Good morning!

So what kind of news do you want first? Mitch Marner, William Nylander, or Philip Holm?

I assume everyone shouted Holm so we’ll start there.

The Chicago Blackhawks have signed the defenseman the Maple Leafs were thinking about getting back when they got Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman in the spring of 2017. Holm is moving from Vegas’ farm team in Chicago to the Blackhawks (or their affiliate in Rockford) after he was acquired by the team via waivers from Vancouver, where he started his NHL career.

When the news came across the office floor Fulemin pointed out that Philip “might need to find a new ... ... ... ... residence” as a result of the signing. Fulemin has been shunned, accordingly.

Great, now that we got the important news out of the way, let’s focus on Toronto’s first and second-best right wingers: William Nylander and Mitch Marner. In that order.

Nine years after his father received the same honours, William Nylander was acknowledged by his Swedish National Team as the “Best Man” as a result of his work on and off the ice during the World Championships.

I don’t know about you, but Nylander hasn’t put a single foot out of line in Toronto and his play during each of the last World Championships and the latest playoffs indicate to me that’s he’s on track do something incredible in 2019-20. Maybe that’s the fan in me but I can’t help but be super optimistic about his potential.

Also, credit goes to Jacqueline Taylor (@jxcquelineoh) from Chicago for grabbing an early morning coffee and translating the interview for the English-speaking world. Translating from one language to another is a skill and I hope those who share her work give her the proper credit.

And finally on Marner, Andrew Berkshire went on the radio and called Marner overrated. HOW DARE THOSE HABS F... Oh. He made a nuanced and detailed point that most Leafs fans actually agree with? Well, I guess that’s alright then.

I agree with Berkshire’s point. Marner and his camp have forced the Leafs and everyone who follows them (I’m looking at you, Vancouver) into a war of attrition that has slowly morphed a long-term $9 million AAV contract into a range where we pray every day that the contract is under $10 million and that we don’t walk Marner to free agency.

The tactics used by Marner, his family, and Darren Ferris are brilliant and infuriating and will definitely be talked about and used for years to come.

My question for the comments as well as on Twitter is this: what would you do if Marner’s cap hit for this season was less than $10 million? What would you be willing to do to make it happen? Arvind is reportedly willing to get a tattoo on his face. My source also alleged that Species already has a tattoo on his face. I wonder what it could be. o.o

Mitch Marner’s camp significantly overestimating his market value?

Staying in Toronto, the Top 25 Under 25 continues as we barrel towards the halfway point in the rankings. #14 comes out a little later this morning, and the player being discussed is quite topical for the hockey internet in August. Yesterday, Mac Hollowell appeared in the #15 slot after an impressive final season in junior hockey and a promising stint in the AHL playoffs. He’s going to be in a fierce battle with a couple other young Marlies defensemen for ice time and affection from the staff, but early indicators are promising for him.

Top 25 Under 25: Mac Hollowell grabs #15 after a great season

In more P. Holm news, Pontus Holmberg got his “unranked but not forgotten” Top 25 Under 25 article from Katya. In it she outlines his progress so far in the organization and what we can realistically expect from him in the future.

Pontus Holmberg: Unranked in the Top 25, but first in his coach’s heart

William Douglas, aka the Color of Hockey, has been hired by the NHL to write for their website and one of his early works came out last morning and it was on black NHL linesman Shandor Alphonso.

Color of Hockey: Alphonso gearing up for 2019-20 season

How much are you willing to let Mitch Marner be overpaid by?

$500k - $999k654
$1M - $1.49M296
$1.5M - $1.9M117
My name is Paul327
From The Branches