Kessel to get 8yr/$64M deal

[Scotto74]

When you shell out 8M a year for a guy you expect him to play all parts of the game, IMO anyway.

There's not many wingers I'd pay that kind of money for in the first place though.

or at the least you expect them to TRY and play all parts of the game when they are the higest paid on your team by far.

 

[LyricalLyricist]

Toews
Lemieux
Yzerman
Getzlaf
Lecavelier/ Richards


Bozak
Kadri
Bolland

...Big difference there. Name a Cup winner in the past 20 years that wasn't somehow anchored by at least one Franchise center.

Anaheim. Andy Macdonald was #1C. Getzlaf was still young and unproven.

 

[Scotto74]

Anaheim. Andy Macdonald was #1C. Getzlaf was still young and unproven.

As I said before in this thread this might be the closet to not having a #1 center to win the cup but a ton of the cup had to do with the fact they had two #1 D on that team in Pronger and Niedermayer. the two of them make up for the lack of a true proven #1 center.

Having two guys on D of that level is very very very rare.

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

Anaheim. Andy Macdonald was #1C. Getzlaf was still young and unproven.

Wasn't he a Left winger? Nvm, guess he was a C when he was with the Ducks. Never knew that.

 

[LouJersey]

Wonder how he will do vs us now that he's not afraid of playing vs Chara anymore...Will be interesting to watch.

 

[Scotto74]

Wonder how he will do vs us now that he's not afraid of playing vs Chara anymore...Will be interesting to watch.

Chara can change that pretty fast if he wants to.

 

[Oates2Neely]

You don't pay a winger 8 M to play defensive hockey anyway.

No, you pay a winger $8m to score goals at a pace that Gaborik or Nash did at Kessels' age. Kessel is a great shooter with speed, but he's a glorified 30 goal scorer. If he weren't playing in Toronto & say the St.Louis Blues, scoring his 30 to 35 goals every season, would most fans even notice? We fans are force fed Kessel because he plays in the hockey mecca in Ontario. Imo, he's a one dimensional 30 goal scorer. What else does he bring to the table?? He withers under pressure & physicality.. He's going to be making almost double what Loui Ericksson is making, more than Bergeron, more than Chara!

 

[Bruinswillwin77]

Chara can change that pretty fast if he wants to.

HA, my first thought when I read that as well.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

or at the least you expect them to TRY and play all parts of the game when they are the higest paid on your team by far.

I watched the game last night and despite being on the ice for 2 goals early on, he looked like he was trying to do the little things in the 3rd. In the final minute and a half he made two good defensive plays, one of which would have been a surefire scoring chance by Briere if Phil hadn't stripped him of the puck. I do think he's trying, believe it or not. Will it last? I dunno

 

[Scotto74]

I watched the game last night and despite being on the ice for 2 goals early on, he looked like he was trying to do the little things in the 3rd. In the final minute and a half he made two good defensive plays, one of which would have been a surefire scoring chance by Briere if Phil hadn't stripped him of the puck. I do think he's trying, believe it or not. Will it last? I dunno

I didn't see the game so I take your word for it. I was just going on his history of effort in the D-zone.

If he would only try playing D even if he sucks at it at least try to do it for 60 mins a game then I can see the argument to pay him that kind of money for that long of time.

But for a guy that never got 40 and has been a minus player every year in the NHL except one. I just can't get on board saying he is worth that contract.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

No, you pay a winger $8m to score goals at a pace that Gaborik or Nash did at Kessels' age. Kessel is a great shooter with speed, but he's a glorified 30 goal scorer. If he weren't playing in Toronto & say the St.Louis Blues, scoring his 30 to 35 goals every season, would most fans even notice? We fans are force fed Kessel because he plays in the hockey mecca in Ontario. Imo, he's a one dimensional 30 goal scorer. What else does he bring to the table?? He withers under pressure & physicality.. He's going to be making almost double what Loui Ericksson is making, more than Bergeron, more than Chara!

How you can say this after watching us play 7 playoff games against him is beyond me. As for the goal scoring, you know Rick Nash only ever scored 40 goals once, right?

 

[Oates2Neely]

Goal Totals in Toronto:
30
32
37

Again, very good goal scorer, but not the best. He is now the games highest paid winger. I'd expect a minimum of 40 goals at that price, considering he does nothing else on the ice. At $6m, he'd be a great asset to have, especially on a line with a franchise $8m centerman. Toronto is at the cap limit, & their top 2 paid guys are Kessel & Phaneuf? Sorry, not a ton of optimism there if I were a Leaf fan.

 

[LouJersey]

Chara can change that pretty fast if he wants to.

Big Z will need to kick it up a notch...hit him more...rough him up after the whistle more...

 

[Scotto74]

Big Z will need to kick it up a notch...hit him more...rough him up after the whistle more...

oh he can just keep saying

sickem marshy sickem and watch the fun.

