Kessel traded to Leafs

[eva unit zero 271]

No, Kessel rejected deals in the $4.5 million range from the Bruins.

Everything I read had the Bruins offering no more than $3.5m, and Kessel wanting around $4m because he felt he deserved as much or more than Krejci.

The Bruins currently have about $1.1m in cap space before the $3m in bonuses are added in. So they would have had to move somebody, likely Michael Ryder ($4m) or Marco Sturm ($3.5m) to fit Kessel under the cap regardless of whether he made $3.5m or $5.4m.

Regardless of what he was offered, what exactly does Burke plan to do about the cap situation in Toronto? Aren't the Leafs basically at the ceiling with this signing before considering the potentially $7m in bonuses they could be facing?

[MacK_Attack 108]

Everything I read had the Bruins offering no more than $3.5m, and Kessel wanting around $4m because he felt he deserved as much or more than Krejci.

The Bruins currently have about $1.1m in cap space before the $3m in bonuses are added in. So they would have had to move somebody, likely Michael Ryder ($4m) or Marco Sturm ($3.5m) to fit Kessel under the cap regardless of whether he made $3.5m or $5.4m.

Regardless of what he was offered, what exactly does Burke plan to do about the cap situation in Toronto? Aren't the Leafs basically at the ceiling with this signing before considering the potentially $7m in bonuses they could be facing?

Burke said that he has no problem putting one-way deals in the AHL. I would imagine that extends to guys like Mayers or Primeau. Have to think there's a target on Finger. I would imagine he or Van Ryn won't stick around for long.

It also means that a guy like Tyler Bozak might start in the AHL.

Edited September 19, 2009 by MacK_Attack

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Kessel's lockerroom diva bulls*** won't go over well in TO...

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Leaders in fights AND all decent hockey teams. Toughness alone isn't much fun to watch, skill alone isn't much fun to watch. For the past few years, only the Ducks have been skilled and tough, now that trend is catching on elsewhere. It's a great time to be a fan, the product is improving.

3/30 = 0.1=10% =/= "catching on everywhere"

In the last decade only the Ducks have won anything with this formula while the skills first guys have won the other 90% of the time.

[daniel1 32]

Stupid Burke. Mortgage what little future Toronto was building to acquire a flaky locker room cancer who had his first (and probably only) decent season in the league.

And WHO will be his centerman in "T'ranna" this year???? Sure as s*** won't be Marc Savard lol.

This will be seen as a dumb move in a couple seasons and then it will be all Kessel's fault; when the blame should fall to Burke as the Leafs have to watch legit first liners snapped up by the Bruins for years to come at draft day with their picks.

Edited September 19, 2009 by daniel1

[Guest micah]

3/30 = 0.1=10% =/= "catching on everywhere"

In the last decade only the Ducks have won anything with this formula while the skills first guys have won the other 90% of the time.

Did you put "catching on everywhere" in quotes even though I said "catching on elsewhere" because you intend to be dishonest or was it a case of you not paying attention? I know it's Friday night, hockey was on and beer is good, but be more careful, Drake.

Stop looking backward, Drake. Skilled tough teams are the way of the future. Jump under the bandwagon before the train leaves the station, or whatever that saying is.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Did you put "catching on everywhere" in quotes even though I said "catching on elsewhere" because you intend to be dishonest or was it a case of you not paying attention? I know it's Friday night, hockey was on and beer is good, but be more careful, Drake.

Stop looking backward, Drake. Skilled tough teams are the way of the future. Jump under the bandwagon before the train leaves the station, or whatever that saying is.

No I honestly thought I read "everwhere".

I don't buy the skilled tough teams thing as being the way of the future. Nothing's changed to make the hockey landscape any more conducive to tough teams.

[Guest micah]

No I honestly thought I read "everwhere".

I don't buy the skilled tough teams thing as being the way of the future. Nothing's changed to make the hockey landscape any more conducive to tough teams.

Officiating has changed, slowly since the instigator rule came into being. There was a time when refs would call it for simply inviting another player to fight, and sometimes for no reason at all. That has calmed down alot lately. Also, the league's elite toughs have proven that fears about them being undiciplined and putting their teams into penalty trouble are largly unfounded. Guys like Laraque, Boogard, Godard and their ilk don't tend to cost their teams many games.

