Media heat on Kessel from Toronto... Classless?

[Polaris922]

Interesting perspective...

http://thepensblog.com/2015-archives/on-burning-bridges-phil-kessel-jim-rutherford-and-torching-legacy.html

[JR Ewing]

Trashing a player to appease the home town fans is a time honoured tradition, but I wish it was a thing of the past. I'm half surprised Toronto sportswriters didn't trot out the tried and true "He was sleeping with X's wife!!!" that alwys ends up becoming legend in each market.

[J0e Th0rnton]

Trashing a player to appease the home town fans is a time honoured tradition, but I wish it was a thing of the past. I'm half surprised Toronto sportswriters didn't trot out the tried and true "He was sleeping with X's wife!!!" that alwys ends up becoming legend in each market.

They kinda used that up on Lupul/Phaneuf/Cuthbert

 

Multiple targets in Toronto. can't use that one on all of them.

[B21]

Interesting perspective...

http://thepensblog.com/2015-archives/on-burning-bridges-phil-kessel-jim-rutherford-and-torching-legacy.html

 

Great read. Kinda puts it all in perspective. Between the media, the internet fodder and all the misrepresented quotes you'd think the guy was satan reincarnated.  All because he likes hot dogs and cookies.  

[JR Ewing]

Great read. Kinda puts it all in perspective. Between the media, the internet fodder and all the misrepresented quotes you'd think the guy was satan reincarnated.  All because he likes hot dogs and cookies.  

 

I think that Kessel is a bit of a disgrace as far as being a professional athlete is concerned. The very least you should expect is that a player's level of physical fitness is beyond reproach. But, whatever. Kessel is one of the best point producers in the NHL, and that's something that isn't so common. The Maple Leafs, the media and the fans demonized Kessel because the team around him is poor. Trading your best player because the rest aren't very good is one of those old mistakes that teams in various sports have been making for over 100 years now.

 

The Pens have no balance, but I don't blame them wanting Kessel, particularly when they didn't have to give up much to get him.

[fishbulb]

I figure if you're an 8 million dollar athlete, you're going to take some heat when you under perform or your team stinks. 

 

I figure you're going to get crucified if you're an 8 million dollar athlete and a) under perform  b) appear grossly out of shape  c) pout  d) show no leadership on a young team  and e) live in a die hard hockey market.

 

Right or Wrong, Kessel did absolutely ZERO to take the heat off himself and in fact put himself under a much larger microscope as a result of his own actions.

 

Unfortunately (as a flyers fan), I can see Phil lighting it up with Crosby and competing for the Rocket Richard trophy.

But I can also see him becoming a huge distraction if your coach takes a hard line approach with him and Phil doesn't react well to it.  He's never shown an ounce of defensive awareness and if he's taken off the top-line or PP as a result of it, he's going to continue to be a problem.

[Samifan]

But I can also see him becoming a huge distraction if your coach takes a hard line approach with him and Phil doesn't react well to it. He's never shown an ounce of defensive awareness and if he's taken off the top-line or PP as a result of it, he's going to continue to be a problem.

When you say HUGE you mean both literally and figuratively.

[flyercanuck]

Great read. Kinda puts it all in perspective. Between the media, the internet fodder and all the misrepresented quotes you'd think the guy was satan reincarnated.  All because he likes hot dogs and cookies.  

 

-34 and $8 million a year may have factored in. When the Leafs didn't have the puck (which was most of the time) they basically played shorthanded with Phil out there. Ovechkin got shredded for basically doing the same thing the year before....only he still scored 51 goals and actually hit people.

 

Toronto is a huge hockey town. If Kessel would have put forth even a bit of effort he would have been a sports hero in a city grasping for one. He just couldn't be bothered and deserves most of the negative comments he's getting. He can play A LOT better than he did last year. 

 

Maybe the Toronto media does go overboard about the Leafs. Maybe? Of course they do. But it goes both ways, and when Kessel is actually trying he can do no wrong. Leaf players (not Pittsburgh media) know this better than anyone. Ask Darcy Tucker Tie Domi. Mats Sundin. Gary Roberts. Doug Gilmour. Wendel Clark. Guys who, you know, broke a sweat out there.

