Cast your mind back to Brendan Shanahan leaving and Keith Pelley arriving – not necessarily in that order. The theorizing was that the Leafs were going to slice out that President of Hockey Operations title and just never refill it. And they've done the equivalent with the Raptors.

Raptors’ Webster ready to show ‘who Bobby is’ in expanded role
Toronto Raptors GM Bobby Webster may not have a new title, but the extended contract and expanded responsibilities announced Monday give him a clear leadership mandate and a chance to show who he is at the helm of an NBA team.
Sportsnet.caMichael Grange

This article, from the house organ of Rogers Media, tells a totally plausible tale of a big search for a replacement for Masai Ujiri, only to discover the perfect man was there all along! My god, it's a Hallmark movie. The boy next door was always Mr. Right, forget that flashy billionaire property developer.

Anyway, it could totally be true. But how does this affect the Leafs? Well, MLSE hasn't even pretended to look for a President, so it seems the GM is it. I eagerly await the first big PR issue that has to be dealt with, and whoever it is who goes in front of the cameras will tell some kind of tale about how the power is allocated.

In actual NHL news, some players got signed!

The Blue Jackets signed Hudson Fasching to a minimum salary deal, and the Avalanche went for Alex Gagne on an ELC, an NCAA player whose rights expired on the 15th.

No trades since July 25. Yes, I am eagerly awaiting the 30 day mark on this "hot trade market summer".

We have a tie in the T25 today – there were a lot of them this year – so you get two articles about players in the doldrums of the list.

Former Maple Leaf and long time campaigner for an ALS cure, Mark Kirton died of that disease. The accolades have been numerous for him.

Kirton, who was prominent figure in fight against ALS, dies at 67 | NHL.com
Former NHL center was described as ‘hero’ by Gretzky, helped raise more than $1 million for research
NHL logoNHLdotcom
India, Pakistan teams make history with impromptu LATAM Cup scrimmage | NHL.com
Travel snafus set up chance for friendly 1st meeting on ice
NHL logoWilliam Douglas
IIHF - Selecting Officials to Women’s Olympic Winter Games
IIHF Nominates Women for Milano
IIHF International Ice Hockey Federation

Okay, I looked for Leafs news, laughed at some headlines and closed the tab. They're on vacation still. But it's not long until we'll start to hear about everyone being back in Toronto and skating ahead of training camp.

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

From The Branches