The Toronto Maple Leafs have traded star winger Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a package which includes prospect Kasperi Kapanen, defensemen Scott Harrington and a draft pick per Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos.
The return for the star forward is a tad underwhelming.
The big piece is obviously Kasperi Kapanen, an 18-year-old forward and son of Sami. He scored 11 goals with KalPa Kuopio and got some run with Pittsburgh’s AHL affiliate towards the end of the season and playoffs. He joins Mitch Marner and William Nylander as highly skilled youngsters in the Leafs organization. Harrington is a 22-year-old defensemen who spent most of last season in the AHL, and played 10 games with the big club. The draft pick is expected to be a first rounder.
The Penguins get one of the best goal scorers in the NHL. Kessel had an off year last season and still managed to score 25 goals. The thought of pairing him with Malkin and/or Crosby should have Pittsburgh fans foaming at the mouth, as Kessel has been shackled to Tyler Bozak as his man down the middle. This could be a massive move for the team.
The Penguins are clearly in win now mode, and have acquired the best available sniper on the market for a reasonable cost. The Leafs on the other hand get some good young players, an expected high draft choice and some cap space. I do think the Leafs could have held on to Kessel and received more in a trade, but this isn’t the worst deal ever.
