The Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday gave the club their fourth Stanley Cup Championship in their 49-year history. Former Leaf Phil Kessel led the Pens with 22 points in the post-season, but team captain Sidney Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff Most Valuable Player.
Hey look who finally decided to start lifting weights. pic.twitter.com/Fb3Xjzgsk0
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) June 13, 2016
The win locks into place the slotting for the upcoming NHL Draft in Buffalo, NY, as the Toronto Maple Leafs will open the first round thanks to winning the NHL Draft Lottery and close it with the pick acquired as part of the Kessel deal last July.
Toronto has back-to-back picks at #30 and #31 and will select at the top of each of the draft's seven rounds.
With the completion of the playoffs, the work for Leafs management will begin in earnest, as they decide whether to extend qualifying offers to restricted free agents or buyout a player contract between now and June 30th.
NHL general managers have been discussing potential trades and holding internal discussions about how to approach free agency since the end of the regular season and in the next few weeks we will see if they come to fruition.
Now that the playoffs are done, now the fun really begins.
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