Reddit User Uses Algorithm to Select Maple Leafs as Favorite Team!

This is just absolutely awesome. God bless reddit.

Here is the link to his algorithm spreadsheet. You must check this out.

Biggest thing I question is giving the Oilers a 1 in Arena?

McDavid's huge contract sets the stage for Auston Matthews' Extension in Toronto

Really good and thorough read here.

No sooner had the ink dried on Connor McDavid’s eight-year, $100-million contract extension than the hockey world’s attention turned to what it all means for the Toronto Maple Leafs and their own resident superstar, Auston Matthews. We’re all kind of funny that way.

Well, the first order of business might be for the Maple Leafs to send McDavid and his agent, Jeff Jackson, a nice fruit basket as a show of appreciation. By basically being a hockey player and accepting less than a 6th man in the NBA gets per season, and not demanding the maximum amount he could have, McDavid basically set the bar just a little lower, and for that the Maple Leafs can be grateful.

But all the hand wringing really isn’t necessary here. A lot of people are overthinking this one. Because the Leafs can essentially right here, right now, put Auston Matthews down for an eight-year, $100 million contract that kicks in for the 2019-20 season and runs through 2026-27. All the heavy lifting has already been done for him by the Oilers and McDavid’s negotiators.

The basic premise is stated at the beginning of the article. Now that the market has been established, you can expect Matthews to sign an 8-year, $100 Million dollar contract with the Leafs two years from now.

That said, you just hope he's as easy of a negotiation as Connor McDavid was for the Oilers. They are after all, different people.

Shayne Corson's Anxiety, Golden Knights construction, McDavid's extension

Here are the hockey links that I found throughout my day on Wednesday. It's going to be a short work week, which is good. I can totally dig that.

• Former Maple Leaf Shayne Corson talks about how panic attacks and anxiety have affected his life and his career. [Toronto Sun]
• The construction of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, and how they weren't built to go out and win. [Deadspin]
• Connor McDavid signs an 8-year, $100 million dollar extension. Here's what the Oilers face on the back end of this deal to build around him. [Deadspin]
• The Maple Leafs extended winger Zach Hyman to a four year deal. [Pension Plan Puppets]
• More reaction to the Mcdavid deal. [Barstool Sports]
• Breaking down the Oilers future of building around Mcdavid now that the big deal is done. [Pro Hockey Talk]

Ice Guardians & Chill

I rented Ice Guardians on Amazon video tonight. Here's my synopsis. 

The underlying tone of this entire documentary; which was really well made, was that this is what these guys had to do to play in the NHL. They were not NHL players without the ability to fight. And at the end of the film we learn, that they would do it all again. 

The NHL has changed today. The death of the enforcer role really happened in 2005 when hockey became more wide-open and all four lines had to be able to score and skate. There was no roster spot really allotted for there to be an enforcer anymore. And now that leaves guys like Sidney Crosby for instance wide open to take shots and get concussions and not to have the room to skate and play freely like Wayne Gretzky and other greats did like Steve Yzerman had with their sidecar enforcer line mates. 

This was a very interesting documentary that covers all aspects of the role of enforcers, every single aspect. It was well worth the rent.

They had an interview with the recently deceased Dave Semenko.


Jay Baruchel is featured a lot in the documentary. Had no idea he loved the Habs:

Keeper League Hockey

First, there's this. I thought it would be good to headline a post. 

Next up, I am trying to string together a keeper hockey league. There are a number of formats to do a fantasy keeper league for NHL. My biggest problem right now is finding 10 other owners, as well as deciding on a format. 

I'm going to run it on the Yahoo platform. I just need to find the horses. It's not like baseball where I know 11 guys I can trust. 

Maple Leaf Gardens

It's the Yankee Stadium of ice hockey. Read about the Maple Leaf Gardens.

Final goal ever scored here was of course by famed tough guy, Bob Probert. 

Patrick Marleau is a Maple Leaf

After a series of July 1st moves that were underwhelming, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a huge splash on July 2nd.

Patrick Marleau was signed by the Maple Leafs today. He's a left-shooting left winger. He has played his entire career in a San Jose Sharks uniform since the 1997-1998 season. Here are his career stats. He's tallied 508 goals and 574 assists. He's played in 177 postseason games with 120 points in those games.

So, the thought is that he played a lot with Brent Burns and that although he's old; he doesn't have as much mileage on him as a typical player of his age. The other analysis of the move and his impact with the Leafs:

Marleau played some with Mikkel Boedker this past season, and he is nothing but speed and rush chances. They had high event success together, another good sign he might fit with the young, fast, go for broke Leafs.

The point of signing a man his age, who still has it but might lose it at any moment, seems to be to provide a temp fill-in for the potentially departing James van Riemsdyk. If van Riemsdyk stays, then the worst that’s happened is that a major upgrade over Zach Hyman has occurred for a few years.

