Hiatus is over! I did some percentage of the things I wanted to accomplish, I avoided all social media and hid in my house from the epic smoke. Which means I did a lot more than the Toronto Sceptres did. Ahem. On to the news...

To catch up I read Elliotte Friedman's Twitter account which is a rundown of signings and almost nothing else.

So there were no arbitration hearings? I guess being the NHL arbitrator is a tough gig. The big ones:

  • Jet Greaves at 3 by $5 million
  • Jason Robertson at 1 by $12 million, UFA on expiry, no extension until January 1
  • Jamie Drysdale at 4 by $6.5 million
  • Connor McMichael at 6 by $6.5 million
  • Trevor Zegras at 4 by $9.125 million
  • Cole Perfetti at 5 by 6 million

I think I should raise my level for big up to $7 million.

The other signings of note:

  • Patrick Kane at 1 by $8 million in Chicago
  • John Marino at 8 by $6.75 million in Utah (he is 29 which now counts as a reasonable age to sign an 8-year deal)
  • Connor Bedard at 5 by $15 million in Chicago

Executive moves of note:

Steve Yzerman seems to have fired himself, but the Red Wings are still frozen in stasis.

Evan Gold, interviewed by the Leafs in their GM search is rumoured to be going somewhere, and naturally that includes the Leafs. The Bruins added Kevyn Adams who had his reputation renovated quickly by the Buffalo Sabres making the playoffs right after he was fired (Alex Lyon says hi).

The one article I scanned seemed to imagine Gold, who ran the P. Bruins, could become the man in charge of the Marlies if he joined the Leafs. That seems highly unlikely given the prominent role Ryan Hardy has with the new Chayka management group. A read of Gold's qualifications would suggest he would pick up all of Brandon Pridham's old responsibilities since that was also his role in Washington and Boston. He studied law and business and has always worked in the area of contracts in the NHL. One imagines Gold, from Toronto hence the speculation, would want a promotion not merely a lateral move, so moving out of what can be a cul de sac in AHL management into the main flow of front office action would be the minimum I'd want were I him. I say that while also noting that Hardy has busted right out of the cul de sac he was in when Treliving was GM, so it is possible the AHL part of his job could go to a new person or the Leafs may simply think cul de sacs are bad management.

In actual Leafs moves:

Greg Moore was the Marlies coach for a time and worked with Ryan Hardy in the USHL. He is also, this is a theme, a former coach with the USNTDP both with Hardy, and after his recent Marlies stint.

They also hired Jeremiah Crowe as Director of Player Personnel (and didn't post a word about it on their website, so they're still doing that, and all I can go by is his LinkedIn and Elite Prospects). This is their only announcement:

He is from Wisconsin, and had previously been the Director of Professional Scouting with the Sabres. He was also with the USNTDP at the same time as Hardy and has a business degree from Clarkson, so he knows a bro and speaks the right jargon. His masters is in sports administration, so he speaks that jargon too.

By the way, every NHL team lists their front office on their website. These aren't secret things, and you can look at every team's structure. The Leafs keep the format simple, but some teams do photos and writeups like your average corporate employer does these days.

The WJSS is underway, and the Leafs have two drafted prospects in the event: Tyler Hopkins on Team Canada and newly drafted goalie Jusso Ainasto on Team Finland.

Gavin McKenna would not be at the WJSS even if there was any meaningful chance he would be available for the WJC, he doesn't need showcasing. Ah, the fun of having a prospect too good for the WJC, I have missed that.

In other news: the schedule was released and up sprouted a veritable fungal infection of charts and graphs about who plays when and how and it's all so unfair!!! And yeah, I don't care. You play the game in front of you. If you're Steve Yzerman and you lose every draft lottery, but still end up with a uniquely talented player or if you're the Leafs trying to be a team worthy of its best players.

And that's all for today, get ready for the T25 because nothing else is happening for a while. (A call for official voters will be coming soon.)

Have a great Monday.

From The Branches