Yesterday’s return seemed reflective of a negotiation that involved only one serious bidder and a Leaf management group that had self imposed a hard deadline by deciding Kessel had to go now. The Penguins aren’t an ideal trading partner for the Leafs in the least, with low to very low first round picks (probably the case for most interested teams) and more importantly a fairly weak prospect pool. Kessel’s control over where he goes may have affected things here, but he had the option to revise or expand his list, or approve any deal presented to him.
Rating the Phil Kessel Return
