Today at 3 pm the Olympic trade freeze goes into effect. It lifts on February 22 at midnight.

So far, there have been no major deals beyond the trade of Rasmus Andersson, the end of a drama that went on way too long and consumed way too much attention.

- TSN
TSN’s Hockey Insiders on Team Canada replacing the injured Anthony Cirelli, teams waiting for prices to drop in St. Louis, the latest on Artemi Panarin, how the market looks ahead of Wednesday’s roster freeze, and how open-minded the Predators’ GM search will be.
TSN

Also in this Insider Trading bit, beyond the headline story, is the shocking news that no one wants to pay big prices for the St. Louis players. Is Armstrong really clever or is he that guy on Marketplace who asks too much and has a garage full of junk.

Now, here's the thing, you can't actual empty the garage in the NHL. You actually do need players, so when it comes to the Leafs, again I ask you who is replacing all these guys you want to fantasy trade?

Go look at this: https://puckpedia.com/players/search?q=2025-26-ufa

Bobby McMann is 17th on this list by points. Who are you replacing McMann with?

I will freely admit I'm not a big fan of the game of trying to get rid of an entire team because things aren't going well, but... who do you foresee playing on the Leafs next year? Or is that all hazy future problems that can be solved by a trip to Costco?

Imagine you sell all your furniture at a big yard sale. You got how much for that dining room set? Whoo hoo! And where exactly are you eating your dinner? Oh, and that sofa went for way more than you thought, and if you still had a TV you could sit on the floor to watch it.

I can't stop seeing this dilemma this way.

Okay, to cover this off again: please don't spread bogus rumours about trades. Try to learn the difference between a guy said on the radio what he would do if he was GM and a guy said he heard the team is doing a thing.

We have had a few years where blogs trying to monetize junk content disappeared, but now that you can get an AI agent to make it for you and produce the content, it's cost effective to pour our slop for the clicks. And people who like being liked on social media will repeat it. The onus is on you to ignore it.

The NHL actually does chug along for a couple of more days, but I'm extremely burnt out by the pace of this season and I look forward to the break.

Olympic hockey starts tomorrow with Team Canada Women playing Finland in the afternoon, and I am really looking forward to just cheering for a team that no one wants to see lose.

All these games are on during the day, so I doubt we'll need a GDT for any of them.

Luukkonen out for Olympics, replaced by Korpisalo on Team Finland | NHL.com
Bruins goalie added to roster for Milano Cortina Games
NHL logoNHLMedia

https://www.olympics.com/en/milano-cortina-2026/news/henrik-lundqvist-ice-hockey-exclusive-goaltending-olympics-milano-cortina-2026-medal-predictions

And about last night...

After the first period it was tied at zero-all. The Leafs played the kind of fast and faintly chaotic game they'd used in Calgary, and had some chances, but didn't get any actual goals.

In the second, it looked like William Nylander and Matias Maccelli were going to team up for a goal, but Connor Ingram nullified the first chance. The shot from Jake McCabe and a tip by Maccelli opening the scoring.

The Oilers got one back and in an eyeblink, the Leafs took the lead again on a Matt Knies goal.

There was also a fairly predictable fight when Brandon Carlo laid a hit on McDavid:

In the third period, Kappy (yes I'm calling him that) tied the game.

I don't know what happened to him after he left the Leafs, and that deal was one of those too good to pass up trades, but then again, I wish he was still here. I can't really reconcile those two truths. But I'm glad for him getting back to himself in Edmonton. It's not "oh so Leafy" that he scored, it's just how it goes for every team.

I think this is why I don't have any appetite at all for a big clear out sale. I like these guys they have now, and none of them are "the problem" and a lot of them were surplus value when they were acquired. The Leafs need more of that, not less. I don't want to sit on the floor to watch TV.

And as I typed that, Mr. John Tavares scored on a power play. (How did the Leafs get a power play? Maybe by having the puck, eh?) Actually it was a five-on-three, so a true unicorn.

And I hadn't even had time to look for a video and Max Domi to Matias Maccelli created a goal on the remaining power play time.

Wait. Don't Domi and Maccelli just pass it back and forth until the heat death of the universe?

Suddenly it was 4-2 Leafs.

Bobby McMann sealed the deal with an ENG to make it 5-2 Leafs as the final score.

Anthony Stolarz gets to go into the break on a high note after a good performance, and the Leafs are tantalizingly not quite as bad as they looked in the homestand.

Tomorrow is the first day of Olympic hockey or the start of a break from the sport, whichever suits you. Until then, have a great Wednesday!

From The Branches