doesn’t mind stressing me out.

Nighlander- The Steve Dangle Podcast

Steve, Adam, and Jesse share their thoughts on the Nylander situation. I haven’t listen to this yet, but it’s on the top of my to-do list.

Why the Leafs won’t trade Nylander- Matthew Henriques

Matthew breaks down Nylander’s game here, and he thinks that Nylander is here to stay.

Enjoy your day!

From The Branches