Are you happy that Phil Kessel is gone?

[deletethis]

pretty much

many on this board will endlessly pimp every prospect/young player we have up until the second they're gone , at least now we have a few very high quality assets that should reward there faith

Admittedly I'm guilty of this too.

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

No, I'm not happy he's gone.

Although did I want him gone, and realize he needed to be traded? Yes.

exactly this. not happy he is gone but it needed to happen.

 

[ChickenMcNugget]

Pretty unhappy that we got a conditional first, retained and gave up a second to get 2 decent prospects for him.

 

[leafsfan5]

we treated him like crap and he didn't deserve that, but we had to start the rebuild and he had to go.

 

[Stephen]

Wish we hadn't agreed to the conditional first, but the key here is the Leafs seem to be free to build the program they want and have saved oodles of cap space on a declining player.

 

[TheRexman]

exactly this. not happy he is gone but it needed to happen.

Same but there's no option for that so I didn't vote.

 

[gamer1035]

I'm happy hes gone but I hate the trade. We got bent over.

Kapanen is a nice piece, but not worth Kessel alone. We got Harrington who is dime a dozen, he really shouldn't have much value. We got a conditional 1st while throwing in their 2nd back, pretty much the net value of an early 2nd. However, we gave up a retention slot and retained 1.25 million for 7 years. That is what hurts the most. I'd honestly let them keep the conditional pick upgrade and Harrington to take off the retention.

 

[Menzinger]

Wish we hadn't agreed to the conditional first, but the key here is the Leafs seem to be free to build the program they want and have saved oodles of cap space on a declining player.

Yeah, it wasn't a great trade in terms of value, even though Kapanen and the first are still nice pieces to have.

It was just symbolically the right hing to do as a signal that the team was rebuilding. The cap space was icing on the cake.

 

[Trapper]

I'm happy hes gone but I hate the trade. We got bent over.

Kapanen is a nice piece, but not worth Kessel alone. We got Harrington who is dime a dozen, he really shouldn't have much value. We got a conditional 1st while throwing in their 2nd back, pretty much the net value of an early 2nd. However, we gave up a retention slot and retained 1.25 million for 7 years. That is what hurts the most. I'd honestly let them keep the conditional pick upgrade and Harrington to take off the retention.

We were never going to get back what we traded but as for bent over, I guess it's how you look at it.
The next go around, is Pittsburgh getting more than what we got? Will he be easy to move a 3rd time?

 

[burpsalot]

Interesting & good way to break down the trade.

It seems to point out that a lot of emphasis has to be placed on how good Kapanen and the 1st overall will be. Would have to hope that Kapanen is a bonafide (above average) 1st line player.

Not automatic that both turn out great and it will be some time before we really know.

Pittsburgh fans are hoping Kessel turns into one as well.

I think we could have eaten some salary and shipped him to CBJ early this season for their 1st when Kekäläinen was desperate to stir things up.

Lets just completely ignore his NTC.

 

[finnbalor*]

Pittsburgh fans are hoping Kessel turns into one as well.




Lets just completely ignore his NTC.

Phil literally said 'I'll go where they ask me' let's ignore that and Babcock could have made his life miserable.

 

[Duffman955]

What is there to be happy about?

A 20-30 pick + 4th liner + #8Dman + mediocre wing prospect = top 10 scorer in the NHL + 2nd

 

[Trapper]

What is there to be happy about?

A 20-30 pick + 4th liner + #8Dman + mediocre wing prospect = top 10 scorer in the NHL + 2nd

It's to early to pass judgement.
You don't know what Kapanen will become.
We don't know who the 1st round pick will be.
We don't no what return we might get if we trade Spaling.
Same for Harrington.

Pittsburgh also doesn't know when/if/how Kessel declines or doesn't fit the Cap for much needed help in most other areas.
Plus say we do have a shot a Stamkos.
Could you pay him 10, Kessel 8, Phaneuf 7, new deals for Kadri/Rielly etc?

 

[Duffman955]

It's to early to pass judgement.
You don't know what Kapanen will become.
We don't know who the 1st round pick will be.
We don't no what return we might get if we trade Spaling.
Same for Harrington.

Pittsburgh also doesn't know when/if/how Kessel declines or doesn't fit the Cap for much needed help in most other areas.
Plus say we do have a shot a Stamkos.
Could you pay him 10, Kessel 8, Phaneuf 7, new deals for Kadri/Rielly etc?

