Sports

On thin ice: Bruins' Kessel could find his way out of town

On Hockey
Mike McMahon
Published: July 1, 2009

Most were shocked when Phil Kessel, once projected as the consensus No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, slipped to the Boston Bruins at No. 5.

But just four years later, with an expiring contract, Kessel has been exposed as a one-dimensional hockey player who the Bruins are trying desperately to dump.

Kessel is a restricted free agent, which means the Bruins retain his rights and hold the option to match any offer sheet he receives from other clubs when NHL free agency floodgates open today at noon.

If the Bruins refuse to match the offer sheet, Kessel can sign with another club and the Bruins will receive two or three draft choices (likely a first-, a second- and a third-round pick), depending on the dollar amount of the contract.

This past weekend, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli was more than willing to ship Kessel to the Toronto Maple Leafs for stud defenseman Tomas Kaberle and the seventh overall pick. But, after a massive miscommunication (Toronto general manager Brian Burke never intended to include the seventh pick), the deal fell apart.

That tells you how much Chiarelli values Kessel; he was ready to ship him to a division rival no less.

Kessel sniped an impressive 36 goals as a 21-year-old last winter, but his unwillingness to work in the defensive zone is a sore spot. He's fast and he has talent, but he lacks ideal NHL size (he's listed as 6-feet, 192 pounds, but that seems extremely generous) and he's not a well-rounded player.

Offensively he's terrific, but that's where it ends. Everything else — defense, backchecking, forechecking, strength — is in dire need of repair.

Chiarelli had a choice. Both Kessel and David Krejci were restricted free agents entering this offseason. Within a matter of days of the Bruins being eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Chiarelli had Krejci signed to a three-year deal worth an average of $3.75 million per year.

My teachers always told me that if I applied myself a little more, I'd be a straight-A student. If Phil Kessel applied himself a little more, he'd be an outstanding two-way hockey player and maybe Chiarelli would have had a tougher decision.

Kessel has shown signs of brilliance. Late in the 2008 playoffs, he put the team on his back to force a Game 7 with the Montreal Canadiens. Early last season he stormed out of the gates and was one of the best players in the league through mid-December. But like most things with Kessel, things fizzled.

After starting the season with six goals in six games, he netted just one in his next 11. After Jan. 1, Kessel posted 20 points in his final 33 games (which would equate to 49 points in an 82-game season), a far cry from his superstar numbers in the first half of the year.

Those numbers aren't worth anywhere near the reported $5.5 million that Kessel is seeking in his second NHL deal (although his agent denies his client is asking for that much).

Chiarelli insists that, despite trying to deal Kessel just days ago, if the restricted free agent receives an offer sheet, the Bruins will match.

"I've gone on record that we're going to match it, and we will," Chiarelli said yesterday. "That's the approach that we're going to take going into this free agency period. Things change as far as teams that get aggressive. My guess is there will be overtures at some point. But I have to deal with them as they unfold. At the end of the day, if it's something that we don't feel is prudent, then we're not going to do it."

His trade value is still high. Kessel's game has been exposed, but other teams could be fooled. A kid who's still just 21 and potted 36 goals last year is an attractive asset.

Boston has needs and Kessel is a bargaining chip. "My wish list would probably include an impact defenseman, either a one or a two. It's more minutes to sort of ease the pressure on Zdeno," said Chiarelli. "Z can play both sides of the ice."

The problem is that the B's only have roughly $7.8 million in cap space available. Not only do they still have to re-sign Kessel (if they don't execute a trade), but they also have Matt Hunwick, Byron Bitz and Kevin Regan who are all restricted free agents.

Not to mention, Chiarelli either needs to re-sign or find replacements for unrestricted free agents P.J. Axelsson (who has played all 11 years of his career in Boston), Mark Recchi, Shane Hnidy, Stephane Yelle and Manny Fernandez.

E-mail Mike McMahon at mmcmahon@eagletribune.com