[MacK_Attack 108]

Stupid Burke. Mortgage what little future Toronto was building to acquire a flaky locker room cancer who had his first (and probably only) decent season in the league.

You're good at being ignorant.

Burke just had his PC to announce the trade. The questions were raised about Kessel's reputation for being a poor team player, Burke said he knows him well from all of the USA Hockey stuff they've been involved in and knows what kind of guy he really is.

He also said he was comfortable (but called it a steep price) with the picks going the other way because the team was able to land good young players this spring in guys like Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson, Robert Slaney, Jonas Gustavsson and of course, Nazem Kadri. Plus they signed a 6th round pick from a previous draft in Viktor Stalberg who is one of the fastest skaters I've ever seen. He can fly and has hands to boot. Plus there's kids like Jiri Tlusty, Luke Schenn & Nik Kulemin. Are they going to miss the picks? Of course, but the cupboard is far from bare.

Toronto has future players, and one of them is Kessel at 21 years old. How many players score 36 goals at 20/21 years old?

Edited September 19, 2009 by MacK_Attack

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Officiating has changed, slowly since the instigator rule came into being. There was a time when refs would call it for simply inviting another player to fight, and sometimes for no reason at all. That has calmed down alot lately. Also, the league's elite toughs have proven that fears about them being undiciplined and putting their teams into penalty trouble are largly unfounded. Guys like Laraque, Boogard, Godard and their ilk don't tend to cost their teams many games.

I guess... I just don't see much that's different about the top teams now and the top teams 3 years ago.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

The questions were raised about Kessel's reputation for being a poor team player, Burke said he knows him well from all of the USA Hockey stuff they've been involved in and knows what kind of guy he really is.

Here is the deal on Phil Kessel: An incredible talent. But an exasperating one.

He's a walking contradiction. An almost total non-talker in public, but phenomenal when it comes to charity efforts in private. A guy who beat testicular cancer, but wouldn't play through last season's shoulder injury until teammates pointed out they were playing through worse.

Those who know him well understand why Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke covets Kessel's skill, recognizing the winger's game-breaking ability, puck-handling wizardry and speed. But, those same people also wonder why Burke seems so enamoured with someone who struggles to fit into the team concept. That's a concept Burke is pushing hard in Toronto.

Rebound season

Last year was a big one for Kessel, especially after his 2008 playoff benching against the Montreal Canadiens. Bruins coaches chose instead to play Jeremy Reich for a chunk of that series. When you consider that Reich did not play in the NHL last season, it shows the level of Claude Julien's frustration.

Kessel delivered on-ice with 36 goals in the regular season, six more in playoffs. (He had 11 points in 11 playoff games, although he was not considered one of Boston's best in the seven-game loss to Carolina.) He meshed perfectly with Marc Savard, who could bank passes off the boards, knowing that Kessel was fast enough to track them down. One of the great frustrations teammates had with Kessel two years ago was that he tried to carry the puck too much. He adjusted last season, understanding that he was best at going up and down the wing, full-tilt.

"He wants it in-stride, so he can just go," said one teammate.

But that same teammate - and others - warn that you must have certain pieces around him. And, without those pieces, a Kessel experiment would fail.

1) A centre like Savard.

Savard's had rocky relationships with teammates, but no one questions his on-ice unselfishness. Kessel needs to play with someone like that. He's got a terrific snapper and a great drag, inside-out move, but, like most scorers, needs someone who can get it to him in the proper positions.

2) Strong teammates around him.

The Bruins are not lacking in leadership, with a room full of guys who made it as much by work ethic as by anything else. Several of them compare Kessel unfavourably to Milan Lucic, who was nowhere near as highly decorated a prospect. (And please, don't give me any Canadian/American bias baloney. This is about personalities, not birthplaces.) Lucic arrived willing to do anything and everything necessary to succeed. It was no trouble getting him to do extra work on the ice or in the weight room. It was much, much harder to convince Kessel that the extra work is necessary. There is still a feeling that he doesn't understand how important it is. One teammate said, "He is still young (22 in October), so he will figure it out." Others are not so charitable.

It is instructive that the Bruins took care of David Krejci before Kessel. Krejci is popular in the room, one of the reasons being that he played through a painful hip injury last year without complaint. Kessel's salary demands are undoubtedly higher, but if he was a more important piece, a cap-strapped team would have found a way to get it done. Could the Bruins be worried that the money Kessel wants (reportedly in the $4.5 million US range) is too much for a player who doesn't yet fully understand what it takes to succeed?

