Quote:
Originally Posted by TheDebaser
The issue I have with people who have an issue with kessel, is that I don't really understand what they think he's supposed to do. He's reliably a top ten player in points and goals. What, does he need to be top 5 before people stop criticizing him? Top 3 before he starts to get praise? He's a bit of a lone wolf who will show up and put up points with the best in the league. If you can accept that he's not exactly Captain Wow then you can come to terms with the fact that he's just a really good player with little to no intangibles, which is fine. I mean that, that's ok. He helps the team win. Don't just trade him because he doesn't live up to your own misguided expectations of what he should be.
What the leafs really need is to stop pretending their leadership core is any good at all. See what it takes to bring in Shane Doan or someone else who is capable of uniting a locker room.
If they can, they absolutely should make Mike Babcock a very rich man. Personally, I also think the organization should start having stricter media policy too, they shouldn't have access to the locker room. It's clearly a very negative distraction for the players.
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Really?
It's not about the points at all - everyone agrees that he produces points at an elite level.
The problem is that he has ZERO commitment to the team game. The game isn't just played in the other team's zone. And it isn't like football with separate offensive and defensive players. Players have to play at both ends of the rink.
But Kessel seems to think he is above that and that he can decide what he does and doesn't do on the ice.
When your highest paid player acts like that, you're going nowhere.
On all great teams, the best players are also the hardest working players.
On Toronto, that simply isn't the case. So it wouldn't matter if he
led the league in scoring.