They lost 12 of their last 14 last year while being comfortably in a playoff spot. Yeah bro there's a lot more evidence than you think.
Once again look how many assumptions you're running on. So we gotta assume that Kessel's offensive game hasn't evolved whatsoever since being 21, who his linemates would be if he wasn't playing with Lupul or JVR, and how he would sync with those imaginary linemates that aren't Lupul or JVR.
What we do know, however, is that he produced 214 points in 212 games with a 3rd line center and a 2nd line winger against team's top defenders night in and night out. How in any way can your assumption-based arguments trump these cold-hard facts in any fashion? There are simply way too many holes in your argument.
Your statement of Kessel being a 60-65 point player is still laughable. Again, who are we saddling Kessel with that he's a 60-65 point player? Textbook special pleading at its finest. You demand that we have to put him with worse linemates than a 2nd line winger and 3rd line center in order to make him a 60-65 point winger. Doesn't work like that buddy. Oh yeah, and EVERY LINE IN THE LEAGUE works like that too, good players make other good players better, this is such a shaky premise to base your argument on.
If you want, I can go to the main board and post a poll about what kind of player Kessel would be if he didn't play with Lupul or JVR, I mean that's most likely where we would get the most unbiased opinions.
I didn't mean the Leafs slide I mean Kessel's individual slide. He was pointless in 3 games, hardly in the middle of a huge slump.
And we know that without Lupul or JVR he has has produced like a 30 goal, 60 point player not a PPG player. Everything you keep trying to claim is undone by Kessel not being a PPG player UNTIL Lupul was traded here, and him falling back to a 60 point pace the next year when he got hurt.
We saddled Sundin with pretty mediocre players and he was still able to produce at a PPG rate. Tavares lost his best linemate and kept producing. Not every PPG player has great players they play with.
I don't really care what you do or what the general opinion of people who are probably ignorant of the facts that prove I'm right is.
It's a team sport. Kind of obvious your numbers go up based on the talent you have to work with assuming the system doesn't change greatly. But really, you are saying he needs one of two 60 point players to be a point a game himself which means he only needs 1 second (albeit good) liner to be a top 5 goal scorer.
Unless you are a top tier talent, again like Sundin, who produced a PPG playing Hoglund and Modin and Tucker and Mogilny.
This started when someone said that Lupul and JVR just feed of/get a boost from Kessel but didn't acknoweldge that the reverse is true as well. That without them (even with other 50-60 point players) Kessel isn't a PPG or 35+ goal producer.
I've always said Kessel is a good complementry talent. He is the guy you want playing with Crosby, he isn't Crosby. The problem the LEafs have the best they have is complementry players who are in co-dependent relationships with each other. Thats why the Leafs run so hot and cold. When 1 starts going everyoen else does and the team looks amazing, but when 1 starts lagging they all do and the team looks terrible. They need 2-3 guys like Sundin who are steady, consistent top tier players in their own right at the center of the thing to keep the engine going for 82 games.
And by saying Lupul and JVR feed off Kessel and NOT acknowledge that without them kessel isn't the 35+, PPG player he is with them it.....indicates that Kessel is one of those center piece players that can runt he engine, when he isn't. If we are going to bring that up as a criticism it should be against all 3, not just Lupul and JVR.
Holy ****
