The Toronto Maple Leafs hire Mark Leach
Ken Campbell of Hockey News: At some point, the Toronto Maple Leafs will need to draft and develop internally. Limited draft picks place a high priority on getting those few picks right.
Naturally, the Leafs went and hired Mark Leach to be their Director of Amateur Scouting. Going from Wes Clark to Leach isn't too bad of a recovery for Toronto. Yes, the Maple Leafs have taken their fair share of hits. However, Leach comes with a strong pedigree.
That includes working in Dallas with Jim Nill and Joe McDonnell. McDonnell was Nill's right-hand man who acquired several high-quality assets during the latter cycle.
Toronto has three options over the next two years. At least, there is a first choice in 2026. However, in 2025 there are none. The Maple Leafs get the full value of the 2027 pick. Leach won't have an easy task early on.
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Calgary Paving Way for New Stadium and More
Eric Francis of Sportsnet: Yes, the Calgary Flames are starting to lay a new foundation. This is expected to be a long process but on Monday construction will begin on the new home of the Calgary Flames.
Calgary hasn't had an easy time of it over the past few seasons. Hopefully the new stadium will be ready for the start of the 2027-28 season. Calgary will pay $330 million in infrastructure maintenance costs.
Now, it will be interesting to see what the new building looks like when it is completed. The only stadium older than the Saddledome is Madison Square Garden. Even that is kind of technical. The New York Rangers stadium was modernized over the past decade.
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Monday will be quite the day and it's only the beginning.
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