- Scott Lewis of Sportsnet: Nick Kypreos on Phil Kessel and his trade value on Prime Time Sports.
“Kessel in the right circumstances could be very valuable,” said Kypreos. “He’s a difference maker that could win you a Stanley Cup in the right circumstances.
“Kessel’s an accessory. He puts the finishing touches on something. He’s just not a centrepiece of something that you build around.
“When you put him in the right circumstances, like a Glenn Anderson, teams will be willing to pay an awful lot for that.”
Kypreos was on the Brady & Walker show (Sportsnet 590 the FAN) yesterday morning.
“I don’t think you’re getting enough bang for your buck at $8 million per year,” said Kypreos. “You can’t build around Phil Kessel. It hasn’t worked out, to be quite honest.
“If you can go out there and get a centrepiece for Phil, if it’s a top-five pick that you can guarantee then do it.
“Could you trade Phil and bring back a Max Domi? That’s the type of thing that I would be looking at. There’s no guarantee that Max Domi will be a superstar in this league but I’ll take my chances…”
- Dennis Bernstein: A team executive (not Leafs) said that the Maple Leafs are not a playoff team and it is important that they get value on some of their pending UFAs in Cody Franson and Mike Santorelli.
- James Mirtle: The Predators were the other team that almost acquired Phil Kessel from the Bruins in 2009. Brian Burke had to up his offer to the Bruins as the Predators were going hard after him.
- Andy Strickland: The Blues could move Martin Brodeur if they wanted to, but it comes down to if Brodeur wants to play elsewhere or not. The Blues would work with Brodeur if he wants to play and for which team he’d want to go to.
- Lou Korac: There hasn’t been much, if any, market for Brodeur.