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Trading Phil Kessel: Debate on his list of eight |
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Without hesitation Phil Kessel is Toronto’s best offensive player. His shot is at the top of the charts, even if he is using an intermediate stick with a flex below 75. Kessel has one of the fastest releases in the game and should be a sure shot to score 30 goals per season, especially on a decent team. Last year was an anomaly and likely wouldn’t have happened if the Leafs didn’t bring in Coach Peter Horachek and end up coughing up fur ball after fur ball on the ice. Something to keep in mind before looking at Phil’s value; in the last four seasons Kessel is only behind Giroux, Malkin, Crosby, Ovechkin and Tavares in points. Obviously Phil can toss up the points; his 8 year deal at 64 million confirms he is an elite point producer. Of course this isn’t a small amount of cash for a team to simply add to their roster without any concern for the salary cap.
Kessel listed eight teams that he would accept a trade to; Montreal, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, New York Rangers, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and Minnesota.
Of course, if Shanahan and his management team set up a deal with a team that is not on his desired list, Phil can accept the trade or decline it. That is his right with the no-trade clause that he signed when making the deal with Toronto. The Leafs without a doubt would like to move Kessel before the 2015 draft as there are many quality players in the top 10 both on the offensive and defensive side of the puck that would be attractive assets for their rebuild. This rebuild isn’t going to take place overnight, likely a few seasons, which means sniper Phil Kessel would be passed his so called ‘prime’ years of production by the time the Leafs turn into a playoff team.
It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact return the Leafs will get for Phil Kessel. My initial thoughts are a first round pick, a high quality prospect and another mediocre prospect with another player coming back with salary to help the other team with adding Phil’s salary to their roster. Of course this could all change depending on the prospect or how high of a pick in the first round the Maple Leafs would receive.
There have been a few comparisons given to what Kessel’s value is in terms of a trade. Some suggest Rick Nash, I like the Bobby Ryan or Jeff Carter comparisons and think they would be the most accurate in terms of a return.
Bobby Ryan (age 26) traded for Silfverberg, Noesen, first round pick (Ritchie).
Jeff Carter (age 27) traded for Jakub Voracek, first round pick (Couturier), and third round pick (Cousins).
Would you say it’s pretty obvious Phil made his list of eight teams who are all contenders or close to it? I’d certainly say so; he has more control this way. He puts himself in a win-win situation where he is either traded to a powerhouse team or he stays in Toronto where he “loves” to play. Odds are in favor of the Leafs exploring other possible destinations for Phil; but without a doubt they will at least ponder with some options from the eight teams listed.
The list of eight:
Montreal Canadiens:
I was somewhat surprised that Montreal was on Phil’s list, but it is what it is. I highly doubt the Leafs make a trade with one of their division rivals. With that being said I would imagine that Toronto would have interest in Alex Galchenyuk and Montreal’s first round pick. Without a doubt Toronto would have to take back P.A. Parenteau and his 4 million dollar salary. I would imagine if this option is even looked at, it would have to include more salary being moved in Toronto’s direction, and possibly another pick in Toronto’s to compensate. Again, highly unlikely the two teams make a deal.
Philadelphia Flyers:
The Flyers themselves are embarking on a rebuild, but they are much closer to being competitive than the Maple leafs. At first I thought not a chance, but there is always a possibility when adding in a dynamic goal scorer like Phil. He would fit in well with Giroux, Voracek, Schenn and Simmonds. The Flyers also have 10 draft picks in the seven rounds of the 2015 draft; perhaps they would be open to acquiring Kessel after all.
Vincent Lecavalier has 3 years left on his contract with a cap hit of 4.5 million. RJ Umberger has 2 years left with a cap hit of 4.6 million. Philadelphia hasn’t resigned Ray Emery, and could be interested in James Reimer to backup Steve Mason; I would say Reimer is an upgrade over Emery. There are some options for Toronto and Philadelphia, time will tell if they show interest in number 81 .
Pittsburgh Penguins:
Could you imagine Kessel playing with Crosby or Malkin? I feel he would be incredible beside either one of these dominant forces. Crosby always brings a solid two way game to the table, which could compensate for Phil’s lack of defensive efforts considerably. The big problem for Pittsburgh is salary dollars and the number of players they will need to sign for next season. At this point the Penguins only have four defenseman signed, Martin and Ehrhoff are both UFA’s and Ian Cole who turned it on towards the end of the season will be an RFA. I don’t think the Leafs will have any interest with Letang, as they shouldn’t be taking on a 7.25 million dollar cap hit just to move Phil Kessel.
