The Contract Trap!

When players play super well, in their rookie season their respective teams often sign them to monstrous contracts with big money attached. When young players gain these huge contracts from their teams, they often stop playing as well, as they did to get the contract. One explanation is-  due to trying to live up to the hype of their contracts! Right now there are perfect examples of 2 young players not playing up to their "standards" in the NHL. Luke Schenn of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres. These are two players whose teams are trying to build franchises around them, and they are pegged to be the future captains of their teams.

Let's start with Tyler Myers, Myers was drafted 12th overall by the Sabres in 2008, after 2 seasons in the NHL, the 21 year old Myers signed a contract that will keep "The Big Easy" in Buffalo for the next 7 years. Back in September Myers and the Sabres agreed to the 7 year deal worth $38.5 million. Myers is coming off 2 great seasons with the sabres, in which saw him win a Calder Trophy and surpass the 30 point plateau both seasons. But this season "The Big Easy" has become a major concern on defence, for the Sabres. Now last season Myers got off to quite a slow start but picked up his play down the stretch, "I felt the pressure last year and at times I was way too hard on myself," He said. "I got off to a tough start but was happy with my game after Christmas, especially after the All Star game." It appears lightning has struck twice, as Myers is playing very poorly to start off the season. Through this seasons' 8 games, Myers only has 2 points, which are assists. Myers is currently averaging a bit more than 21 minutes of ice time, and has gone 28 games without scoring a goal and 2 games without recording an assist. But it's not just his point totals that have fans worried, it's his play on defense, that's worrying everyone. He is making very poor choices on the ice; pinching at the wrong times, making bad passes, has to many turnovers and is losing his checks. Myers is now paired with veteran defence partner Robyn Regehr who will hopefuly help calm Myers down. One thing Myers needs to pick up is his aggressive play, through 8 games he only has 12 hits - less than 2 hits a game. Defenceman need to be aggressive and hit the opposition regularly, when defenceman are not hitting, often their point totals are effected, like in Myer's case. But here is a good thing for Sabres fans-, Tyler Myers will be fine! Based on last seasons' turn around from a slow start, this is nothing to panic over for Myers and Sabres fans everywhere. He is having a difficult time living up to his big contract, he just needs to get back to basics and become the reliable Tyler Myers that everyone loves! Myers is a player that the Sabres want to stick around for the foreseeable future and maybe even take over the captaincy one day, but first he needs to fix his slow starts to the regular season. Myers and Regehr should soon fine chemistry and Myers can stop worrying about the big contract looming over his head. But Myers slump will soon end, I'm positive about it.

Next up is Luke Schenn, despite Mike Komisarek being chirped hard by all the Leafs fans, it's Luke Schenn who needs to step up his game the most. Schenn's ice time has been reduced by 25% this season, making his new ice time average 15:43, which is the lowest amongst the Leafs D-men and to boot he is struggling majorly in his own defensive zone. Schenn was a big part of the major turnaround with the Leafs in last seasons' 2nd half. The Leafs rewarded him, with a huge contract extension; 5 years $18 million. Since he signed the contract, Luke has been uptight and has had trouble moving the puck. “He has had trouble starting games and I think Luke has put a lot of pressure on himself,” Wilson said. “He has to relax and he will be fine.” Coming off a strong season last year, in which he set a career record for assists. As soon as Schenn calms down, and just simplifies his game, his defence he will be just fine. For Schenn to succeed his game needs to be as simple as possible, 1 pass and out, nothing fancy, or he becomes flustered. Many bandwagon fans are calling for a trade, but HELLO after signing this contract, Scheen is not going anywhere! His future and the future of the Leafs is together and he's likely the future captain. Schenn should find a little extra motivation this season as he will be facing his younger brother several times with the Flyers. Plus if the Flyers make it to playoffs and the Leafs don't! i wont be a very fun time at the Schenn house this summer! No older brother wants to be chirped by their younger brother for playing better! Good news for fans, is Schenn has never really been, nor is he expected to be, a big contributer on offence, but he did lead the league in hits and blocked shots last season, and could very well do it again this season.

Unfortunately for these young defencemen fans jump on and off bandwagons faster than it took the two of them to sign their new multimillion dollar contracts. Right now they are trying to do to much and prove to bandwagon fans that they are worth the money they're being paid. They both need to simplify their game! For Myers he needs to be more physical for Schenn he needs to keep it simple. I have no doubt that these two defenceman will settle down and be just fine. It's part of the jinx of rookies signing their next major contracts, they always play like crap afterwards, someone needs to break that jinx, maybe one of them will win an award this season.
So my message to fans is to stop freaking out over their poor starts to the season, you are not helping them any by booing and chirping these young players. Give them time it is STILL early in the season, their teams are winning and the most important time for these two to play well is down the stretch!

The Contract Trap!

When players play super well, in their rookie season their respective teams often sign them to monstrous contracts with big money attached. When young players gain these huge contracts from their teams, they often stop playing as well, as they did to get the contract. One explanation is-  due to trying to live up to the hype of their contracts! Right now there are perfect examples of 2 young players not playing up to their "standards" in the NHL. Luke Schenn of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tyler Myers of the Buffalo Sabres. These are two players whose teams are trying to build franchises around them, and they are pegged to be the future captains of their teams.

Let's start with Tyler Myers, Myers was drafted 12th overall by the Sabres in 2008, after 2 seasons in the NHL, the 21 year old Myers signed a contract that will keep "The Big Easy" in Buffalo for the next 7 years. Back in September Myers and the Sabres agreed to the 7 year deal worth $38.5 million. Myers is coming off 2 great seasons with the sabres, in which saw him win a Calder Trophy and surpass the 30 point plateau both seasons. But this season "The Big Easy" has become a major concern on defence, for the Sabres. Now last season Myers got off to quite a slow start but picked up his play down the stretch, "I felt the pressure last year and at times I was way too hard on myself," He said. "I got off to a tough start but was happy with my game after Christmas, especially after the All Star game." It appears lightning has struck twice, as Myers is playing very poorly to start off the season. Through this seasons' 8 games, Myers only has 2 points, which are assists. Myers is currently averaging a bit more than 21 minutes of ice time, and has gone 28 games without scoring a goal and 2 games without recording an assist. But it's not just his point totals that have fans worried, it's his play on defense, that's worrying everyone. He is making very poor choices on the ice; pinching at the wrong times, making bad passes, has to many turnovers and is losing his checks. Myers is now paired with veteran defence partner Robyn Regehr who will hopefuly help calm Myers down. One thing Myers needs to pick up is his aggressive play, through 8 games he only has 12 hits - less than 2 hits a game. Defenceman need to be aggressive and hit the opposition regularly, when defenceman are not hitting, often their point totals are effected, like in Myer's case. But here is a good thing for Sabres fans-, Tyler Myers will be fine! Based on last seasons' turn around from a slow start, this is nothing to panic over for Myers and Sabres fans everywhere. He is having a difficult time living up to his big contract, he just needs to get back to basics and become the reliable Tyler Myers that everyone loves! Myers is a player that the Sabres want to stick around for the foreseeable future and maybe even take over the captaincy one day, but first he needs to fix his slow starts to the regular season. Myers and Regehr should soon fine chemistry and Myers can stop worrying about the big contract looming over his head. But Myers slump will soon end, I'm positive about it.

