Bonjour Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

Round three of the NHL playoffs is beginning to take shape after the Montréal Canadiens swept the Winnipeg Jets* in the final North Division playoff series. Makes these t-shirts even dumber now.

With this sweep the Canadiens are the first ream to advance to the final four, with the remaining series siting here:

Colorado Avalanche & Vegas Golden Knights tied at two games each.

New York Islanders leading the Boston Bruins 3-2.

Tampa Bay Lightning leading the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1.

The way the re-seeding works, the Canadiens are the lowest out of these seven teams so they would face the highest ranked team, which would be either the Colorado Avalanche or the Vegas Golden Knights.

If Carey Price continues playing like he has these playoffs, the Canadiens have a chance against either of those two teams; but if the clock strikes midnight and he turns back into a pumpkin it’s going to hurt all of those Habs fans as they see the Canadiens run end.

Would I be sad to see Nazem Kadri, or even better, Max Pacioretty score the series winner to send the Habs home? Absolutely not.

Although, I do have a personal interest in seeing the Canadiens go all the way. A happy Habs fan in my house has its benefits...

So, excuse me if I...not exactly cheer for the team that eliminated us to win but....Go Habs?

Now, some news.

The Complete Third Season of Kyle Dubas

Fulemin looks back on Kyle Dubas’ junior year as Maple Leafs GM.

Maple Leafs Offseason Cap Space

Katya did the math for us, which, thank you.

Maple Leafs Mailbag: Is there a way to win a Mitch Marner trade? - Sportsnet.ca

Long term? No. Short term? It may make some of us feel better.

Big Offseason Maple Leafs Questions, Part 1: The Zach Hyman contract

I’m glad I don’t have to answer these questions.

Some Marlies news for you. First, their division for next season:

They go back to a localized division, with familiar faces in Belleville and Laval, and we rejoin the Cleveland Monsters, Rochester Americans, Syracuse Crunch, and the rebranded Utica Comets - now the New Jersey Devils affiliate.

The Marlies will play 72 games this season, and the scheduling is a little weird because teams can pick and choose how far from home they play:

We’ll also be seeing some movement in the ECHL, with the new Trois-Rivières team coming into the league, and they have officially announced that they will be the affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens, which, duh.

On Thursday they will announce the name of the team.

Finally, our own Arvind was a guest on the Everything Leafs Podcast, which you can listen to here:

The Marner Debate, and What Comes Next for the Maple Leafs with @Arvi

Enjoy your day everyone!

From The Branches