One of the worst kept secrets in the NHL, Kessel is finally a Leaf:
Leafs Get Their Phil
The drama surrounding Phil Kessel has finally come to an end as the Boston Bruins have traded their disgruntled sniper to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a first and a second round pick in 2010, and a first round pick in 2011.
Kessel and the Maple Leafs then quickly agreed to terms on a new five-year, $27 million deal.
While both the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers had shown interest, Leafs' general manager Brian Burke's persistence finally paid off.
Kessel is expected to arrive in Toronto on Saturday.
(More at the link in the title)
My thoughts on it are that Burke believes acquiring draft picks is much easier then acquiring a player of Kessel's age and talent.
There are multiple ways to re-stock those picks (and yes, I realize we've been singing this same tune for a few deadlines now). It all depends on what type of market it is at the deadline and whose willing to pay. Last year it wasn't that great of a market. Burke wanted to land a first but came away with two seconds because most teams believed in the depth of the first round. Now, if he's not able to land a first again there's nothing stopping him from getting 2nd's 3rd's or 4th's then using those to move up in the draft if he 'really' needs a first (teams move out of the 20-30 spots all the time). Sure the firsts may not be as good as the ones we gave up be really I'm not concerned. Kessel in itself is a top 5 selection so what are we giving up? A first and a 2nd? A second is easy to come by at the deadline -- so if we get one back we're giving up a 1st only? And if people are so keen on calling the 2011 draft weak, teams should be throwing those picks around like candy at the deadline, right? We'll see what happens.
With Kessel the only thing I'm concerned about is his health. I'd like to see if that shoulder can hold up. But other then that this is a guy who's going to be in his prime when his contract runs out (26 years old, same age as Grabovski is now). Kessel isn't some unknown talent who suddenly scored 30 goals. He's been hyped up huge since before he was drafted. He was talked about in the same breath as an American equivalent to Canada's Sidney Crosby once upon a time. This is what keeps me from hating this deal -- the fact he's been an advertised commodity for a while (that the talent has always been there). Of course, hype means nothing if you can't deliver but he has so far in his early career. People shouldn't be shocked at his production, they should expect it - with or without Savard as a center.
He's a dynamic, offensive winger the likes the Leafs haven't been able to develop in over 20 years. The last time they had a player of this talent was Mogilny and even then he had injury issues. I'm not saying this deal is a slam dunk, but from a Leafs perspective it makes a ton of sense even if there not 'there' yet in terms of competing for a cup. This deal will help now, but was made to help a year or two from now when the team begins to grow stronger.
Anyone who knows me knows I'm all for stock piling picks and keeping firsts - I think it's essential to build success in the NHL (heck, I even write for Hockey's Future's.. without these first round picks it's going to be a damn boring draft for me lol). But I'm also not naive to think that keeping unknown picks who may not even play 30 NHL games let alone score 30 NHL goals is a better option then moving them for a legit NHL player at 21. Think about it. People on these boards have been gushing over Bozak/Hanson/Stalberg at 23! The Leafs are getting a proven 30 goal man at 21! Am I excited we gave away the picks? No, not really because I'm a prospects junkie. But I do understand why the move was made and it makes sense both in the short and long term.
In the end, I truly believe this deal will go down as being beneficial to both squads. We can't look at what Boston does with those picks because what they do with them could be entirely different then what we would have done (won't shock me to see them move up huge at the draft with four picks in the top 60). I'll say one thing, I believe Chiarelli has done a great job with the Bruins and received a great return for Kessel. The Bruins are a team I'd like to see the Leafs build like. He's set the benchmark for these types of trades and it will be interesting to see how other GM's (i.e. Chicago's) deal with their situations when/if the cap drops next season. For the Leafs, it's now a wait-and-see approach. This
could be one of the best trades they've made in the last decade. Just have to keep our fingers crossed.