Next up is Luke Schenn, despite Mike Komisarek being chirped hard by all the Leafs fans, it's Luke Schenn who needs to step up his game the most. Schenn's ice time has been reduced by 25% this season, making his new ice time average 15:43, which is the lowest amongst the Leafs D-men and to boot he is struggling majorly in his own defensive zone. Schenn was a big part of the major turnaround with the Leafs in last seasons' 2nd half. The Leafs rewarded him, with a huge contract extension; 5 years $18 million. Since he signed the contract, Luke has been uptight and has had trouble moving the puck. “He has had trouble starting games and I think Luke has put a lot of pressure on himself,” Wilson said. “He has to relax and he will be fine.” Coming off a strong season last year, in which he set a career record for assists. As soon as Schenn calms down, and just simplifies his game, his defence he will be just fine. For Schenn to succeed his game needs to be as simple as possible, 1 pass and out, nothing fancy, or he becomes flustered. Many bandwagon fans are calling for a trade, but HELLO after signing this contract, Scheen is not going anywhere! His future and the future of the Leafs is together and he's likely the future captain. Schenn should find a little extra motivation this season as he will be facing his younger brother several times with the Flyers. Plus if the Flyers make it to playoffs and the Leafs don't! i wont be a very fun time at the Schenn house this summer! No older brother wants to be chirped by their younger brother for playing better! Good news for fans, is Schenn has never really been, nor is he expected to be, a big contributer on offence, but he did lead the league in hits and blocked shots last season, and could very well do it again this season.

Unfortunately for these young defencemen fans jump on and off bandwagons faster than it took the two of them to sign their new multimillion dollar contracts. Right now they are trying to do to much and prove to bandwagon fans that they are worth the money they're being paid. They both need to simplify their game! For Myers he needs to be more physical for Schenn he needs to keep it simple. I have no doubt that these two defenceman will settle down and be just fine. It's part of the jinx of rookies signing their next major contracts, they always play like crap afterwards, someone needs to break that jinx, maybe one of them will win an award this season.
So my message to fans is to stop freaking out over their poor starts to the season, you are not helping them any by booing and chirping these young players. Give them time it is STILL early in the season, their teams are winning and the most important time for these two to play well is down the stretch!

Scheifele is a Colt agian

To put it simply, Mark Scheifele is simply not ready to play a full NHL season in his rookie season.
Head coach of the Winnipeg Jets Claude Noel decided that it would be more beneficial for the 18 year old rookie to have another go in junior playing for the Barrie Colts. "It's a men's league," Noel said when talking about his decision; "I think his game is still good," Noel said. "He's a good player. I think he's going to be a tremendous player. I don't think anything has changed. I think the league... it's a men's league."

The 18 year old from Kitchener Ontario; tore it up during the preseason, racking up 8 points in 5 games, and had a smile that quickly won him the love of the Jets faithful. But after a slow start to the regular season for the Jets going 2-4-1, and Scheifele contributing 1 point, it was clear that he needed more time to develop his game and get ready for the NHL. After seeing his ice-time all but evaporate, Scheifele was just seeing 7 minutes of ice time in his last 2 games. Sending down the young Scheifele show`s the Jets are not going to put up with the notion of needing time to adapt back into the NHL as the jets, they want to win and if Scheifele isn`t going to help that then, he needs more time to develop. "We deal in progress," the coach said. "That's what we're trying to do. This is a good move for him. He's going to learn a lot there. He has a good coach in Dale Hawerchuk. He'll learn how to become a dominant player at that level and that's the right move for him." Scheifele was the Jets first pick and the 7th overall pick in the entry draft the June, he surprised many with his preseason production, but succumbed to the pressure of only being 18 and being thrust into the NHL, its a transition few can make right away. "It’s a development process, and when you sit back and put it into perspective, at 18 years old, that’s a big feather in his cap to have earned the opportunity to play the seven games here this year," Cheveldayoff said.

The choice of sending him back to junior was a good choice. In Barrie with the Colts, he will get a chance to be a key player in the success of the Colts; instead of being a 3rd or 4th line player, and getting discouraged with the lack of ice time and his team losing. Scheifele will likely dominate in junior, after a first season success with  22 goals and 75 points in 66 games. The most important point that everyone seems to be forgetting is now Scheifele will be eligible to play for team Canada at the Junior tournament in December. If Scheifele wins a championship with the improved Barrie Colts, wins a scoring championship or an MVP and a gold medal at the WJC, that will give him all confidence he needs to excel at the NHL level. With the experience he will gain will be perfect for him. Jets and the Jets fans have seen just enough of Scheifele to be excited about his future with the team, we may even see Scheifele back in a Jets uniform near the end of the season. "We were very, very ecstatic about him coming in, the way he played in Penticton, what he did in the exhibition season and the way he handled himself at the NHL level in the regular season," he said. "He showed that he thinks the game very well. He's very responsible defensively, which at this stage of his career is a very, very good sign."

 Scheifele was 3 games away from his NHL contract kicking in. If a player plays 10 NHL games, he is automatically getting paid and entry level contract no matter how games the player plays in the NHL. Plus it counts as a full season. That fact probably weighed heavily with the decision to demote Scheifele to junior.
Scheifele is a little small, and needs to put on some weight during his stay in junior, to get bigger to handle the rough physical play of the grown men in the NHL. “He’s a humble person. He worked hard,” Cheveldayoff said. “He took nothing for granted from the moment he stepped into the locker-room at rookie camp. Scheifele took the demotion in stride, and kept his smile all the way out the door. Don`t feel to bad for the rookie, his 17 day stay in Winnipeg earned him $85,000.

With Sceifele being sent down, it leaves only 5 players from the entry draft in June still around with their respective teams; C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton, LW Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado, D Adam Larsson, New Jersey, C Mika Zibanejad, Ottawa and C Sean Couturier, Philadelphia. My guess is Mika Zibanejad will be the next to join Scheifele in junior. Zibanejad is having much of the start that Scheifele had, having scored just 1 point in 8 games.

