Kessel to get 8yr/$64M deal

LSCII

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Mar 1, 2002
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Seems to me almost everybody in this thread so far has said he's a goodplayer.


So nobody has said anything negative about the guy on this site, ever? And fans didn't chant "thank you Kessel" to mock him for years at every game? I must have missed the benevolent well wishes he received on his way out of town and during his last 3 seasons in TO. I wasn't talking specifically about this thread, but more so the entire tenor of threads he's spawned over the years. Lots of hate for the guy still, lots of contempt too. :naughty:
 

RussellmaniaKW

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So nobody has said anything negative about the guy on this site, ever? And fans didn't chant "thank you Kessel" to mock him for years at every game? I must have missed the benevolent well wishes he received on his way out of town and during his last 3 seasons in TO. I wasn't talking specifically about this thread, but more so the entire tenor of threads he's spawned over the years. Lots of hate for the guy still, lots of contempt too. :naughty:

I dunno, casting the guy as the villain for "wanting out of town" (which is bogus but w/e) is different from saying he's a bad player. I think a lot of Bruin fans will begrudgingly admit that he's damn good, but they still can't stand him.

Personally I don't get the hate. He never demanded a trade, never said anything bad about the Bruins, and seems like a pretty humble guy. Hell he even stayed in Toronto when many assumed he'd go UFA to get every last penny he could. As I alluded to before, what really bothers me is the amount of people who call him fat and lazy from behind a keyboard that they probably sit at for most of the day. :shakehead
 

Bruinswillwin77

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So nobody has said anything negative about the guy on this site, ever? And fans didn't chant "thank you Kessel" to mock him for years at every game? I must have missed the benevolent well wishes he received on his way out of town and during his last 3 seasons in TO. I wasn't talking specifically about this thread, but more so the entire tenor of threads he's spawned over the years. Lots of hate for the guy still, lots of contempt too. :naughty:

I think people get offended easy enough these days to the point where they turn on a guy for not taking a home town discount.
 

RussellmaniaKW

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I think people get offended easy enough these days to the point where they turn on a guy for not taking a home town discount.

It's funny really...when kessel was traded and signed his deal in Toronto the big bone of contention was that he was just holding out because he was greedy and wanted more than he's worth...he has since proven everyone wrong. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who can honestly tell you that Phil has not lived up to his 5.4 million dollars per year. The "thank you Kessel" chants feel pretty lame now in hindsight too considering that Seguin is gone too.
 

JoeIsAStud

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Is there a weight clause?

Honestly as long as he stays motivated and in shape it s a pretty good deal for Toronto, not a hometown discount by any means, but he might have gotten more if he waited until summer.

But there is a blow up in their face potential if Kessel slacks off now that he has his big contract
 

Roll 4 Lines

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So nobody has said anything negative about the guy on this site, ever? And fans didn't chant "thank you Kessel" to mock him for years at every game? I must have missed the benevolent well wishes he received on his way out of town and during his last 3 seasons in TO. I wasn't talking specifically about this thread, but more so the entire tenor of threads he's spawned over the years. Lots of hate for the guy still, lots of contempt too. :naughty:

Thought you meant in this thread.

As for overall, I liked the trade of Kessel to Toronto at the time, and I still like it.

That doesn't mean I don't think he's good, because he clearly is good.

What it means to me is that trade made the Bruins a better team in the long run.

And, as I said earlier in this thread, his new deal seems like a lot, but in a few years, it might not.
 

DoubleAAAA

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Not a fan of spending that kind of $ on an incomplete player. Similar to a guy like Ovechkin, Semin, etc. I give that to Toews, I give it to Weber, etc, but a 1 dimensional winger ... meh, IMO not a way to build a contender, oh well, good for us :nod:
 

8thRoundPick

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Phil Kessel @ 8M or Patrice Bergeron @6.5M?

Different skill-sets, but still - I think our team inked a spectacular contract, and the Clarkson deal and now this Kessel deal make the Bergeron contract look like pure gold.
 

Bruinswillwin77

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Not a fan of spending that kind of $ on an incomplete player. Similar to a guy like Ovechkin, Semin, etc. I give that to Toews, I give it to Weber, etc, but a 1 dimensional winger ... meh, IMO not a way to build a contender, oh well, good for us :nod:

At least Ovi's a 100 pt scorer.
 

Scotto74

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not a fan of 8 year deals.

good for PK cashing in.

I wouldn't want that contract on the Bruins and wouldn't want my manger building a team around that type of player but again good for him.
 

SPLBRUIN

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Mar 21, 2010
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That's an overpayment by about 1.5 mil/year. Kessel is a one dimensional player, he scores goals and that's about it. He is average at best defensively, brings no physical element whatsoever and certainly dosen't appear to have leadership skills. There is a reason why TSN (survey done by GM's and coaches ) only ranked him the 43rd why Bergeron was ranked #16. Bergeron's contract compared to Kessel's looks like an absolute steal by Chia.
 

whatsbruin

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At 8 mill a year, I would want the player to bring more than just
stats, and thats pretty much all Phil brings.

