How does scoring 30-35 goals every year (except this past one) not work here?
Keeping him here will not be a repeat of the past 5/6 years.
Leafs will need scoring in 2 years time.

But if they decide to move him......you give him a chance this year to raise his value.
Trading him now while his value is at an all time low.....is stupid.
- Fakepartofme

his value is not at an all time low. his value is still at its peak. he had one off year and teams are assuming it was just that--an off year. teams are not so knee-jerk as that (they won't think he's stinks now, then think he's great if he's got 20 goals at Christmas). however if he gets off to a poor start or puts up another poor season, then his value starts dropping. and that's the risk IMO. if they move, it should be now.

What makes you think those prospects we get will turn out? You can get the best prospects from a team and they still may not turn out. Case in point, Oilers and their draft picks.
- KesselRules

Juries still out though, they are all under 24. I would way rather be the Oilers right now than the Leafs....

So a team is giving up a 1st, 2nd, prospect, and a player good enough to get a first, so like a Franson or something.... Hmmm, again, if this happens, good times, but I would expect less....
- aminnes

It would be close to that, dont you think? And you know lots of GMs have coughed up 1st rounders for less then spectacular players over the years come deadline time

I agree, it still isn't a bad deal, but guys thinking the moon is coming back need to calm down, there will be few suitors, and he has to want to go to one of them, then they have to make a deal from a relative position of weakness. A 1st, 2nd, prospect and salary dump is likely IMO...
- aminnes

Money will come back for sure.
IMO....Kessel will easily get a mid 1st rounder, a high end prospect, a B prospect and a salary dump

i highly doubt any huge trades are made unless its a no brainer now

babcock will want to assess what the team has for himself.
- Dozzer

Have to imagine he knows enough about them, no?...

i bet you see pretty much the same core at the start of the season
- Dozzer

I get the sense he thinks he can work with Dion...

i bet you see pretty much the same core at the start of the season
- Dozzer

I agree.
I believe bozak and Phaneuf will be traded.

What makes you think those prospects we get will turn out? You can get the best prospects from a team and they still may not turn out. Case in point, Oilers and their draft picks.
- KesselRules

My faith in the new mgmt and the fact that although not all prospects turn out, many do. Case in point, every good player in the league.

Have to imagine he knows enough about them, no?...
- aminnes

you would think so

OMG ON FIRST TRY!



Too soon?

It would be close to that, dont you think? And you know lots of GMs have coughed up 1st rounders for less then spectacular players over the years come deadline time
- user1

If it's a b or c prospect then possibly, but if a top end prospect come back, it'll be Lombardi style trade again....

his value is not at an all time low. his value is still at its peak. he had one off year and teams are assuming it was just that--an off year. teams are not so knee-jerk as that (they won't think he's stinks now, then think he's great if he's got 20 goals at Christmas). however if he gets off to a poor start or puts up another poor season, then his value starts dropping. and that's the risk IMO. if they move, it should be now.
- DoubleDown

this

My faith in the new mgmt and the fact that although not all prospects turn out, many do. Case in point, every good player in the league.
- 1979AD

Kind of like how Blue Jays fan bought the AA hype.

Money will come back for sure.
IMO....Kessel will easily get a mid 1st rounder, a high end prospect, a B prospect and a salary dump
- Fakepartofme

This seems the most realistic to me...

New cap site
http://www.capfriendly.com
- LeafMan

Thanks Lou.

thats great!

How about JVR... if you can get a pick in the top 10 this year for him, do you move him?
- user1

I personally move JVR before Kessel. Think he is much easier to move, and the return would be very similar, maybe even better as the idea of salary dump would be off the table.
But I also think he's much worse defensively than Kessel is. At least when Kessel gets the puck along the half boards (very rare but happens occasionally) he can use his skating and passing to get the puck moving in the right direction. JVR on the other hand almost always turns the puck over before getting over the blue line.
He floats between the defender and winger on his side of the ice, and gives 0 effort to get to the boards or win any puck battles. He also does not have the speed Kessel does to back check. I know that Kessel does not do this very often, but he has the ability, and I bet Babcock gets him to start using it. It's the one area he can easily change and make a big difference in his D-game. Just sell him on the idea of using his speed to get the puck back and then try to go score again.

Good lord, I hope not.

This whole past season was Shanahan doing that exact same thing. You'd think there would be some sort of confidence in the brain trust.
- TheThrill

Nah, that wasnt what this whole season was about.
I guarantee you, that until the leafs jumped off the cliff in January.....a full rebuild wasnt on their mind.
Had the leafs squeaked into a playoffs spot or finished 9th....the word rebuild would never have been said.
They were forced into this position.

i bet you see pretty much the same core at the start of the season
- Dozzer

Yes, agreed...

this
- 1979AD

Plus he's getting into the latter of his scoring years, he may never get more than 30 goals again, and teams saw the whole team pack it in the last few months, shouldn't base too much on that...

Kind of like how Blue Jays fan bought the AA hype.
- KesselRules

You mean the guy who's drafted the best crop of young pitching prospects the team has ever seen develop together, traded the Vernon Wells contract, and traded Brett Lawrie and some more B level pitching prospects he also drafted for the guy who has the 2nd best WAR of any position player in MLB over the past 3 seasons and who is under team control for cheap for the next 4 seasons? Garbage GM.

You mean the guy who's drafted the best crop of young pitching prospects the team has ever seen develop together, traded the Vernon Wells contract, and traded Brett Lawrie and some more B level pitching prospects he also drafted for the guy who has the 2nd best WAR of any position player in MLB over the past 3 seasons and who is under team control for cheap for the next 4 seasons? Garbage GM.
- 1979AD

Luis Leal was better.

i bet you see pretty much the same core at the start of the season
- Dozzer

I think Phaneuf is moved. His time here is done. Both the team and the player want to part ways. Might as well do it mostly on good terms.

I could also see Lupul/Bozak moved. Kessel I think stays.

You mean the guy who's drafted the best crop of young pitching prospects the team has ever seen develop together, traded the Vernon Wells contract, and traded Brett Lawrie and some more B level pitching prospects he also drafted for the guy who has the 2nd best WAR of any position player in MLB over the past 3 seasons and who is under team control for cheap for the next 4 seasons? Garbage GM.
- 1979AD

Someone's in denial. You want to see a great number of pitching prospects go look at the Red Sox prospects.

i bet you see pretty much the same core at the start of the season
- Dozzer

Sadly everyone's "this guy assess team assess coach assess yada yada wash, rinse, repeat" theory is still proving true thus far. Phil and Dion will be probably thinking "Holy (frank)!!! We are invincible!!! Even the best coach in the NHL can't get rid of us!!!"

Muskoka all over again. I want these cancers gone meow.

I personally move JVR before Kessel. Think he is much easier to move, and the return would be very similar, maybe even better as the idea of salary dump would be off the table.
But I also think he's much worse defensively than Kessel is. At least when Kessel gets the puck along the half boards (very rare but happens occasionally) he can use his skating and passing to get the puck moving in the right direction. JVR on the other hand almost always turns the puck over before getting over the blue line.
He floats between the defender and winger on his side of the ice, and gives 0 effort to get to the boards or win any puck battles. He also does not have the speed Kessel does to back check. I know that Kessel does not do this very often, but he has the ability, and I bet Babcock gets him to start using it. It's the one area he can easily change and make a big difference in his D-game. Just sell him on the idea of using his speed to get the puck back and then try to go score again.
- vermie22

Our 50 million dollar coach will make them better.
The saviour will turn these chumps into champs!