They will probably find a player better than Kessel for their playoffs push and this without giving away any of the high draft picks they received from Toronto.
- hello_there

kovalchuk is about the only player better than kessel they could get at the deadline and they would have to give up either the leafs 1st or their own.

kovalchuk is about the only player better than kessel they could get at the deadline and they would have to give up either the leafs 1st or their own.
- sniper12

...or both

They will probably find a player better than Kessel for their playoffs push and this without giving away any of the high draft picks they received from Toronto.
- hello_there

Like who?

Like who?
- RogerRoeper

It depends on who is a seller/buyer.

If not at the trade deadline, they will have the luxury to sign a player as good as (or better than) Kessel during the summer, something that wouldn't cost them any assets.

Brian Burke would have been better signing a player like Michael Cammalleri and not lose two (probably very high) first round draft picks and a 2nd rounder.

It depends on who is a seller/buyer.

If not at the trade deadline, they will have the luxury to sign a player as good as (or better than) Kessel during the summer, something that wouldn't cost them any assets.

- hello_there

Guys like Kessel just aren't widely available.

They have a great cap situation? Huh? They would have signed Kessel if not for their screwed up cap situation.
- prock

If having too many good players is a screwed up cap situation then I hope it's a problem my team will have for decades.

If having too many good players is a screwed up cap situation then I hope it's a problem my team will have for decades.
- bureforearthsprez

No, a screwed up cap situation is having to let guys go because the contracts you signed in years previous extended into years that you need to sign your top players, meaning you need to let them go. Such as Sturm, and arguably Ryder (although Ryder is roughly worth $4M). A screwed up cap situation is needing to buy players out for bad contracts, leaving $2.5M in cap hit on the books. You can toss Tim Thomas in there, but it's tough to justify letting your Vezina winning goalie walk.

Boston should be very competitive for the next 5+ years... they have a great cap situation, a good core of young players and also because of the Leafs' horrible trades - the Rask + Kessel trades.
I think that mostly/partly because of the Leafs, the Bruins have one of the best (if not the best) future.
- hello_there

??? Where did that come from? Not to mention Rask's performance will likely add another 1.5 million on next year's cap due to his performance bonuses.

Guys like Kessel just aren't widely available.
- RogerRoeper

That's likely was went through Burke's mind. He could sit and wait for draft after draft, and wait for UFAs that never make it to July 1st, but he had an opportunity to get a player ONLY because a team was in cap trouble and couldn't give him what he wanted, even if it was inflated. If Boston had the cap room, we wouldn't have even been talking about this trade.

??? Where did that come from? Not to mention Rask's performance will likely add another 1.5 million on next year's cap due to his performance bonuses.
- p_zub

Somehow, in dumbazz's mind, $12M to sign 11 players, is a "great cap situation". It's better than Montreal's mind you. Montreal has $10M to sign 7 or so players, including Plekanec and Price.

It depends on who is a seller/buyer.

If not at the trade deadline, they will have the luxury to sign a player as good as (or better than) Kessel during the summer, something that wouldn't cost them any assets.

Brian Burke would have been better signing a player like Michael Cammalleri and not lose two (probably very high) first round draft picks and a 2nd rounder.
- hello_there

This seems like a pretty realistic alternative to Blowhards mind cramp deal. Clearly Chiarelli took him to school. When you add the two draft picks plus Rusk, you wonder if someone at MLSE is on the Bruin payroll.

If Boston offers up the two number one picks and gets Kovalchuck on a long term contract would we still be able to say that the Kessel deal was good. Kessel is a nice top six player but he is not in the class of the more talented stars in the league.

This seems like a pretty realistic alternative to Blowhards mind cramp deal. Clearly Chiarelli took him to school. When you add the two draft picks plus Rusk, you wonder if someone at MLSE is on the Bruin payroll.

If Boston offers up the two number one picks and gets Kovalchuck on a long term contract would we still be able to say that the Kessel deal was good. Kessel is a nice top six player but he is not in the class of the more talented stars in the league.
- spatso

If Kovalchuk comes at a $10M price tag, yes we will.

This seems like a pretty realistic alternative to Blowhards mind cramp deal. Clearly Chiarelli took him to school. When you add the two draft picks plus Rusk, you wonder if someone at MLSE is on the Bruin payroll.

If Boston offers up the two number one picks and gets Kovalchuck on a long term contract would we still be able to say that the Kessel deal was good. Kessel is a nice top six player but he is not in the class of the more talented stars in the league.
- spatso

I think its a safe bet that Kovalchuk won't be signing anything before July 1st...regardless of who he gets traded to. As it stands Boston has to clear significant space to make room for him, not to mention with 12 million left to sign 10 players next year, that will leave 2 million to sign 9 players which I don't think is possible even at the league minimum.

I think its a safe bet that Kovalchuk won't be signing anything before July 1st...regardless of who he gets traded to. As it stands Boston has to clear significant space to make room for him, not to mention with 12 million left to sign 10 players next year, that will leave 2 million to sign 9 players which I don't think is possible even at the league minimum.
- p_zub

What happens if the Leafs end up with Kessel AND Kovalchuk? I wonder if these guys may feel differently.

