Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

It's a long wait until game time, and nothing exciting popped up last night, so here are some links to ignore and then go chat about your favourite part of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Mine is getting plastered in the saloon with Lenny. Ah, poor Lenny.

There's so much going on in the world, and we all may not have time to keep up on our draft talk. Thankfully, Brian has us covered.

2025 NHL Draft: December Watch List
Looking at the prospect rankings as of December 2024 to get an idea of what prospects I like may be available in the second round.
PPP LeafsBrian S

New defence pairings in practice, I don't know if it's as groundbreaking as the headline makes it.

Maple Leafs Confirm Sweeping Changes to the Blueline, Reveal Unexpected Healthy Scratch
The Toronto Maple Leafs have confirmed some drastic changes to their blueline ahead of Wednesday’s tilt with the Dallas Stars, revealing one unexpected scratch.
H&L Media IncMike Armenti

Welp. We had a good thing going on goal.

Maple Leafs’ Anthony Stolarz expected to miss four-to-six weeks with knee injury
Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz has been sidelined for the past two games with a knee injury.
Daily FaceoffCory Wilkins

Well, at least -some- companies will start negotiating ahead of time.

32 Thoughts: Soft talks underway between NHL, NHLPA for next CBA
The NHL Board of Governors meetings have wrapped and teams were left with the impression that the ride to the next CBA will be smoother. Elliotte Friedman discusses that, a possible 84-game season and more tidbits from around the league.
Sportsnet.caElliotte Friedman

Farewell Fraser. See you...down the street.

Toronto Maple Leafs Send Fraser Minten To Toronto Marlies
Minten has two goals and four points in 11 game with the Maple Leafs this season
Yahoo SportsSteven McGoey

Projecting a Leafs/Bruins first round.

That's fine. It's fine. It'll be fine.

NHL Bubble Watch: Projecting the playoff hopes for all 32 teams
While some expected contenders are spinning out, new ones have emerged. Here’s a December look at projected Stanley Cup Playoff matchups.
ESPNGreg Wyshynski

A local boy (to me) makes history!

Jets sign He, 1st China-born player with NHL deal
The first-place Winnipeg Jets signed Kevin He -- an 18-year-old forward who was born in Beijing and moved to Canada with his family when he was 6 -- to an entry-level deal on Tuesday, making him the first China-born player to sign an NHL contract.
ESPNField Level Media

2024 was a big year for women's sports. It's only going to get better.

From Caitlin Clark and Simone Biles to a new hockey league, women’s sports had a pivotal year
Ticket sales to Indiana Fever games were up 182% in 2024 from the previous season. The Fever also shattered the attendance record of 13,398 set by the Liberty in 1998 with around 16,084 tickets sold per game.
Yahoo SportsNBC Sports

The London Knights are working to make sure they bring the Memorial Cup home from Rimouski this year.

Finally, the territories are usually left out of hockey news, but they have a hero going for gold this year.

Yukon hockey phenom Gavin McKenna named to Canada’s world junior roster
Gavin McKenna will be spending the holidays in Canada’s capital.The 16-year-old hockey star from Whitehorse was officially named on Friday to Team Canada’s final 25-player roster for the world junior hockey championships in Ottawa.McKenna, who is a Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in citizen, is leading the Western Hockey League in scoring this year, averaging two points a game.“Gavin is brilliant, there’s no question,” said TSN analyst Craig Button, a former NHL general manager. “He’s amongst the best players ou
Yahoo NewsCBC

Have a great day everyone! Unless you are an actual Sabres fan in which case you won't because they have now extended their losing streak to 11 games with an embarrassing loss to the Habs.

From The Branches