Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

It's Monday June 13th and the last game of the Stanley Cup Final was played on June 10th.

Love the gaps in the schedule. The least everyone else could do is....anything...to make these days off interesting.

Alas, they are not, so people are concocting zany takes on Matthews contract, trading Marner, goaltending, all kinds of things.

Me?

Well, I went to comic-con in Niagara Falls over the weekend and ignored it all. Cosplay was amazing, vendors were good, panels were fine.

So did anything hockey wise happen? Meh.

https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/toronto-maple-leafs/news/maple-leafs-and-michael-bunting-have-not-held-contract-talks-since-season-ended

Contract talks! Yeah, he's not coming back.

New Jersey Devils: Does Jesper Bratt For Mitch Marner Make Sense For Everyone?
The New Jersey Devils are currently steeped in another hard negotiation with Jesper Bratt. The young winger is already in his third negotiation of his care…
Nick VillanoFanSided

Fight about fake trades!

Will NHL punish Knights’ Pietrangelo for leaving penalty box for game-ending scrum?
The actions of Vegas Golden Knights star defenceman Alex Pietrangelo could be examined after he left the penalty box to get involved in some post-game fireworks with the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
| June 11, 2023, 12:00 AMSportsnet

Deep reading the rule book but we all know nothing will come of it, the rule book is just a suggestion on the NHL.

Charles Barkley says Jack Eichel big-timed him: ‘He had zero idea who I was’
The NBA on TNT analyst was all smiles while telling the story of a recent hotel encounter he had with the Golden Knights star.
James O’BrienYahoo Sports

I know of Charles Barkley but I may not recognize him on the street.

https://thehockeynews.com/news/nhl-scouting-combine-key-takeaways-from-the-fitness-testing-results

Oh right, the draft combine was this weekend, but only the nerdiest of nerds cares

The pressure is building on the Ottawa Senators to complete a sale
Latest on the sale of the Senators
Bruce GarriochOttawa Sun

The Senators are just as big a mess under the younger Melnyks. Good to keep things consistent.

Report: Hellebuyck not interested in extension with Jets
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck isn’t interested in signing an extension with the Winnipeg Jets, according to The Athletic.Hellebuyck has one season remaining on his current contract at $6.16 million and is eligible to ink a new deal with Winnipeg as of July 1. He’s widely considered to be a top trade…
Sean O’LearytheScore

Let's end on on some good news eh?

Alright, enjoy your day. I'm off to work a double shift, so like, six hours of work today. Oh it's such a hard life.

From The Branches