Good morning Toronto Maple Leafs fans!

Yes, I mean what I say. The Maple Leafs need to get out of Toronto.

Training camp is coming up and the practices and pre-season games are being held in Toronto, and I'm disappointed.

Eight years ago (wow....) the Maple Leafs came down to Niagara to hold training camp, and played a pre-season game in my home rink.

Day one of Leafs training camp filtered through Twitter
I watched training camp vicariously, and capslocked at tweets from innocent beat reporters.

I got to ride the Maid of the Mist with William Nylander. Many fans got to go watch practice, and get autographs from players. My kid got to have her hockey practice hosted and coached by Leafs alumni.

Two years in Niagara Falls, then to Halifax, and then nothing.

Maple Leafs to play pre-season game in Halifax
The Toronto Maple Leafs will head to Halifax again this year with an even better roster of players and hot prospects than last year.

The Leafs need to take camp back into the road, and give fans who can't make it to games to get a taste of the team.

St. John's has long been a Leafs town. Go there. Thunder Bay could use something interesting happen. Heck, even Hamilton has a newly renovated rink that have an event.

A camp out of town is an easier way to bond without distractions. Focus on getting prepped. The Montreal Canadiens used to come down to Niagara for camp.

Canadiens Stanley Cup banner raised in Grimsby, Ontario as part of alumni celebrations
The Montreal Canadiens Alumni played a friendly game in Grimsby, Ontario at the Peach King Arena on Sunday afternoon against the Town of Grimsby All-Stars, in a celebration of a Stanley Cup banner…

It's a benefit for the team, but a much bigger benefit for the fans. And some damn good PR after years of fruitless efforts.

Get out of Toronto Maple Leafs.

Now, some news.

PTO season is always a fun time. Who will be the one that gets a contract?

4 free agents Maple Leafs should considering signing to a PTO
NHL training camps are just around the corner and while most of the free-agent market has signed on with a team by now, there’s still a few players who are looking to land a professional tryout agreement (PTO).

I would also like partial ownership of the Maple Leafs to remain a Leafs blogger. The demand is just as sane as Leonard's. Get out of here with that nonsense.

Kawhi Leonard’s wild free agency demands from Raptors included Maple Leafs ownership stake
Kawhi Leonard’s representation asked for a number of things — including a stake in an NHL team.

The tandem will remain a tandem.

Berube reveals plan for Toronto Maple Leafs goalies this season | Sports
Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has certainly had some time to think about what his team will look like this upcoming year

Will they just sign this guy already? It's been a summer of rumours.

Maple Leafs Circling Former Jets Speedster Jack Roslovic in Free Agency
Once pegged as the heir to Paul Stastny in Winnipeg, Jack Roslovic’s breakout speed and cerebral game have him back in the spotlight with the Maple Leafs reportedly circling.

Kirill Kaprizov really doesn't want to be in Minnesota any longer than he has to. He rejected an offer that would make him the highest paid player in the NHL, eight years at $16 million per season.

Kaprizov Reportedly Turns Down 8-Year Extension. Now What For the Wild?
The Minnesota Wild’s plan for re-signing Kirill Kaprizov was simple: Wait until he got back to the United States and knock him over with a massive deal. Rumors circled that the Wild were willing to give Kaprizov eight years at a $16 million Average Annual Value, a contract that would make the fra…

Is NHL26 playing spoiler? Also, as an aside, I kind of understand the first PWHL teams not having proper names and logos. Okay, it was a rush. But there's no excuse to expand and still do this silly "PWHL [city name]" for the first season. It's stupid and amateurish. Anyway, are these the Vancouver jerseys?

Did PWHL Vancouver’s jerseys just leak? | Sports
Vancouver has a PWHL franchise, an arena to play in, and players signed for the upcoming season. But it doesn’t have a name or jerseys.

Also, where's my review copy EA?

The Ontario Hockey League announced that they have named the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League as their official developmental league.

