October 15, 2009.
The Leafs are off to their worst start in years and a lot of people are beginning to wonder if we overpaid for Phil Kessel, however I beg to differ.
The deal went down as follows: Toronto sent three draft picks to Boston in exchange for the rights to Kessel; a 1st and 2nd round pick for the 2010 NHL entry draft, as well as a 1st round pick for the 2011 entry draft. Shortly after the trade was completed, they signed Kessel to a 5 year $27 million contract.
We seem to have forgotten that this kid was touted to be one of the “Next Ones” during his junior career. He was such a fantastic junior player that pro scouts were even ranking him as a prospect comparable to the likes of Sid the Kid (Sidney Crosby) back in ‘04-’05. During that season he scored 98 points in 47 games as a member of the under 18 Development Program in the North American Hockey League. After missing the NHL entry draft by just one month, Kessel was forced to play one more season before being drafted, so he joined the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota. Unfortunately as a freshman he was slotted in as a third line player with limited ice time, but he still managed to net 51 points with a +22 rating in 39 games. Later that year he was drafted 5th overall by the Boston Bruins. Read more.....
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