Scheifele is a Colt agian

To put it simply, Mark Scheifele is simply not ready to play a full NHL season in his rookie season.
Head coach of the Winnipeg Jets Claude Noel decided that it would be more beneficial for the 18 year old rookie to have another go in junior playing for the Barrie Colts. "It's a men's league," Noel said when talking about his decision; "I think his game is still good," Noel said. "He's a good player. I think he's going to be a tremendous player. I don't think anything has changed. I think the league... it's a men's league."

The 18 year old from Kitchener Ontario; tore it up during the preseason, racking up 8 points in 5 games, and had a smile that quickly won him the love of the Jets faithful. But after a slow start to the regular season for the Jets going 2-4-1, and Scheifele contributing 1 point, it was clear that he needed more time to develop his game and get ready for the NHL. After seeing his ice-time all but evaporate, Scheifele was just seeing 7 minutes of ice time in his last 2 games. Sending down the young Scheifele show`s the Jets are not going to put up with the notion of needing time to adapt back into the NHL as the jets, they want to win and if Scheifele isn`t going to help that then, he needs more time to develop. "We deal in progress," the coach said. "That's what we're trying to do. This is a good move for him. He's going to learn a lot there. He has a good coach in Dale Hawerchuk. He'll learn how to become a dominant player at that level and that's the right move for him." Scheifele was the Jets first pick and the 7th overall pick in the entry draft the June, he surprised many with his preseason production, but succumbed to the pressure of only being 18 and being thrust into the NHL, its a transition few can make right away. "It’s a development process, and when you sit back and put it into perspective, at 18 years old, that’s a big feather in his cap to have earned the opportunity to play the seven games here this year," Cheveldayoff said.

The choice of sending him back to junior was a good choice. In Barrie with the Colts, he will get a chance to be a key player in the success of the Colts; instead of being a 3rd or 4th line player, and getting discouraged with the lack of ice time and his team losing. Scheifele will likely dominate in junior, after a first season success with  22 goals and 75 points in 66 games. The most important point that everyone seems to be forgetting is now Scheifele will be eligible to play for team Canada at the Junior tournament in December. If Scheifele wins a championship with the improved Barrie Colts, wins a scoring championship or an MVP and a gold medal at the WJC, that will give him all confidence he needs to excel at the NHL level. With the experience he will gain will be perfect for him. Jets and the Jets fans have seen just enough of Scheifele to be excited about his future with the team, we may even see Scheifele back in a Jets uniform near the end of the season. "We were very, very ecstatic about him coming in, the way he played in Penticton, what he did in the exhibition season and the way he handled himself at the NHL level in the regular season," he said. "He showed that he thinks the game very well. He's very responsible defensively, which at this stage of his career is a very, very good sign."

 Scheifele was 3 games away from his NHL contract kicking in. If a player plays 10 NHL games, he is automatically getting paid and entry level contract no matter how games the player plays in the NHL. Plus it counts as a full season. That fact probably weighed heavily with the decision to demote Scheifele to junior.
Scheifele is a little small, and needs to put on some weight during his stay in junior, to get bigger to handle the rough physical play of the grown men in the NHL. “He’s a humble person. He worked hard,” Cheveldayoff said. “He took nothing for granted from the moment he stepped into the locker-room at rookie camp. Scheifele took the demotion in stride, and kept his smile all the way out the door. Don`t feel to bad for the rookie, his 17 day stay in Winnipeg earned him $85,000.

With Sceifele being sent down, it leaves only 5 players from the entry draft in June still around with their respective teams; C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Edmonton, LW Gabriel Landeskog, Colorado, D Adam Larsson, New Jersey, C Mika Zibanejad, Ottawa and C Sean Couturier, Philadelphia. My guess is Mika Zibanejad will be the next to join Scheifele in junior. Zibanejad is having much of the start that Scheifele had, having scored just 1 point in 8 games.

Who's hot and who's not

Well were roughly 6 games into the regular season (depending on teams) so Lets see who's producing and helping their teams and who's not.

Phil Kessel
I know for myself I did not see this super start to the season for Leafs superstar Phil Kessel, I was just hoping for an ordinary season out of him, but right now he is on pace to reach the 40 goal plateau. Kessel has 7 goals in 5 games, and 12 points to go with it. Now Kessel will likely not be able to keep this pace up for the whole season, but he's helping the Leafs win right now, and thats what counts. With this amazing start to the season Kessel has been dubbed Phil the Thrill Kessel. I am very impressed with his start, and what makes this fast season start different that other seasons, is that he is more mature; He is now playing a full 200ft game, and he thinks about passing almost as much as shooting now.


Luke Schenn
Schenn has not gotten off to the start the he and everyone else would have liked him to have. Last season Schenn averaged 22 minutes a game, but so far this season Schenn has yet to see any ice time close to that. Worse than the diminished ice time, is he looks horrible when goals are scored against the Leafs, he losing coverage and cant seem to clear the puck out of his own defensive end. The early season struggles has many saying Schenn has caught the Komisarek virus. One possible reason to the slow start, his the massive contract Luke Schenn and The Leafs agreed to right before camp, a 5 year extension that will see Schenn earn 3.5 million per year. i think its just a matter of time before Schenn steps up his game, but until than Leafs fans can expect to see Schenn's minutes stay low. For him to snap out of this funk he needs to keep his game simple; 1 pass out of the zone.

James Neal

Not going to lie here, when I heard that Pittsburgh penguins forward James Neal was scoring all these goals, I had to think to myself; Pittsburgh has a James Neal? Low and behold they do, and he is a Canadian to boot. In 8 games with the penguins he has 6 goals (2nd) and 7 points. He is helping fill the void of not having Crosby, Malkin and Letang. Making life for the Penguins a little bit easier. But I have never heard of this kid? so where did he come too. The Penguins required Neal at the trade deadline from the Stars last season. Right now Neal is on pace to score 30 goals, and its not seeming so far fetched anymore.


Thomas Vanek

Now you had to know there would be a Sabres player in the mix somewhere in this blog, so its a good thing Vanek is playing well right, or else I would have to stretch the truth a little, (jokes). In the 5 games the Sabres have played thus far Vanek has been producing; 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points. Now that may not be as many goals as Phil Kessel. but its when Vanek is scoring his goals, they are coming at crucial times. Vanek scored the second goal of the win against the Canadians, with 2.8 seconds left in 2nd to put the Sabres up 2-1 heading into intermission. Vanek a little upset that he was an assistant captain instead of the captain is showing the Sabres organization that maybe they should have given a little more thought to him wearing the C. Regardless he is playing like a leader on this reformed Sabres team, that has new faces from right to left. Im  hoping Vanek will be able to keep this pace up and help this Sabres team make a deep run into the playoffs.

