Did Phil Kessel say goodbye?

[yubbers]

Let's say it was Phil. A real captain would not have let that transpire.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

the saltiness is amusing.

we won't see a player with Kessel's level of talent play in Toronto for a long time. he was under-supported and over analyzed. he definitely got a raw deal.

 

[Stephen]

you got a link for that, or is that fans sporting the same crap again (got to blame it on players you don't like).

If the dysfunction wasn't true, why did management choose to weed out Phil Kessel?

Cathal Kelly's piece from January was the best.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/spor...key-to-a-maple-leafs-rebuild/article22324810/

 

[Stephen]

But Dion as the Captain bares no responsibility for salute gate?

Dion's neck is likely still on the chopping block.

 

[Hyperglide]

How long ago was the trade? Probably hasn't even sunk in yet. It's not like he was the most public-savy person anyway. Those looking for a heart-felt goodbye letter should look elsewhere.

Doesn't he have an agent or manager who helps him with PR? Most prolific athletes do. They should've told him that he should've given a farewell or taken a thank you ad out in the paper or something.

I honestly could care less. I was one of those fans that's happy he's gone. I used to be a fan of him but got sick of him after the Leafs got ousted by Boston in 2013. I realized what he was. When he's not scoring he's completely useless.

 

[Preisst*]

well said Stephen, nice to see that are still some wise people left here.

if the kessel fan boys are to bluddy stupid to understand what they saw the last 3 years , to blinded to smell the smoke that was wafting out in the last 1.5 and then to top it all off , our new management structure and what they are looking for and their first big move is to get fat fill out of town

and they still want to blame it on media and fans? bahahahaha, morons.

The inexperienced fan and the N.A.I.F. like sizzle and wouldn't know substance if they sat on it.

Kessel is a soft lazy floater and I'm still on a natural high we were able to find a team stupid enough for us to dispose him to.

Rejoice!!!! $95Mill Phil is gone, gone, gone........

 

[Leafidelity]

the saltiness is amusing.

we won't see a player with Kessel's level of talent play in Toronto for a long time. he was under-supported and over analyzed. he definitely got a raw deal.

Absolutely. They spit in his face and tell him he should be grateful. All he did was lead the team in scoring every single year he was here. We might not see a pure scorer like that again for decades.

They're still floating on clouds in the Pens forum and I don't blame them. He's finally on a team deep enough to appreciate what he'll bring.

 

[deletethis]

Personally I don't care but why not for the many fans who passionately supported and defended you against your critics? Then again, why the salutegate up yours to the entire ACC when it was only a small minority of the ACC booing the team or throwing sweaters?

 

[Rufio65*]

the saltiness is amusing.

we won't see a player with Kessel's level of talent play in Toronto for a long time. he was under-supported and over analyzed. he definitely got a raw deal.

Exactly. It is amusing when fans act like professional athletes owe them something.

 

[blueberrie]

your propaganda

Watch the video and come to your own conclusions. I think he had a large part in the shot back to the fans after being embarrassed by the Preds. He certainly looks animated in the video and goes to several players saying something, then heads directly off. Maybe you think he was an innocent bystander.

41GP 6G 18P -31 is a pretty big **** you to the Toronto Maple Leafs and it's fanbase.

But Dion as the Captain bares no responsibility for salute gate?

Yubbers why do you always have to bring Dion into the Kessel threads? Is there no way to defend Kessel but to try and deflect the blame onto Phaneuf?

Phaneuf is on his way out soon, but it's clear how management felt about Kessel by how quickly he was dumped, and the following remarks about "being good people" and "embracing being a Maple Leaf".

 

[Darcy Tucker]

"Kessel is a soft lazy floater"

I think the haters have brainwashed themselves with this notion and completely erased from their memories all the highlight reel goals he scored and set up for his undeserving linemates. All the times he was busting his ass up and down the wings at a high pace to get shots... was because he's a goal hungry floater.

You guys sound like completely bitter senile Leaf fans who still rock Clark jerseys mullets and denim jeans and only like players who are bad to the bone.

 

[Preisst*]

"Kessel is a soft lazy floater"

I think the haters have brainwashed themselves with this notion and completely erased from their memories all the highlight reel goals he scored and set up for his undeserving linemates. All the times he was busting his ass up and down the wings at a high pace to get shots... was because he's a goal hungry floater.

You guys sound like completely bitter senile Leaf fans who still rock Clark jerseys mullets and denim jeans and only like players who are bad to the bone.

Sometimes the truth hurts. The only time Kessel busted his butt was to get away from any contact. Unless you want to count the times he was viciously hacking someone with his stick.