Point is, we traded an elite scorer for a bunch of mediocre assets, 1 of which is already busting

 

[Trapper]

Point is, we traded an elite scorer for a bunch of mediocre assets, 1 of which is already busting

We traded an elite scorer with no other aspect to his game.
I'm not sure what's going on in Pittsburgh but from being a Leaf last year to a Pen this year, he hasn't been elite.
Perhaps if new coaching fixes the problem he returns to form, if not, Pittsburgh will have trouble moving him next time. This isn't Bozak anymore, if he can't pick it up with Crosby and Malkin they will be lucky to get whatever in a trade in 3/4 years.

 

[Semantics]

Phil literally said 'I'll go where they ask me' let's ignore that and Babcock could have made his life miserable.

Players say a lot of things when they're in front of a mic and under pressure not to say anything that could be controversial.

Just because he said that doesn't mean that he or his agent would be willing to waive the NTC.

Plus there's the whole other matter of getting CBJ to agree to a trade. I highly doubt they were willing to part with their 1st for Kessel. And they don't have the cap space to eat his full contract either, even without Saad, (thanks to Clarkson), so we'd still have had to retain.

 

[Duffman955]

We traded an elite scorer with no other aspect to his game.
I'm not sure what's going on in Pittsburgh but from being a Leaf last year to a Pen this year, he hasn't been elite.
Perhaps if new coaching fixes the problem he returns to form, if not, Pittsburgh will have trouble moving him next time. This isn't Bozak anymore, if he can't pick it up with Crosby and Malkin they will be lucky to get whatever in a trade in 3/4 years.

I know its tough to admit for you, but the trade sucked for the leafs.

You already know 2/4 assets are pretty much amounting to nothing (Spaling+Harrington)

Kapenen is 0.5ppg in the AHL on the highest scoring team.

Kapenen+late 1st for Kessel + 2nd

On top of that we retained Salary

Dubas dropped a giant dump on that trade.

 

[Semantics]

What is there to be happy about?

A 20-30 pick + 4th liner + #8Dman + mediocre wing prospect = top 10 scorer in the NHL + 2nd

You seem to be confused, did you mean "top 111 scorer"?

 

[Trapper]

I know its tough to admit for you, but the trade sucked for the leafs.

You already know 2/4 assets are pretty much amounting to nothing (Spaling+Harrington)

Kapenen is 0.5ppg in the AHL on the highest scoring team.

Kapenen+late 1st for Kessel + 2nd

On top of that we retained Salary

Dubas dropped a giant dump on that trade.

Will it make you feel better if I admit the trade sucked without everything playing out?
Ok it sucked. It sucked and I'm glad he's Pittsburgh's player now.
Not our problem. Good luck to the Pens. I'm still happier with what we got than having Kessel. So actually (as someone who wanted Kessel gone) the trade didn't suck for me. It sucked for you.

 

[Duffman955]

Will it make you feel better if I admit the trade sucked without everything playing out?
Ok it sucked. It sucked and I'm glad he's Pittsburgh's player now.
Not our problem. Good luck to the Pens. I'm still happier with what we got than having Kessel. So actually (as someone who wanted Kessel gone) the trade didn't suck for me. It sucked for you.

It sucked for a leaf fan.

premium asset for mediocre asset.

Ya the current management has you thinking thats good. You should start thinking for yourself.

 

[MJ65]

Happy - absolutely

 

[Rebuilt]

I still cant get over the fact the Leafs were able to unload him and most of his salary. Hes a good guy and good player but he really is an incomplete player and makes a huge salary.

Think about it this way. Hes on a lower goal pace this year with an overstacked Penguin team than he was in Toronto playing with nobodies.

Once he hits 30-31 he could very well be buyout material. Not because he cant pot 25-30 anymore but his contract will be a problem.

 

[Semantics]

Kapenen is 0.5ppg in the AHL on the highest scoring team.

I've thought he was pretty meh since the WJC last year, and didn't understand why Pens fans valued him so highly. That said, it's not exactly common for 19 year olds to put up big numbers in the AHL unless they were top picks. Next year with Nylander and probably a couple others up with the Leafs he'll be able to play more of a go-to role on the Marlies and put up bigger numbers. He's easily got a future as a 3rd liner in the NHL, and may even be a decent second liner if things go well.

You're also ignoring that Kessel is already overpaid, on the decline, and has 7 years left on his contract. A player like that is worth nowhere near as much as you think he is. There are UFAs on the market almost every year who are younger and better than Kessel. For example, Stamkos.

 

[Semantics]

It sucked for a leaf fan.

premium asset for mediocre asset.

Ya the current management has you thinking thats good. You should start thinking for yourself.

If he was a premium asset, why did no other team offer more?

 

[Semantics]

Once he hits 30-31 he could very well be buyout material. Not because he cant pot 25-30 anymore but his contract will be a problem.

Absolutely, I'd be shocked if he isn't bought out before the end of that contract.