Matt Read
A Philadelphia Flyers rookie, who no one knew, until Tuesday when he put up 4 points in a 7-2 win over the Senators. The young kid has 6 points in 5 games this season. This is Reads first time playing in the NHL, and he`s making a case, to play a whole season with the Flyers. with 2 goals and 4 helpers, he`s making a name for himself in Philly.

Roberto Luongo
I hate to say it, well actually I dont since I`m not a fan of Luongo, but he is playing horrible to start the season. Remember Luongo`s less than Stellar play in the cup finals last spring? yeah well he`s decided thats how he will start this year! with less than stellar goaltending. Luongo is ranked 37th out of goaltenders with his GAA of 3.70 goals a game and a very sad Save Percentage of .856% Luongo can be quite a spectacular goalie, when he decides to actually play like an elite goaltender. Until Luongo steps his game up, he will remain the ire of Canuck fans. Right now Luongo has forgetton the basics of goaltending and his flopping around like a fish out of water. As much as everyone loves to blame Luongo, unless his teammates score, their not going to win no matter how well he plays.

Dwayne Roloson

The grey haired veteran who helped get the Lightning into the 2nd round of last years playoffs, has not a a good start tot the season to say the least. The Lightning as a whole have given up 26 goals in their first 6 games. (4 goals a game) and a 6.73 goals-against average in his last three starts. The 42 year old will need to pick up his play if the Lightning are going to claw their way out of 12th in the east into a playoff start.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Now the first over all draft pick in this past draft may not be considered as playing "hot" so to speak, but he did record his first NHL career hat- trick in only his 3rd NHL game. Pretty impressive for such a young star. Right now in Edmonton Hopkins is being dubbed the "oilers savoiur" as with the addition of Hopkins to an already star studded team, they believe he will lead the team back to the post season. Strange that he is getting higher rating than Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, but hey cut the kid some slack and let him play his game, maybe in a year or two, we will see the oilers back in the post season. So far Nugent-Hopkins has 5 points in 5 NHL games, the hat trick helped with the points thats for sure. There is no question this kid is going to be good, the question is how good?

Alexander Ovechkin
This one breaks my heart a little bit, I love Ovie and I though he's have a better start to a year, he knows the Capitals need to go big. But through 5 games this season Ovechkin only has 1 goal! 1 goal?!?!?!? are you kidding me??? Its not like he's helping else where either, only 2 assists and a +/--2. Where is the Ovechkin we all love, or at least love to hate.  Lucky for Capitals fans the Washington Capitals are still 5-0-0 without Ovechkin doing anything at all. But this success without Ovechkin contributing can not last long and will lead to another early exit from the post season. Want to know a secret? Ovechkin is afraid to hit! He thinks if he hits someone he will suspended. When Ovechkin hits without any remorse he plays just fine and is on fire, but when he doesn't hit, he plays like crap. This new crack down on hits is making Ovechkin get off his game. Ovechkin needs to get his game back up to full speed, hit a few guys and not worry about the consequences of his hits only then will Capitals fans get to see the real great 8 at his best.

Marc-Andre Bergeron
The Lightning's best player thus far to be sure. Has already matched the numbers he put up all last season and were only 6 games in. Right now Bergeron is sitting a 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points. Another positive is he doesn't have a negative -/+ rating quite yet. He is currently leading the league in goals scored by defenceman, pretty impressive for a guy who had 8 points all of last season. All of the drafties are kicking themselves for not taking a chance and drafting this guy thats for sure. With Bergeron riding hot and quarterbacking this Lightning power play there is no telling how many goals and points this guy will rack up, maybe even doubling his points from last season. 


John Tavares
What can I say about this kid, he signed a deal keeping him on long island for the foreseeable future and stating that he has faith in his team. This could have easily jumped ship and found another team in an instant, but he believes in the new Islanders team. Good thing he stayed because he is on fire right now! on a 3 game win streak right now Tavares has put up 5 goals and 3 assists for 8 points in 4 games to start off the season. Now it may become the same old story for the Isles, and they mall fall short of the playoffs again, but I think this is the year we will see Tavares step up and be a league leader in goals and points. This kid has a lot of maturity and has a lot of talent. I see good things for Tavares and the islanders


P.K. Subban
The young flashy Montreal Canadian is off to quite a slow start, and he's hearing about it. Whats being dubbed as the PK show is starting to really get on peoples nerves, with just 1 win int he first 5 games, the Canadians need players to step up. Montreal is relieing on Subban quite heavily as the youngster is averaging 24:55 minutes a game. But Subban has made a couple of boo boo's and has been out of position for many a goal scored against the Canadians.  But Subban is sticking to his guns and is not about to change his game anytime soon. But right now he should reconsider it, as he is off to a very slow start, something the Canadians do not need. One reason Subban is getting hung out to dry is there have been a number of injuries to Canadians defencmen, making it near impossible for them to "rest" Subban when he isn't on his game. With many errors to start off the season many are wondering if his rookie season was a bit a fluke, and if he has returned to being a diva who still needs to learn his place in the league. 


Please not this blog was made on Thursday Afternoon, right before 11 games on Thursday night, some of these stats may be slightly altered based on Thursday nights games. So for those of you who's players are not playing well right now, don't worry its still early, remember it is an 82 game season, still lots of time. For those of you, who's players are playing well, remember its still early, stuff could change, almost all NHL players go into a slump at some point during the season. Hope you enjoyed this edition of "who's hot and whos not".

Who's hot and who's not

Well were roughly 6 games into the regular season (depending on teams) so Lets see who's producing and helping their teams and who's not.

Phil Kessel
I know for myself I did not see this super start to the season for Leafs superstar Phil Kessel, I was just hoping for an ordinary season out of him, but right now he is on pace to reach the 40 goal plateau. Kessel has 7 goals in 5 games, and 12 points to go with it. Now Kessel will likely not be able to keep this pace up for the whole season, but he's helping the Leafs win right now, and thats what counts. With this amazing start to the season Kessel has been dubbed Phil the Thrill Kessel. I am very impressed with his start, and what makes this fast season start different that other seasons, is that he is more mature; He is now playing a full 200ft game, and he thinks about passing almost as much as shooting now.


Luke Schenn
Schenn has not gotten off to the start the he and everyone else would have liked him to have. Last season Schenn averaged 22 minutes a game, but so far this season Schenn has yet to see any ice time close to that. Worse than the diminished ice time, is he looks horrible when goals are scored against the Leafs, he losing coverage and cant seem to clear the puck out of his own defensive end. The early season struggles has many saying Schenn has caught the Komisarek virus. One possible reason to the slow start, his the massive contract Luke Schenn and The Leafs agreed to right before camp, a 5 year extension that will see Schenn earn 3.5 million per year. i think its just a matter of time before Schenn steps up his game, but until than Leafs fans can expect to see Schenn's minutes stay low. For him to snap out of this funk he needs to keep his game simple; 1 pass out of the zone.

