CTB, excellent analysis.  Thank you.

Granted this is very much a best case scenario for the Leafs, and it's possible that Calgary doesn't value saving hard cash that much and prefers an actual sweetener for Klingberg instead. But trades like this have happened before. It's basically a mini Horton for Clarkson type deal.

Just my gut's $0.02, but I would be willing to bet Conroy is going to hold out for the strongest hockey-related return on this deal. Of course, like Bob Dylan says, "you gotta serve somebody", and the top brass will ultimately determine what type of deal is made.  But I'm sure Conroy will want to try to "win" his first big deal as GM, especially if it's with his former boss.

Sorry, I haven't seen it and shouldn't have commented the way I did. My bad.  However asking me to believe a murder charge of any sort can be associated with this is hard to imagine. From seeing it do you believe the player had made a deliberate attempt to injure?  or maim? If you go this far indite the UK hockey association for not mandating neck guards until someone died.  Very sad for everyone.

It's just terrible.  I can't fathom that the player intended this outcome and I totally agree with you that everyone associated with this is suffering.  But, in my mind, there's no question that there was recklessness involved.

CTB, excellent analysis.  Thank you.

Utterly stupid.

Not trying to incite anything, but have you seen the video?  Or, at least, what happened to lead to the incident?  Before you develop an opinion, watch the play.  The incident happened in the middle of the ice, as Johnson is cutting at the blueline.  I think it absolutely warrants legal review.

That fourth line seems made up.  I mean the 4th line left winger looks like the phonetic spelling of Tkachuk, and the centre seems to be a character from Lord of the Rings.

Who?

That fourth line seems made up.  I mean the 4th line left winger looks like the phonetic spelling of Tkachuk, and the centre seems to be a character from Lord of the Rings.

Who?

Katchouk and Entwistle on Chicago.

Sorry, I was trying to make a joke - John Entwistle from The Who.

That fourth line seems made up.  I mean the 4th line left winger looks like the phonetic spelling of Tkachuk, and the centre seems to be a character from Lord of the Rings.

Who?

https://twitter.com/LeafsPR/status/1708942714778071128
Initial Marlies cuts

Notable not cuts: Minten, Cowan, Robertson, Knies (duh)
Slightly less notable not cuts: Benoit, Gregor, Petruzzelli  (all three playing tonight), Lagesson, Lajoie

Edit: I knew I could count on Kyle
https://twitter.com/kyle_cush/status/1708946573986562072

Spencer Sova has the potential to own one of the great nicknames of all time.  If he makes it, I hereby decree he'll be known as SuperSova.

Or, if the modern hockey nicknaming nomenclature applies, Sovs.

https://twitter.com/Canes/status/1684201919613476865

$9.75mil AAV

Any talk of Nylander worth less than this is ridiculous.

Nik, I don't know didly .... about the NBA and I think it's entirely comical that you think that hockey and basketball are the same sport but OK, go for it.

Maybe you missed, again, what Nik was saying but his point is that the best player in a given professional sports league is not necessarily the highest paid.  So, since you only know and thoroughly understand the NHL, Connor McDavid is the best player but he may not be the best paid.  In this case, McKinnon makes more than him and Matthews will likely be paid even more. 

It almost sounds like Matthews is dictating to the Leafs what his next contract should be, is he worth McDavid money, $12.5 mil., McKinnon money, $12.6 mil.?

Has Marner ever been worth Kucherov money, $9.5 mil., Pastrnak money, $11.250 mil.? 

I appreciate that your whole thing is being comically obtuse and repeating the same thing about these players over and over and over again without learning from and listening to anything anyone else says but again, this is not how contracts work in professional sports. Patrick Maholmes is not the highest paid QB in the NFL and many lesser players are signed to comparable per year contracts. In the NBA Tyrese Haliburton, a good and promising young PG but who hasn't made any all-NBA teams, just signed a deal that will pay him more per year than the reigning NBA MVP or any of the guys who made the All-NBA teams ahead of him. In baseball, Anthony Rendon makes more money than Mike Trout.

Seriously, I get that you want to just keep repeating yourself in new threads for attention or whatever but this just makes you sound like you don't really understand the sport you claim to be following.

Your point is clear and well-made, but  Trout is making $37M and Rendon is making $35M (and least in terms of average salary).

To work their way out of the cap crunch, I think the Leafs have to move Brodie, buyout or trade Murray, and then sign some cheap d-man like Cal Foote.

Definitely moves on defence are forthcoming.  I don't think the Leafs can go into season with the D looking like this. 

I think the forwards have shaken out pretty well, although I worry about 3C.  I think it's clear why O'Reilly didn't sign: he was after a multi-year deal and the Leafs, justifiably, are primarily interested in shorter term deals this off-season.  Still, though, I would have loved to have O'Reilly penciled in at 3C with this group of forwards.

I do hope there is a move or two remaining on defence. I'm not comfortable with relying on Giordano to the extent they did last year.  There is literally no depth, at least not yet.  I agree with some of the suggestions around trading Brodie and bringing in two 4-5 D's who bring defensive ability and toughness to the table.  I think not signing Schenn was a mistake.

PP2 is going to be a legitimate threat.

https://twitter.com/dalter/status/1669116663256477696

Sorry for the dates comment, but an honorary doctorate is not a real doctorate.  Dubas won't be using the Dr. salutation.

https://twitter.com/apetrielli/status/1674176048513052676

Great read, Herman, thank you.  The article made me revisit the Jack Eichel trade, which serves as the perfect justification and template for a potential Marner deal.  Yes, Eichel just won a Cup in Vegas, but the four quarters Buffalo got for the dollar are working out just fine, thank you.  Admittedly, there's guesswork in trying to project out younger players but, for me, I'm a big supporter of Herman's "Trade Marner" platform.