3) A support staff that understands Kessel needs to be treated softly.

One of the reasons he dropped down to fifth in the 2006 NHL Draft were suggestions that he was coddled and not receptive to criticism. That label remains. Julien's had a tough relationship with Kessel because that's not his style. (The two even fought about the kind of stick Kessel used.) And, Ron Wilson isn't exactly Mr. Touchy Feely, either. However, the Bruins organization made sure there were a few "good cops" around. That would be critical in Toronto, as Kessel is one guy who would, initially, be extremely uncomfortable under the microscope.

Of course, the Bruins say they will match any offer sheet, since you don't want to lose such talent for nothing. But, there is skepticism that there is not a deal the Maple Leafs could make with Boston, assuming Luke Schenn is not part of it.

The bottom line is this: It is a mistake to acquire Phil Kessel without proper structure. The structure he already has in Boston.

That's from Elliotte Friedman of cbc.ca and Hockey Night in Canada.

[The Mule 0]

You're good at being ignorant.

Burke just had his PC to announce the trade. The questions were raised about Kessel's reputation for being a poor team player, Burke said he knows him well from all of the USA Hockey stuff they've been involved in and knows what kind of guy he really is.

He also said he was comfortable (but called it a steep price) with the picks going the other way because the team was able to land good young players this spring in guys like Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson, Robert Slaney, Jonas Gustavsson and of course, Nazem Kadri. Plus they signed a 6th round pick from a previous draft in Viktor Stalberg who is one of the fastest skaters I've ever seen. He can fly and has hands to boot. Plus there's kids like Jiri Tlusty, Luke Schenn & Nik Kulemin. Are they going to miss the picks? Of course, but the cupboard is far from bare.

Toronto has future players, and one of them is Kessel at 21 years old. How many players score 36 goals at 20/21 years old?

This guy knows what's up. Well said.

[thedisappearer 291]

Leaders in fights AND all decent hockey teams. Toughness alone isn't much fun to watch, skill alone isn't much fun to watch. For the past few years, only the Ducks have been skilled and tough, now that trend is catching on elsewhere.

Over the last few years, only the Ducks have been fun to watch? I feel pretty stupid- I've enjoyed watching the Wings play immensely... especially that Cup they won in the last few years.

[Zetts 236]

Obviously I'm missing something here.

My impression was that Kessel was an RFA. Couldn't Burke have just signed him to an offer sheet? And wouldn't he have had to give up less? (Off the top of my head, a first, second and third round draft pick?)

[MacK_Attack 108]

Obviously I'm missing something here.

My impression was that Kessel was an RFA. Couldn't Burke have just signed him to an offer sheet? And wouldn't he have had to give up less? (Off the top of my head, a first, second and third round draft pick?)

Yeah, but the Bruins probably would have matched.

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Burke has easily surpassed Holland as the greatest GM in the NHL.

[eva unit zero 271]

"Skilled tough teams" is not the same as "Teams with some skill and some guys that fight" unless you think that fighting is a direct indicator of toughness, and the way to measure a player's toughness is by his fighting ability and his frequency if fighting.

Skilled tough teams have always been the ones who have had success. The Red Wings and Penguins of the past two seasons are a prime example of this. Both teams boasted quite a bit of skill, neither team really had much in the way of fighters, but both team was comprised primarily if not completely of players who worked hard and would grind for pucks in the corner and in front of the net, regardless of size. Players who played through minor injuries and shook off slashes and cross checks from opposing players. That, not fighting, is what toughness is. Toughness is about doing what it takes to win, not about sitting on the bench for around 45 minutes a game and in the penalty box for five because your only skill is punching the guy on the other team who plays five minutes a game and whose only skill is punching you.

Now, back to the topic. Phil Kessel will probably help the Leafs over what they had on the roster, in that Finger probably would have been waived or traded regardless, and Van Ryn was likely on his way out also. The Kessel deal just solidifies those situations. The Leafs probably will get back at very least one early round pick when clearing up their defensive logjam, assuming Burke doesn't f*** his s*** up.

[eva unit zero 271]

Yeah, but the Bruins probably would have matched.

The Bruins would have matched the $5.4m contract Kessel just signed if Burke had put it out as an offer sheet? Zetts is right...Burke effectively traded a first for a third because he didn't want to put out an offer sheet.