GOJHL named official development league for OHL
The league’s announced the new partnership one day before the GOJHL season is set to begin in LaSalle

23 teams play around southern Ontario in this league, and it works as the London Knights won the Memorial Cup with 15 former GOJH:L players on the roster.

Speaking of the OHL, and CHL, the recruiting war between the major junior leagues and the NCAA heats up as the CHL has revoked the passes they used to offer to NCAA coaches now that both leagues are competing for the same players.

CHL discontinues passes for NCAA coaches
College hockey teams have recruited several CHL stars this offseason.

Finally, Jack Hughes is ramping up the speculation about a Hughes brothers reunion. Will the Canucks be able to keep their star player?

Clock ticks on Hughes’ time with Canucks after brother says quiet part out loud
In the hourglass of Quinn Hughes’ time with the Vancouver Canucks, more sand may have slipped to the bottom half than what’s left at the top.It seems like only a matter of time before he winds up on the same team as his brothers, Jack and Luke. And spoiler alert: It probably won’t be in Vancouver.This isn’t exactly breaking news, but Jack, the New Jersey Devils’ superstar center, said out loud what many have long assumed.“Honestly, I’m not afraid to say it. Yeah, I would love for Quinn to - eventually I’d love to play with him,” Jack told reporters at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour Tuesday. “And whether that’s in New Jersey or at what time that takes, at some point, I want to play with Quinn. But yeah, that’s the question going around. They talk all day about it up in Vancouver, you know? But yeah, I’d love to play with Quinn at some point.“Quinn, unsurprisingly, downplayed Jack’s comments on Wednesday.But why wouldn’t Jack want Quinn as a teammate? Playing in the NHL with your brothers is something you grow up dreaming about. Beyond the family ties, Quinn, who turns 26 in October, is firmly in the conversation for the sport’s best defenseman. He won the Norris Trophy in 2024 and was a finalist last season despite missing 14 games with injury. Any player should want him on their team, let alone his brother.Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford knows it, too. The veteran executive admitted in April that retaining the team’s captain would be easier “if we brought his brothers here.“That’s a pipe dream, though. Jack, 24, has five years left on his contract at an extremely team-friendly $8-million average annual value. Luke, the youngest of the brothers at 22, is a restricted free agent but remains under team control in New Jersey until 2030.On the other hand, Quinn is two years away from unrestricted free agency. He could easily force his way out of Vancouver by refusing to sign an extension when he becomes eligible on July 1, 2026. At that point, the Canucks would have no choice but to move him. And if he’s only intent on signing a deal with his brothers in New Jersey, it would be highly difficult for Vancouver to get fair value in a trade for one of the game’s best players. Dave Sandford / National Hockey League / GettyStill, there remains a path for Vancouver to keep its star blue-liner for at least a few more years, but it won’t be easy: Win.If the Canucks bounce back to their 2023-24 form, when they were Pacific Division champions and pushed the Edmonton Oilers to Game 7 in the second round, maybe Quinn believes the team is close to breaking through.He could sign a three-year extension next summer, setting him up to be a UFA in 2030 - the same year Jack’s contract expires and Luke is no longer under team control. That could be the best of both worlds: Quinn gets to see things through in Vancouver but still has a clear path to playing with his brothers down the line.However, if the Canucks falter and miss the playoffs again, as they did last season, Quinn’s decision becomes a lot easier: stick around with a mediocre team that’s stagnating at best, or chase a Stanley Cup with his brothers on an ascending Devils squad? That seems like a no-brainer.One thing is clear: the noise in Vancouver surrounding Quinn’s potential departure will only grow louder if the team gets off to a slow start.That puts ample pressure on the Canucks to come out of the gates hot in 2025-26, which is easier said than done for a club with a first-time head coach in Adam Foote and major question marks at center, right defense, and in net.It’s far from an ideal situation to navigate off the hop, especially for a squad that was clearly affected by last season’s rift between Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller. Can the Canucks block out the noise this time? The answer might be the difference between extending or trading the organization’s franchise player a year from now.

Enjoy your day everyone!