Phil Kessel. Our cheeseburger eating, cookie munching, out of shape right winger that everyone (especially the media) loves to hate on. Well, he was ours until this past week. On July 1st, 2015, dreams were made, and dreams were shattered as Phil Kessel (and others) were sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins, in exchange for Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling, Scott Harrington, and a few picks. Was this the right move? I don't believe it was.
The Rebuild
As a Leafs fan, these last few years have been rough, especially when reminded of the game 7 disaster in Boston just a few years ago. The 2014-2015 season started out with potential, but in typical Leafs fashion, quickly started to unravel, leaving head coach Randy Carlyle without a job. Don't even get me started on interim head coach Peter Horachek.
It's never been more clear that a major rebuild will be necessary for one of hockey's most talked about and loved teams to succeed.
Babs
As the season came to an end, the big question on everyone's mind was 'who's taking over?' Who has the balls to jump into this rebuild head first? After much speculation and media frenzy, Mike Babcock threw on a jockstrap to support his steel balls, and came forward – ready to make some big changes to the organization. Yes, this is a huge upgrade in terms of coaching, but a lot needs to happen over the next few years to put the Leafs in the running for the Cup. While it's not what many fans want, the reality is that a rebuild of this magnitude will not happen in a single year. All I can say is, "good luck to you, sir!"
Kessel on the Move
The big trade for the Leafs, and probably the biggest during the "Free Agent Frenzy", was Phil Kessel being moved to the Penguins. Let's forget about the mediocre return and focus on Kessel, himself. Here's a player who, putting last season aside, averages more than 35 goals per (full) season, and a +/- that usually hovers around 0. Last season told a very different story. 25 goals with a +/- of -34.
Yes, Kessel had a terrible 2014-2015 season, especially in the second half of the year, but should that have been enough to ship him off to Pittsburgh in exchange for a few prospects? I don't believe so.
Lack of Chemistry
For a player to succeed, there need to be a strong team behind him. Unfortunately, Phil Kessel didn't have that. Rewinding to the beginning of the season when the Leafs were strong(ish), Kessel was scoring goals and making things happen, but when the team started to fall apart, his performance quickly diminished. The goals came to a halt, and his attitude took a very negative turn. And while I hate to see professionals act like Phil did in the latter half of the season, I have a hard time blaming him. His team was losing, fans were on the attack, and the media took every chance they could to make him feel even worse.
No Second Chances, Apparently
As we've all established, Kessel had a terrible season. We know it, the coaches knows it, and I'm sure he knows it, as well. But is one rough season enough to buy him a permanent ticket to Pittsburgh? Absolutely not.
Coaching, attitude, fitness. Three factors that lead to one of Phil Kessel's worst seasons of his career. All three I believe could have turned around in the upcoming season. Even before the trade, it was already reported that Kessel would be training with Gary Roberts in the off season, and if Shanahan had any sort of faith, he would have let Kessel ride it out for one or two seasons under Babcock. Unfortunately, management caved under the pressure to rebuild and sold Kessel for a bag of rocks.
So long, Phil!
It's going to be strange not seeing Phil burst down the ice wearing a Leafs jersey in October, and unless there are more trades in the works, it looks like we may be in for another disappointing season.
Best of luck in Pittsburgh, Phil!