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# Sunday's FTB: The Return to Hockey mandate is now in effect for the Maple Leafs
- URL: https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/sundays-ftb-the-return-to-hockey-mandate-is-now-in-effect-for-the-maple-leafs/
- Published: 2025-09-21T08:20:11.000Z
- Updated: 2025-09-21T12:41:10.000Z
- Description: Leafs hockey is back, in pre-season form.
- Author: Species
- Tags: From The Branches

It's the day you've spent all summer waiting for, the first pre-season game of the 2025-26 Toronto Maple Leafs Hockey Club season! There will probably be some commuting issues; some players won't make it in time to be in the lineup for the game this afternoon, surprised by the Gardiner construction traffic impacts, or the subway restricted speed zones (both Nylanders), but the team will surely be able to field a full roster and... 

Oh right, the first game is in Ottawa, not here.

OK, well then. We'll see the lineup later this morning because the game is at 3:00 p.m.. We'll have some kind of combo preview and GDT later this morning.

In case you missed it, the Leafs also activated their Return to Juniors protocol yesterday.

> The [@MapleLeafs](https://twitter.com/MapleLeafs?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com) have returned the following players to their respective junior teams.   
>  
> D Rylan Fellinger (Flint)  
> D Nathan Mayes (Spokane)  
> F Tyler Hopkins (Kingston)  
> F Harry Nansi (Owen Sound)  
> F Matthew Hlacar (Kitchener)  
> F Sam McCue (Brantford)
> 
> — Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) [September 20, 2025](https://twitter.com/LeafsPR/status/1969481569594151026?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

### Other News

You like to critique jerseys, so here's the new Oilers third. My take is that it's a good second place jersey, but they didn't get enough details right to make it a championship one.

> The Oilers have unveiled their new alternate jersey for 2025-26 [pic.twitter.com/NXOTbWMsd3](https://t.co/NXOTbWMsd3?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)
> 
> — Oilers Access (@oilersaccess) [September 20, 2025](https://twitter.com/oilersaccess/status/1969474784254968034?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

The Kings without Kopitar will be strange, though if he stays healthy this season he will crack the 1,500 games mark.

[Kopitar to retire from Kings after this season, his 20th in NHL | NHL.comCaptain leads franchise in games, assists; won Stanley Cup in 2012, 2014![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/34/01/3401a938-f468-4c02-a227-9bc4cc09bad4/content/images/icon/favicon-apple-touch-icon-140.png)NHL logoNHLdotcom![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/34/01/3401a938-f468-4c02-a227-9bc4cc09bad4/content/images/thumbnail/g8fjuyvoghxmf6ocmyqy.jpg)](https://www.nhl.com/news/los-angeles-kings-anze-kopitar-to-retire-after-2025-26-nhl-season?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

Wade MacLeod died of brain cancer at the age of 38\. Thoughts about both MacLeod and Amirov right now.

> We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Marlies forward Wade MacLeod. Wade appeared in 34 games with the Marlies during the 2013-14 season.  
>  
> Our condolences are with his friends and family. [pic.twitter.com/CBN0MoUuAN](https://t.co/CBN0MoUuAN?ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)
> 
> — Toronto Marlies (@TorontoMarlies) [September 18, 2025](https://twitter.com/TorontoMarlies/status/1968714809983058381?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=pensionplanpuppets.com)

Welcome back to hockey season!