Duke Silver
Truce?
No-one wants to run our leading scorer outa town - but I guess suggesting an all round game to go with his impressive scoring is unfair.
Maintaining his impressive scoring and becoming a Selke candidate is unfair to ask of him, yes, because he would be the best hockey player in the world.
What is Phil Kessel paid to do? Put up goals and points. What has he done? Put up goals and points.
Expecting him to be something he's not whilst continuing to be what he is (a top-10 point producer in the entire NHL) is only setting yourself up for disappointment and setting him up for failure.
Why don't we focus on players who don't make a overly positive impact in either zone?
Jesus, you would think that his point production for us would grant him a little leeway with fans, but no. His defensive game isn't even poor, in fact it has improved by leaps and bounds over the last 5 years.
Phil Kessel is not the problem. He's one of the few solutions.