 

And that's some fine indepth reporting there...sticking up for Phil now that he's a Pen, yet admitting he hasn't seen him play other than against the Pens. in other words, he doesn't know what he's talking about. Bravo!

[radoran]

Don't you just hate silly, classless media attacks?

http://www.hockeyforums.net/index.php/topic/65187-adam-bittner-the-flyers’-moral-indignation-toward-penguins-is-pitiful/

[flyercanuck]

Don't you just hate silly, classless media attacks?

http://www.hockeyforums.net/index.php/topic/65187-adam-bittner-the-flyers’-moral-indignation-toward-penguins-is-pitiful/

 

Classless!

[Polaris922]

@radoran

@flyercanuck

Only thing classless there was Clarke

[WordsOfWisdom]

I think it was summed up perfectly with the comparison to Ovechkin:

 

Imagine having a winger that is known for scoring goals (Ovechkin, Kessel) but not known for good defensive play. Now imagine that one of them plays a physical game (Ovechkin) and the other doesn't (Kessel). Now imagine that one of them routinely scores 50+ goals (Ovechkin) and the other just scored HALF that much in Toronto (Kessel) and has never come close to 50 yet in his career (Kessel).

 

Now you can see why Toronto fans were fed up with Phil Kessel. We gave up Seguin and Hamilton to get this guy. Kessel is a goal scorer that wasn't even scoring goals last season, and he might not even be the best player on our lousy team. You could argue JVR was slightly better. (Owch.)

 

With the way Kessel played last season, he was VERY replaceable. Players that score 25 goals are quite easy to find and replace in the NHL.

 

The Leafs were hoping to get at least ONE elite player back when they traded TWO of them to Boston. Today, both Seguin and Hamilton are more valuable to their teams than Kessel.

[Polaris922]

I think it was summed up perfectly with the comparison to Ovechkin:

Imagine having a winger that is known for scoring goals (Ovechkin, Kessel) but not known for good defensive play. Now imagine that one of them plays a physical game (Ovechkin) and the other doesn't (Kessel). Now imagine that one of them routinely scores 50+ goals (Ovechkin) and the other just scored HALF that much in Toronto (Kessel) and has never come close to 50 yet in his career (Kessel).

Now you can see why Toronto fans were fed up with Phil Kessel. We gave up Seguin and Hamilton to get this guy. Kessel is a goal scorer that wasn't even scoring goals last season, and he might not even be the best player on our lousy team. You could argue JVR was slightly better. (Owch.)

With the way Kessel played last season, he was VERY replaceable. Players that score 25 goals are quite easy to find and replace in the NHL.

The Leafs were hoping to get at least ONE elite player back when they traded TWO of them to Boston. Today, both Seguin and Hamilton are more valuable to their teams than Kessel.

In fairness Ovenchicken has Backstrom who was chasing the scoring title for awhile now. Kessel had.... Tyler Bozack? Really??

I think the jury is out on this and we won't have a verdict till the midway point of the coming season.

[JR Ewing]

See, that's the problem with Phil Kessel. He wasn't as good as the guy who could retire as the greatest goal scorer ever.

[flyercanuck]

See, that's the problem with Phil Kessel. He wasn't as good as the guy who could retire as the greatest goal scorer ever.

 

 

Or the guy we didn't really want in Philly that we took 2nd overall.

 

I don't get people sticking up for the guy. He absolutely mailed it in....and made $8 miilion doing it. And turned his back on the fans. Who pay his $8 million. 

 

Will he be better on Pittsburgh? Of course he will, he'll be playing with Crosby.

[JR Ewing]

Or the guy we didn't really want in Philly that we took 2nd overall.

 

I don't get people sticking up for the guy. He absolutely mailed it in....and made $8 miilion doing it. And turned his back on the fans. Who pay his $8 million. 

 

Will he be better on Pittsburgh? Of course he will, he'll be playing with Crosby.

 

Oh, Phil Kessel made his own situation; there's no doubting that. As I said, I think he's a disgrace as a professional athlete goes: can't even be bothered to be in shape, and there's a stunning lack of drive in a lot of ways. He also created his own bad situation with the media... He is what he is, and there are tons of fair criticisms which can be made about him.

 

I just think it gets a bit silly when people want to score points off him by making unfair comparisons to a guy who is on pace to walk away as the game's greatest goal scorer ever.

