It’s been a long time since the Maple Leafs faced the Detroit Red Wings, though there have been a few games since the days of Marcel Dionne and Mike Pelyk up there in the header photo. The question is, are the Red Wings still terrible? The answer is, no they are not terrible anymore, and they actually have a better record than the Leafs right now. In fact they even have a better record than the Lightning by one OT loss point, which they earned in a 7-6 loss to them. However, I do not buy in yet that they are actually that good.

They haven’t really had great goaltending this season, it’s actually a hair below average. They simply seem to be able to stifle the offence of some teams while Tyler Bertuzzi takes shots and has a lot of them go in—he’s got six goals in seven games. It will be interesting to see the dynamic of how the Leafs play against and counter their offence tonight, but this game sure sounds dangerous.

We’ll have our detailed preview out this afternoon, after news trickles out from the morning skate, which reminds me I have to figure out who should now be my go to reporter on Twitter for coverage of the practices and morning skates since Kristen Shilton has moved on to league-wide hockey coverage with ESPN.

Morgan Rielly and Mike Amadio

Big news! Rielly signed an eight year contract extension and it came in at an AAV that is a bit less than expected. We have our full coverage here:

Maple Leafs extend Morgan Rielly for 8 years

And a reminder that Mike Amadio is on waivers right now. We will find out at 2:00 p.m. ET if he is claimed. If not, then he will likely be assigned to the Marlies.

Maple Leafs place Michael Amadio on waivers

Other News

Binnington doesn't regret swinging stick at Kadri, but says 'I'm not crazy' - Sportsnet
St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington doesn't regret swinging his stick at Colorado Avalanche forward Nazem Kadri during a scrum in a game between heated rivals on Thursday.

This is the incident in question.

You might recall this is not the first time Binnington has done this. Back in 2018 he actually made contact.

Father of Steve Montador files second wrongful death lawsuit against NHL - TSN
The lawsuit alleges that Steve Montador suffered at least 11 documented concussions in the NHL, including four in 12 weeks in 2012. Steve was 35 when he died on Feb. 15, 2015.

Fehr, NHLPA doctor failed to warn USA Hockey about Aldrich despite promises, Beach says - TSN
Beach said that if Don Fehr and Dr. Shaw had done “what they are supposed to do, then that teenaged boy in Michigan probably does not get sexually assaulted." USA Hockey did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

From The Branches