Kukla's Korner Hockey
Price For Phil Kessel Is High
by Paul on 06/26/15 at 06:54 AM ET
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from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,
Told that an anonymous GM has called the asking price for Kessel “crazy” — likely a combination of prospects and picks — Shanahan said none of his peers have characterized Leafs demands as such. But dealing Kessel has all sorts of complications: A burdensome contract at eight years and $64 million US; whether it’s one of eight teams he’ll agree to join and, of course, getting a good return.
With most in agreement the Leafs need a shakeup in the room before new coach Mike Babcock gets to work, there is pressure on Shanahan to make a bold move.
“We like some of the things we are hearing,” Shanahan said. “Whether they develop into something more real, I couldn’t give a firm answer.
“For whatever reason, the mix hasn’t worked out well here. But we do have some strong individuals and talented players. I won’t say one way or the other who is going to be around (next year) and who won’t. It’s still too early for that. But when you have a guy like (Kessel) who is such a natural goal-scorer in the prime of his his career ... everyone wants goal-scoring. Obvioulsy, in a cap era, it’s not easy to fit that kind of player into the lineup any more. But he’s a great player, scorer and finisher,”
Shanahan said there has not been a firm offer for Kessel yet, so he didn’t want to talk about how much of the contract the Leafs would pick up or even approach Kessel for approval of a destination.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs, | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: phil+kessel
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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.
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