After the recent NHL entry draft I am sure there is one question going through most Leafs fan’s heads, was Phil Kessel really worth it? I’m sure to most people – including myself – we thought that Kessel would be the saviour for the already disappointing franchise. The leafs acquired the Wisconsin native from Boston for a first and second round pick in the 2010 draft and a first round pick in the 2011 draft. Kessel had a bit of a slow start when he got to the leafs only stringing together a couple points over his first few games. However the Toronto faithful weren’t too upset since the Leafs were able to pull away with a few wins, which in the end is what they wanted. Kessel soon began to deliver getting some goals (which we desperately needed) and got a decent amount of points.

Sadly we don’t have many players who can keep up with the speedy Kessel, let alone players who can finish when the opportunity arises. Kulemin contributed a bit and him and Kessel seemed to develop some solid chemistry. Although Kessel began to struggle near the end of the season, getting only 1 point in his last 5 games he still finished with a solid amount of points, 30 G, 25A, 55PTS. Not as good as his 36 goals the previous year on Boston, but still solid numbers and it was enough to lead the Leafs in points.

Now the question still remains, was getting Kessel a smart move by Bruke? I think that Burke ultimately made the move just to gain some trust for Leafs fans. He was trying to make it look like he was getting something done. We played right into Burke’s hands and everyone got excited when they heard Kessel was on his way to Toronto. However we also gave up the chance of getting an excellent prospect by the name of Tyler Seguin. Boston picked him up with OUR first round pick this year. I think the key deciding factor for whether this is a good trade for Toronto or not is how well Seguin does in his first few years. I can tell you this, if Seguin or Boston’s first round pick next year gets more points than Kessel, I along with most Toronto fans will be very upset with Burke’s decision, and will be setting up a "Get out of town" Parade for good ol’ Burkie.