At one year and $1.3M, the Toronto Maple Leafs signing Daniel Winnik isn't a big risk. The team has been stocking up on depth forwards so far this summer, and so there is bound to be competition for at least a few jobs in the lineup. This is good to see, and perhaps the best part is that none of the newcomers are total meatheads -- every one of them can at least play a limited role, and if they can't, they'll probably find themselves buried in the minors -- so no biggie.

Winnik's Behind The Net numbers aren't impressive relative to his former Anaheim teammates, but as a depth player being deployed defensively on a great team, his relative numbers won't look phenomenal, anyway. This is my first day back in Canada in about a year, so I haven't had time to look into it in much depth, but the one head-scratching point is that the Leafs are well-stocked on left wingers and under-staffed on the right wing. Anyway, you can hash out his worth in the comments.

Kyle Dubas on new Leafs' gig

Story from Wyshynski at PD.

Lee Stempniak and depth roles

An article from Blueshirt Banter that I suppose is relevant to the Winnik conversation.

Abdelkader suspended three games by IIHF

It's for a play that occurred during the World Championships.

Erik Staal has 'core muscle surgery'

He's expected to be back in time for training camp.

Frolik signs 1-year deal

Jets avoid arbitration.

Jerry D'Amigo signs 1-year deal

It's a 2-way offer, but I bet D'Amigo spends most of this season in the bigs.

From The Branches