[OccamsRazor]

 

USA USA USA

[WordsOfWisdom]

In fairness Ovenchicken has Backstrom who was chasing the scoring title for awhile now. Kessel had.... Tyler Bozack? Really??

I think the jury is out on this and we won't have a verdict till the midway point of the coming season.

 

While true, great players still find a way to make things happen.  Ovechkin scored over 60 goals with the Caps. Bure scored 60+ goals with the Panthers, alone.

 

Is it fair to hold Kessel to those same lofty standards? Well not unless he's the highest paid player on the team, one of the highest paid players in the NHL, and not unless he was acquired for two 1st first round draft picks that have both since eclipsed him in performance. Oh wait... 

 

When Toronto acquired Kessel, they were hoping his numbers would improve. Kessel was a young guy when the Leafs acquired him. They were hoping his best was yet to come. Instead, he maxed out as a ~35 goal guy. That's pretty good, but Leafs management were probably hoping for more than that.

 

LOL. Ovenchicken.

[Polaris922]

While true, great players still find a way to make things happen. Ovechkin scored over 60 goals with the Caps. Bure scored 60+ goals with the Panthers, alone.

Is it fair to hold Kessel to those same lofty standards? Well not unless he's the highest paid player on the team, one of the highest paid players in the NHL, and not unless he was acquired for two 1st first round draft picks that have both since eclipsed him in performance. Oh wait...

When Toronto acquired Kessel, they were hoping his numbers would improve. Kessel was a young guy when the Leafs acquired him. They were hoping his best was yet to come. Instead, he maxed out as a ~35 goal guy. That's pretty good, but Leafs management were probably hoping for more than that.

LOL. Ovenchicken.

He won't get the abuse here he took in Toronto. He's already working out with Roberts so there is hope. And this MAY be the perfect chance for him. I'm hoping he becomes one of those guys we say "he just needed a change" to bring out the best he's got. *fingers crossed*

[92WickedHockey]

How is it classless? these are players making millions of dollars and if they don't play the right way, if they don't back check, if they slump over on the bench looking disinterested, if they avoid the media then they deserve to be ridiculed. Kessel never displayed any drive, the sense with him was that he could score but only scored when he wanted to put the effort in.. and that wasn't every night, far from it.

 

Burke was stupid enough to not only give up two 1st rounders for him but he also believed that a team could be built around a one dimensional perimeter sniper such as Kessel. He isn't a leader and he isn't a guy you ask to carry your team in rough times, he is a complimentary player who is more fit at only having to worry about scoring and for that reason I think he will score 40+ next season. I'm glad he was moved though, the rebuild couldn't begin without him gone.

[Polaris922]

How is it classless? these are players making millions of dollars and if they don't play the right way, if they don't back check, if they slump over on the bench looking disinterested, if they avoid the media then they deserve to be ridiculed. Kessel never displayed any drive, the sense with him was that he could score but only scored when he wanted to put the effort in.. and that wasn't every night, far from it.

Burke was stupid enough to not only give up two 1st rounders for him but he also believed that a team could be built around a one dimensional perimeter sniper such as Kessel. He isn't a leader and he isn't a guy you ask to carry your team in rough times, he is a complimentary player who is more fit at only having to worry about scoring and for that reason I think he will score 40+ next season. I'm glad he was moved though, the rebuild couldn't begin without him gone.

Going after a player after you're rid of him is pretty classless. *shrugs*. I hated how the Pens painted Jagr just before they traded him to Washington for next to nothing, but at least once he was gone they laid off. What they'd done leading up to it was classless enough. It's eerily similar to the Kessel trade.

[Polaris922]

@WordsOfWisdom

I found this an interesting perspective...

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/attempting-to-make-sense-of-the-phil-kessel-trade/

Attempting to Make Sense of the Phil Kessel Trade

NHL

JULY 2, 2015

by SEAN MCINDOE

If the last few days of NHL transactions have reminded us of anything, it’s this: There’s a huge difference between the trade you choose to make and the one you need to make.

