Phil Kessel skates down the wing and Shoots...
- Thread starter Bravid Nonahan
- Start date
Oh i'm not ready to label him "elite" , but thats a relative term and to each their own.
Very good offensive player, is what i would label him, skill wise.
As for other parts of him and his game, ahhhh! gonna keep that to myself, i don't want to PO the PK lovers.
This thread is like a realists jamboree.
Bomber0104
Registered User
Well in a round about way, i'd sayyyy Boston?
Well to be fair...
Offensively, Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton have only TIED Phil Kessel in points so far in this season (Kessel has played an extra game though).
They have out-hit Kessel by a score of 7 to 0.
I really think he gets WAY to much hate for this. He could probably skate circles around you and every other fan who calls him fat and says he has no conditioning. You can see he is frustrated because he hasnt potted one yet, but its not for lack of trying. He cant do much, we should have had 2-3 more goals against the Islanders, just because his passing. He found Kostka 3 times in one powerplay but Kostka couldn`t handle it.
(I remember those plays, as i picked Kessel 5th overall in my Fantasy Pool.)
If those passes go to Kadri or Lupul, hell even Franson or Liles the puck is in. Kessel will get his 20-25 goals this season and still finish close to a PPG. Book It!
iceblue
Registered User
I don't know if this has been posted yet or not, but that was the 4th game in 6 nights, with no two games in the same city. And most of the Leafs have not played in 10 months (with a ridiculously short training camp). I expect their conditioning to improve as the short season progresses.
Also Carlyle mentioned that out of the Leafs 9 back to back games, the opponent for game two is sitting rested in Toronto waiting for the Leafs to come back for the game 7 times. Who makes these schedules?
I won't bemoan their lack of conditioning just yet. In a couple of games they have looked okay if not good. And if you watch the game on the opponent's feed - the announcers are always commenting on the Leaf's speed.
Also Carlyle mentioned that out of the Leafs 9 back to back games, the opponent for game two is sitting rested in Toronto waiting for the Leafs to come back for the game 7 times. Who makes these schedules?
I won't bemoan their lack of conditioning just yet. In a couple of games they have looked okay if not good. And if you watch the game on the opponent's feed - the announcers are always commenting on the Leaf's speed.
I love the way Phil has played thus far. Some of the best overall hockey of his career. He's going to explode soon and score a ton of goals. He's snake bitten right now.
The funny thing about Phil is, when I saw him right before game 1 of the season last week, I thought he looked fatter and more terrible than ever. Yet he was skating so fast and looked great on the ice.
Calories seem to make Phil better and faster.
The funny thing about Phil is, when I saw him right before game 1 of the season last week, I thought he looked fatter and more terrible than ever. Yet he was skating so fast and looked great on the ice.
Calories seem to make Phil better and faster.
kessel has looked great thus far. hasn't scored but the effort and chances are there... i'm excited when he gets the puck. so far, so good... he's still playing a total game.
I really don't the hate for this guy... but it seems like the leafs thing to do. I remember Mats constantly getting criticized by fans as being the wrong captain for the team, that we should trade him, that he doesn't play physical, or he floats on the ice and has no heart, etc. It seems like if you're not a "heart and soul" player on the team, you'll get criticized often in your tenure as a leaf. Phil Kessel isn't a heart and soul guy, he's a skilled player and very talented one at that. He along with Kadri have been our most consistent forwards. Phil has scored but he's been constantly generating scoring chances for himself and for his teammates. He's defensive play has also improved, but I think people expect too much, he'll never be the type of physical player or defensive player that everyone wants him to be. I think he'll continue improving defensively, which he has showed improvements on, but he'll never be the physical player people want him to be, it's not his style, and that's fine. You take the good with the bad, he's offensive play is prolific to the point that you can forgive his physical or defensive shortcomings as long as that person isn't a liability, and so far Phil hasn't been a liability in the defensive zone as he use to be.