This might seem like a quiet little signing here in July. But come January, February, and March when the Leafs are grinding and jockeying for position back in the NHL playoffs, this will be a signing that many are thankful for.

The contract calls for three years, $6.25 Million in average annual dollars.

McDavid Megadeal: How does it Impact Matthews Future Extension?

Connor McDavid is about to sign an 8-year extension with the Edmonton Oilers, north of $100 million. He deserves every penny. He is by all accounts; the greatest thing ever to happen to hockey. The greatest personality, the greatest talent, and just a perfect ambassador for the sport in Canada while playing for the Oilers.

So the next question to be asked: how does this impact Auston Matthews' future contract extension with the Maple Leafs? One can only hope they can sign him to an 8-year extension. My guess is they'll settle on only five. And Matthews may not be as easy to tie down as McDavid was. He's just a different kid.

So you can pretty much mark it down for this time next year: That’s when the Maple Leafs will likely negotiate a contract extension for Auston Matthews that will probably look a lot like McDavid’s deal. Maybe it’ll be a little less generous; Matthews, as spectacular as he is, hasn’t yet shown himself to be in McDavid’s stratosphere. Then again, Matthews has another season to rise. And given his track record so far, it’d be foolish to suggest he doesn’t have it in him.

Either way, he’s going to be expensive. Which only underlines the opportunity staring the Leafs in the face. They’ve got Matthews and Mitch Marner on entry-level deals for two more seasons. That’s an enticing prospect for a team that took a massive competitive leap this past year. It wasn’t just their six-game, five-overtime playoff series with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Washington Capitals that suggested as much. From Jan. 1 until the regular season’s end, only two Eastern teams — the Capitals and Islanders — compiled more points than the Leafs.

Basically, it's expected that productive veterans will soon be cut loose for cheaper talent so that the Maple Leafs can get ready to make a big offering to Matthews.

Toronto Maple Leafs 2017 - 2018 Schedule Highlights

You can see the Toronto Maple Leafs upcoming 2017-2018 schedule here. I am going to highlight the 'can't miss' spots of the schedule below.

October 4th at Winnipeg
Season opener. Laine vs. Matthews. 'Nuff said.

October 7th vs. New York Rangers
Home ice-opener versus a quality opponent. Also, it's Hockey Night in Canada! (Full schedule here for HNIC)

November 22nd at Florida (Thanksgiving Eve)
I always loved watching hockey with a holiday and a big meal on deck. Hockey is just at it's greatest point during this point in the season.

December 15th at Detroit
The Leaves first trip to Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit. I *might* make the trip for this one. It is a Friday night.

December 20th at Columbus
Perfect timing. I have never visited Nationwide Arena; my hometown arena, so close to Christmas. I will definitely be at this game to see Auston Matthews play for the first time live.

December 23rd at New York Rangers
Two nights before Christmas. I'll be watching. Wish it was in Toronto.

December 31st at Las Vegas
New Years' Eve afternoon. Hopefully I can catch some of this while my kids are running around and before any bowl games come on.

March 3rd vs. Washington (at Navy Stadium) Outdoor
I always enjoy the outdoor classics. Let's get some memorable revenge on the Caps for game six and the opening round of the playoffs last year. Hopefully by this time in the year, Matthews is tracking 50 goals.

Jeff Brubaker, Toronto Draft Grade, and Donairs

My buddy played for former NHL Jeff Brubaker. I pulled this off his facebook account. I recently read a great interview with Brubaker off Slapshot Diaries. Here is his page on Hockey-Reference.com.

The Maple Leafs were given an A- over at The Score for their draft

In almost every single preseason mock draft, Liljegren was going first or second overall. He failed to progress in his second year, but that can be tough to do as a 17-year-old defenseman playing with men. He also battled injuries and an illness, resulting in a halt in his development. He is one of the smoothest skaters in the draft and has elite offensive upside.

The Leafs addressed a huge need after the first round, adding two towering defensemen. Rasanen stands at 6-foot-7, while Gordeev is 6-6.

The Buds also took a chance on a 6-foot-3 netminder, Scott, who may have fallen in the draft due to his results. He posted an ugly goals-against average and save percentage, but played for the worst team in the WHL.

Grade: A-

Finally, I had my first Donair experience at the local mall tonight. It was pretty cool - shaved meat. Beef, chicken, or lamb (I went chicken) with a variety of vegtables. Here are the best Toronto Donairs places. I'll have to stop by one of these when I go.

NHL Draft Night for the Toronto Maple Leafs

Tonight was the NHL Draft, and I stuck around since NHL Network has been pried from me somehow by Direct TV and followed the picks online a little bit. This draft definitely seemed to lack the 'sizzle' of a generational prospect, but I am nonetheless interested to see who the Maple Leafs added.

