Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

It’s been a long time since we heard from the Toronto Marlies; aside from an announcement that the season will begin February 5th we don’t have a lot of details yet.

AHL season set to start on February 5

The Marlies will play in a four team Canadian division with the Manitoba Moose (Jets*), Laval Rocket (Canadiens), and the Belleville Senators (.......duh).  The other three Canadian teams have their AHL affiliates in the US; Canucks are in Utica, NY, Oilers are in Bakersfield, California and the Flames are in Stockton, California. This puts those teams at a disadvantage when it comes to moving players on and off the roster/taxi squads, with a quarantine happening each way.

The Vancouver Canucks however, have worked out a way around that.

Three players from the Canucks will be playing for the Moose:

C - Tyler Graovac (27)

G - Arturs Silovs (19)

D - Ashton Sautner (26)

One player for each end of the rink, smart. This begs the question: Do the Toronto Marlies want to help out the Flames or Oilers? Bringing in another teams prospects will most likely bring in some money to off-set operating costs for this season. If that’s the case then we will most certainly see the Senators agree to help out on of those teams. This leaves the Marlies and Rocket as options for the last team - assuming each US AHL team only aligns with one Canadian.

The Canucks moved AHL veteran skaters to the Moose, and a goalie prospect - most likely the players they would want to call up as emergency players. If we go by those rules from the Oilers we could expect:

F - Seth Griffith (28)

D - Theodore Lennström (26)

G - Oliver Rodrigue (20)

We see former Marlies Seth Griffith come back, this time he’d be the star we need! Of course, I would love to see former IceDog Kirill Maksimov on the Marlies, but since he’s probably going to spend the season in the AHL I would leave him to get maximum ice time in Bakersfield.

These would be my guess from the Flames:

F - Byron Froese (29)

D - Alex Petrovic (28)

G - Tyler Parsons (23)

Another former Marlie! Welcome back Byron Froese. Aside from those guys, no one else down the depth chart sticks out to me.

Who should the Leafs help? Should they even?

Should the Marlies bring in outsiders?

Let’s fly with the Condors!37
Time to feel the heat.18
Gross. No.151

Yesterday we took a look back on the best win of the season:

What we learned from the Leafs pummeling the Jets

Brigstew and Hardev ranked the Leafs prospects:

Comparing our Toronto Maple Leafs prospect pyramids

I have no idea what this was about, but that coat!

Elsewhere around the NHL we see Sidney Crosby: Goal Man is still going strong.

The Carolina Hurricanes saw their Tuesday night game against the Nashville Predators as the ‘rona hunkers down for some BBQ in Raleigh.

Tuesday’s Hurricanes-Predators game postponed; five players on COVID list

Centre of Leafs Nation has a new podcast episode to start the season with. I wonder if they’ll let me on their podcast?

Toronto Maple Leafs: The Journey Begins

The worst kept secret in minor hockey is official:

Montreal Canadiens officially announce ECHL affiliation with expansion team in Trois-Rivières

A real, live, trade!

Colorado Avalanche Dump $2 Million and Deal Ian Cole to the Minnesota Wild

Sheldon Keefe is big on the short fourth line:

Sheldon Keefe on 11 forwards/7 defensemen: "I liked how the 11 forwards flowed" | Maple Leafs Hotstove

Player Safety is working overtime.

Elias Pettersson Fined For Hit On Sean Monahan

Enjoy your day everyone!

From The Branches