UPDATE: Kessel signs with the Leafs for $27 million over 5 years. Boston receives the 1st and 2nd round pick for 2010, and the 1st round pick for 2011.
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The Toronto Maple Leafs appear set to make a solid run at acquiring Phil Kessel, the 21 year old right winger who recorded 36 goals in 70 games last season with the Boston Bruins, two years after a form of testicular cancer sidelined him. He is currently recovering from off-season shoulder surgery and will not be able to play until mid-November.
Burke is reportedly offering the Bruins an opportunity to trade Kessel before he becomes a restricted free agent to the tune of 2 first round draft picks, a 2nd round pick and a current roster player or prospect. There was a 2009 Draft day deal that was reportedly on the verge of consummation that broke down due to a miscommunication. Toronto's version of the deal: Tomas Kaberle for Phil Kessel and Boston's 1st round pick; Boston's version of the deal: Phil Kessel for Tomas Kaberle and Toronto's 1st round pick. Now that Kaberle's no-movement clause has kicked in, he is off the table.
Kessel's camp has turned down Boston's pitiful offer (well under the projected $5.5 million), and he is set to become a free agent by the end of this week, so the time is ripe for a deal to be made. But wait, aren't the Leafs rebuilding (presumably through the draft)? Doesn't losing two 1st rounders, additional picks, $5.5 million per year and a roster player seem like an extremely heavy price to pay for a currently injured player with a fairly one-dimensional game?
Let's break it down. Hypothetically, if the deal goes through, this is what the Leafs would receive.
Official scouting summary:
ASSETS: Owns electric skating ability and a howitzer of a shot. Can line up at all three forward positions. Is an exceptional dangler.
FLAWS: Needs to work on his play without the puck. May not have enough face-off or defensive ability to line up at center in the NHL. Lacks ideal size.
CAREER POTENTIAL: First line forward.
If you've read hockey scouting reports before, you'll know the pattern. Skills and potential are addressed, things to improve are brought to light and a projected role is assigned. Very rarely though, will you see a report that contains adjectives like electric, or nouns like howitzer or dangler. These are words normally confined to the realm of play-by-play commentators, not official assessments.
This report tells us that Phil Kessel is a player that scouts get very excited about. His talent and ability are far and above anything the current Leafs roster has to offer in terms of pure offense. Kessel has superstar-caliber stuff, and at the age of 21, still has a lot of time to develop and mature his defensive game to become better rounded.
For the Leafs, Kessel is nearly a perfect fit. He can provide the 1st line with a surefire scoring option the likes which we haven't seen in Toronto since Alexander Mogilny. Though he is small, he has ridiculous speed and skating ability. The Leaf roster bulked up considerably this past summer with big, bruising defensemen, and hulking, fearless pluggers that will make the 2009-2010 team a really painful team to play against. The Burke-model of big, mean players means there will be more room for smaller, skilled players.
The Leafs team is also in the middle of a culture change, putting defense well above all other aspects of the game. This is something that Kessel would benefit greatly from learning. Coach Ron Wilson is not above shelving a player who is not following the game plan to shake things up. Pairing Kessel with a defensively responsible pivot like Matt Stajan would also give him some room to be creative. He would also be a great outlet for breakout passers like Kaberle or Ian White.
If we get Phil Kessel:
Jason Blake - Matt Stajan - Phil Kessel
Alexei Ponikarovsky - Mikael Grabovski - Nikolai Kulemin
Jiri Tlusty - John Mitchell - Niklas Hagman
Wayne Primeau - Rickard Wallin - Colton Orr/Lee Stempniak/Ian White
Tomas Kaberle - Mike Komisarek
Francois Beauchemin - Luke Schenn
Ian White/Mike Van Ryn/Jeff Finger/Garnet Exelby
In terms of our re-build, Phil Kessel is obviously a shortcut back to the playoffs. Should he remain healthy, a player of his caliber can push a team like the Leafs in the weakened Northeast division up the standings. Because the draft is arranged according to the previous season's standings, our draft position will likely be low (15-18th). In essence, the Leafs would acquire a proven commodity for two or three long-term maybes. Not all high picks pan out either, as countless players have whithered under the expectations that come with being a top ten pick.
