Its time to get over the Phil Kessel trade
Posted 11:22 PM ET | Comments 37
On September 19, 2009 the Toronto Maple Leafs traded away their first and second round picks in the 2010 draft along with their 2011 first round pick to acquire 36 goal scorer Phil Kessel from the Boston Bruins. Leafs Nation for the most part jumped for joy as the team had acquired a 21 year old sniper and top six forward for the squad. The Toronto Sports papers, radio stations and Canadian Sports stations had tons of praise and were quick to pat Leafs GM Brian Burke for making a bold move since the drafts over the next two years were predicted to be weak, comments on more of a positive manner were posted all over the internet on blogs and sports websites, fans texted their non Leaf friends to let them know watch out the Leafs were finally moving in the right direction.....fast forward to March 8, 2010 and pandemonium has broken out all over the same places in less then 6 months, terrible trade, the Leafs continue to throw away their draft picks, Kessel will never be a guy the team can build around, Burke made a big mistake are some of the comments that are being made now. Take a CHILL Leafs Nation.
Brian Burke deserves a chance to build this team and he can now claim to have fully blown up the squad, save for one piece (Kaberle), which he should take care of in the summer. Burke can now claim that this is his team and he will continue to do what he feels will get this team in the right direction. Phil Kessel has scored 22 goals this season in 53 games while missing 12 games. He would be on pace to score 34 goals over an 82 game schedule not bad for a sniper playing with what many would say has not been any top centers. The Leafs sit 29th in the league and the Boston Bruins look set to acquire Tyler Hall or Tyler Seguin in this seasons draft, two very promising forwards that many consider to be franchise players but as of yet have proved nothing in the NHL. Their is no denying that this trade could come back to haunt the Leafs but how many will actually care if Kessel is scoring 50 goals a season which is not that far fetched with the right centermen, that could be Tyler Bozak as his play continues to improve or it can be Nazem Kadri or another player not yet on the roster.
Leafs Nation needs to make a decision, they can continue to debate this trade until they are blue in the face (which many must already be), but remember it will not change that this trade is done. Kessel is a Leaf and Seguin or Hall will not be in the blue and white, this trade will be better analyzed in three to four years, not today not tomorrow and not next week so lets stop the crying, the whining and the pouting and if the trade bothers you that much, don't watch the draft and if this mistake bothers you to the point that you can't bare to follow the Leafs any longer then move on there are 29 other teams in the NHL you can have your pick but the pessimism needs to end and it should end now. The time to get over the Phil Kessel trade is now and the time to give up on Burke after just 16 months has not yet come. Onward Leafs Nation the horizon looks a bit brighter then it did less then six months ago.
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tmlfanfury
Brian Burke deserves a chance to build this team and he can now claim to have fully blown up the squad, save for one piece (Kaberle), which he should take care of in the summer. Burke can now claim that this is his team and he will continue to do what he feels will get this team in the right direction. Phil Kessel has scored 22 goals this season in 53 games while missing 12 games. He would be on pace to score 34 goals over an 82 game schedule not bad for a sniper playing with what many would say has not been any top centers. The Leafs sit 29th in the league and the Boston Bruins look set to acquire Tyler Hall or Tyler Seguin in this seasons draft, two very promising forwards that many consider to be franchise players but as of yet have proved nothing in the NHL. Their is no denying that this trade could come back to haunt the Leafs but how many will actually care if Kessel is scoring 50 goals a season which is not that far fetched with the right centermen, that could be Tyler Bozak as his play continues to improve or it can be Nazem Kadri or another player not yet on the roster.
