Kessel to Leafs: Be careful what you wish for

With Phil Kessel getting shipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs for two first round picks and a second rounder, one of the biggest soap operas of the off season is finally over.

Yes, you can now put away the Advil because the headache is gone. That headache of course is Kessel, who is expected to be in Toronto today to ink his deal and talk to the media.

Now I know a lot of Bruins fans are chalking this one up to the Bruins brass being cheap, but I hardly find that to be the case. The answer is actually quite simple; Kessel did not want to continue his career in Boston.

Don't believe me? Let's have the Boston GM, Peter Chiarelli tell you for himself. "Let me be perfectly clear," Chiarelli said. "This trade is really about two things. One, it's about a player who did not want to play in Boston. Two, it's about the threat or the perceived threat of an offer sheet."

So, with that being said, why did Kessel want out of Boston? The answer was that Kessel did not enjoy Bruins bench boss, Claude Julien's defense first minded scheme.

Julien always was tough on Kessel and did not pamper the young star. As you will recall, Julien benched Kessel during the 2008 playoffs against the Canadiens due to his lack of defensive effort.

Kessel then informed the Bruins last week that he was done negotiating with the Bruins and would be looking for an offer sheet from one of the other 29 NHL franchises. At this point, Chiarelli put on the full court press to trade Kessel.

"We want players that want to be here," Chiarelli said. "I know that this player is a good player. Obviously he is. He can skate. He can shoot the puck. But we want players that want to be here. We want to grow the team with these types of players. I know the history here, but this isn't about frugality. There were some significant [contract] offers made. There was little or no attempt to negotiate from the other side, which I think is for a reason, which is the reason I explained earlier."

With the dust clearing, we can finally look at the big picture. Did Boston get enough for Kessel? Now personally I would have preferred to get at least one position player back in the deal, but complaining about two first round picks and a second is like complaining you got a 60' HD TV and not a 60' Plasma HD TV.

The 2010 first round pick should be a high choice for Boston as Toronto is expected to struggle in 2009-2010. Remember, even with Kessel, the Leafs are a suspect offensive unit. Not to mention the fact that Kessel is likely out until Dec. 1, while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Kessel was adamant about playing in Toronto, but should he have been? Let's take a look at the picture both here and there.

Here, Kessel would have been part of a cup contender who finished first in the Eastern Conference after the regular season. There, Kessel will likely be on a unit that will finish in the cellar of the Northeast division.

Here, Kessel skated on a line with one of the league's best visionaries in Marc Savard. Savard makes whoever he plays with better as is evident by his year in and out point per game seasons. Not having that kind of set up man will undoubtedly hurt Kessel in 2009-2010.

There, who will Kessel have to feed him the biscuit? Oh, I know! How about the out of retirement, Jason Allison?Here, Boston fans are passionate about there hockey, don't get me wrong. However, Toronto is the hockey capital of the World.

Here, the Bruins are the fourth major sports franchise in terms of mass appeal, behind the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics.

There, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the fillet. Last time I checked, the Blue Jays and Raptors weren't the talk of the town. In fact, Maple Leafs hockey is still at the forefront in August, which is the most dead time of the year for hockey. Picture the love for the Sox, and multiply that by five and you've got Leaf Nation.

The Toronto media will crucify Kessel if he takes a step back and scores only 20 goals. That seems low, but remember, he will be out until likely December.

So, be careful what you wish for Mr. Kessel. Yes, you will be playing for Doug Wilson and Brian Burke, your team USA brass. However, you will also be playing for a lousy team that will most likely be at the bottom of the Northeast division come April.

Oh, and did I mention the fact that you will be playing the Bruins six times a year? Kessel will get to see first hand the Bruins continued dominance of the Northeast, while the speedy winger will be able to firm up tee time reservations in mid April.