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All aboard the Lane train! WooWoo
I'm not advocating we trade for Kessel because we don't need to be spending assets on more wingers, but was he not just as good in Toronto as he is in Pittsburgh? The stats are pretty damn similar, it's just in Pittsburgh he is able to not be the go to guy. He wasn't surrounded by elite players on Toronto (unless Lupul, Kadri, and JVR are elite) and still managed to be point-per-game for 3 seasons. Being on a team with Crosby and Malkin obviously doesn't hurt him for extra PP points, but I'd say he is 'so good' and can carry a line, eg HBK line.No, Kessel is not "so good". He only looks "so good" because he's surrounded by elite players like Crosby and Malkin. It's the same reason why Eller looks "so good" on the Caps with Ovechkin and Company or why Shaw looked good in Chicago when he was surrounded by guys such as Kane, Toews and Hossa. When Kessel was a Leaf he was just "Phat Phil Kessel" and fans hated him for underachieving. If Bergevin goes after him, that's the Kessel he's going to get, not the Pittsburgh version. Kessel is only as good as the players around him.
But I do agree that if MB goes after him he would just be a new whipping boy for Montreal because it still doesn't fill our biggest needs.