Leafs Nation needs to make a decision, they can continue to debate this trade until they are blue in the face (which many must already be), but remember it will not change that this trade is done. Kessel is a Leaf and Seguin or Hall will not be in the blue and white, this trade will be better analyzed in three to four years, not today not tomorrow and not next week so lets stop the crying, the whining and the pouting and if the trade bothers you that much, don't watch the draft and if this mistake bothers you to the point that you can't bare to follow the Leafs any longer then move on there are 29 other teams in the NHL you can have your pick but the pessimism needs to end and it should end now. The time to get over the Phil Kessel trade is now and the time to give up on Burke after just 16 months has not yet come. Onward Leafs Nation the horizon looks a bit brighter then it did less then six months ago.
Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tmlfanfury
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very true... Even if it was a bad deal. who cares. look how little burke gave up to get Phanuef! adding insult to injury we got a great pk guy in freddie. and a promising prospect in keith aulie.... Burke will continue to right the ship. There is always good players in round 3 we just need good scouting to guide burke, and always good college free agents
We'll never let you move on, It's a terrible, terrible trade.
How do you know its a terrible trade? We have zero idea how the player Boston picks will do.
in some ways we all put too much stock in most draft picks/every year there are can't miss players and their are players that are can't miss that don't live up to their potential. overall it's a crap shoot. Burke is doing a good job, it just takes time.
Burke wasn't applauded in the articles I read when he made this trade. Almost everything I read was blasting him for throwing away two first round picks and a second for a player who had had one good season playing for a very good team. I don't know what articles you were reading that were praising him.For a rebuilding team, I'd take the three picks over a player that was labeled as one dimensional and had a 36 goal season playing with the top team in the league and on the top line.
If they get two 20 goal scorers out of these picks, it was a bad trade. Which is very likely.
And I'll get over it when Burke says he ef'd up. Not a moment sooner.
One problem with the argument is that most people consider what Kessel is now to be it. Further more people also consider the Leafs (Bostons) next pick to be the next Stamkos. All that can be said right now is it was a very risky trade! And joemac77, what are you smoking really? I'd much rather have Kessel then two 20 goal scorers!!! That's like saying Poni Stajan > Kessel, hahahaha!
are you kidding? Boston get an etra first rounder, a lottery pick at that, this year, and another first rounder extra next year. Boston fans, as well as the league itself, will be laughing at this deal for years to come. If the trade was out of the division/conference, understandable. The best part is the leafs having to face the potential superstar 6 times a year for Lord knows how long. Thank you burke, it's the gift that will keep giving :)
great blog. would like to use on main site. if that's ok?
flames 12 are you really poking fun at another teams GM. I agree that the trade wasn't that good but for everything that was bad in the kessel trade he made up for in the phaneuf trade.
Yea... Flames fans really shouldn't be talking about gifts that keep on giving... you gave up on a franchise defenseman and all you got for him was 2 over acheiving forwards (one of whom is costing you $3.5 million a year... ouch), a 4th line warm body, and a decent defenceman (albeit a very effective hard worker). Oh also loosing Aulie and Sojstrom... dude you really shouldnt comment.
I love this piece and agree with Ek...post it on the main page!!
Well goleafsgo13: You should know that they traded for more than just one pick. And second, why is it time to get over the trade if the magnitude of the trade won't be felt for years to come. You'll lose this trade again and again for several years.
Absolutely I think he is well ahead of his development curve and I think next year he'll be at 50 goals. As for retrospective opinions remember in hinde sight we're 20/20. What we should focus on what they do this summer in the way of trades and who they may acquire by way of UFAs. Personally Kabby is going to be traded at the draft for one a roster player and Boston's first round pick. I hear they were very close as they made room for Kabby's 4 plus million.
Well if you would like to google the trade and look up some of the sports sites comments sections, you will see alot of positive comments not all but quite a lot (not from Leafs fans of course as they hate everything Toronto does) Im sure they feel that we got burnt in the Giguere for Blake and Toskala trade lol
Your blog is terrible... so biased.. but what can we expect from a Leafs fan...You are trying to push the analysis to a few years down the line and then when that day comes and you realize that you lost the deal you will tell everyone to stop living in the past... your blogging is just flat out mediocre