Tuesday, November 03, 2009

Instant Karma: Kessel Makes his Leaf Debut

Every hockey trade needs a bit of distance to be properly evaluated.

I thought the Leafs had erred when they acquired Dimitri Yushkevich for a first round pick way back in 1995. The pick turned out to be a bust and Yushkevich became one of my all time favourite Leafs.

Tonight Phil Kessel is scheduled to make his Leaf debut. I don't know the last time a player arrived with such heavy expectations - Gilmour? Sundin? It's a debut imbibed with a lot of pressure and huge expectations for a guy who hasn't played a game in six months and is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.

I have no idea how Kessel will play tonight but I fully expect another round of instant so-called analysis based solely on his performance in a single game on a weeknight in November.

Here's hoping we all remember to take a bit more of the long view.

1 comment:

  1. I completed agree with you saying it takes a long time for a trade to be evaluated, especially when it involves 3 very important draft picks. Instead of the debate of whether or not the trade was worth it, Leafs Nation has to put aside their beliefs and think about how to make him the best he can be as a Leaf.
    Having 10 shots while on a line with Stajan is next to unbelievable. Stajan looked lost out there last night. He can't keep up with speedsters like Blake and Kessel. I do know 1 player who would look good there that's under contract... Tyler Bozak? I know he was a -2 with the 1 game he played with the Leafs this regular season but he got an assist. I feel as though a player with the passing ability as well as the speed that he has should be put on the 1st line. Whether or not he is himself a 1st line player, if he's surrounded by them (Blake used to be a 1st line player) then he could be forced into the job.
    thoughts?

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