 

[Neely2005]

People on this board don't want to admit the guy is good. Silly really. He got a contract that was about right for a player with his skill set. Debase the guy all you want, it doesn't change the fact that he's been one of the most consistent goal scorers in the league since he's come into it.

Not really. In the past few seasons, yes.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Not really. In the past few seasons, yes.

omg, nitpick much? yeah he put up 11 and 19 when he was 18/19 years old. "In the past few seasons" = the last FIVE seasons. 30 goals 4 years in a row and easily on pace for over 30 again in the shortened season. Will almost certainly hit 30+ again this year and for the forseeable future. so yes...really.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Goal Totals in Toronto:
30
32
37

Again, very good goal scorer, but not the best. He is now the games highest paid winger. I'd expect a minimum of 40 goals at that price, considering he does nothing else on the ice. At $6m, he'd be a great asset to have, especially on a line with a franchise $8m centerman. Toronto is at the cap limit, & their top 2 paid guys are Kessel & Phaneuf? Sorry, not a ton of optimism there if I were a Leaf fan.

Not trying to argue anything other than him not being the highest paid winger. Ovechkin and Perry have him beat by a pretty good margin.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

Kessel is a really good goal scorer who did not and does not fit in the Bruins system.

End of story.

 

[RussellmaniaKW]

Goal Totals in Toronto:
30
32
37

Again, very good goal scorer, but not the best. He is now the games highest paid winger. I'd expect a minimum of 40 goals at that price, considering he does nothing else on the ice. At $6m, he'd be a great asset to have, especially on a line with a franchise $8m centerman. Toronto is at the cap limit, & their top 2 paid guys are Kessel & Phaneuf? Sorry, not a ton of optimism there if I were a Leaf fan.

lol what? first of all, right NOW he still makes 5.4. This contract doesn't kick in until next season. Second of all Ovechkin and Perry already make more than him and his new contract is only slightly higher than some of the other top wingers. Adjusted for cap inflation it's not that bad. I agree with others that I wouldn't want to see the Bruins give him that kind of money, but what choice did the Leafs have? It is fair market value, like it or not.

As for doing nothing else on the ice, he's a point per game player which is extremely hard to come by these days. He makes his teammates better (just ask Bozak and Lupul) and is an underrated playmaker. Yes his defensive game is pretty weak, but there is more to his offensive game than just scoring goals. This isn't the Kessel who had 36 goals and 20-something assists in Boston.

 

[Scotto74]

Kessel is a really good goal scorer who did not and does not fit in the Bruins system.

End of story.

the only year in his career he was a plus player was the year he had 36 goals and +23 with the Bruins.

With the leafs

30g and -8
32g and -20
37g and -10
20g and -3


I would say if he would have put in the effort the Bruins system is exactly what he needed to make him a great player not just a really good goal scorer.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

the only year in his career he was a plus player was the year he had 36 goals and +23 with the Bruins.

With the leafs

30g and -8
32g and -20
37g and -10
20g and -3


I would say if he would have put in the effort the Bruins system is exactly what he needed to make him a great player not just a really good goal scorer.

Again, which is why he does not fit in the Bruins system.

 

[Scotto74]

Again, which is why he does not fit in the Bruins system.

fair enough but he has been in the dog house in Toronto before as well when he went on a long scoring slump because he was not putting in the effort on the D side of the game.

I think effort needs to be part of any teams system.

and even without the effort there on the Bruins he was still a plus 23.

 

[GloryDaze4877]

omg, nitpick much? yeah he put up 11 and 19 when he was 18/19 years old. "In the past few seasons" = the last FIVE seasons. 30 goals 4 years in a row and easily on pace for over 30 again in the shortened season. Will almost certainly hit 30+ again this year and for the forseeable future. so yes...really.

It's not real difficult to understand.

The majority of the posters agree that Kessel is a very good player ($6 mil), just not a great player, and not a guy you would build a team around. I put him in the same category as a guy like James Neal. Real good scorer, but one dimenional, and not the type of player I give 8 mil per to. That is reserved for players that are multi-faceted. Guys that can score, lead, be physical, work on the PK as well as PP. In other words, players like Iginla, Dats, in their primes, guys like Crosby, Stamkos, Giroux, Malkin, Eric Staal now, or a guy like Bergeron, if he was testing FA.

In other words, elite players who can do more than just score.

 

[Donnie Shulzhoffer]

fair enough but he has been in the dog house in Toronto before as well when he went on a long scoring slump because he was not putting in the effort on the D side of the game.

I think effort needs to be part of any teams system.

and even without the effort there on the Bruins he was still a plus 23.

Toronto concentrates on defense?

 

[Scotto74]

Toronto concentrates on defense?

I know really I thought it was a joke at first but it really did happen.