Kessel is much the same player, it seems to me, most nights. Some nights effort may not be there, but generally speaking he is what he is. The only difference is often outcome: some nights the puck goes in, others it doesn't. But that's outcome/production as opposed to playing "better" or not...luck has a great deal to do with it.
Hey you guys know who Kessel reminds me of a lot so far this year?
Matthew Lombardi - lots of speed - skates down the wing - shoots into goalies chest - runs off the ice!
In all seriousness Phil just needs to get his hands a little dirty - if he would just drive the net and start fighting for some space in high traffic zones he'd be dynamite. If he can't do that or doesn't want to then we better get him a true POWER FORWARD to play along side and help create some open ice. Right now he's just getting doubled teamed - and forced to the outside on every opportunity.
It sucks that we traded what would have been 2 franchise players - for a guy that needs to have a great supporting cast around him to succeed. When evaluating PK its important not to be so fast forgetting what we gave up to acquire him. But lets try and focus on how we can get the most out of him while we have him.
Matthew Lombardi - lots of speed - skates down the wing - shoots into goalies chest - runs off the ice!
In all seriousness Phil just needs to get his hands a little dirty - if he would just drive the net and start fighting for some space in high traffic zones he'd be dynamite. If he can't do that or doesn't want to then we better get him a true POWER FORWARD to play along side and help create some open ice. Right now he's just getting doubled teamed - and forced to the outside on every opportunity.
It sucks that we traded what would have been 2 franchise players - for a guy that needs to have a great supporting cast around him to succeed. When evaluating PK its important not to be so fast forgetting what we gave up to acquire him. But lets try and focus on how we can get the most out of him while we have him.
Alexanderthe89
Registered User
- Apr 29, 2011
- 1,043
- 299
Kessel reminds me a lot of those scoring point guards. Bring a lot to the table but also take a lot off.
The problem I have with that is that Phil Kessel has nothing to do with what was given up in the trade, a trade should have no barring on how you evaluate a player(s), that's for the GM to be evaluated by. This trade was 3 years ago, move on, evalauate Phil Kessel on parameters that he can control.
In other words - when it doesn't help support your argument ...
But if you want talk about Dion and what we gave up to acquire him - or Lupul/Gardner its fair game when evalutating their respective worth to this team.
Those things reflect on the GM's worth, whether they've helped or hinder the team, not the players worth. You shouldn't evaluate a player based on parameters they can't control. Kessel never gave himself up for two 1st round picks that ended up being a 2nd and a 9th, that's Brian Burke.
haha that's laughable. I think PK's been succeeding pretty well without a supporting cast. I think there's a few holes in your theory
Great post bro! Judging a player off of 4 games is the new thing around here I guess.
Superstar
"Be water, my friend."
- Jun 25, 2008
- 12,457
- 8,537
Not this "franchise" word again. Seguin and Hamilton both have much to prove before they could be called "franchise". Malkin and Weber could be called franchise. Seguin? Hamilton? Not so much.
Name a player that is offensively as productive as Kessel with as ****** of a supporting cast as he has...simple answer really, there isn't any. Maybe John Tavares and look how his team performs every year.
Crosby, Malkin, Neal
the Sedins, Kesler
Ovechkin, Backstrom, Riberio
Kane, Tayes, Hossa, Sharp
Getzlaf, Perry, Ryan, Selane
Gaborik, Richards, Nash
Eberle, RNH, Hall, Yakupov
Datsyuk, Zetterberg
Thornton, Pavelski, Couture, Marleau
Stamkos, St Louis, Lecavalier
Spezza, Karlson, Alfredson, Michalak
I could keep going, but I think I've made my point. Noone gets it done without a good supporting cast. Not Crosby, not Stamkos, not Malkin...noone.
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Ummm probably because he doesn't have one of the premier passers in the league on his line...any other brain busters?
Edit: Sorry, meant to quote the poster above you.
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