Phil Kessel Doesn't Get Enough Credit for Being an Elite NHL Superstar

When it comes to superstar forwards in the NHL, it is safe to say that Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, Alex Ovechkin, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Corey Perry are popular names that roll off the tongue. It isn't surprising given the level of exposure each player has received in one way or another, but there is a player not listed who, by all accounts, should be there.

His name is Phil Kessel, and it is surprising and disappointing that his name doesn't get the positive play that it deserves. He was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 1, and he is going to have a chance to play with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in 2015-16. Doing so is bound to give him an opportunity to score 50 goals and silence his doubters in the process.

While scoring 50 goals would be an impressive achievement, it's arguable that some people don't realize Kessel has already accomplished some impressive feats in recent memory. We will get into it in greater detail later, but over the last five years, he's been one of the greatest goal scorers in the NHL, and he's done it with very little help.

Despite the fact many felt the need to harp on about Kessel for his demeanor, physique and work ethic, he is arguably the biggest star in the league who doesn't get his due on a daily basis. James O'Brien of NBC's Pro Hockey Talk was able to debunk some of these opinions in a post that ran in January, and it was a welcome sight for a change. Jason Brough, also of PHT, came to Kessel's defense when the winger's name entered the rumor mill, and it was for good reason because he's an elite scorer.

Positivity for Kessel and his abilities exists in the media, but there was no shortage of critics passing up the opportunity to wish Kessel well once the trade to the Penguins was finalized.

One column, authored by Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, stands out above the others by a wide margin. The reason it got so much attention is because of some questionable details concerning Kessel and one of his favorite snacks. The Pension Plan Puppets investigated the credibility of Simmons' talk about hot dogs in the post, and Keith Olbermann even devoted some time on his show to examine it. 

Simmons has a history of giving Kessel a tough time, and in his going away present to Phil, he made a bunch of comments about the winger's supposed apathy, his body and things that were just irrelevant.

In his parting blow, Simmons fired a salvo that reads, "The Leafs...treated their own infection—the Penguins playing the part of antibiotic. It doesn’t matter what they got for Kessel. What matters is he’s gone."

Likening Kessel to an infection that was plaguing the Leafs is pretty low, especially when you consider the former Leafs winger is a cancer survivor. He never said that Kessel is a cancer, but he pretty much used all the jargon associated with players who are often referred to as "cancers" in dressing rooms.

This is only being brought up because many often comment on Kessel and his appearance, and as Ian McLaren of the Score pointed out, it isn't something he may explicitly be able to control.

Simmons also said "The Leafs were sick and tired of Kessel. Sick of his act. Tired of his lack of responsibility. Unwilling to begin any reset or rebuild with their highest-paid, most talented, least dedicated player. He didn’t eat right, train right, play right."

This account of Kessel's time in Toronto speaks to how he was perceived by many in Toronto, and it provides some additional context to consider when looking at his contributions over the past few seasons.

Despite the fact it is has been said Kessel can't be the guy, he has proved time and time again that he is capable of rising to the occasion. Since the start of the 2010-11 season, Kessel ranks fourth in the NHL with 151 goals and ninth overall with 339 points.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

In total goals, he only trails Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos and Corey Perry, and in points he trails Claude Giroux, Sidney Crosby, Martin St. Louis, John Tavares, Henrik Sedin and Ryan Getzlaf in addition to the group above sans Perry.

What is most impressive about Kessel's goal-scoring numbers is the fact he's been at a disadvantage in terms of having a setup man. Tyler Bozak is a player who has been miscast as a No. 1 center with the Leafs for a number of years, and it is no coincidence his numbers are solid while flanking Kessel. In all other situations, he's been pretty useless offensively, as pointed out by Sean Gentille of Sporting News.

Since Kessel's excellence as an offensive player is his ability as a goal scorer, here is a look at the top playmakers the four leading scorers have played with and their number of assists recorded since 2010.

Player	Goals	Team	Player	Assists
Alex Ovechkin	206	WSH	Nicklas Backstrom	238
Steven Stamkos	202	TBL	*Martin St. Louis	230 (160 with TB)
Corey Perry	178	ANA	Ryan Getzlaf	238
Phil Kessel	151	TOR	Tyler Bozak	118

After looking at this chart, it is impressive to see how good Kessel was with virtually no help from his pivot. Bozak's 118 assists have him ranked No. 17 among all players during the 2010-2015 span, and that is pretty sad.

After looking at the other three rows, ask yourself the following question, "how many goals would Kessel score with Backstrom, St. Louis or Getzlaf setting him up?" The answer is obviously more than he would alongside Bozak, and we will be able to put an actual number on that once the 2015-16 season ends.

It is understandable that Kessel drew the ire of fans and media in Toronto as the team's best player, but the guy does deserve a break. Fans should celebrate him for being one of the best goal scorers in the league today and being a skilled skater who is actually faster than Tyler Seguin.

His lack of communication with the media shouldn't be held against him; he is a quiet guy who goes about his business. Pittsburgh Penguins GM Jim Rutherford commented on this after acquiring Kessel, and he set the tone early on.

Via Jason Mackey of Trib Total Media, Rutherford said:

"

Everybody has the right to approach [the media] the way they want. Sometimes guys are just shy or they're not comfortable doing it. It's not that they dislike somebody or they're upset because somebody wrote something. Some guys are very comfortable with it, and some guys aren't. I don't think it's right as an organization that we tell someone that they have to do something.

"

It was a welcome stance for Rutherford to take, and Kessel will likely be lower down the list of players who are called out by the press if the Penguins struggle out of the gate. 

At the end of the day, Kessel's tenure in Toronto was impressive statistically, although he will be remembered for not helping the Leafs have success after the regular season. The Maple Leafs' inability to make the playoffs in five of the six seasons Kessel was there is certainly disappointing, but he tallied four goals and six points in the series against the Boston Bruins during the 2012-13 playoffs. 

Kessel will start the 2015-16 season with a clean slate, and hopefully it enables him to continue to grow as a player and finally get the credit and accolades he deserves.

Stats via Hockey-Reference unless otherwise noted.