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Those idiots with fake accounts on X…
Seriously, I always wonder:
1. Who gets a kick out of fooling people?
2. Who falls for it without checking?
Whatever, they exist and we have to deal with them.
Last night, a fake Evan Atkins “announced” that Patrik Laine had signed a two-year contract—with an average annual salary of $8.5 million—with the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Flyers have signed F Patrik Laine to a two-year, $17 million contract (8.5M AAV) with a full NMC
The 28-year-old played only 5 games last season and is looking to bounce back and get a fresh start #IgniteTheOrange
— Evan Atkins (@EvanAtkinsNHL) July 28, 2026
Some people fell for it, even though it was the least likely thing to happen this summer. Laine may have to go through a tryout before signing an NHL contract (which will most likely be loaded with bonuses).
Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, Patrik Laine has been the most efficient player in the NHL: he's scored 70 more goals than his expected goals statistic projected.
We're talking about an efficiency nearly 50% above the statistical average…
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It must be said that in his prime, Patrik Laine was quite the hockey player. He's a far cry from the player Martin St-Louis benched night after night in 2026…
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Sebastian Aho is living his best life
The summer after winning the Stanley Cup is unlike any other. Just ask Alexander Ovechkin, Matthew Tkachuk, or Brad Marchand…
Even though Sebastian Aho is more like Nick Suzuki than Brad Marchand, the Hurricanes' star player had a blast with the Stanley Cup last Saturday in Oulu, Finland.
In fact, Aho was invited on stage during an outdoor concert by JVG, a Finnish rap group, and he took the opportunity to hoist the Stanley Cup to the beat of the rappers' rhymes.
Images like these remind me just how crazy it would be to see the Canadiens win the Stanley Cup.
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New Maple Leafs
The Canadiens and the Maple Leafs haven't had the same kind of summer: the Canadiens currently have exactly the same projected lineup as they did in the playoffs, while the Maple Leafs have a new GM… and nine new players on their roster.
The 2026-27 @MapleLeafs have quite a few new faces!
Read more about Toronto's projected lineup
https://t.co/fc3KWmLC8E pic.twitter.com/FTtXxHddyu
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) July 29, 2026
Gavin McKenna, Jack Roslovic, Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, Brandon Duhaime, Darren Raddysh, Emil Andrae, and Sergei Bobrovsky are all new Leafs.
And Toronto hasn't lost that many good players.
Yes, the Leafs have a better roster than they did at this point last year… but we have to remember that they're in the middle of a reset, which could even turn into a rebuild in the coming years.
The Canadiens, on the other hand, are still improving. And they've already set the bar high!
There's no desire to overhaul the team in Montreal.
One might wonder, however, if the Maple Leafs are better than they were two years ago, before Mitch Marner left. And whether they'll make the playoffs in 2027, when the Atlantic Division will be very strong.