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

 

[Menzinger]

If making roughly $91 million off of contracts issued by the Toronto Maple Leafs is a "raw deal," I would like to get a "raw deal" too.

Good riddance, and hopefully he comes back to collect his fanboys too.

More along he lines of being the only skilled player on a team of of losers for most of his time here, and then being criticized for not being able to do everything at once. Which is totally unreasonable.

Kessel is a good player who was misused by management. It's not his fault the leafs have had the worst management in the league until recently.

I think he needed to be trad d for the good of the leafs rebuild. But I don't in the slightest think he is a bad hockey player.

 

[The Kessel Run]

My goodness, the bickering.....

 

[lovecat]

i wasn't expecting a goodbye like the one from the end of Ghost or anything, just a few words on twitter would have sufficed. Oh well. thanks for the comments from the penguins media, at least that is something.

 

[Willchel Marlynder]

Why did they ship this hero to Pittsburgh then? Seems weird when they're looking for good professionals and guys who know how to "make it safe" for their teammates.

Come on Steph, I know you're not this delusional. Why would we keep an asset like Kessel that can garner a top prospect and a first when we're rebuilding? Don't let you profuse hate for Kessel cloud your judgement.

 

[Stephen]

Absolutely. They spit in his face and tell him he should be grateful. All he did was lead the team in scoring every single year he was here. We might not see a pure scorer like that again for decades.

They're still floating on clouds in the Pens forum and I don't blame them. He's finally on a team deep enough to appreciate what he'll bring.

The Leafs have spat $91 million in guaranteed money at Phil. What a victim.

 

[Stephen]

Come on Steph, I know you're not this delusional. Why would we keep an asset like Kessel that can garner a top prospect and a first when we're rebuilding? Don't let you profuse hate for Kessel cloud your judgement.

You might want to ask the question of why a team is in the process of rebuilding in the first place when the oldest core player is 31.

All the organization has said is they want to bring in good people who are professionals and who demonstrate a happiness to be a Toronto Maple Leaf. The only person of consequence they got rid of was Phil Kessel. Unless you think Cody Franson was the problem.

 

[Stephen]

More along he lines of being the only skilled player on a team of of losers for most of his time here, and then being criticized for not being able to do everything at once. Which is totally unreasonable.

Kessel is a good player who was misused by management. It's not his fault the leafs have had the worst management in the league until recently.

I think he needed to be trad d for the good of the leafs rebuild. But I don't in the slightest think he is a bad hockey player.

Phil managed to score only 2 more goals than Tyler Bozak, and 2 fewer than JVR, and led the team in scoring by 5 points, playing on a line that played the game EXACTLY the way Phil wanted to play, getting the coach fired and narrowly missing out on McDavid.

Funny way of demonstrating your superiority and being misused when you're allowed to do whatever the hell you please and barely being better than your inferior linemates.

Forget Phil, and more importantly, forget his fanboys.

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

Nope. And what did you expect from him? It's just more of the same.

 

[Rufio65*]

Come on Steph, I know you're not this delusional. Why would we keep an asset like Kessel that can garner a top prospect and a first when we're rebuilding? Don't let you profuse hate for Kessel cloud your judgement.

You have a very loose definition of "top prospect".

 

[Leafidelity]

The Leafs have spat $91 million in guaranteed money at Phil. What a victim.

I'm sorry, is Phil Kessel the only player in the NHL to be payed for his services?

Do people have amnesia of the seasons before last year?

 

[TootooTrain]

who cares

 

[BrannigansLaw]

When did you become delusional? Because someone finally stood up to the BS from the media and peanut gallery they are a rotten apple? I like the fact he never gave those standard "get the W and play 110%" answers. Kessel kept things real. Phil was a heck of a player and is a great person too. This post is trash. Slander.

Uh huh sure. You conveniently ignore the fact that Kessel has had a reputation dating all the way back to his college days. Everywhere he's gone, he's left behind a bad aftertaste despite his elite talent and it's obvious why to anyone who has watched him play for an extended period of time.

 

[Darcy Tucker]

Uh huh sure. You conveniently ignore the fact that Kessel has had a reputation dating all the way back to his college days. Everywhere he's gone, he's left behind a bad aftertaste despite his elite talent and it's obvious why to anyone who has watched him play for an extended period of time.

Everywhere he's gone? He scored at a high pace in Boston playing with Savard... came here and continued to score at a high pace. in a 4 year span he was in the top 5 for point production. I know that's due to some superstars being injured.,.. but let's fault Kessel for that too....

Why would any team or fan base want their most talented goal scorer mucking in the corners, making fruitless hits and being injured half the time for the sake of saying he's not a "floater".