After a round of failed contract talks with Dougie Hamilton and a growing sense that he wanted out, the Boston Bruins felt like they needed to trade him. With a cap crunch and the threat, real or perceived, of an offer sheet looming, the Blackhawks felt like they needed to trade Brandon Saad. In both cases, the return was underwhelming and widely panned. That’s what happens when it’s a trade you need to make — you end up taking what you can get when you can get it, even if that means you’re selling at a discount.

On the surface, the Maple Leafs didn’t need to trade Phil Kessel. The 27-year-old sniper has seven years left on his contract, so he wasn’t hitting the open market anytime soon. At an $8 million cap hit, he certainly wasn’t cheap, but he also wasn’t especially overpaid based on his production. And he was easily the team’s best player, and among the very best in the league when it comes to what he does best; only Alexander Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, and Corey Perry have scored more goals over the last five years, and Kessel managed that while dragging Tyler Bozak around the ice as his center.

Now, the Leafs did need to trade someone — president Brendan Shanahan had said as much in April, acknowledging that “for whatever reason, the mix doesn’t work” — and after yet another disastrous season, nobody on the roster deserved to be untouchable. If the right offer came along, anyone was available. But if there was one guy among the team’s core that you’d be happy to keep, you’d think Kessel would be that guy. The Maple Leafs could certainly choose to trade him, but they didn’t need to.

Or did they? Yesterday, the Maple Leafs sent Kessel to the Penguins in a trade that would make sense only if it were one they thought they needed to make. The full deal has Toronto sending Kessel to Pittsburgh along with a second-round pick, Tyler Biggs, and Tim Erixon. In exchange, they get prospects Kasperi Kapanen and Scott Harrington, forward Nick Spaling, a first, and a third.

That’s a mouthful, but we can trim it down for evaluation purposes. Biggs and Erixon are minor pieces that were presumably included primarily to free up contract spots,1 and Spaling is a mildly useful player who’s mostly a salary dump. It’s not unfair to think of this trade as boiling down to Kessel for Kapanen, Harrington, and a first.

That’s not an awful return, but it’s not the sort of package that typically makes a team move its top player. Kapanen is a good prospect, a skilled winger who was the Penguins’ top pick in 2014 and still hasn’t turned 19. He projects as a top-six guy, maybe even a future first-liner if everything breaks just right. Harrington is a 22-year-old defenseman who could still top out as a solid second-pairing guy. Both have value; neither is a sure thing. As for the first-rounder, it’s actually a conditional pick that can’t fall into the lottery, and could revert down to a second-rounder if the Penguins miss the playoffs in each of the next two years.2

Then there’s the not-so-small matter of salary retention. The Leafs will eat $1.2 million of Kessel’s salary and cap hit for all seven years left on his deal. Shanahan has (correctly) refused to put a timeline on the Maple Leafs’ rebuild, but it’s safe to say that it’s not “eight years or more.” At some point when the plan calls for them to be contending for a championship, the Leafs will still be sitting with $1.2 million in dead cap space on the books from this deal. That hurts.

So if that’s the best Toronto could do for Kessel, why trade him at all? Why not focus on moving out other players and hold on to the guy you can pencil in for 30 goals and 80 points most years? And in fact, the Leafs had spent the last few weeks assuring everyone that they were perfectly prepared to do just that. If the market wasn’t there, why not wait it out?

Today, the answer seems clear: They were bluffing. They were always going to move Kessel this summer. They didn’t think they had a choice.

For years, there have been rumblings in Toronto that Kessel was … well, if not a bad guy, at least a bad fit. He was awkward and shy, and his consistently awful body language always made him look like a guy who wanted to be somewhere else. But despite that, at least as far as any of us knew, he had stayed out of trouble. There were occasional flareups with the media, and this being Toronto even the most mundane controversies were blown up into front-page news, but those are misdemeanors at worst, and they were countered by reports that his teammates loved him. Kessel always looked the part of a guy who would be a troublemaker, but if he ever actually was, we didn’t hear about it.3

And yet, looking back, it’s hard not to read the quotes that had been coming out of the Toronto brain trust and not assume they were aimed squarely at Kessel. Last September, CEO Tim Leiweke said, “There are players we have in our organization today whose numbers are off-the-chart good, and whose character is just terrible.” In April, Shanahan said that the Leafs needed “more character and (a team) that represents this city the way it deserves,” while taking aim at unnamed “people that don’t appear to enjoy playing here.”

