Timeline might push Canucks towards a Boeser trade
The veteran Vancouver winger is still a productive player, but he likely makes more sense as a coveted trade asset who could help accelerate the rebuild, Travis Yost writes.
TSNTravis Yost

32 Thoughts is back, which means the hockey season is right around the corner:

32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Sportsnet.ca

Elliotte Friedman discusses expansion and mentions that the NHL has only 25 US-based teams which is the least of all professional sports. This is coming as the US TV deal is due to expire in two years. Friedman speculates that full expansion is coming now, with two teams including Atlanta as well as one in Texas before that new deal is finalized. He also speculates that this will be the big finish to Bettman's term as commissioner, and he will retreat to some advisor role while Bill Daly takew over.

This is all very sensible stuff because the NHL has done a very good job lately (after a long period of not doing this) of getting attendance up in all teams and ticket prices right for the market. Yes, obviously, Leafs tickets cost more than Panthers tickets. The open door now to raising revenue is that US TV deal. And that deal goes up if the NHL expands into big markets.

Many Canadian fans want more Canadian teams, and in my opinion, we're likely to see fewer not more. This issue of attendance and ticket sales is still very important, and teams like the Jets and the Nordiques have had problems in this regard. With Ottawa finally selling a lot of tickets, there should be zero appetite from anyone in the NHL to put in a competing team for their market. It's not about greed, greed, everyone is greedy!!! It's about having teams that are actually viable and make the league healthier overall. When the Nordiques moved to Denver, they needed time to grow, but they actually did grow, which was the point of it all.

The bit that will get the buzz, however, is a second-hand theory, which is not reporting by anyone, about the idea that if Toronto has a good season and the Penguins don't then Erik Karlsson would end up on the Leafs. This concept seems to be based on the connection to Daniel Alfredsson, and is actually plausible. Karlsson is UFA at the end of this season. Puck moving is what the Leafs would still be after.

This is the interesting part. That European event was timed in the dullest of dull offseasons, and it also was of interest in Canada to Oilers fans more than anyone else. Rogers isn't actually required to haul someone off their vacation to do an interview with Leon Draisaitl.

In other news, it's EBUGs!

And we have a PTO.

Nearly as early as last year. And another one:

The tracker:

https://puckpedia.com/news/2026-nhl-pto-tracker-team-team-player-signings

That's all for now. Try to be as good as person as Dolly at least some of the time:

From The Branches