from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

Since the Bruins traded Kessel to Toronto for what became Tyler Seguin, Dougie Hamilton, and Jared Knight, only Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, and Corey Perry have scored more goals. Kessel is a game-changing talent, one who requires opposing coaches to alter their defensive formations to account for his presence. There is nobody in the league who skates with as much pace or snaps off a whippy wrister like Kessel.

The trouble with the Leafs is that the talent level plummets after Kessel. Tyler Bozak, his good friend and center, is a better fit as a second-line pivot. Only five defensemen in the NHL (P.K. Subban, Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Kris Letang, and Brian Campbell) have higher cap hits than Toronto’s Dion Phaneuf. But Phaneuf has too many blemishes in his game for a defenseman earning his dough, with questionable hockey sense being his biggest liability.

The Leafs have one star. Postseason regulars such as Los Angeles (Anze Kopitar, Drew Doughty, Jonathan Quick), Chicago (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith) and Pittsburgh (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Letang) have three. The Leafs don’t have enough second-tier players to complement Kessel’s star power. It’s hard to win when most of the roster is either bottom-six or third-pair quality.

Jonathan Bernier is a good goalie. Nazem Kadri is developing into a clever, shifty, top-two center. In Toronto’s first game after Carlyle’s firing, interim coach Peter Horachek moved Kadri into Bozak’s spot as Kessel’s center. Morgan Rielly will be a dependable two-way defenseman.

more plus numerous other hockey topics...