I don't get this perception of Kessel's contract. His contract is perfectly reasonable given (1) his age when he signed it; (2) his production before and after he signed it; and (3) the direction the market went after he signed the deal.
There's a lot of reasons why getting Kessel wouldn't be a great move for us. His contract isn't really one of them. I think a lot of perceptions here are warped by the fact that Tavares signed a well below market value contract when he still had RFA years to buy out.
Tavares contract has nothing to do with whether the isles want Kessel.
Cappy has said in interviews that it makes the coaches job easier when a team's best player, is also it's hardest working player.
How much has Kessel made the Toronto coaches job harder, with his lazy work ethic?
http://www.si.com/nhl/2014/09/22/phil-kessel-alex-ovechkin-image-problems
That's why it's so shocking when a player thumbs his nose at expectations as explicitly as Phil Kessel did last week. Without being specifically prompted, the Maple Leafs sniper told the Toronto media, “Honestly, I skated maybe ... I don’t want to tell you this, but I skated 10 times maybe all summer.†He was also at the center of an odd report in which assistant coach Steve Spott told a coaches clinic in August that Kessel had refused to participate in a new breakout play that Spott had designed and is, in the coach's estimation "15 pounds overweight."
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/h...slanders-prepare-home-stand-article-1.2109281
Phil Kessel to the Islanders? Don't count on it as team begins long homestand
rumors have swirled as to whether or not the Isles will look to acquire a forward to take the place of Kyle Okposo, who will be out at least another month with an eye injury. Leafs star Phil Kessel — 21 goals, 26 assists this season, but just two goals and two assists in all of January — has been mentioned as being L.I.-bound, but seems to be an unlikely candidate for GM Garth Snow to pursue.
The winger commands a $8 million cap hit per season before his contract expires in 2022 and is a very streaky player with conditioning issues.