Public opinion about Phil Kessel’s trade has changed significantly over the years. Dealing with the powerful 22-year-old star, fresh off a 36-goal season, was met with a lukewarm reception. Faced with a trade request, and looking at the potential pressure, Boston Bruins general manager (GM) Peter Chiarelli made the controversial yet necessary decision to move Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As the details of the new contract were announced, the perception of the deal in Boston began to shift in a positive direction. Along with the cap savings was the big return Chiarelli was able to squeeze out of Toronto GM Brian Burke. This is where the saga known as the Kessel trade tree began.
The First Agreement
When they heard the news that Kessel had scored two goals against the Bruins in the first round of the second round, many fans had mixed feelings. These feelings would eventually turn into euphoria, as the Maple Leafs finished the 2009-10 season 29th overall, giving the Bruins the second round pick, and lifting the club in the midst of the famous Taylor vs. Tyler.
Toronto struggled again in 2010-11, allowing the Bruins to draft ninth overall (Dougie Hamilton) over Tyler Seguin (2nd overall) and Jared Knight (32nd overall) who were drafted the previous year.
Jared Knight
Despite his high draft position, Knight ultimately did not make an impact for the Bruins at the NHL level. In parts of four seasons with the Providence Bruins in the AHL, he accumulated 27 points in 107 games, but was unable to continue with the big club. Finally, he faced the Minnesota Wild for Zack Phillips, a former first-round pick who would never play an NHL game. Phillips was eventually sent to St. Louis Blues for future consideration in 2016, effectively cutting the shortest branch off the Kessel trade tree.
Tyler Seguin
The most high profile piece of the Kessel trade was, and still is, Tyler Seguin. During his 203 games with the Bruins, he recorded 56 goals, 121 points, and seemingly endless questions about his maturity. The Bruins are said to have grown tired of his behavior on the ice and chose to send him to the Dallas Stars along with Rich Peverley and Ryan Button in 2013.
Related: Phil Kessel – Biography
The trade caused an uproar among fans, as he was only 21 years old and the return was nothing short of spectacular. The B’s got Loui Eriksson, Joe Morrow, Matt Fraser, and Reilly Smith in a very tight deal. In 224 games, Eriksson (0.66 points/game) produced at a slightly higher rate than Seguin (0.60 points/game), but left as a free agent in 2016. Morrow also left as a free agent, and Fraser was claimed off waivers. Edmonton in 2014.
In the end, the only player involved in the trade for real assets was Smith. After 163 games as a Bruin, he was included in Marc Savard’s last long-term injured contract, and was sent to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Jimmy Hayes. Hayes struggled in Boston, and was eventually released by the team after collecting only 34 points in 133 games. His release effectively severed the most complex branch of the Kessel tree.
Dougie Hamilton
The only unresolved branch of the tree, at least as far as the Bruins go, is Dougie Hamilton’s. Despite having success early in his career and playing as a future top pairing blueliner, the Bruins were unable or unwilling to meet Hamilton’s contract requirements in the summer of 2015.
Related: Remembering the Canadiens’ 2014 Playoff Run
After he turned down several extensions, Bruins GM Don Sweeney was forced to sell him to the Calgary Flames in free agency. In return, the Bruins received the 15th, 45th and 52nd overall picks in the 2015 NHL Draft. Sweeney used the pick to select Zachary Senyshyn, Jakob Forsbacka-Karlsson, and Jeremy Lauzon, respectively.
In the end, the fans’ opinion of the Kessel deal could be placed on the shoulders of those three picks since it was the last asset in the trade. That draft class for the Bruins is looked back on badly as only Lauzon reached 100 NHL games and most of those were with another team. In fact, only Lauzon remains in North America as the other two have jumped to European leagues to continue their careers.
In numbers
Over the past 10 years, the dramatic swing in public opinion surrounding the Kessel trade has varied from discontent to borderline excitement. However, since assets have been mismanaged, mismanaged, or transferred to other franchises, Kessel’s return has been more difficult to judge.
You may also like:
Just looking at the numbers, we can see that acquired assets have played 59 more games for the Bruins (1,123) than Kessel has in Toronto, Pittsburgh, Arizona, and Vegas (1,064). Despite this, he managed to score 145 more goals and 353 points than his entire tree combined. While the full story has yet to be written, it’s fair to say that few are likely to consider the Bruins the winners of this controversial deal if the final branch falls.
Source link