The Hischier kid the New Jersey Devils took #1 overall is dubbed as a Mitch Marner clone.

The Maple Leafs took a kid who is classified as an 'elite' skating defenceman. His name is Timothy Liljegren, and I will undoubtedly fuck up the spelling of his name for years to come. The brass says he's probably going to be with the big team this year.

Director of Player Personnel Mark Hunter talks about the @MapleLeafs drafting of @Timmeliljegren. #NHLDraft #TMLTalk pic.twitter.com/g2VlYFFR51

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 24, 2017

More posts to come tomorrow night once the Maple Leafs have compiled more picks.

Twitter seems to think the Maple Leafs hit a home run:

"What in the hell was everyone thinking letting Timothy Liljegren drop that far" is something you'll hear a bunch in the coming years.

— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) June 23, 2017

Not to overhype the kid, but Timothy Liljegren is now the best Swedish defenseman in the province.

— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) June 24, 2017

#Leafs select D Timothy Liljegren at No. 17 from Rogle, a player many thought would be the No. 1 pick at some points in 2015-16.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 24, 2017

The Auston Matthews 2016 Draft Lottery

Here's the full broadcast. It's really a great thing to watch every year; even though you hope your team isn't part of it. Some great players have been drafted as part of this draft lottery, with Auston Matthews being the latest.

It's fun to watch which franchise is going to get their hands on the next number one overall.

Bettman:

New Adidas Hockey Uniforms

Paul Lukas (an asshole) has a breakdown of the new Adidas NHL uniforms.

Pension Plan Puppets breaks down the Leafs' new jersey, which keeps the classic look.

A closer look at the @MapleLeafs @adidashockey jersey for the 2017-18 @NHL season. #FormTheFuture #TMLtalk pic.twitter.com/4eEXlL0aDE

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 21, 2017

HONOUR. PRIDE. COURAGE. This is cool.

What we stand for. #FormTheFuture @adidashockey pic.twitter.com/USQAprXlqP

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) June 21, 2017

It's good to be rooting for a team like the Yankees in hockey that doesn't change up their looks.

NHL Draft Day 2017

I know nothing about the NHL draft. I am not going to pretend to. But tonight; Friday evening in Chicago, is the NHL draft. 

The Maple Leafs hold selections 17, 59, 110, 124, 172, and 203. That's not a bevy of selections where you're really going to make hay and you just hope that the Leafs hit on the first two picks in the first and second rounds and then maybe find a serviceable guy later there. 

A kid named Nico Hischier is expected to be taken #1 overall by the New Jersey Devils as a Centre. The same mock has the Leafs taking Erik Brannstrom, a LH defenceman.

It's just good to be writing about NHL hockey.

Leafs Schedule Released; Golden Knights Expansion

Couple of Thursday night offseason links:

• The Maple Leafs released their 2017-2018 schedule today; highlighted by New Years Eve in Las Vegas, and playing the Capitals outdoors in Maryland at Army stadium. 
• The Las Vegas Golden Knights are delighted with their returns from the expansion draft.
• The Oilers traded Jordan Eberle today. Last of the Mohicans.
• Connor McDavid scored 100 points and was Hart Trophy Award winner. At age 20.
• McDavid got the NHL 18 cover.

My Buddy the Nordsman

I work with this guy at my bank - one of the best dudes I've ever talked hockey with. He crossed paths with John Kordic, Link Gaetz and a bunch of other hockey legends in training camp and the minors.

Literally has more hockey stories than I have hairs. I could listen to him all day. He bums lippers off me, and me him.

My friend, the Nordsman.

Hockey Chirps

This in essence, is why I love hockey....

More Auston Matthews Calder - Soak it In

Your rookie of the year – with 40 goals in his first season – is none other than Auston Matthews. #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/ZczHltB0M9

— NHL (@NHL) June 22, 2017

Here's all 40 goals:

Auston Matthews gets the Calder Trophy and a 1-on-1 interview with @GenePrincipe. What a day! #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/pfau1QshVa

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) June 22, 2017

Imports Dragon Figures will make an Auston Matthews Figure!

On a night when the Las Vegas Golden Knights made 30 Expansion Draft picks, on a night where the NHL held their awards show and Auston Matthews took down the Calder Trophy; Imports Dragon (unofficially) tipped off fans that an Auston Matthews figure is coming to us collectors!

Look closely in the bottom left hand corner of the photo that was posted to their Facebook page. More information should come tomorrow. In the meantime; read a little bit more about Matthews' attire this evening over at Pension Plan Puppets. 

Auston Matthews' Calder

The Calder Trophy goes to @AM34 of the @MapleLeafs, who led all first-year players with 40 goals and 69 points. #NHLAwards pic.twitter.com/LzRa9SCUXy

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 22, 2017