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This is why I can't love the Bruins. They draft an elite talent. The develop him. He becomes a star. He scores 36 goals as a 21 year old. Then he wants market value for his abilities, so they dump him for draft picks. Pathetic.

At least they signed Derek Morris and Byron Bitz with the 5mil! And now they're way under the cap, so Jeremy Jacobs can turn a few million in profit at the expense of winning a cup. Awesome.

buconvict {l Wrote}:This is why I can't love the Bruins. They draft an elite talent. The develop him. He becomes a star. He scores 36 goals as a 21 year old. Then he wants market value for his abilities, so they dump him for draft picks. Pathetic.

At least they signed Derek Morris and Byron Bitz with the 5mil! And now they're way under the cap, so Jeremy Jacobs can turn a few million in profit at the expense of winning a cup. Awesome.

$5.2 million AAV is not market value for Kessel. It may turn out to be in the future but as of right now he's making more than Getzlaf, Hossa (though that's a little skewed), Parise, and others. He isn't as good as those guys yet.

And the B's are only about $1.5 million or so against the cap, which is why they were unable to sign Kessel unless they moved Kobasew and Ference. Jacobs isn't cheap anymore. Jacobs spends to the cap.

kessel a star? please. he tries his one move 2 or 3 times a game and it works once ever 10 or 11 times maybe. he isnt tough. he doesnt backcheck. he shouldve been thankful to get offered krejci money.

ryfarls {l Wrote}:kessel a star? please. he tries his one move 2 or 3 times a game and it works once ever 10 or 11 times maybe.

Those moves were so ineffective to the tune of 36 goals in 70 games. That was good enough to be in the top 15 in the NHL. At age 21. That sucks.

he isnt tough.

Let's see. Last year he had mono and played the latter half of the season and the playoffs (quite well if I may add) with a torn labrum. For a goal-scorer, having a torn labrum sucks as it hurts when you shoot. IIRC he had like a .75 goal/game avg in the playoffs. Oh, and he also had cancer during his rookie season and missed a grand total of 12 games. But you're right, he's a giant pussy.

he doesnt backcheck.

His defensive play has improved immensely over the past year, to the point where Claude trusted him on the last shift of a close game multiple times last year. He's still a little weak in this area but he's no longer a complete defensive liability.

he shouldve been thankful to get offered krejci money.

No, he should make more. He's not as complete a player but he is an ELITE goal scorer. But please keep spouting the same nonsense that KPD does over at the Globe.

ryfarls {l Wrote}:kessel a star? please. he tries his one move 2 or 3 times a game and it works once ever 10 or 11 times maybe. he isnt tough. he doesnt backcheck. he shouldve been thankful to get offered krejci money.

You are an idiot. Tell me the last 21 year old to score 36 goals in a year.

Losing Kessel hurts. Who's going to make up for those 36 goals, Sturm? And Kessel is only going to get better. Disgustiad.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/preview20 ... id=4513809

"Instead of feeding off last season and building momentum, the Bruins hit a speed bump after strange negotiations with their best pure goal scorer, Phil Kessel. Kessel is a soon-to-be 22-year-old whose career arc looks to be peaking toward a 40- to 50-goal annual turnaround. How this didn't turn into an eight-year contract extension with about a $5.5 million cap number I will never understand.

There must be a deep-seated issue between Kessel and the organization at multiple levels. Maybe Kessel never got over getting benched during the playoffs and couldn't stomach coach Claude Julien and forced his way out. Could the Bruins really underestimate his market value and value to the team? How else can you explain letting that kind of talent leave for draft picks, none of which likely will come close to Kessel's unique talent? You just don't let players with this kind of skating and release go. And during his young career, he has shown he can take his game into the postseason.

Kessel was so entertaining to watch -- a take-your-breath-away talent in the open ice, especially when he would finish off a mad dash with a to-die-for wrist shot. These players sell tickets and jerseys. Oh, and win games. Red Wings fans have Datsyuk; Penguins fans have Malkin and Crosby; Caps fans have Ovechkin; the Hawks have Patrick Kane; Columbus fans will ooh and ahh at Nikita Filatov. Flash isn't a hockey core value, but it energizes fans and players. It's entertainment. What a concept when you charge so much for tickets! Anyone who thinks the Bruins are better without Kessel is nuts. N-V-T-S nuts." - John Buccigross


Phil Kessel was "The One", and he was one of the 5 best goal-scorers in the league. Trading him, at age 22, is indefensible. If the Thunder traded Kevin Durant because he didn't rebound enough, would that make sense? And spare me the "he's not worth 5 mil" shit. Derek Morris is somehow worth 3.

People who think this trade was good shouldn't be allowed into the Shawmut Center Fleet Center TD BankNorth Garden TD Bank Garden

He's not one of the 5 best goal-scorers in the league. Top 20 definitely, Top 15 likely, Top 10 ehhh.

flyingelvii {l Wrote}:He's not one of the 5 best goal-scorers in the league. Top 20 definitely, Top 15 likely, Top 10 ehhh.

36 goals in 70 games projects to 42 goals in an 82 game season. Rick Nash was 5th in the league last year with 40. And he's 21. So ya, top 5 sounds right.

Let's see if he can do it again. I'm a huge Kessel fan but he's nowhere near the natural goal-scorer that Ovechkin, Malkin, Nash, Kovalychuk, Vanek, Heatly, Hossa, nor Staal are. After that it gets a little murky. I probably have Parise ahead of him but put Kessel in the 9-15 range as that changes so frequently year to year. The guys above have done it far longer than Kessel. Not to mention the fact that Kessel's coming off of rotator cuff surgery, which could potentially harm his release and hamper him next year. He's got the ability to get up there but I'd like to see him do it again before I anoint him a top-5 pure goalscorer in the NHL.

Last time the Bruins made a trade this disgustingly one-sidedly awful, it catapulted them to first place in the Eastern Conference.

Here's hoping that sending Kessel away like they did Thornton will work out similarly.

Lucic just got Kessel's money

No he didn't.

Looch got Krejci money. He's making about $1.3 million less than Kessel. A little high for my liking (by about $0.5 million AAV or so) but if I'm reading the CBA correctly, he'll still be an RFA when the contract's up.

flyingelvii {l Wrote}:No he didn't.

Looch got Krejci money. He's making about $1.3 million less than Kessel. A little high for my liking (by about $0.5 million AAV or so) but if I'm reading the CBA correctly, he'll still be an RFA when the contract's up.

I wasn't saying he got the same amount. I am saying he got the money that otherwise would have gone to Kessel. They didn't have cash for both.

twballgame9 {l Wrote}:

flyingelvii {l Wrote}:No he didn't.

Looch got Krejci money. He's making about $1.3 million less than Kessel. A little high for my liking (by about $0.5 million AAV or so) but if I'm reading the CBA correctly, he'll still be an RFA when the contract's up.

I wasn't saying he got the same amount. I am saying he got the money that otherwise would have gone to Kessel. They didn't have cash for both.

Misread of the apostrophe. My bad on that one. Still a bit misleading considering that the deal doesn't begin until next year and he's getting Savard's money (UFA after this year) more so than Phil the Thrill's.