James Neal

Not going to lie here, when I heard that Pittsburgh penguins forward James Neal was scoring all these goals, I had to think to myself; Pittsburgh has a James Neal? Low and behold they do, and he is a Canadian to boot. In 8 games with the penguins he has 6 goals (2nd) and 7 points. He is helping fill the void of not having Crosby, Malkin and Letang. Making life for the Penguins a little bit easier. But I have never heard of this kid? so where did he come too. The Penguins required Neal at the trade deadline from the Stars last season. Right now Neal is on pace to score 30 goals, and its not seeming so far fetched anymore.


Thomas Vanek

Now you had to know there would be a Sabres player in the mix somewhere in this blog, so its a good thing Vanek is playing well right, or else I would have to stretch the truth a little, (jokes). In the 5 games the Sabres have played thus far Vanek has been producing; 4 goals and 4 assists for 8 points. Now that may not be as many goals as Phil Kessel. but its when Vanek is scoring his goals, they are coming at crucial times. Vanek scored the second goal of the win against the Canadians, with 2.8 seconds left in 2nd to put the Sabres up 2-1 heading into intermission. Vanek a little upset that he was an assistant captain instead of the captain is showing the Sabres organization that maybe they should have given a little more thought to him wearing the C. Regardless he is playing like a leader on this reformed Sabres team, that has new faces from right to left. Im  hoping Vanek will be able to keep this pace up and help this Sabres team make a deep run into the playoffs.

Matt Read
A Philadelphia Flyers rookie, who no one knew, until Tuesday when he put up 4 points in a 7-2 win over the Senators. The young kid has 6 points in 5 games this season. This is Reads first time playing in the NHL, and he`s making a case, to play a whole season with the Flyers. with 2 goals and 4 helpers, he`s making a name for himself in Philly.

Roberto Luongo
I hate to say it, well actually I dont since I`m not a fan of Luongo, but he is playing horrible to start the season. Remember Luongo`s less than Stellar play in the cup finals last spring? yeah well he`s decided thats how he will start this year! with less than stellar goaltending. Luongo is ranked 37th out of goaltenders with his GAA of 3.70 goals a game and a very sad Save Percentage of .856% Luongo can be quite a spectacular goalie, when he decides to actually play like an elite goaltender. Until Luongo steps his game up, he will remain the ire of Canuck fans. Right now Luongo has forgetton the basics of goaltending and his flopping around like a fish out of water. As much as everyone loves to blame Luongo, unless his teammates score, their not going to win no matter how well he plays.

Dwayne Roloson

The grey haired veteran who helped get the Lightning into the 2nd round of last years playoffs, has not a a good start tot the season to say the least. The Lightning as a whole have given up 26 goals in their first 6 games. (4 goals a game) and a 6.73 goals-against average in his last three starts. The 42 year old will need to pick up his play if the Lightning are going to claw their way out of 12th in the east into a playoff start.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
Now the first over all draft pick in this past draft may not be considered as playing "hot" so to speak, but he did record his first NHL career hat- trick in only his 3rd NHL game. Pretty impressive for such a young star. Right now in Edmonton Hopkins is being dubbed the "oilers savoiur" as with the addition of Hopkins to an already star studded team, they believe he will lead the team back to the post season. Strange that he is getting higher rating than Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle, but hey cut the kid some slack and let him play his game, maybe in a year or two, we will see the oilers back in the post season. So far Nugent-Hopkins has 5 points in 5 NHL games, the hat trick helped with the points thats for sure. There is no question this kid is going to be good, the question is how good?

Alexander Ovechkin
This one breaks my heart a little bit, I love Ovie and I though he's have a better start to a year, he knows the Capitals need to go big. But through 5 games this season Ovechkin only has 1 goal! 1 goal?!?!?!? are you kidding me??? Its not like he's helping else where either, only 2 assists and a +/--2. Where is the Ovechkin we all love, or at least love to hate.  Lucky for Capitals fans the Washington Capitals are still 5-0-0 without Ovechkin doing anything at all. But this success without Ovechkin contributing can not last long and will lead to another early exit from the post season. Want to know a secret? Ovechkin is afraid to hit! He thinks if he hits someone he will suspended. When Ovechkin hits without any remorse he plays just fine and is on fire, but when he doesn't hit, he plays like crap. This new crack down on hits is making Ovechkin get off his game. Ovechkin needs to get his game back up to full speed, hit a few guys and not worry about the consequences of his hits only then will Capitals fans get to see the real great 8 at his best.

Marc-Andre Bergeron
The Lightning's best player thus far to be sure. Has already matched the numbers he put up all last season and were only 6 games in. Right now Bergeron is sitting a 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points. Another positive is he doesn't have a negative -/+ rating quite yet. He is currently leading the league in goals scored by defenceman, pretty impressive for a guy who had 8 points all of last season. All of the drafties are kicking themselves for not taking a chance and drafting this guy thats for sure. With Bergeron riding hot and quarterbacking this Lightning power play there is no telling how many goals and points this guy will rack up, maybe even doubling his points from last season. 


John Tavares
What can I say about this kid, he signed a deal keeping him on long island for the foreseeable future and stating that he has faith in his team. This could have easily jumped ship and found another team in an instant, but he believes in the new Islanders team. Good thing he stayed because he is on fire right now! on a 3 game win streak right now Tavares has put up 5 goals and 3 assists for 8 points in 4 games to start off the season. Now it may become the same old story for the Isles, and they mall fall short of the playoffs again, but I think this is the year we will see Tavares step up and be a league leader in goals and points. This kid has a lot of maturity and has a lot of talent. I see good things for Tavares and the islanders


P.K. Subban
The young flashy Montreal Canadian is off to quite a slow start, and he's hearing about it. Whats being dubbed as the PK show is starting to really get on peoples nerves, with just 1 win int he first 5 games, the Canadians need players to step up. Montreal is relieing on Subban quite heavily as the youngster is averaging 24:55 minutes a game. But Subban has made a couple of boo boo's and has been out of position for many a goal scored against the Canadians.  But Subban is sticking to his guns and is not about to change his game anytime soon. But right now he should reconsider it, as he is off to a very slow start, something the Canadians do not need. One reason Subban is getting hung out to dry is there have been a number of injuries to Canadians defencmen, making it near impossible for them to "rest" Subban when he isn't on his game. With many errors to start off the season many are wondering if his rookie season was a bit a fluke, and if he has returned to being a diva who still needs to learn his place in the league. 


