Wednesday's FTB: Stadiums and Shrines

We're in the week between the biggest events of the NHL offseason, and free agents are having bizarrely restricted negotiations with pending FAs. We'll only know for sure what's happening when pens get put to paper on Friday, but until then, the league is a rumour mill.

Puzzling Out The Draft

PPP: The Optimist's Guide to the Leafs Draft After initial dismay, most of us have started to feel somewhat more positive about the Leafs' wild Saturday. Your boy Fiddy MC is here to put sunshine in your life.

MLHS: The 2016 Maple Leafs Draft: Bigger, Older...Dumber? Unhinged social deviant Quinn Mackeen takes a look at the Leafs' drafting strategy and Yegor Korshkov in particular. If you want to feel better about 31OA and our developing Russian scouting, read this.

Canes Country: Grading the 2016 NHL Draft They think we had our moments but don't get the Korshkov pick. I'm putting this link next to the previous one so they can talk it out.

Stanley Cup Of Chowder: 4 Things The Bruins Were Looking For In Their Draftees Based On Their Scouting The four things are actually all just grit.

More Leafs

PPP: There Is A Phil Kessel Shrine In Jamaica There is a Phil Kessel shrine in Jamaica. I don't know what else to tell you. There is a Phil Kessel shrine in Jamaica.

PPP: Leafs Extend Qualifying Offers To Six RFAs Man, I really liked the look of Percy back in 2014. Sad to see his Leafs' tenure end this way.

PPP: Mitch Marner And The Learning Curve Katya turns her eye to top-10 CHL draftees to get a glimpse into Marner's 2016-17.

The Leafs Nation: The Leafs' Organizational Depth Chart Jeffler helpfully lays out the Leaf players at each position throughout the organization. I'm sure this is a jinx for when we sign Matt Martin on Friday, but I feel pretty good about things as they stand.

Blogger's Tribune: Suboptimal Asset Management: Reflecting On the Maple Leafs Draft Tom Hunter thinks the Leafs created more risk from their "off-the-board" choices.

Free Agency

Today's Slapshot: Milan Lucic Visits Edmonton Ahead Of Free Agency Lucic was the third player that Peter Chiarelli ever drafted when he was GM of the Boston Bruins, and there may be a high-priced reunion coming. Jason Demers also met with Chiarelli, but was sadly not important enough to make it into the headline.

Dreger: Benning's Mistake Was Making A Public Statement Appearing on the radio, bad GM expert Darren Dreger correctly describes Jim Benning Error #4385. Dreger also notes that having a negotiating period where money can't be discussed is one of the most comically irrational rules this dumbass league has ever instituted.

Kukla's Korner: Discussing The Case For Stamkos To Sign With The Red Wings Because it's 2002 and they can buy an All-Star team to play with him!

Sportsnet: Stamkos Sign And Trade Is A Real Possibility Stamkos is in the driver's seat, and could conceivably force that eighth year if he really wanted it, which means sign-and-trade. But I'd be surprised. Hey, does Tampa want Tyler Bozak? Acha? [Is blessed]

CSN NE: Source Says Bruins Preparing Offer Sheet For Winnipeg Jets D-Man Jacob Trouba Grains of salt abound, since no NHL player has signed an offer sheet in three years (and none has gone unmatched since 2007), but Joe Haggerty is a regular Bruins reporter with an actual byline, so the report has some degree of credibility to it. The Bruins are apparently looking at dropping a Brinks truck on Trouba and a bunch of first-rounders on the Jets.

There is a Phil Kessel shrine in Jamaica.