So tonight marks the return of Kessel to the NHL, his debut as a Toronto Maple Leaf.
I may not have been in love with him because he doesn't play the prototypical Bruins' style hockey, and I still think he's one dimensional and will never again pot 30 goals...
HOWEVER
I wish him luck in his recovery, and hope the best for him and his career as a Leaf. He is electric and at the very least will be what Kovalev was the Montreal (regardless of point totals), in that he'll get the leafs' faithful excited as soon as he gets the puck. I will also be keeping a close eye looking for his name on the score sheet.
Regardless of whether I am wrong about his future, there is no way Chiarelli could say no to the trade offer he got...1st rounders may be "overrated", but that doesn't mean they aren't extremely valuable because otherwise teams wouldn't bother holding on to them. There was also no reason for Chia to match the contract Burke gave him, so either way...this trade was inevitable.
As an Ontario boy, I want the leafs to do well (just preferably not this year or next )
Good luck Kessel - but you better watch out for Chara and Looch
So tonight marks the return of Kessel to the NHL, his debut as a Toronto Maple Leaf.
I may not have been in love with him because he doesn't play the prototypical Bruins' style hockey, and I still think he's one dimensional and will never again pot 30 goals...
HOWEVER
I wish him luck in his recovery, and hope the best for him and his career as a Leaf. He is electric and at the very least will be what Kovalev was the Montreal (regardless of point totals), in that he'll get the leafs' faithful excited as soon as he gets the puck. I will also be keeping a close eye looking for his name on the score sheet.
Regardless of whether I am wrong about his future, there is no way Chiarelli could say no to the trade offer he got...1st rounders may be "overrated", but that doesn't mean they aren't extremely valuable because otherwise teams wouldn't bother holding on to them. There was also no reason for Chia to match the contract Burke gave him, so either way...this trade was inevitable.
As an Ontario boy, I want the leafs to do well (just preferably not this year or next )
Good luck Kessel - but you better watch out for Chara and Looch
as a former resident of S Ontario, I hope the leafs rot in hell with kessel.....
I concur. Never liked Kessel as a player but wish him a good career. I would never wish ill will on anyone. Just hopefully he has no success against the Bs.
Best of luck to Phil! He was my favorite Bruin since we lost Thornton and I still very much wish we hadn't have traded him.
I wish him all the best in Toronto and I hope he does put up ridiculous numbers for years to come (just not against the Bruins and I hope the Leafs still struggle despite him).
Great kid who will be a great player, electric with the puck, faster then lightning and a just a wicked shooter.
Here's to you Phil And hopefully one day before your career is over you will be back in Black & Gold.
he can score all the goals he wants so long as the leafs still suck. it will be hilarious when he scores 50 goals next year and the leafs still finish with 75 points.
i think he got a very huge raw deal on his exit... dont see why we cant just agree it was the right thing to do and let him leave without all the villianfication
it happens too often for my taste to see my fellow fans turn on ex heros for what usually amounts to just a logical business decesion
our team wasnt in a position to offer kessel FAIR MARKET VALUE... most fans here gleefully cheered how he had no bargaining position and would be forced to lock into a long term deal at less then Krecji was making
the reality always was that Kessel is a superb talent who will score a truck load of goals in his career health willing. it was always a certainity he would get fair market value
so... we couldnt keep him unless a miricle happened. maybe if he would have been willing to take a one year deal he could have shown more home town loyalty... but we showed him very little loyalty during the whole process. this board and bruin nation turned on him long before he turned on us
the media had him rumored in trades for over a year... milbury was using the home team broadcasts to call him a bust... he was getting benched by the coaches regularly... held to less then 17 mins a game of icetime... played on third lines and second pp units
then told he didnt deserve more money cause he only managed to score 36 goals
i dont want to lose the first overall pick... so cant wish him too much success, but i will be sad for him if he falls on his face now.
its an ugly situation in toronto and phil doesnt strike me as the type that can pull a team onto his back single handed.
it could become very brutal for him if he becomes the lightning rod of all their frustrations the next couple years with no first round pick
i think he got a very huge raw deal on his exit... dont see why we cant just agree it was the right thing to do and let him leave without all the villianfication
it happens too often for my taste to see my fellow fans turn on ex heros for what usually amounts to just a logical business decesion
our team wasnt in a position to offer kessel FAIR MARKET VALUE... most fans here gleefully cheered how he had no bargaining position and would be forced to lock into a long term deal at less then Krecji was making
the reality always was that Kessel is a superb talent who will score a truck load of goals in his career health willing. it was always a certainity he would get fair market value
so... we couldnt keep him unless a miricle happened. maybe if he would have been willing to take a one year deal he could have shown more home town loyalty... but we showed him very little loyalty during the whole process. this board and bruin nation turned on him long before he turned on us
the media had him rumored in trades for over a year... milbury was using the home team broadcasts to call him a bust... he was getting benched by the coaches regularly... held to less then 17 mins a game of icetime... played on third lines and second pp units
then told he didnt deserve more money cause he only managed to score 36 goals
i dont want to lose the first overall pick... so cant wish him too much success, but i will be sad for him if he falls on his face now.
its an ugly situation in toronto and phil doesnt strike me as the type that can pull a team onto his back single handed.
it could become very brutal for him if he becomes the lightning rod of all their frustrations the next couple years with no first round pick
those that are Kessel fans I hate to say maybe need to think about switching boards to Toronto's on here, those that are true fans of the BIG BAD AND BLACK may stay
)
And hopefully one day before your career is over you will be back in Black & Gold.
(with some exceptions)
