Luke Fox

With Ryan Reaves suspended five games while Darnell Nurse is out indefinitely, it remains to be seen whether the ban is worthy of the hit, writes Sportsnet's Luke Fox.

There are dark horses. There are long shots. And then there is Logan Thompson, a goaltender of no pedigree swiftly building his case to represent his country in best-on-best hockey.

A best-case scenario: The Toronto Maple Leafs’ missing centre piece was right underneath them the whole time.

As Auston Matthews and his lingering mystery injury travel to Munich for medical attention, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving is calming the waters.

Just in time for the holiday shopping craze, the NHL and Fanatics unveiled the brand-new, throwback uniforms to be worn at the 2025 Winter Classic by the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues on New Year's Eve.

The Maple Leafs will be missing six of their top 12 forwards on Wednesday against the Golden Knights. That means some youngsters will get a chance to prove they belong.

But it's the injection of fresh blood into the middle of a depleted lineup that gave this win a different flavour.

As the Maple Leafs hit the quarter-mark of the 2024-25 season, Luke Fox talks grades, an encouraging development and one reason for concern.

This was always the dream, then it became a strategic goal: the Nylanders uniting on the same NHL team.