Ron Cook of the Post-Gazette: [Cook] thinks that the Penguins will trade Phil Kessel sooner than later. It may not happen this month or this offseason, but with Rick Tocchet leaving the Penguins, it could speed up the process.
[Cook] thinks it was clear by the end of their season that the organization wasn’t thrilled with Kessel’s play this year. [Cook] believes that Evgeni Malkin wasn’t happy playing on the same line as Kessel, and it’s already known that Kessel and Sidney Crosby on the same line doesn’t work.
Tocchet spent a lot of time with Kessel, helping him with the mental side of things, while acting as a buffer between Kessel and head coach Mike Sullivan.