Why Phil Kessel Has To Go (Damian Cox article)

[SilverHaireDevil]

Detroit gets praise for leaving its prospects on the vine till they are over ripe because of the last 20 years of it working out for their team.

[wavaxa2]

Silly article. OK, so Burke would likely not get the value that he gave up for Kessel. Yeah, so what if Kessel is not a big hitter, a great leader, or a defensive whiz? He's doing what he's being asked to do - generate offense. His contract is not out of line... not a smoking deal, but not a ripoff, just fair market value. Maybe in his contract year, consider a trade, but why now?

[Raym11]

Originally Posted by SensFanDan

Living here in Ottawa I'm privy to all the craziness that is the Leafs being a whipping boy.

Allow me to spell it out.

You need first round picks to succeed!
A: But the Leafs have a good half-dozen...
Not THOSE picks! The picks WE like!

You can't win with Kessel, you need someone that can score consistently!
A: But he does that...
Not consistently enough for US!

The Leafs rebuild is a shambles.
A: But they started out with nothing...they had guys like Boyd Devereaux in the minors.
Excuses! You need a better GM!

The Leafs need more Canadians to win the big games.
A: But Chara and Lidstrom are not Canadian...
But they play a Canadian game!

1967!
A:What does that have to do with current management or progress?
1967!!!!!!!!!!!!!11111111111111111111!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!

Ron Wilson has over 1,200 games experience, why fire him?
A: Players weren't responding.
They aren't responding now,Burke is a mook!

Burke is a mook, who trades futures for potential?
A: Point to any number of trades.
Hahahaha LEAFS SUCK! Hahahaha

Leafs need a prime top five pick to succeed!
A: Point to standings, a top five pick may be in the offing
Not THAT pick, he's a bust!

:sarc asm:

this is actually bang on

[SenzZen]

Originally Posted by Pyrophorus

If I want a Hab, it will be Moen, Staubitz or White.

Wow that's so cool to limit yourself to players with a total of 9 goals this year. Because scoring hasn't been a problem for the Leafs lately.

[WarriorofTime]

Originally Posted by TheFinnishKulemin

How is it that when the Red Wings make a player wait to make the big team, its genius and the player is just growing and getting better. When another team does it, the player can't make the team and is trending towards bust territory?

Beyond me...

Red Wings have a stacked lineup and have been in the playoffs for 20 years. And don't get me started on how every 22 year old Red Wings prospect is going to be "65-75 points every year, next Datsyuk/Zetterberg/Lidstrom..."

Leafs aren't a playoff team and their prospects can't crack their rosters not because the team is too good but because the player isn't good enough yet. Kadri and Colborne are both virtual locks to make the NHL at this point and they'll likely have productive careers. However, most hockey insiders would quietly tell you that any player who plays more than 1 season in the AHL likely isn't going to become anything special. There are exceptions to this rule but more often than not it's the case.

[NiL8r87]

Originally Posted by oilphan

The same reason the Jays traded Marcum for Lawrie. Sometimes you need to get worse before you get better. The Leafs are not going to be competitive for a few years, and by that time Kessel will be signing a $7-8M contract. The question is whether you want someone like that to build around.

Marcum was going on 30....

[NiL8r87]

Originally Posted by Rabid Ranger

I don't think Cox makes ANY good points. He says he doesn't want to blame Kessel for the Leafs "collapse" and yet that is exactly what he's doing. He says that he's not blaming Kessel for not being certain things (a great two-way player, a vocal leader, etc.), but that is exactly what's he's doing. Kessel is just a convienant scapegoat for what ails the Leafs. The problem isn't him though. He is an elite offensive talent on an average team that suffers from porous defense and erratic goaltending. Nothing Kessel does or doesn't do addresses those things. He just goes about his business piling up goals/points regardless of who he plays with. He's been more consistent this year than he's ever been.

It's nice to look outside the Leafs fanbase for sensibility.