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Phil Kessel

drummond said:
It is not funny anymore to keep counting the number of posts and crossbars he has hit so far this season. I have been watching hockey for more than 2 decades and I can not recall a single player hitting a post so often. If he had converted half of those he would have scored 10 goals already. Anyway, I am pleased to see his much improved (or perhaps just more visible) playmaking. He is a keeper.
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We could see Kessel improving his playmaking at the beginning of last season though if not as soon as Lupul was acquired the season before that.  But should we be surprised.  Kessel is a young player who because he scored 19 goals as a 20 year old and over 30 goals per season ever since we tend to forget he was so young.  In Toronto, because he looks so skilled we don't give him the benefit of the doubt that he is a young player developing.  His assists totals have gone up every year to go along with the fact he is getting better players to play with.  He defensive game and back checking is vastly improving like it should as young players grow older.

Kessel is haunted by that trade to this very day, despite the fact that he may be just entering his prime now and has not disappointed.  He is poised to be right where he should be when Toronto is ready to truly compete for the Cup.  Never a game goes by that I would say Kessel is invisible.  He plays hard, hates to lose and to be honest with the D that Toronto has currently on the big club and Gardiner  and Rielly ready in the wings, a deal of Kessel for Sequin and Hamilton is one that doesn't look like a complete disaster and may be more even then we are lead to believe.
 
Agreed. This kid has A LOT of class the way he's hung in there. Ask yourself, if the Leafs were ever in a game 7 of a Stanley Cup final and you needed a goal to win, who would you sooner have on the ice Kessel or Seguin? I'd take Kessel any day. And, whenever he gets on the ice, are not Leaf fans in general just waiting for him to get the puck and see what he does? Doesn't anticipation just rise when he starts motoring down the ice or circling with it to try to get in front. He is flat out fun to watch. Yes, there are some frustrations with it, because you kind of expect him to score. I hope they sign him to a long term deal in the off-season. And, I like to at least see him tried at center. It is shows that Kessel makes players around him better, .i.e. Lupul and now JVR. No doubt they have benefitted from playing with him, and probably he them.
 
slapshot said:
Agreed. This kid has A LOT of class the way he's hung in there. Ask yourself, if the Leafs were ever in a game 7 of a Stanley Cup final and you needed a goal to win, who would you sooner have on the ice Kessel or Seguin? I'd take Kessel any day. And, whenever he gets on the ice, are not Leaf fans in general just waiting for him to get the puck and see what he does? Doesn't anticipation just rise when he starts motoring down the ice or circling with it to try to get in front. He is flat out fun to watch. Yes, there are some frustrations with it, because you kind of expect him to score. I hope they sign him to a long term deal in the off-season. And, I like to at least see him tried at center. It is shows that Kessel makes players around him better, .i.e. Lupul and now JVR. No doubt they have benefitted from playing with him, and probably he them.
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Awsome post..... Its so nice to see someone tell it like it really is. it gets Tiring always hearing about what we traded to get him . This post is from a real leaf fan, one who knows how to find the best of things. again nice post.
 
slapshot said:
Agreed. This kid has A LOT of class the way he's hung in there. Ask yourself, if the Leafs were ever in a game 7 of a Stanley Cup final and you needed a goal to win, who would you sooner have on the ice Kessel or Seguin? I'd take Kessel any day. And, whenever he gets on the ice, are not Leaf fans in general just waiting for him to get the puck and see what he does? Doesn't anticipation just rise when he starts motoring down the ice or circling with it to try to get in front. He is flat out fun to watch. Yes, there are some frustrations with it, because you kind of expect him to score. I hope they sign him to a long term deal in the off-season. And, I like to at least see him tried at center. It is shows that Kessel makes players around him better, .i.e. Lupul and now JVR. No doubt they have benefitted from playing with him, and probably he them.
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If the Leafs were ever in game 7 of a Stanley Cup final I'd probably need to be heavily sedated to watch it calmly.
 
Zee said:
If the Leafs were ever in game 7 of a Stanley Cup final I'd probably need to be heavily sedated to watch it calmly.
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Can you imagine that? I'd be losing it. I'd be praying the Leafs get 4 fluke goals in the first and could coast to the win.

A game 7 overtime loss would be unbearable.
 
dappleganger said:
Zee said:
If the Leafs were ever in game 7 of a Stanley Cup final I'd probably need to be heavily sedated to watch it calmly.
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Can you imagine that? I'd be losing it. I'd be praying the Leafs get 4 fluke goals in the first and could coast to the win.

