September 18, 2009.
My first thought when I saw Kessel his first year in the league was that this kid will eventually score big time goals. With the salary cap now in place the Bruins are now able to spend just as much as any other team which is both a blessing and a burden. A blessing in the fact that all teams are on an even keel and our fans no longer have to worry about icing adequate teams as compared to other big spenders in the past. A burden in the fact that they are now unable to keep all of their better players even if they want to. Boston has been smart with their drafting and acquiring of talent since GM Peter Chiarelli has come on board. Sure the occasional mistake in hindsight has been made but nobody is perfect. The Bruins have set a sight on becoming cup champions, and each year have progressed towards their ultimate goal. Having a guy like Cam Neely in the pressbox who always wanted and deserved to win can't hurt at all.
The Bruins have watched Kessel grow and mature from a selfish center to a goal scoring winger. This was mostly due to Boston's depth in center as well as Kessel's lack of playmaking skills/defensive coverage. Coach Claude Julien has been patient with him and has said all the right things including benching him against
the Canadiens in the cup playoffs when it was warranted. I have seen Kessel start to do the little things like grab a dancing partner in the scrums, and protect the puck along the boards, no doubt a product of the Julien system that has made Marc Savard such an important two way center on the team. If you are looking for a flashy guy who can score goals then Kessel is your man. If you are looking for a complete two way player that can hit, be responsible in his own end and finish plays then the Bruins are hoping they can find that guy and more with the 2 firsts and a 2nd that have come over from Toronto.
In the end, the Bruins just did not feel that an incomplete game warranted a 5+ million dollar contract with the fact that they have so many up and coming players like Zach Hammil, Joe Colborne, Brad Marchand, amongst others that can take Phil Kessel's spot. This was why David Krejci was signed so quickly, he lead the league is +/- with +37 last season with teammate Blake Wheeler (+36) in a close second. With re-stocking the cupboards the Bruins will be able to draft a few more players to ensure Boston's future shines even more brightly.
There is no doubt that Kessel will make the Leafs a better team now. With the complete lack of goal scoring amongst other holes on the team, this will help patch a much needed area. The problem for the leafs is the lack of a system with the players to make that system happen. The dedication to the system has to be followed from drafting to coaching to trading so basically all fronts. The pressure is on Burke to put his stamp on the team and start winning games. Management in Toronto does not want to have a proper, slow rebuild like some of the bigger teams like Pittsburgh and Washington have had to go through. The Leafs fans have always been and always will be diehard fans who want to win now. The Leafs have to hope that Kessel regains the form he had before his shoulder injury and without the playmaking skills of center Marc Savard. Also, solid linemate Milan Lucic made sure nobody marginalized or took liberties with Kessel in turn making him a better player. There's no doubt Phil Kessel can score 40 goals with the right mindset and linemates, but Toronto right now isn't really a good fit for him besides the ice time and pp time he will get. He's also in the need of a patient coach who will need to learn how to handle him.
It's way too early to tell who came out on top in this deal until we see how the picks turn out for the Bruins, but so far Toronto is the only team that ended up with a bonafide NHL player. The Leafs win now which was important to them, and The Bruins will hopefully win in the long run with the draft picks. Boston has one of the top scouting staffs in the league and I have a lot of faith that they will draft the right players.
To the people that think Boston has stepped backwards a huge step because of the loss of Kessel think again. It is the whole dedicated team that win cups, and clearly Kessel did not want to forfeit a million or so to play on the team that drafted him and gave him the chance to become a good player. So the Bruins will go forwards with the players that want to be there giving a chance to the next guys that will be able to step into the lineup and make an impact.
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