Please not this blog was made on Thursday Afternoon, right before 11 games on Thursday night, some of these stats may be slightly altered based on Thursday nights games. So for those of you who's players are not playing well right now, don't worry its still early, remember it is an 82 game season, still lots of time. For those of you, who's players are playing well, remember its still early, stuff could change, almost all NHL players go into a slump at some point during the season. Hope you enjoyed this edition of "who's hot and whos not".

Its Hockey not WWE

Well lets talk about a bit of an ugly incident from the Penguins vs. Capitals from last week. I know I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but hey I wanna chime in as well.
As everyone one (or at least all hockey fans) know the Penguins and the Capitals are 2 hockey team that don't like each other to say the least! One of the most heated rivalries in the NHL, it generally stems from both teams arguably having the 2 best players in the league; Ovechkin and Crosby. But after Ovechkin and the Capitals rolled out of Pittsburgh with a 3-2 OT victory, the game was the last thing people wanted to talk about.
In the 3rd period of the contest, Penguins tough guy Arron Asham decided to drop the mitts with Capitals Jay Beagle. Right away Beagle was way over his head, as Asham is a tough guy and has been in his fair share of fights, but instead of the fight ending with a deadly left from Asham, this fight got a little more dramatic. Asham delivered a series of 2 punches that knocked Jay Beagle out cold, then following his impressive knock-out Asham decided to go all WWE style and show the fans what happened to Beagle "going to sleep" with a couple of gestures. These gestures just added more fuel to the fire that is the Capitals vs. penguins. Reporters and NHLers everywhere chimed in and called it a classless act on behalf of Arron Asham. Alex Ovechkin said, "It's not [Beagle's] job to fight. It looked kind of unrespectful (sic). I don't know … I think it's kind of unrespectful."

Right away people started debating weather Asham would be suspended or if he had chosen a guy to just beat up instead of a real fighter. But it is immportant to note, that both Beagle and Asham AGREED to fight. Now the job of the fighter (Asham) in this case is to pump up the crowd and his respective teammates by winning the fight. Should both Asham and Beagle have gotten up to their feet right after the fight, a little arm swing by Asham would have been totally acceptable, But in hockey they "code" is if a fight knock out or injures his opponent the victor is supposed to just skate away to show a sign of respect for his opponent. Asham issue gestures meaning "its over" and "he's sleeping" so therefore Asham knew full well that Beagle was hurt and not getting back up on his own. Now due to rule 75.2 (i) an unsportsmanlike conduct monor penalty shall be assessed … [if] any identifiable player uses obscene, profane or abusive language or gestures directed at any person.” With Ashams post fight gestures, he stepped into an area of unsportsmanlike conduct and therefore should have received an extra penalty on top of his match penalty for fighting. But the right call was made to NOT suspend Asham, there was no question that Asham did deliver a shot to Beagle's head, infact he delivered 2 shots, but the shots delivered to Beagles head are deemed legal by the NHL since they came from a fight that both players had agreed to participate in. Rule 48- “Illegal Checking to the Head“.  These were shots to the head occurring in a fair, one-on-one fight, not a head shot delivered with a shoulder or elbow to an unsuspecting player. Beagle knew what the end result could have been when he dropped the gloves.

Unfortunately for Asham he just got caught up in the adrenaline of the game, and made some gestures that even he himself regrets; "It's unfortunate the way the fight ended," he said in a post-game media scrum. "I obviously want to win but I don't want to go out there and hurt anyone. My gesture after it was done - I was into the game - it was uncalled for; classless on my part. I think those guys know I'm not that kind of guy to be going off, but it was a big game, I wanted to get my bench going, and classless move on my part." The fight was a response to Beagle knocking Kris Letangs helmet off in a scrum.“It’s no different than ‘Ovie’ throwing his stick down and rubbing his hands over it,” Asham said.  “It’s a part of the game.  I didn’t want to hurt the kid but it’s just the way it happens.” If it wasn't with the way everything in the news is portraying fighters and their deaths, I don't believe this fight would have gotten so much negative attention, Asham's gestures after what was a normal fight were inappropriate yes, but not a huge deal. Afterwards Asham went to former teammate and Caps veteran Mike Knuble, to check up on Beagle and apologize for his "showboating." The good thing here is that Asham realized what he had done, and was legitimately sorry for his actions.

Hockey is becoming the topic of discussion, whether it be the fights, the concussions or the head shots, Hockey needs to somehow get out of the limelight and take a step back, to much negative attention is going on around the game we love, its making people who don't know a didlysquat about the game try to change it, dare i say this attention is ruining the game. I'm sorry but in my humble opinion fighting belongs and needs to stay in the game, its fun its entertaining and it can change the whole momentum of the game. rarely do we see these kinds of minor blemishes. Players know, you do something stupid, your going to have to step up to the plate and pay the price for what you did. Without out that fight after a cheap shot, there is a sense of accountability missing from the game. Beagle needs to accept some responsibility here, why would you choose to have your first NHL fight against someone who has been in 93 fights, as Asham, the outcome was too predictable. The sad thing is Asham didn't want to fight Beagle at all! “I was kind of telling him to settle down and stop running around or he was going to have to fight. He wanted to fight and it’s unfortunate he got hurt,” Asham said. People stop trying to ruin our game! hockey is a sport for real men, not little pussy's! Fighting was not the issue here, the issue was Asham's actions so lets stop trying to take fighting out of the game, please people, just relax!

Its Hockey not WWE

Well lets talk about a bit of an ugly incident from the Penguins vs. Capitals from last week. I know I'm a bit late to the party on this one, but hey I wanna chime in as well.
As everyone one (or at least all hockey fans) know the Penguins and the Capitals are 2 hockey team that don't like each other to say the least! One of the most heated rivalries in the NHL, it generally stems from both teams arguably having the 2 best players in the league; Ovechkin and Crosby. But after Ovechkin and the Capitals rolled out of Pittsburgh with a 3-2 OT victory, the game was the last thing people wanted to talk about.
In the 3rd period of the contest, Penguins tough guy Arron Asham decided to drop the mitts with Capitals Jay Beagle. Right away Beagle was way over his head, as Asham is a tough guy and has been in his fair share of fights, but instead of the fight ending with a deadly left from Asham, this fight got a little more dramatic. Asham delivered a series of 2 punches that knocked Jay Beagle out cold, then following his impressive knock-out Asham decided to go all WWE style and show the fans what happened to Beagle "going to sleep" with a couple of gestures. These gestures just added more fuel to the fire that is the Capitals vs. penguins. Reporters and NHLers everywhere chimed in and called it a classless act on behalf of Arron Asham. Alex Ovechkin said, "It's not [Beagle's] job to fight. It looked kind of unrespectful (sic). I don't know … I think it's kind of unrespectful."