A game 7 overtime loss would be unbearable.
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And if some ref call a bad penalty on us late in the game while we were winning to cause a tie. then you would need a cage. I know I would.
 
dappleganger said:
A game 7 overtime loss would be unbearable.
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There would be no overtime loss -- scientific theory dictates that if Kessel hits the post, the law of averages says he'll score on his next try! ;D

No worries.  I firmly believe WE WILL WIN!!  :D ;D :)
 
The absurd lengths Kessel is willing to go to avoid any physical contact with opposing players are borderline hilarious.  You get the sense that he'd be completely invisible in a playoff series against a tough team like Boston.
 
I noticed this too last night even more than usual.

Potvin made a good point about him being smart about not getting absolutely leveled when he see's someone has him dead in their sights, but more than usual I'm seeing him completely turn away from any physicality, not finishing any checks, even the token variety he sometimes does.

I had the same sense last night that he would disappear in a tough playoff.

That guy has an elite skillset, if he could be even 10% more physical I think he'd be even more effective.
 
Phil is an awesome player, but is he right for the Maple Leafs? I don't think so. I don't think that he's about what the Maple Leafs are about for me. To me he is too self-centred and whines too much, I think that the leafs needs a different type of player. What I associate with the Maple Leafs is what is listed in the locker room, I also associate the Maple Leafs with all the games I've watched and listened to in the past, where we've had tons of injuries in the playoffs. Having 3rd-liners to farm players working so hard for every little thing. I don't think that Phil is that type of a player. I'd rather have someone with a lot more intensity and better leadership skills.
 
WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
I noticed this too last night even more than usual.

Potvin made a good point about him being smart about not getting absolutely leveled when he see's someone has him dead in their sights, but more than usual I'm seeing him completely turn away from any physicality, not finishing any checks, even the token variety he sometimes does.

I had the same sense last night that he would disappear in a tough playoff.

That guy has an elite skillset, if he could be even 10% more physical I think he'd be even more effective.
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Yeah, I should say it's not an all or nothing scenario, I'm just talking about a few specific instances with that.  I'm sure he could be more physical.
 
Bullfrog said:
He whines too much?

He's known for pretty much not saying anything.
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You haven't heard any whining related to the time when he didn't score? You haven't ever heard him whine at the media? I'm not sure if it is his real facebook, but I haven't heard anyone whine that much about not scoring.
 
The only thing I ever recall him saying that could be interpreted remotely negatively was when he said that he and Ron didn't talk, the media absolutely freaked out over that and turned it into more than it was, so much so that Kessel was forced to tell them how much he loved Toronto etc.

I don't think he has a negative attitude per se, it appears he's just lacking in intensity quite a bit of the time.
 
Stebro said:
Bullfrog said:
He whines too much?

He's known for pretty much not saying anything.
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You haven't heard any whining related to the time when he didn't score? You haven't ever heard him whine at the media? I'm not sure if it is his real facebook, but I haven't heard anyone whine that much about not scoring.
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Yeah, that's not his real facebook chief.

 
Potvin29 said:
Bullfrog said:
He whines too much?

He's known for pretty much not saying anything.
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Don't think I can remember a single instance of him whining.
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Or what about the time when media brought up the trade that brought Kessel here?
 
Potvin29 said:
Bullfrog said:
He whines too much?

He's known for pretty much not saying anything.
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Don't think I can remember a single instance of him whining.
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Yeah, not sure where he would get that reputation.  If anything the guy doesn't go to the refs enough to try and get calls when he gets clipped/grabbed.

I am somewhat concerned about how he will handle playoff hockey though.  His shot is a game-breaker, but if he gets swallowed up with the tighter checking/hooking style of playoff hockey, it won't mean all that much.
 
WhatIfGodWasALeaf said:
The only thing I ever recall him saying that could be interpreted remotely negatively was when he said that he and Ron didn't talk, the media absolutely freaked out over that and turned it into more than it was, so much so that Kessel was forced to tell them how much he loved Toronto etc.

I don't think he has a negative attitude per se, it appears he's just lacking in intensity quite a bit of the time.
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What I see a lot is a bad body language, when he didn't score I thought he looked like he had "the whole world is against me" attitude. I think that he's a great player, but I don't see him as a good leader, and I expect more from whoever will lead us offensively. And my view of him is that when things doesn't go his way, he can get rather mopey. So all in all I don't see him as a great team player, I think he lacks intensity, and I think he lacks the type of a leadership I would like to see from an offensive force representing the Maple Leafs. Doug Gilmour represented what I want. So to conclude, I wouldn't cry if he was traded and we got fair value. I don't hate the guy or anything, he's just not what I see in a player I wanna build a team around.
 
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