Looking back were these Tim Leiweke comments what lead to Phil Kessel being traded?

[Warden of the North]

Looking at the return we got for Phil, you've got to think management knows something we don't. It certainly wasn't his on ice performance that got him traded, and the return we got shows he was someone who needed to be moved.

Maybe he was behind salutegate and that pissed Shanny off. Maybe he didn't have good relations with his teammates. Maybe Shanny knew Stamkos will sign next year, and they needed to clear cap space. We'll never know for sure.

Star players rarely return their worth in a trade. This has been shown time and time again.

Add in a plummeting Canadian dollar and his long term contract and that adds to the complication.

 

[Pyrophorus]

One trade is going to ruin the plan? I fail to see how they screwed up.

Last Management team's plan I would think.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

So it happens to be a coincidence that after his comments there were other reports about Kessel at least not willing to listen to Steve Spott and etc.

Did I say that or was it you that invented that?

 

[yubbers]

He absolutely got traded because of his on ice performance. Phil needed a tour guide to show him his own end of the ice and his inconsistent efforts and general laziness started infecting the entire team.

Phil is incapable of leadership and Pittsburgh knows it. If Crosby wasn't there to push Kessel they wouldn't have made the trade.

Nobody ever expected him to. He came as advertised.

So what does that say about our captain?

 

[LeafsNation75]

Star players rarely return their worth in a trade. This has been shown time and time again.

Add in a plummeting Canadian dollar and his long term contract and that adds to the complication.

I thought that was only true if a star player asked to be traded like when Rick Nash went to the Rangers. When compared to Kessel I saw that Nash has a more of a salary cap hit, however on paper when comparing both trades Columbus still got more than Toronto did and that's with Nash publicly asking for a trade. As we know Kessel never asked to be traded.

 

[Menzinger]

The only biggish returns I can think of off hand was when Burke traded for Pronger.

More recent underwhelming returns would be Seguin.

 

[glucker]

Phil Kessel is a bad apple. I think even his biggest fans know this whether they admit it or not.

No surprise the Leafs had a one track mind during the off season. Dispose of Kessel no matter what, worry about everything else later.

Phil Kessel is a fantastically talented player, and likely the only reason the Leafs didn't pick 1/2 last season. I think even the biggest hater knows this, whether they'd admit it or not.

 

[LeafsNation75]

The only biggish returns I can think of off hand was when Burke traded for Pronger.

More recent underwhelming returns would be Seguin.

The Pronger trade to Anaheim only looks good because the conditional 1st round pick Edmonton got for the Ducks making to the Finals within 3 years, turned into Jordan Eberle.

 

[darrylsittler27]

And yet he never had a C.

He has come to camp 13lbs. under and ready to go. We never got him a C and he became the focal point for a horribly constructed team. He will score 40 goals and make this trade look terrible. Every Leaf regime must start with a stinker trade right off the hop. They panicked and got taken. Hopefully Stamkos signs here.

 

[hfdshdh]

I don't think it was so much those specific comments. This type of stuff has been following Phil around since before his NHL career even began.

I imagine some of it was sensationalized by the media, because that's just what they tend to do, but there was way too much smoke over way too long of a period of time for there not to be some kind of fire. Obviously Shanahan and Babcock et al felt the same way, and now he's playing for the Penguins. He may have a career year or two there, but I think in due time, if not within the next season, he'll develop a similar reputation in Pittsburgh as he had here and in Boston. As mediocre as Colby Armstrong's tenure in Toronto was, he did come out and state publicly that Phil's lack of effort towards anything other than scoring goals was frustrating to his teammates.

Most likely, I think he goes down in history as a Kovalev-like talent who ultimately just didn't give a flying **** about doing what it took to win, and while I wish him luck, I'll be genuinely surprised if he's what puts Pittsburgh over the top.