It was Leafs day at NHL.com:

Inside look at Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL.com
Poised for playoff return after overhauling front office, drafting McKenna No. 1 overall
NHL logoMike Zeisberger
Top prospects for Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL.com
No. 1 pick McKenna could step into lineup immediately, become playmaker alongside Matthews
NHL logoMike Zeisberger

This goalie was slightly injured near his eye when a puck went through his mask. There is a (sensible) suggestion that the grill be made slightly different to prevent this.

The Marlies made some moves official:

The first two, Reese Johnson and Timofei Obvintsev we knew about already, Jackson Kunz is new news.

Kunz is 24, a left shooting winger from Grand Forks. He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Canucks in 2020, played for their AHL team last year after graduating college and spent half the season in the ECHL.

He really means it:

And an interesting choice here. Alberta is copying Ontario's opening up of gambling because they discovered most of the gambling there was not going to the provincial site, but to offshore sites. They have begun with some of the rules about advertising put in place in Ontario only came to when it became obvious they needed them. Thus proving you can learn from someone else's mistakes.

A name much bandied about during coaching circles. This is nonetheless an odd choice. He's handy to Edmonton, since Hockey Canada works out of Calgary, but it sure seems like he's breathing down the neck of Mike Babcock, doesn't it?

And that is it for now! Enjoy the last few days of August, before everything gets serious as September rolls in next week.

From The Branches