Last weekend at the entry draft, Mike Babcock was even more blunt when talking to reporters. “The number-one characteristic of a Toronto Maple Leaf is a good human being. Period,” Babcock said. “So if you don’t fit that, you’re not going to be here. Anything that’s been going on is going to get cleaned up.” It’s hard not to see yesterday’s trade as the first step in that process. It’s the only way the deal makes sense.

From the Penguins’ perspective, Kessel represents a gamble. The Penguins were already one of the most top-heavy teams in the league in terms of cap allocation, with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Marc-Andre Fleury all carrying pricey long-term deals. Depth has been an issue in Pittsburgh for years and will continue to be. The blue line still isn’t good enough. Fleury is still a hard guy to trust. And at least as of today, they’re tight against the cap.

And all that said, the deal is still worth it, because now they finally have an elite winger to play with Crosby (or Malkin). At $8 million, Kessel’s deal was fair but expensive. At $6.8 million, he could represent one of the better values in the league. Pittsburgh was given a gift by the lottery balls heading into the Crosby draft in 2005, and their window to turn it into Stanley Cups is closing. The Penguins are a far, far better team today than they were when the week began. The future might be murky, but that’s a problem for another day.

The future is murky in Toronto, too, but with a rebuild in full swing, that’s a problem for right now. Shanahan and his lieutenants have been the subject of some sneers over their newfangled approach to running a team — the Leafs still don’t have a GM, and look like they may not bother hiring one — but they’ve spent the better part of the last year making one good decision after another.4 After years of being the sucker at the table who didn’t realize everyone else was laughing at him, the Leafs seemed like they’d finally smartened up. And that’s what made it so puzzling to see them push their single biggest trade chip into the middle, then come out on the losing end.

And then you heard Shanahan talk about the deal, and things got less puzzling. “This will certainly be a shock to a lot of players and a message to our group,” he told reporters. “[We’re] going to see what kind of people can either keep up or be left behind.” Other players will get the chance to be part of the mix and to prove that they still belong. With Kessel, apparently, the Leafs didn’t need to see any more. For one reason or another, they felt like they already knew.

They didn’t get enough for him, because when it’s a trade you need to make instead of one you choose to make, you never get enough. But they got something, and now they need to take those future assets, add them to the growing pile they’ve accumulated over the last year, and figure out a way to turn the whole thing into a winning team.

That’s easier said than done, but Shanahan & Co. have to find a way to do it. Much like when it came to trading Phil Kessel, they’ve left themselves with no choice.

[WordsOfWisdom]

Interesting article. Sums things up quite nicely. The Leafs sold when Kessel's value was lowest, no doubt. I still believe that (behind closed doors) Kessel demanded a trade out of Toronto and forced their hand. And I still believe that there were many team chemistry issues involving him (which are just now starting to surface). See recent comments by Colby Armstrong:

 

http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/prime-time-sports/how-do-teammates-perceive-phil-kessel/

 

Audio on Kessel begins at 3:03.

 

Oh well. Another page turned.

[Polaris922]

Interesting article. Sums things up quite nicely. The Leafs sold when Kessel's value was lowest, no doubt. I still believe that (behind closed doors) Kessel demanded a trade out of Toronto and forced their hand. And I still believe that there were many team chemistry issues involving him (which are just now starting to surface). See recent comments by Colby Armstrong:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/590/prime-time-sports/how-do-teammates-perceive-phil-kessel/

Audio on Kessel begins at 3:03.

Oh well. Another page turned.

The bright side is your team can rebuild in earnest.

[92WickedHockey]

Going after a player after you're rid of him is pretty classless. *shrugs*. I hated how the Pens painted Jagr just before they traded him to Washington for next to nothing, but at least once he was gone they laid off. What they'd done leading up to it was classless enough. It's eerily similar to the Kessel trade.

I was never a fan of Kessel when he was here in the first place though and I was "going after" him when he was still a Maple Leaf. The point I am making is that Kessel was put in a role in Toronto where he was expected to be a leader and an example of accountability night in and night out but he failed miserably in that role. With the Penguins he won't have the burden of answering questions as much and he won't have the additional pressure of being a leader. Kessel will do much better in a smaller market like Pittsburgh.