When Dr. Jeremy Bettle was hired as as Director of Sports Science and Performance for the Maple Leafs on Monday, his first duty should have been to clear Tuesday’s calendar for Phil Kessel.
The underwhelming winger will be the good doctor’s biggest challenge, that’s if Kessel is still a Leaf when training camp starts in September. The release accompanying Bettle’s arrival listed his role as overseeing ‘all areas of strength and conditioning and nutrition, injury prevention and all factors pertaining to athlete performance optimization’.
Kessel, despite immense talent and a spotless attendance record, is his own worst enemy as far as fitness and practice habits.