News Article: Siegel: Kessel Shoulders Burden Of Blame For Leafs Collapse

[hotpaws]

This is the question they have a hard time answering .

It's funny because no one is saying to dump him for nothing and most are saying you either build the team quickly to take advantage of his prime or trade him if you think it'll take longer so you don't waste his prime years .

I have no idea why some posters are having such a hard time understanding this position .

Build the team how? There are just as many teams who have won without having high picks as there are teams that have won with high picks. Why do we need to have high picks to win?

You're asking me where to get help for Kessel from but you're not answering what you want for Kessel.

I'd trade him for a clear cut #1 centre but we're not getting that. Look at teams who have had top-5 picks that haven't had team success. Those teams drafted #1 centres and nothing has happened.

The draft is a crap shoot most of the time and there are more high draft failures than winners.

So either we can trade for a set of worse players and hope it works out, which rarely happens. Or we can trade him for a high draft pick (probably getting somewhere in the 5-10 area), and most likely get nothing in return.

What does you response have to do with my post ?

This discussion reminds me of the thread about his contract . Some of us said to sign him by the t/d at the latest or deal him so we don't lose him for nothing . Others responded by saying we'd be fools to trade a 26 year ppg winger while completely ignoring he could walk for nothing if he choose not to re sign .

 

[Mess]

Its true.

What is true is Leafs top line is on the ice and gets scored on more than almost every other line in the NHL. When you focus on wanting to improve defensively this would be a good place to start with the teams weakest links.

Reshuffling the bottom 6 forwards and limiting their ice time would not solve the problem of your #1 line bleeding goals against at an alarming pace. I suppose better bottom 6 players could be used more and Kessel TOI/g at ES reduced and he made into more of a PP specialist. That is a possible alternative to trading him.

 

[Tyler Biggs*]

Kessel was not the problem, he was a -5 with 80 points. I agree Kessel does not play the body (he never will) but in the playoffs vs. the Bruins he had 6 points and a +3. He is a improving as a back checker and has broken up a lot of plays with his speed.

 

[Byron Bitz]

He's definitely more of a leader than Captain Caveman.

do we really need comments like this?

 

[The Great Gazoo]

What does you response have to do with my post ?

This discussion reminds me of the thread about his contract . Some of us said to sign him by the t/d at the latest or deal him so we don't lose him for nothing . Others responded by saying we'd be fools to trade a 26 year ppg winger while completely ignoring he could walk for nothing if he choose not to re sign .

Moot.

 

[hullsy47]

He's definitely more of a leader than Captain Caveman.

captain caveman as u call him is how u expect a professional athlete to be like ......say want u want about phaneuf ,,,,but id take my chances of him recovering from an injury over kessel at this point
until kessel shows up at camp ,scores near the top or the top of a fitness chart ,he l never carry anything but his laptop .let alone a team
i get on kessel,but as the leafs get better and he is supposedly a key cog ,he has responability to be an off ice leader too
right now all reports suggest hes not an off ice hard worker,

 

[080]

captain caveman as u call him is how u expect a professional athlete to be like ......say want u want about phaneuf ,,,,but id take my chances of him recovering from an injury over kessel at this point
until kessel shows up at camp ,scores near the top or the top of a fitness chart ,he l never carry anything but his laptop .let alone a team
i get on kessel,but as the leafs get better and he is supposedly a key cog ,he has responability to be an off ice leader too
right now all reports suggest hes not an off ice hard worker,

I maintain that this is one of the problems with the team: it's best player is lazy and non-committal defensively. He's a great goal-scorer and point producer; and JVR and Bozak's stats are both inflated because of him but whatever line he plays on gets slaughtered in it's own end.

Kessel put up 80 points but was still a minus player. Yes the team as a whole wasn't great defensively but we did have very good goaltending for much of the season. Which points the finger at the players in front of Bernier/Reimer. I'd much rather have a collection of 50-point players who are all +15 or so at the end of the season than Kessel with 80 points and -5.

 

[Mess]

Kessel put up 80 points but was still a minus player. Yes the team as a whole wasn't great defensively but we did have very good goaltending for much of the season. Which points the finger at the players in front of Bernier/Reimer. I'd much rather have a collection of 50-point players who are all +15 or so at the end of the season than Kessel with 80 points and -5.

Leafs team gave up 256 goals against and Even Strength alone (excluding SH goals against of which Leafs had 12) Kessel was on the ice for 82 goals against (2nd highest mark).

82 / 256 = 32%

Kessel was on the ice for 32% of Leafs goals against = ~1/3 of the team goals surrendered.

So its easy to see why Kessel should burden the blame as he has the biggest impact on the goals against .. His partner JVR was also on for 82 last year. Leafs top line gets eaten alive and bleeds goals against in a league where strong defense wins.

So if your on the ice for 82 goals against and Kessel has 29 ES goals and JVR 21 = 50 goals for than their offense doesn't offset their liabilities to the team.

 

[TankNationTillDeath]

Leafs team gave up 256 goals against and Even Strength alone (excluding SH goals against of which Leafs had 12) Kessel was on the ice for 82 goals against (2nd highest mark).

82 / 256 = 32%

Kessel was on the ice for 32% of Leafs goals against = ~1/3 of the team goals surrendered.

So its easy to see why Kessel should burden the blame as he has the biggest impact on the goals against .. His partner JVR was also on for 82 last year. Leafs top line gets eaten alive and bleeds goals against in a league where strong defense wins.

So if your on the ice for 82 goals against and Kessel has 29 ES goals and JVR 21 = 50 goals for than their offense doesn't offset their liabilities to the team.

You sound like a broken record, with a truthful, realistic message that appears to not sink in to the 1/3 of fans who bought his jersey.

People mention Kessel's opportunity to be a leader... and yet, he had 3 maintenance days in the last half of the season, 2 during the collapses. JVR also had a maintenance day during the collapse.. And yet, nobody on the defensive core or 2-4th lines did... And, neither of them play forecheck, hit, get hit, or even try to win puck battles (albeit JVR does a much better job than Kessel in this regard in the offensive zone). They are on the ice for 32% of opposing team goals and they probably have a combined 5 hits all season... and somehow take maintenance days. Lazy, careless, soft leaders.. identity change? I know where to start.