Monday FTB: Take a nap, it's a late one tonight

Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

It's game day once again, but we have a longer than usual wait as the Leafs head west and up to the Mile High City to take on the Avalanche.

The team is away all week making stops in Utah tomorrow, then Vegas on Thursday, and wrapping the trip with a train ride into Winnipeg.

So they had a travel day and all went well I assume as no real news occured but I want to post this, and please do not click on it.

This is one of the clickbaitiest headlines I have ever seen, and I am great at click bait. Back when SBN would beat us if we didn't make our article quotas I could churn out trash like nobodies business.

First off, "Toronto Maple Leafs trade William Nylander" is a hell of a beginning to a headline. That grabs the attention right there.

Following up with "in a proposal" is weak, sad, and the author knew many would not read that part.

It's yet another article built around radioing someone and goddamn it's stupid enough that the article should mock it hard.

Nick Kypreos continues to pound the "trade Nylander" drum - he's had to reskin it multiple times a year for a decade - and wants to add MORE DEFENDERS.

Why not?

Who are these must haves?

Jamie Oleksiak and Brandon Montour.

“I would do Brandon Montour for Willy, and (Jamie) Oleksiak,” Kypreos said. “Yeah, I would. Yes, yeah, for Willy. I would, I would, I would. I would shore up that blue line. I would take that blue line to the next level. That Montour, you win with that Montour, you win. They won’t trade him, Seattle won’t trade him, he’s their heart and soul.”

First off, Nylander had a No Move Clause and an $11.5M cap hit.

Oleksiak and Montour both have a No Trade Clause.

Combined they cost just over $11.7M.

So it doesn't work as is. Who does Toronto add? Does Seattle retain?

Also Toronto would have to move two defenders. Who goes?

Reilly, McCabe, Tanev, OEL, and Carlo all have No Trade/Move clauses.

If you move someone without one you're looking at Benning, Benoit, maybe Stetcher?

So the you're paying two guys over $3,000,000 to be your 5/6 defenders.

Not to mention losing Nylanders scoring. Have they even replaced Marners points?

Back to back seasons of losing your top two wingers is no way to win a cup.

They say defense wins championships, but....not like this they don't.

Please do not click that link.

This one, sure.

I'm not going to go at the Olympic organizing committee for making a small AHL / large OHL rink for these games.

Milan isn't exactly a hockey hotbed outside the games so not going with a 20k arena is probably smarter for them.

The construction lagging is something to point at, but they're playing games already and despite that hole in the ice from earlier it sounds ok.

My local OHL team originally played in a depression era rink that was about as short as this one, so I'm looking forward to the first few games played being full of unintentional offsides as players get used to the dimensions.

Halifax fans are ready to go all in on the PWHL.

Everyone wants in. Halifax and Hamilton has a good ring to the next round of expansion. Probably one will be an American team though.

A kids intermission game in Hershey got a little wild:

Kids getting AFTER it on the ice in the Hershey Bears intermission game #ElectricFactory pic.twitter.com/DtPjjbK3Vl
— Allie Berube (@allieberube) January 11, 2026

Not everyone enjoyed it however.

Our statement on the events during the intermission event last night at the Hershey Bears game.#Hockey | #USAHockey | #AtlanticDistrict pic.twitter.com/dRc778GlOK
— Atlantic District (@AtlanticDistr) January 11, 2026