What I do think could happen, if anything; Toronto takes on David Perron’s 3.82 cap hit, and Brandon Sutter who makes 3.3 million. A combination of Kessel, Crosby, Malkin, Hornqvist, Dupuis and Kunitz makes for an excellent top 6. A few prospects that Pittsburgh has that interest me include: Kasperi Kapanen, Oksar Sundqvist and Scott Harrington. I don’t know if Pittsburgh would want to go this way, but if they did, they would have locked up Kessel in his prime years to play with Crosby and Malkin and give a good push for the Cup for years as the three of them would be locked up together for many years to come. Three of the top six point producers in the last 4 seasons all on the same roster…something to think about.
New York Rangers:
The Rangers may have some salary space available next season if they choose to not resign veteran Martin St Louis. There are also rumors swirling in the air about the Rangers trading Rick Nash, which I personally think is crazy considering he just had a 42 goal campaign and gathering 14 points in 19 playoff games. New York has a number of quality forwards to resign this season who are RFA’s. Derek Stepan being one of them who will likely get paid quite handsomely since he has established himself as a quality center for the Rangers.
There are stacks of dollars put towards the Rangers defense and perhaps one of their quality defenseman could be had as part of the deal to open up some salary dollars but also make room for them to pay the likes of Stepan, Hagelin, Miller and Fast. I don’t see New York as being an excellent trade for the Leafs by any means, but I would welcome the addition of one of their quality young defensemen and some in return for Phil if a deal were to take place.
Boston Bruins:
Another team I was quite surprised to see on Phil Kessel’s list. Could it be that the removal of Peter Chiarelli from the Bruins organization that gives Phil a new life in Boston, does he already forget they talked badly of him when they traded him? For all we know it was a road block that Kessel threw out knowing a trade with the Bruins would be rather impossible considering their cap issues.
It already looks as if Boston is going to have to let Carl Soderberg go, who is an excellent third line center in my books. Most of their salary dollars will likely be put towards resigning Dougie Hamilton, who we all know ended up being linked to the Kessel deal in the first place. The only option I could see going forward for a trade to take place would be Toronto taking on some salary, which would include Loui Eriksson and or Marc Savard…and I am not sure how that would work with Savard considering his status. Realistically, I think it’s a shot in the dark, so I wouldn’t hold my breath on Phil going back to Boston.
Chicago Blackhawks:
When you win the cup, it doesn’t matter that you are in ‘cap hell’. Which is exactly where Chicago will be this summer, I’m sure their fans are just heartbroken about this (sarcasm). With only three defensemen and eight forwards signed next season, Chicago is going to have to let some players go without a doubt. Saad is an RFA and likely a priority for the Blackhawks, he’s been a quality winger who has been cheap up until this point of his career and will likely cost the Hawks 4 million or so. There is a very good chance I feel that Chicago tries to unload Bickell’s contract, Sharp could also be on the trading block if there was a good deal in place.
Personally, I don’t think Chicago would want Phil Kessel as they already have their own version in Patrick Kane. Sure the players are not identical, but they possess many similar attributes in what they bring to the table.
Los Angeles Kings:
Another team that is tight to the salary cap, you’d think Kessel was trying to really make it tough for the Leafs to trade him? I wonder if Bozak was included how much that would change his possible destinations. Regardless, the Kings have their work cut out for themselves and Phil would be very difficult to fit into their salary. There is always the option of Toronto taking on Mike Richards contract, but it’s an ugly one, at 5.75 for another 5 years. That’s too long in my opinion; in five years’ time I don’t want the Leafs to have an ugly contract on the books.
Let’s say Toronto did take on Mike Richards contract and ate his salary. Toronto would have to be very well compensated if you ask me, something along the lines of a first round pick, Tyler Toffoli and another prospect. Still, this seems foolish from the Leafs point of view as Richards for 5 years would only hurt them when the time comes to finally compete.
Minnesota Wild:
Out of all of the teams Kessel listed, the Wild makes the most sense to me. They have a very competitive team who plays a solid 200 foot game and could be just a sniper shy of making it to the big show. There are a bundle of options with Minnesota in terms of how to open up some salary for Phil’s arrival.
Minnesota may be trying to unload Mikko Koivu and his 3 year contract at 6.75 million. They likely don’t have much use for Matt Cooke at 2.5 million for one more season. I doubt they bring back Chris Stewart unless it’s a cheap deal for the Wild, and Mikael Granlund is an RFA and will likely be a part of the team going forward as he’s shown lots of promise.
Another option is the Leafs taking on Niklas Backstrom’s 3.4 million dollar contract next season as Minnesota plans to resign Dubnyk without a doubt.
Toronto would surely be interested in picks and prospects from Minnesota, I doubt they would be able to pry Mathew Dumba from the defensive core of the Wild, but he would certainly be a player I would target.
Keep a close eye on Minnesota being a potential trade target for Toronto and Phil Kessel.
Do you think Phil Kessel will be traded to any of the eight teams that he listed, or will it be another team and he will have to grant permission to Toronto before the deal is done?
Exciting times ahead Toronto Maple Leafs fans.
Thanks for reading!
Blogger •Fantasy Hockey Expert • 
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