Right away people started debating weather Asham would be suspended or if he had chosen a guy to just beat up instead of a real fighter. But it is immportant to note, that both Beagle and Asham AGREED to fight. Now the job of the fighter (Asham) in this case is to pump up the crowd and his respective teammates by winning the fight. Should both Asham and Beagle have gotten up to their feet right after the fight, a little arm swing by Asham would have been totally acceptable, But in hockey they "code" is if a fight knock out or injures his opponent the victor is supposed to just skate away to show a sign of respect for his opponent. Asham issue gestures meaning "its over" and "he's sleeping" so therefore Asham knew full well that Beagle was hurt and not getting back up on his own. Now due to rule 75.2 (i) an unsportsmanlike conduct monor penalty shall be assessed … [if] any identifiable player uses obscene, profane or abusive language or gestures directed at any person.” With Ashams post fight gestures, he stepped into an area of unsportsmanlike conduct and therefore should have received an extra penalty on top of his match penalty for fighting. But the right call was made to NOT suspend Asham, there was no question that Asham did deliver a shot to Beagle's head, infact he delivered 2 shots, but the shots delivered to Beagles head are deemed legal by the NHL since they came from a fight that both players had agreed to participate in. Rule 48- “Illegal Checking to the Head“.  These were shots to the head occurring in a fair, one-on-one fight, not a head shot delivered with a shoulder or elbow to an unsuspecting player. Beagle knew what the end result could have been when he dropped the gloves.

Unfortunately for Asham he just got caught up in the adrenaline of the game, and made some gestures that even he himself regrets; "It's unfortunate the way the fight ended," he said in a post-game media scrum. "I obviously want to win but I don't want to go out there and hurt anyone. My gesture after it was done - I was into the game - it was uncalled for; classless on my part. I think those guys know I'm not that kind of guy to be going off, but it was a big game, I wanted to get my bench going, and classless move on my part." The fight was a response to Beagle knocking Kris Letangs helmet off in a scrum.“It’s no different than ‘Ovie’ throwing his stick down and rubbing his hands over it,” Asham said.  “It’s a part of the game.  I didn’t want to hurt the kid but it’s just the way it happens.” If it wasn't with the way everything in the news is portraying fighters and their deaths, I don't believe this fight would have gotten so much negative attention, Asham's gestures after what was a normal fight were inappropriate yes, but not a huge deal. Afterwards Asham went to former teammate and Caps veteran Mike Knuble, to check up on Beagle and apologize for his "showboating." The good thing here is that Asham realized what he had done, and was legitimately sorry for his actions.

Hockey is becoming the topic of discussion, whether it be the fights, the concussions or the head shots, Hockey needs to somehow get out of the limelight and take a step back, to much negative attention is going on around the game we love, its making people who don't know a didlysquat about the game try to change it, dare i say this attention is ruining the game. I'm sorry but in my humble opinion fighting belongs and needs to stay in the game, its fun its entertaining and it can change the whole momentum of the game. rarely do we see these kinds of minor blemishes. Players know, you do something stupid, your going to have to step up to the plate and pay the price for what you did. Without out that fight after a cheap shot, there is a sense of accountability missing from the game. Beagle needs to accept some responsibility here, why would you choose to have your first NHL fight against someone who has been in 93 fights, as Asham, the outcome was too predictable. The sad thing is Asham didn't want to fight Beagle at all! “I was kind of telling him to settle down and stop running around or he was going to have to fight. He wanted to fight and it’s unfortunate he got hurt,” Asham said. People stop trying to ruin our game! hockey is a sport for real men, not little pussy's! Fighting was not the issue here, the issue was Asham's actions so lets stop trying to take fighting out of the game, please people, just relax!

Phil Kessel

Back on September 18 2009, Leafs fans were wondering if Leafs GM Brian Burke had lost his marbles. He organized a blockbuster trade, sending 3 draft picks, (2 of them 1st rounders) to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Phil Kessel. Upon arrival to Maple Leafs, Kessel had a slow start and had fans jumping off his bandwagon as fast as possible. Despite the slow and streaky play of Kessel he has managed 3 straight 30 goal seasons, and is on pace to reach a 40 goal season for the first time in his NHL career.
Phil Kessel entering his 3rd season with Leafs, is on fire, leading the league in scoring with 5 goals and 8 points in 3 games thus far in the 2011/2012 season. So with Kessel leading the league in scoring, it begs the question, can Kessel keep this pace up for the entire season? After last seasons less than stellar campaign, and being turned into the league laughingstock after being the last pick for the All-Star game, Kessel has seemed to revamp his play. Not only is he excelling offensively, which is normal for him at the start of a season scoring seven goals in 10 games in Oct. 2010, and  25 goals in 43 career October games, but he is becoming a complete 2 way player and a leader on this young Maple Leaf hockey team. “It probably came out of the constant discussions that if you’re not scoring, what can you do to help the team?,” Wilson said after the Leafs' morning skate on Monday. “He wants to participate a little bit on the PK (penalty kill), as an example, and I’ve told him ‘I not going to put you out on the PK unless you’ve got a 200-foot game going.’ It’s not going to be the cart before the horse. The horse has gotta be first, and that would be getting the game done defensively, five on five, and then we’ll think about the PK.” There is no doubt the playing hockey in a city like Toronto who is just crazed about the sport, is not easy, the fans are ruthless and the media is worse, Kessel has been called a superstar but then criticized for not playing like one, and has been under a microscope since everyone heard about the major price tag that came with Kessel. But is Kessel finally grown up and ready to play in the hockey market of Toronto?
Now it is only 3 games into a season that has 82 games, and 3 games doesn't make a season, (but can certainly end one) and the leafs have been playing 3 pretty weak teams, and wont face a "true" cup contending team until the face the Bruins on Thursday. So lets not put the cart before the horse so to speak.
Coming off arguably his best game as a Leaf, Kessel scored 2 goals to help his team overcome a 2 goal deficit and beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Saturday. It would appear that Kessel is scoring goals that are actually helping his team, instead of the second goal in a 5-2 loss. But since Febuary the 10th of last season Kessel has 18 goals and 19 assists in his last 31 games.
So Kessel has finally become a 2 way team player. Not only does he score goals, but he has also shown that he is willing to pass the puck to his teammates, as well as  hustle back hard on the back check to help out the Defence. Kessel was named the NHL's 1st star of the week and it was well deserved. “Statistically it’s pretty clear in the way he’s played. There are some great performances obviously throughout the league, but Phil’s done it in every game, so I think it’s deserved,” coach Ron Wilson said of the honour. So what is Kessel crediting his success to? his line mates; “Without my linemates, it wouldn’t be possible,” Kessel said of being honoured by the league. “They’re getting me the puck in good areas and right now we’re clicking.” Currently Kessel is playing with Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul a far cry from what the number one line was supposed to look like coming out of training camp. That just it this, line that was assembled for tempory fix while new number one center Tim Connolly heals from injury, has been one of the top lines in the NHL to start the season. This line has accounted for 7 of 11 goals scored by Toronto. “I’ve always known that defence turns to offence,” said Bozak, who had a pair of assists in the Leafs’ 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.  "I think it has a huge effect," said linemate Tyler Bozak. "When guys see Phil going as hard as he can and playing the way he is, it definitely puts a spark in all the other guys. He's a leader on the ice and guys follow him. When he's playing well it makes everyone work extra hard." With the help of his linemates, Kessel was able to record his first hat-trick as a member of the Maple Leafs.
But the question remains, how will Kessel cope when the pucks stop going in the net. He will need to keep playing a sound 200 foot game, but will he resort back, to his selfish puck hogging ways?
I don't believe so, At 24 years of age and 6 seasons in the NHL I think Kessel is finally maturing and "getting" what it means to be an elite player in the NHL. I think Kessel has finally turned that corner in his career, where he cares and wants to help his team win whatever way he can. Now no one truthfully expects Kessel to continue scoring at this pace, but if he can post a 40 goal campaign, he might just convince Leafs fans to fall in love with him.
Unfortunately the trade will forever be over thunk and scrutinized, as it saw the Bruins pick up some solid players in Seguin, and Hamilton. But for now I think both teams are happy with how things have worked out; heck the Bruins just won the cup and the Leafs are poised to go 4-0 in back to back seasons for the first time in their history.
Right now I'm on Kessel's side; I vote we leave him alone and just let him play his game and help this team win and maybe even sneak into the playoffs. If Kessel tanks and doesn't even reach 30 goals, then you leafs fans have an argument but for now, he's the best player to be in Toronto since the Sundin era.

