Habs and Leafs affiliates could be forced to shut down this week.

Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens have been left in a less than ideal scenario.

On Saturday night, National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman revealed that both the affiliate teams for the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs at the ECHL level could be forced to shut down operations as early as this week.

"There are two Canadian teams in the ECHL... and barring a major change on Tuesday both of these two teams could have their operations suspended," revealed Friedman.

In the case of the Maple Leafs their affiliate team is the Newfoundland Growlers and for the Canadiens the affiliate team is the Trois-Rivièees Lions. Both teams are owned by the same owner, and according to Friedman money seems to be at the route of the issue here.

"There's been a lengthy behind the scenes battle over payments to the cities and some of the NHL teams and they've put a deadline," said Friedman. "If it isn't solved by Tuesday... they are gonna suspend operations of the team."

If the teams are indeed forced to suspended operations it is believed there is a contingency plan in place to ensure the players are paid for the remainder of the season. That being said that is less than ideal for young hockey players trying to develop their skills, and even less so for both the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens who could be left without an affiliate at the ECHL level.