November 3, 2009.
Is he a star?
2 1st round picks to get him would suggest that he is.
Who get's to play with him at center ? - why we hear it's Matt Stajan.
Mikhail Grabovski would be the only other present choice.
And is this to just buy time until junior star Nazem Kadri is ready in a few years ?
Probably - unless Brian Burke can't wait that long and pulls off a big trade.
It should be fun to watch the power play.
It's been clicking the least few games, and now add Kessel to that.
Also add some some big timely saves by Jonas Gustavsson and some much needed wins may come via the pp and goaltending alone. His size and agility, and willingness to come out to the edge of the crease when necessary is making Vesa Toskala wonder about his own future.
You don't like to see pressure put on players so young and inexperienced. Expecting too much right away would not be appropriate. If Kessel scores 1 goal in his first 10 games as a Leaf, is he a failure? Let's get real here.
This is a start in focusing more so on good young talent rather than hitting the panic button for aging, slower star players.
And Kessel and Gustavsson are just the beginning.
Stalberg and Kadri aren't far away, so in a few years things should look real nice.
This season is a wash, making the playoffs would be a bonus but not a necessity.
Let's hope the Leafs don't spend unnecessarily on any more 2nd liners and 2nd pairing defensemen or quick fix goaltenders, and focus more so on making room financially for their young prized talent.
0 comments:
Post a Comment