No signings or trades on Thursday. But we do have some Leafs doing interviews our in the local media, and one amazing tennis achievement.

John Tavares is promoting the Barn Burner Charity Hockey Game out in Barrie.

Maple Leafs forward John Tavares laces skates for Barn Burner
Maple Leafs forward John Tavares laces up his skates for the Barn Burner Charity Hockey Game fundraiser.
CTVNews

Michael Pezzetta has always dreamed of being a Leaf, and now he gets to fulfill that chance. Here's a story about him from the NHLPA. It's quite sweet.

Pezzetta fulfills childhood dream by signing with Maple Leafs
Growing up roaming Scotiabank Arena and chasing down NHL stars, Michael Pezzetta is eager to suit up with his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs this October.
NHLPA.comChris Lomon

Nicholas Roy went on the TLN podcast to talk about joining the Leafs as well.

Nicolas Roy dishes on joining the Maple Leafs, a team he grew up cheering for: Leafs Morning Take
Where does the time go? Sidney’s Crosby’s 38 years old today. Incre…
TheLeafsNationNick Alberga

And it would be a mistake if we didn't congratulate 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko on winning the National Bank Open in Montreal last night. She's been on the rise this year, storming onto the scene by beating Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka to win the ATP 1000 tournament (one level below a grand slam). A little bit about Victoria's season...

She started 2025 off the WTA 200 ranking, but essentially swept three tournaments early in the year, winning 22 matches in a row, to earn a ranking of 156th in the world. At the Italian Open, she lost to Coco Gauff in the second round, but then three months later beat Coco in straight sets at the Canadian Open in Montreal in the quarterfinals! And last night in the final, Mboko beat Naomi Osaka in three sets (2-6, 6-4, 6-1) becoming the third Canadian woman to win the tournament in the open era alongside Bianca Andreescu and Faye Urban. The US Open starts at the end of the month.

Victoria was born in South Carolina after her parents left the DR of Congo, but they moved to Toronto (Burlington) when she was two months old. She plays with her right hand and is known for her serve and strong backhand, meaning she's probably a left shot in hockey – do we think Spoons will let another big shooter play on her line?

Victoria Mboko tops Naomi Osaka in 3 sets to win in Canada as a wild card, her first title and 3rd Canadian to win

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2025-08-08T00:18:45.808Z

Goosebumps.

Back to PPP, you still have until Sunday to vote in our Community Vote for the Top 25 Under 25. Read the comments if you have any questions about the community vote. You can Not Rank players should you choose, meaning you don't have to rank exactly 25 if it stops being fun after the fifth or tenth player. The official vote for us on the inside is closing today. And then on Monday... the journey begins!

2025 T25U25: Community Vote
Get in there and rank those prospects.
PPP LeafsCathy Squires
From The Branches