I don't think he is Captain or Assistant Captain material.
He doesn't lead by example nor do his teammates seem to
look up to him.
Does he connect with the fans and community ? He didn't here, but
perhaps he does in Toronto.

He has the stats of an 8 mill per year player, but for me he is missing
the other stuff.
 

Paddington

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Mar 8, 2011
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At 8 mill a year, I would want the player to bring more than just
stats, and thats pretty much all Phil brings.

I don't think he is Captain or Assistant Captain material.
He doesn't lead by example nor do his teammates seem to
look up to him.
Does he connect with the fans and community ? He didn't here, but
perhaps he does in Toronto.

He has the stats of an 8 mill per year player, but for me he is missing
the other stuff.

But he swings a mean stick.:sarcasm:

I'm with some others here. $8M sounds pretty high today but it might be fine once (if) the cap goes up by a considerable amount. Personally, I wouldn't mind if the Bruins splashed around big bucks as long as it doesn't get them into cap trouble. Besides, as a fan, I want the best team possible. It's not my money that's going to these players.
 

RussellmaniaKW

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That's an overpayment by about 1.5 mil/year. Kessel is a one dimensional player, he scores goals and that's about it. He is average at best defensively, brings no physical element whatsoever and certainly dosen't appear to have leadership skills. There is a reason why TSN (survey done by GM's and coaches ) only ranked him the 43rd why Bergeron was ranked #16. Bergeron's contract compared to Kessel's looks like an absolute steal by Chia.

I strongly disagree with the bold. Not every leader has to be a vocal one like Thornton or Recchi. Watching the way that team rallied around him against us I fail to see how anyone can claim that he's not a leader over there. I agree about the other holes in his game, but he has offset some of those concerns by being one of the most reliable scorers in the game.
 

Oates2Neely

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IMO $8m goes to a 'franchise' type player. Kessel is a scoring winger, a very good one. But he lacks in every other area, he's a mediocre player away from the puck. He does not impact the game whatsoever when he's not scoring goals. He's yet to hit 40 goals. I'd say $6.5m would be fair for him. Heck of a sniper however.

As far as fans of Boston "dislike" for Kessel.. I just think we fans never warm up to soft perimeter players. Add to that the fact that Phil comes off as a very SMUG individual (his media personality sucks). The fact that he shies away from the dirty areas has nothing to do with his smaller stature (Marchand is tiny and he thrives in dirty areas), it's just Kessel prefers not to engage in those areas because he doesn't have that desire to do whatever it takes to win. And for that reason alone I wouldn't want him on the team I cheer for as the center piece of the offense at $8m per year. That's my opinion anyhow. Nothing personal against the kid.
 

DBL

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For what they gave to get him and the fact he's improved since the trade, they had to commit to him long term. Probably end up a good deal overall for them. They had to do it and would be stupid to try and low ball him even slightly.

This is one the reason why the Bruins gave up on him though, IMO. They knew he would demand this in the future and for the Bruins I don't think it would be a good deal. It's possibly they didn't think having Kessel being the highest paid player on the team for 8 years was worth it. For the Bruins. Not that Kessel is a bad player or not worth it individually.

Same for Seguin. He's going to get paid huge, and long term, just like Kessel.

Happy the Bruin's chose to move on, and that has nothing to do with the returns.
 

OldScool

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Nov 27, 2007
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Good for Phil and good for the Bruins. As long as Toronto keeps spending money foolishly the better for the Bruins. In my humble opinion Kessel is a goal scoring specialist and not a complete players as previous posters mentioned. He also doesnt seem to have the charisma or leadership qualities that teams sometimes overpay for. Phil is a great goal scorer but doesnt bring much else to the table and for $8M per I want a complete meal not a side dish.
 

member 96824

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For what its worth. If the cap goes to 70 mil next year when this extension starts, it is the % of cap that Savard was when we signed him.
 

BallroomBitz

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If his last name was smith and the bruins signed him as a ufa to that contract, I'd be livid.

Tell me the cap is going up all you want but it went down once, it can do it again. Bobby Holik contract days are coming again folks. Be prepared for another lockout.

They probably would have lost him if they didn't give him that contract, though. I can't believe he wants to stay.
 

member 96824

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So... What's the point though?

8 million isnt what it used to be...and Marc Savard was regarded as one dimensional when we signed him...don't think anyone had a problem with savard at 11% cap.

We look at the overall numbers and gasp, but 8 mil is what 5 used to be.
 

Bruinswillwin77

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8 million isnt what it used to be...and Marc Savard was regarded as one dimensional when we signed him...don't think anyone had a problem with savard at 11% cap.

Yeah he was also coming off a 97 point season and was a Center, more valuable then a wing as well.
 

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