That being said, I'd rather not sign Kovalchuk if he comes with a $10M price tag. I'd rather have Marleau with a price tag of $5M to $6M.

What happens if the Leafs end up with Kessel AND Kovalchuk? I wonder if these guys may feel differently.

That being said, I'd rather not sign Kovalchuk if he comes with a $10M price tag. I'd rather have Marleau with a price tag of $5M to $6M.
- prock

Agreed...though 10 million for a player like Kovalchuk would be money well spent, not to mention it will put teams who focused only on shutting down Kessel into knots about where to put their top defenders.

What happens if the Leafs end up with Kessel AND Kovalchuk? I wonder if these guys may feel differently.

That being said, I'd rather not sign Kovalchuk if he comes with a $10M price tag. I'd rather have Marleau with a price tag of $5M to $6M.
- prock

You're better off with Marleau. Centers are more important than wingers, and you already have guys like Hagman who can score.

You're better off with Marleau. Centers are more important than wingers, and you already have guys like Hagman who can score.
- Prax

The best part of Marleau is the flexibility he allows for. Sign him this year as a centre. If another centre comes along next year, sign him too. they can split time as first/second line centre, and it's still easy to stack up the PP, because he can play EITHER wing as well. If a winger comes along next year (or this summer I guess), sign him, and Marleau can centre him and Kessel. If somehow we get another centre, and Kadri works out, and we have 3 top centres, no problem, Marleau moves to wing.

Having a guy that can play anywhere is a pretty damn good thing. Marleau is the PERFECT guy to sign as far as I'm concerned. I really hope they go after him. there were lots of conflicting reports out of San Jose. Some that say him and Wilson didn't get along. Others that said Marleau told Wilson he'd play for him again any day. I hope the latter are true.

The best part of Marleau is the flexibility he allows for. Sign him this year as a centre. If another centre comes along next year, sign him too. they can split time as first/second line centre, and it's still easy to stack up the PP, because he can play EITHER wing as well. If a winger comes along next year (or this summer I guess), sign him, and Marleau can centre him and Kessel. If somehow we get another centre, and Kadri works out, and we have 3 top centres, no problem, Marleau moves to wing.

Having a guy that can play anywhere is a pretty damn good thing. Marleau is the PERFECT guy to sign as far as I'm concerned. I really hope they go after him. there were lots of conflicting reports out of San Jose. Some that say him and Wilson didn't get along. Others that said Marleau told Wilson he'd play for him again any day. I hope the latter are true.
- prock

Why do you think Habs fans always wanted him? (other than for the fact that his name sounds french )

Why do you think Habs fans always wanted him? (other than for the fact that his name sounds french )
- Prax

Patrick Marleau...a good Quebeqois boy from....Aneroid, Saskatchewan?????

This seems like a pretty realistic alternative to Blowhards mind cramp deal. Clearly Chiarelli took him to school. When you add the two draft picks plus Rusk, you wonder if someone at MLSE is on the Bruin payroll.

If Boston offers up the two number one picks and gets Kovalchuck on a long term contract would we still be able to say that the Kessel deal was good. Kessel is a nice top six player but he is not in the class of the more talented stars in the league.
- spatso

Exactly.

Please, Boston is not getting Kovalchuk. They created the "Marc Savard" cap just like they did for Bourque for years. They don't have the $ to get him, and won't give him the money he wants anyways even if they did have cap room.

The Leafs have a better shot to get him than Boston.

This seems like a pretty realistic alternative to Blowhards mind cramp deal. Clearly Chiarelli took him to school. When you add the two draft picks plus Rusk, you wonder if someone at MLSE is on the Bruin payroll.

- spatso

So Boston easily won the Kessel deal? I have no idea how anyone could claim this. The 2010 draft after #6 is terrible, and 2011 is projected to be even worse.

If the Bruins don't get a top 5 this year, the Leafs are easily ahead on this deal.

Kessel is only 22, and a top 5 pick in a very strong draft 3 years ago, and is exactly what Boston is lacking right now. Savard is not looking the same as last year. He has no one to pass too. And Boston is looking for a scoring winger and their GF is way down.

I have no idea how anyone could claim this. The 2010 draft after #6 is terrible, and 2011 is projected to be even worse.
.
- RogerRoeper

People say this crap every year. The truth is, you have no idea whether this year will turn out to be a great draft or not, let alone next year.

So Boston easily won the Kessel deal? I have no idea how anyone could claim this. The 2010 draft after #6 is terrible, and 2011 is projected to be even worse.

If the Bruins don't get a top 5 this year, the Leafs are easily ahead on this deal.

Kessel is only 22, and a top 5 pick in a very strong draft 3 years ago, and is exactly what Boston is lacking right now. Savard is not looking the same as last year. He has no one to pass too. And Boston is looking for a scoring winger and their GF is way down.
- RogerRoeper

Let's not forget losing Kessel was also effectively a salary dump. That plays into the factors of who won and who lost a little bit.

Let's not forget losing Kessel was also effectively a salary dump. That plays into the factors of who won and who lost a little bit.
- bureforearthsprez

Salary dumps only work if they save cap space. Considering they were already at the cap before he even signed, there was no salary to dump...