All about Kessel

by James Mirtle on Dec 1, 2009 12:34 PM CST Comment 27 comments

I put together this chart prior to last night's game for The Globe's hockey blog, but figured it was worth a mention here as well. It's a look at the Leafs' first 12 games without Phil Kessel and the next 12 with him in the lineup:

Stats	Without Kessel	With Kessel
Record	1-7-4	5-4-3
Goals for	2.50	3.00
Goals against	4.08	3.17
Shots for	32.9	36.4
Shots against	30.0	30.9
Shooting %	7.6%	8.2%
Save %	.864	.897
Power play	14/50 (28%)	8/46 (17%)
Penalty kill	34/46 (74%)	36/45 (80%)

The team's still no world beater, but his one-man production has made a big difference in Toronto (eight even-strength goals in 12 games will do that). The problem is that, in a game like last night's 3-0 loss to Buffalo, good teams like the Sabres can really focus on Kessel and shut him down, leaving not enough offence to compensate for that.

Tyler Myers was out there for nearly 25 minutes last night, and even though they were the road team and didn't have last change, he saw a lot of Kessel in that one.

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Phil Kessel = Playoffs!!!!1 (In about three years.)

Sports And The City

A Toronto sports blog, where unabashed homerism is alive and well...

PLAYOFFS!!!!1

by eyebleaf on Dec 1, 2009 12:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think the 'Kessel will be nothing without Savard'

Has been proven a canard.
#81’s getting it done with MATT STAJAN as his centre. Matt Stajan has to be the worst #1 centre in the NHL by a country mile.

by Godd Till on Dec 1, 2009 12:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Imagine when the Leafs do get a legit #1 centre to go with Kessel… oh my that will be special.

leaf fan stuck in ottawa, a localized black hole that will suck everything in that area to oblivion.

by stucky on Dec 2, 2009 2:20 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

James, be honest

you’d love to change the name of this blog to “All about Kessel” and just write posts on #81.

i don’t blame you…

I have nothing interesting to say.

by blurr1974 on Dec 1, 2009 12:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Feels that way when you cover this team sometimes. :-)

Blogging on hockey at fromtherink.com

by James Mirtle on Dec 1, 2009 1:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

So, new scouting report for playing the leafs: Stop Kessel. Got it, thanks for the tip!

Join me on the Hockey Blog Adventure! (or Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)

by Cornelius Hardenbergh on Dec 1, 2009 1:00 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Hey, it beats ’don’t worry about anyone’.

Progress!

by Godd Till on Dec 1, 2009 1:11 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

Baby steps ;)

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Dec 1, 2009 3:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

More importantly, James: Where was Kessel during the Grabovski-Beauchemin fight? As the Leafs reigning on-ice American (Komisarek was injured, Hanson’s a rookie, Stempniak has a third-grade education, Blake hides whenever there’s danger, and Finger was scratched from practice) couldn’t Kessel have more accurately explained the need to respect wood to Grabo?

by The Jumbotron (Gabe) on Dec 1, 2009 1:36 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

according to reports, Blake helped Hunter break up the scrap…

"The only way out is in a body bag. Go Leafs Go." - Blinky

by Karina on Dec 1, 2009 3:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

As a Bruins fan....

this recent Maple Leaf surge is troubling. Would love to have a top five draft pick….the higher the better.

by Danno11 on Dec 1, 2009 1:41 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Kessel and Jason Blake can score a boat load of goal just keep losing that is all I ask.
If the Leafs finish too high this will turn out to be not that great of a deal.

by Eric B on Dec 4, 2009 12:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I so wish I was going to the B’s game on Saturday to see Kessel’s first game back. I’m almost as jealous of those going to it as I am of people who have Winter Classic tickets. That atmosphere, positive or negative, when Kessel gets on the ice and touches the puck is going to be amazing. Personally, I’m hoping it’s an Orwellian 2 Minute Hate whenever he has a shift, but I’m petty and bitter.

by Arenacale on Dec 1, 2009 1:44 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

I doubt you will be disappointed.

by Its Cold In Here on Dec 1, 2009 1:57 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Why exactly should Bruins fans boo Kessel when the Bs traded him?

by Godd Till on Dec 1, 2009 2:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Kessel forced the trade with demands that, while understandable given the contracts handed to David Booth and Jordan Staal, were quite unreasonable for a RFA. Especially one whose commitment to the Bruins established system was non-existent.

As a B’s fan, I’m happy he’s off the team, though I recognize and appreciate his contributions. I also understand that he will not only score against the Bruins at some point this season, but beat us singlehandedly in a game or two. I’d rather have the top-10 (top-5? Jeff Finger’s crossed.) pick.

by The Jumbotron (Gabe) on Dec 1, 2009 2:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He’s better than Booth and Staal so he wanted more. Chiarelli wanted to sign other players. Each side made their choice.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Dec 1, 2009 3:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Right. I understand Kessel’s demands. I’m just pointing out that Booth and Staal course-corrected the market to such an extent that the Bruins couldn’t re-sign him and field a competitive team.

by The Jumbotron (Gabe) on Dec 1, 2009 3:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Then shouldn’t you boo Booth and Staal?

Resident Capologist

by clrkaitken on Dec 2, 2009 7:42 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh I do. Deep in my underground lair…I do.

softly, to himself boooo….booooo…

by The Jumbotron (Gabe) on Dec 2, 2009 8:06 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, he did kind of force the trade.

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Dec 1, 2009 2:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

But given what Boston paid Krejci and Lucic (inferior talents, IMO), how can you fault Kessel for what he asked for?

by Godd Till on Dec 1, 2009 3:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Kessel’s side was the one that broke off negotiations in August with Boston entirely. That’s all I was pointing out, nothing more.

And actually, I thought Krejci signed a good deal for Boston.

Bergeron’s salary and injury status probably played a big role in this as well, as during the summer, he was untradeable. Now? Not so much.

Hockey blogging can't get any flatter.

by saskhab on Dec 1, 2009 3:47 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Some perceive it as Kessel asking for the moon and making unreasonable request during free agency that was the reason he was traded to Toronto. In retro spect I wish the Bruins would have resigned him.

by Eric B on Dec 4, 2009 12:10 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Not suprised to the see the GF/G average go up at least a .50 goal per game but I’m pretty suprised at the downward spiral numbers of the PP. But that could be attributed to Kaberle’s play tailing off a little bit. The GAA and SV% are significantly better because Gustavsson has had the bulk of the work the past 10 games or more.

Either way Phil Kessel has the been the bolt of lightning the Leafs were hoping for, and more, since pulling off that blockbuster deal in the summer. Kessel really reminds me of a young Mike Modano of the early 90’s.

It's never about the eventual destination, but rather the long journey and its challenging obstacles that are presented and what it takes to overcome them, that makes the taste of success all the more worthwhile!!!

by hawks61 on Dec 1, 2009 5:40 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I’m pretty suprised at the downward spiral numbers of the PP.

Well, Kessel leads Leafs forwards in PP TOI per game, while they had to keep him off the Savard PP unit in Boston because he was so poor on it. So if the Leafs start to give ample PP time to a poor PP player, why would it be surprising that their PP numbers as a team start going down?

by Malurous on Dec 1, 2009 9:33 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs