Kessel should have won a Conn Smythe and No Seguin game 2 vs Tampa no cup.
I guess my point... and most of us that are not happy with this type of player... is never a question of their talent...
its like peter klima not playing for 19 hours and then getting a chance in the 14th ot period and scoring a goal.
talent will have its highlight moments. talent will impress and leave you thinking theres more there to be had
but losing follows these guys around. you say kessel put together a good playoff and could have won a con smyth... thats because he had 20-30 highlights... sure... ok...
but what did he do in Toronto? what will he do in Arizona? and why was Pittsburgh so happy to let him go? you want to focus on the 20 games where he gave a damn? do you forget when his coach in Toronto says he wont check enough to play center? how he tells the reporter the day Toronto gets eliminated from playoffs that hes going fishing? or how the assistant coach says he wants to run new drills in camp and kessel says no, im not running new drills
this guy is a HORRIBLE LEADER...
if you got a team with 4-5 real leaders you can carry him I guess... but hes damn expensive for being a 3rd liner. if you dont have a deep enough team to hide him, then you will be in trouble
jurys out... will he be better in Arizona?
I think joe thornton has redeamed himself somewhat as he got older. he sucked when we dealt him. but as his career wound down you could tell he wanted to play on a winner.
its always possible for guys to improve with age.
steve yzerman has poems and songs written about how he changed. some guys never seem to change. we can all probably agree on a few dozen superstar players we just wouldnt want on our team. guys can score 100 points and still suck.
its always ok to have a guy like that on your team provided that hes not your leadership. a lot of great teams hid and covered up for a player like this. having some high end talent on a 3rd line is usually a good thing.
but having your best player or second best player be a loser... is never good