ENH Refactor sslink slightly for easier maintenance

Description

Note that the code in the original merge-up does work just fine - it's just not quite as tidy as it ought to be.

[x] The target branch is correct
- See picking the right version
[x] All commits are relevant to the purpose of the PR (e.g. no debug statements, unrelated refactoring, or arbitrary linting)
- Small amounts of additional linting are usually okay, but if it makes it hard to concentrate on the relevant changes, ask for the unrelated changes to be reverted, and submitted as a separate PR.
[x] The commit messages follow our commit message guidelines
[x] The PR follows our contribution guidelines
[x] Code changes follow our coding conventions
[x] tests aren't necessary for this change
[x] CI is green