Phil Kessel will be third in scoring this season

[Tomas Tatar]

And that was 3 years ago. He's played 53% of games since.

So by recent standards, expecting him to play 55 games is probably wishful thinking.

You're really not going anywhere with this.

Franzen's role is expected to lessen and I doubt he's as physical. There's a significant chance he plays in 55 percent of the games.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

You're really not going anywhere with this.

Franzen's role is expected to lessen and I doubt he's as physical. There's a significant chance he plays in 55 percent of the games.

Thanks for the scouting report.

 

[Tomas Tatar]

Thanks for the scouting report.

You're just being butthurt.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

You're just being butthurt.

Yeah, I'm the guy here who's butthurt. That's why you're taking a nothing joke about a player who doesn't play so personally.

 

[DevilishWon]

And that was 3 years ago. He's played 53% of games since.

So by recent standards, expecting him to play 55 games is probably wishful thinking.

He's no Aki Berg that's for sure

 

[dash]

2015-16 NHL season preview -- Phil Kessel is enjoying a clean slate with the Pittsburgh Penguins

 

[Puck082]

2015-16 NHL season preview -- Phil Kessel enjoys clearing plates of food with the Pittsburgh Penguins

Fixed.

 

[dash]

I think Phil will have a good season in Pittsburgh, he won't have near as many media demands as he did in Toronto and let's be honest, he's quite awkward when being interviewed. Let Crosby handle the media and he can just focus on playing hockey.

 

[Rock Strongo]

no 100 pt scorers

2 guys over 40 goals?

 

[Puck082]

I think Phil will have a good season on Pittsburgh, he won't have near as many media demands as he did in Toronto and let's be honest, he's quite awkward when being interviewed. Let Crosby handle the media and he can just focus on playing hockey.

I'm really curious to see how it pans out for him. The fact that the media demands will be reduced 10 fold are definitely a benefit for him. I poke fun at Phil but I do think he's a good hockey player. Wanted the Isles to actually trade for him before this all went down....

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

Here's the thing about the trade - the Leafs took the best (and maybe only) deal they were offered for Kessel from teams he was willing to be traded to. They could have kept him and hoped he rebounded under Babcock and either kept him then or traded him for a better return, but if he had another bad year on a bad team how much less is the return and how much more salary do they eat?

The Leafs took the less risky move. It might suck down the road, especially if the return never amounts to anything, but right now you can't really fault them for doing what they did with him.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

no 100 pt scorers

2 guys over 40 goals?

Didn't watch much hockey last year?

 

[Rock Strongo]

Didn't watch much hockey last year?

watched tons

3, 40 goal scorers last year.

crosby had 104 the year before. i dont get your point.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

I'm really curious to see how it pans out for him. The fact that the media demands will be reduced 10 fold are definitely a benefit for him. I poke fun at Phil but I do think he's a good hockey player. Wanted the Isles to actually trade for him before this all went down....

I really think if Phil's totals hadn't gone down so much last season and everything else hadn't happened, he's on either the Isles or Jackets right now.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

watched tons

3, 40 goal scorers last year.

crosby had 104 the year before. i dont get your point.

For starters, there are 3 guys with 40 goals on the list (OV, Kessel, Stamkos).

Second, the top scorer was 13 pts off 100 last year, and if you remove Crosby the highest scorer the season before was also 13 pts off 100.

Get the point now?

 

[Rock Strongo]

For starters, there are 3 guys with 40 goals on the list (OV, Kessel, Stamkos).

Second, the top scorer was 13 pts off 100 last year, and if you remove Crosby the highest scorer the season before was also 13 pts off 100.

Get the point now?

i looked quickly, saw 2

its just an odd way to predict scoring, i.e "well the high scorer was down 13 pts from the year before".

crosby will break 110 this year, easily.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

i looked quickly, saw 2

its just an odd way to predict scoring, i.e "well the high scorer was down 13 pts from last year".

crosby will break 110 this year, easily.

If healthy, with Phil at his side, absolutely possible.

But I don't blame the guy for taking the under. Goalscoring as a whole has trended downwards in the NHL the past 5 years. Combine that with the fact there are some Eastern teams (Isles, Pans, Jackets, Caps, Sens, Sabres, fuck maybe even the Leafs) that are going to be a lot tougher to shoot on than last year and maybe they don't light shit up as often as we think they will.

 

[Rock Strongo]

If healthy, with Phil at his side, absolutely possible.

But I don't blame the guy for taking the under. Goalscoring as a whole has trended downwards in the NHL the past 5 years. Combine that with the fact there are some Eastern teams (Isles, Pans, Jackets, Caps, Sens, Sabres, fuck maybe even the Leafs) that are going to be a lot tougher to shoot on than last year and maybe they don't light shit up as often as we think they will.

id like to see pitt use a super line of phil, sid, and malkin somehow for entertainment purposes alone...but they have to split them up for obvious reasons.
would be oiler-esque.

my bruins will have yet another year of 50-60 pt high scorers. im itching to see pastrnak in a full season with more than 30 lbs on his frame. a full year of spooner, and maybe these 3 1st rounders make it out of camp.

i just miss hockey

 

[DragonfromTO]

Here's the thing about the trade - the Leafs took the best (and maybe only) deal they were offered for Kessel from teams he was willing to be traded to. They could have kept him and hoped he rebounded under Babcock and either kept him then or traded him for a better return, but if he had another bad year on a bad team how much less is the return and how much more salary do they eat?

The Leafs took the less risky move. It might suck down the road, especially if the return never amounts to anything, but right now you can't really fault them for doing what they did with him.

The Leafs backed themselves into a corner and then bent over on every extra thing that the Penguins asked for (kept salary, threw in a 2nd rounder, lottery protection on the 1st rounder). Like that guy who just keeps asking for more concessions in a fantasy deal after you've already reached an agreement on the major pieces. More than anything, that's what I'm faulting them for.

 

[Bloody Brian Burke]

The Leafs backed themselves into a corner and then bent over on every extra thing that the Penguins asked for (kept salary, threw in a 2nd rounder, lottery protection on the 1st rounder). Like that guy who just keeps asking for more concessions in a fantasy deal after you've already reached an agreement on the major pieces. More than anything, that's what I'm faulting them for.

That's fair, but they were in a corner to begin with.

They were never negotiating from a position of strength. That was always going to make them losers here.