[MacK_Attack 108]

The Bruins would have matched the $5.4m contract Kessel just signed if Burke had put it out as an offer sheet? Zetts is right...Burke effectively traded a first for a third because he didn't want to put out an offer sheet.

All I'm going on is the word of Peter Chiarelli that he would match any offer sheet thrown at Kessel.

[e_prime 1,936]

The Bruins would have matched the $5.4m contract Kessel just signed if Burke had put it out as an offer sheet? Zetts is right...Burke effectively traded a first for a third because he didn't want to put out an offer sheet.

I agree with you on this. I think Burke talks like he's okay with an offer sheet, but in honesty he's not willing to do it.

He doesn't want to face the criticism because the NHL doesn't "do" offer sheets like the NBA does.

I think it's been obvious that Boston has wanted to get rid of Kessel and considered Toronto their main trading partner ever since they thought the Kaberle + a first rounder was out there.

However, it would have been great if Burke had put out the offer sheet. Boston matched it, and then Burke said,

"Oh, okay. You can keep him. I'm not willing to give you the two firsts that you really want."

[Guest micah]

Over the last few years, only the Ducks have been fun to watch? I feel pretty stupid- I've enjoyed watching the Wings play immensely... especially that Cup they won in the last few years.

You're a Wings fan, silly. You *should* enjoy watching them win. Hell, you should enjoy watching them even when they lose. They're your team.

People who are already diehard fans of one specific team are not the people that the NHL needs to get the attention of. The Wings have been very skilled pacifsts for many years now, nobody other than their fans cares about them anymore. No non-Wing fans are excited to watch the Wings this year. Judging by the hype on HF and even on here, plenty of non-Leaf fans and non-Flyer fans are excited to watch the Leafs and Flyers this year. Something has been missing from too many great teams in recent years, and it looks like there are some upstarts that want to prove that you don't have to be a squad of pacifists to win hockey games.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

Over the last few years, only the Ducks have been fun to watch? I feel pretty stupid- I've enjoyed watching the Wings play immensely... especially that Cup they won in the last few years.

I know, eh? Datsyuk and Zetterberg are so lame compared to Perry and Getzlaf because those two fight too!

[FunkedUp 29]

Only time will tell with this one. Kessel is no doubt a great player and will continue to get better, but you got to wonder about those draft picks. That is definitely a steep price to pay for a player, but the kid is only 21 so you have to look at it from both sides. It will be interesting to see how Kessel adopts to not having one of the best passers in the game (Savard) to set him up.

This no doubt makes the Leafs a more formidable team and I'm happy to see them heading in the right direction.

[ben_usmc 253]

seriously, I think the tides have changed and the east may be the tougher conference this year.

[daniel1 32]

You're good at being ignorant.

Burke just had his PC to announce the trade. The questions were raised about Kessel's reputation for being a poor team player, Burke said he knows him well from all of the USA Hockey stuff they've been involved in and knows what kind of guy he really is.

He also said he was comfortable (but called it a steep price) with the picks going the other way because the team was able to land good young players this spring in guys like Tyler Bozak, Christian Hanson, Robert Slaney, Jonas Gustavsson and of course, Nazem Kadri. Plus they signed a 6th round pick from a previous draft in Viktor Stalberg who is one of the fastest skaters I've ever seen. He can fly and has hands to boot. Plus there's kids like Jiri Tlusty, Luke Schenn & Nik Kulemin. Are they going to miss the picks? Of course, but the cupboard is far from bare.

Toronto has future players, and one of them is Kessel at 21 years old. How many players score 36 goals at 20/21 years old?

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you, I had Jeff Finger in my ear.

So who's going to center him? He had Marc Savard most of the year in Boston, do the Leaf Blowers have anyone capable of setting him up?

I don't get it - are you that starved for attention? You're obviously "Leaf-obsessed", but yet you choose to troll around on a Red Wings board, spouting off about how great the Leafs are, how great Burke is, how great the Leafs moves are (regardless of their blatent stupidity for years now) and then criticize others when they disagree with your "Leafs Rule" attitude. Do you really think we're all closet leafs fans that secretly hope the Leafs win? Take a look at the title at the top of the page - Let's Go WINGS", not Leafs you tool. Most of us that come here to read about the Wings hope that the Leafs bus goes off a cliff in northern Ontario.