Phil Kessel is the New Hope in Toronto

Only time will tell if Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke paid too much in order to land his man Phil Kessel. Last April in a season ending news conference Burke preached that the Leafs who haven’t made the playoffs since 2003/04 will be a changed team and will indeed qualify this coming spring for post season play. Burke who took over before Christmas last year added lots of muscle to the lineup this summer and since June has been targeting Kessel from the Boston Bruins. This 21 year-old forward who is a former 2006 first round Bruins pick is coming off a breakthrough season which saw this speedster score 36 goals and 60 points. Even though he is still recovering from off-season rotator cuff surgery that will sideline him until November Burke was determined on landing Kessel who became a victim of the salary cap in Boston. In landing this scorer Burke made a loud and clear statement to the Toronto fans and players alike that he wants to win now. In rolling the dice Burke traded a couple of first round picks (2010 and 2011) and a second. (2010) Even though Kessel is an American citizen he expressed strong excitement in becoming a Maple Leaf. “Bringing Phil Kessel aboard, it’s a statement to our players that we intend to be competitive right away, and I think he gives us a dimension that we need,” Burke said. “Kessel told me he’s walking on air. This is a free agent that could have signed with other teams, he wanted to sign with us, and I think it’s an important pick up for us.” Back in June a deal seemed to be consummated that would have sent Kessel to Toronto for defenceman Tomas Kaberle only it was nixed due to a miscommunication over a first round draft choice. Apparently the Bruins attempted to sign Kessel in July to a four -year deal in the neighborhood of 16 million, which was turned down. There were also rumors coming out of Boston that Kessel didn’t always get along with Bruins coach Claude Julien. It was a steep price to pay for a player that Burke has wanted for a long time. “It’s taken a long time, it’s taken a lot effort, but I think it’s worth it,” Burke said.