Phil Kessel

Back on September 18 2009, Leafs fans were wondering if Leafs GM Brian Burke had lost his marbles. He organized a blockbuster trade, sending 3 draft picks, (2 of them 1st rounders) to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Phil Kessel. Upon arrival to Maple Leafs, Kessel had a slow start and had fans jumping off his bandwagon as fast as possible. Despite the slow and streaky play of Kessel he has managed 3 straight 30 goal seasons, and is on pace to reach a 40 goal season for the first time in his NHL career.
Phil Kessel entering his 3rd season with Leafs, is on fire, leading the league in scoring with 5 goals and 8 points in 3 games thus far in the 2011/2012 season. So with Kessel leading the league in scoring, it begs the question, can Kessel keep this pace up for the entire season? After last seasons less than stellar campaign, and being turned into the league laughingstock after being the last pick for the All-Star game, Kessel has seemed to revamp his play. Not only is he excelling offensively, which is normal for him at the start of a season scoring seven goals in 10 games in Oct. 2010, and  25 goals in 43 career October games, but he is becoming a complete 2 way player and a leader on this young Maple Leaf hockey team. “It probably came out of the constant discussions that if you’re not scoring, what can you do to help the team?,” Wilson said after the Leafs' morning skate on Monday. “He wants to participate a little bit on the PK (penalty kill), as an example, and I’ve told him ‘I not going to put you out on the PK unless you’ve got a 200-foot game going.’ It’s not going to be the cart before the horse. The horse has gotta be first, and that would be getting the game done defensively, five on five, and then we’ll think about the PK.” There is no doubt the playing hockey in a city like Toronto who is just crazed about the sport, is not easy, the fans are ruthless and the media is worse, Kessel has been called a superstar but then criticized for not playing like one, and has been under a microscope since everyone heard about the major price tag that came with Kessel. But is Kessel finally grown up and ready to play in the hockey market of Toronto?
Now it is only 3 games into a season that has 82 games, and 3 games doesn't make a season, (but can certainly end one) and the leafs have been playing 3 pretty weak teams, and wont face a "true" cup contending team until the face the Bruins on Thursday. So lets not put the cart before the horse so to speak.
Coming off arguably his best game as a Leaf, Kessel scored 2 goals to help his team overcome a 2 goal deficit and beat the Calgary Flames 3-2 on Saturday. It would appear that Kessel is scoring goals that are actually helping his team, instead of the second goal in a 5-2 loss. But since Febuary the 10th of last season Kessel has 18 goals and 19 assists in his last 31 games.
So Kessel has finally become a 2 way team player. Not only does he score goals, but he has also shown that he is willing to pass the puck to his teammates, as well as  hustle back hard on the back check to help out the Defence. Kessel was named the NHL's 1st star of the week and it was well deserved. “Statistically it’s pretty clear in the way he’s played. There are some great performances obviously throughout the league, but Phil’s done it in every game, so I think it’s deserved,” coach Ron Wilson said of the honour. So what is Kessel crediting his success to? his line mates; “Without my linemates, it wouldn’t be possible,” Kessel said of being honoured by the league. “They’re getting me the puck in good areas and right now we’re clicking.” Currently Kessel is playing with Tyler Bozak and Joffrey Lupul a far cry from what the number one line was supposed to look like coming out of training camp. That just it this, line that was assembled for tempory fix while new number one center Tim Connolly heals from injury, has been one of the top lines in the NHL to start the season. This line has accounted for 7 of 11 goals scored by Toronto. “I’ve always known that defence turns to offence,” said Bozak, who had a pair of assists in the Leafs’ 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.  "I think it has a huge effect," said linemate Tyler Bozak. "When guys see Phil going as hard as he can and playing the way he is, it definitely puts a spark in all the other guys. He's a leader on the ice and guys follow him. When he's playing well it makes everyone work extra hard." With the help of his linemates, Kessel was able to record his first hat-trick as a member of the Maple Leafs.
But the question remains, how will Kessel cope when the pucks stop going in the net. He will need to keep playing a sound 200 foot game, but will he resort back, to his selfish puck hogging ways?
I don't believe so, At 24 years of age and 6 seasons in the NHL I think Kessel is finally maturing and "getting" what it means to be an elite player in the NHL. I think Kessel has finally turned that corner in his career, where he cares and wants to help his team win whatever way he can. Now no one truthfully expects Kessel to continue scoring at this pace, but if he can post a 40 goal campaign, he might just convince Leafs fans to fall in love with him.
Unfortunately the trade will forever be over thunk and scrutinized, as it saw the Bruins pick up some solid players in Seguin, and Hamilton. But for now I think both teams are happy with how things have worked out; heck the Bruins just won the cup and the Leafs are poised to go 4-0 in back to back seasons for the first time in their history.
Right now I'm on Kessel's side; I vote we leave him alone and just let him play his game and help this team win and maybe even sneak into the playoffs. If Kessel tanks and doesn't even reach 30 goals, then you leafs fans have an argument but for now, he's the best player to be in Toronto since the Sundin era.