Word on the street is that this move is the right one for the Leafs as they rebuild
Parting is such sweet sorrow.
But the emphasis was definitely on “sweet” for most Toronto Maple Leafs fans interviewed by the Star about 27year-old forward Phil Kessel’s departure to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I’m just happy we got rid of him,” said Vithu Keshan, a 29-year-old computer analyst, who was walking with friends along Yonge and Queen Sts. Wednesday afternoon.
The fact that the Leafs will have to pay $1.2 million (U.S.) per year, or 15 per cent of Kessel’s salary, over the next seven seasons as part of the deal is a small price to pay, Keshan said.
The good news is the Leafs picked up first- and third-round picks from 2016 in exchange, he added, along with forward Nick Spaling and prospects Kasperi Kapanen and Scott Harrington.
“For us, we’re rebuilding . . . The next thing we need to do is trade (defenceman and team captain) Dion Phaneuf,” Keshan said.
Brian Curry, a 42-year-old marketing and sales manager, was also glad to see Kessel go.
Walking near Union Station with his 8-year-old son, Calvin, after the Blue Jays thumped the Boston Red Sox in their Canada Day matinee, he said Kessel was a bad example for younger Maple Leafs players.
“Nothing against Phil, but he wasn’t a defensive player. He didn’t put his heart into practice. To teach the younger kids, you need good role models,” he said.
Stanley Keller, 82, said Kessel is no great loss.
“He was a natural goal scorer, but if he didn’t want to play, he didn’t play,” he said.
Without Kessel, the Leafs might one day reach the same heights as the team that beat the Habs in the ’67 Stanley Cup Final at Maple Leaf Gardens. Keller said he was there that night, sitting in the greens.
“After, I thought, ‘We’re on a roll here, we’re really going to move now.’ It’s been 48 years and it hasn’t happened,” he said.
It will take a few years for the Leafs to really improve, he added.
“There are a lot of good teams out there.”
Out celebrating Canada Day with family members at Yonge-Dundas Square, Steffan Moran, a Penguins fan, and his younger brother Wesley, who cheers for the Leafs, said they were both satisfied with the deal that went down.
Steffan hooted in approval when he found out Kessel is heading to Pittsburgh.
“It’s a rip-off for the Leafs,” he said, after learning the details of the trade.
“If he plays better with the Penguins, then OK, $8 million a year, that’s not so bad, that’s justifiable.”
His brother said getting rid of Kessel was the first step in rebuilding the team under new coach Mike Babcock.
“Now that they’ve gotten over that hump they can get a fresh start,” he said.
Not everyone in the Star’s random sampling of hockey fans was pleased with the trade, however.
Paul Shelley, 21, was cuddling with student Renée Joly,19, in a seat inside Union Station’s hall when a Star reporter gave them the news.
“Kessel was so quick,” he said, ruefully. “I was his biggest fan.
“This is the first I’ve heard that he was traded.
“This sucks. You’ve just ruined my Canada Day.”