Let the rebuild continue! After dealing away pieces during last season’s fiasco, such as defenseman Cody Franson, wingers Mike Santorelli and Daniel Winnik, and ridding themselves of the atrocity that was David Clarkson‘s contract, the Toronto Maple Leafs have sent goal-scoring winger Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins, for Nick Spaling, Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington and a first and third round pick in 2016. Kessel is expected to be holding back 15% of his salary ($1.25M) for a $6.75M cap hit. Tyler Biggs and Tim Erixon are being sent to the Penguins as well as a 2016 second round draft pick. More to come.
#Leafs Kessel traded to #Penguins
— Nick Kypreos (@RealKyper) July 1, 2015
As a @RealKyper reported, Kessel to PIT for Kapanen, Harrington and a pick — Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2015
Kessel signed an eight-year extension with Toronto, in October 2013, and is set to make an average of $8 million through the 2021-22 NHL season. For a guaranteed 30-goal scorer, possibly a 40-goal one, it was expected that the return Kessel would grant the Leafs would be monumental, and it sure was.
After the 2008-09 season, Kessel was involved in the infamous trade that saw him move to Toronto in exchange for eventual 1st-round picks in Tyler Seguin and Dougie Hamilton. The 27-year-old has played six seasons with the Maple Leafs, paired with center Tyler Bozak, on the Leafs first line, and has scored 30 or more goals in every season, excluding one – the shortened 2012-13 season. Last season, Kessel posted season highs in goals (37) and points (80) in 82 games. His experience in the playoffs is limited, having only played 22 games in three post-season appearances, but the rugged winger has 21 points (13 goals, 8 assists), proving he is not only an asset during the regular season, but a coveted one in the playoffs as well.
Last season, the Madison-native missed out on the 30-goal plateau for just the second time in his tenure with the Leafs, his first coming in the lockout-shortened season. His -34 stat was the worst of his career and thanks in most part to the Leafs offense drying up half-way through the season, being out-scored severely and poor possession numbers. In fact, he and Bozak were among two of the worst puck-possession players in the entire league.
Spaling, 26, spent most of his career with the Nashville Predators before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Patric Hornqvist move. The center put up 27 points in 80 games with the Penguins, including two points in five games in the post-season. Spaling costs $2.2M on the cap for one more year before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
Kapanen was a first round pick for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2014 at 22nd overall pick. The 19 year old forward is now 6″, 181lbs. He is the son of former Carolina Hurricane Sami Kapanen. He put up five points in seven games for the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the AHL playoffs, along with two points in four games in the regular season. Last Word on Sports did a profile on Kapanen that can be found here.
Harrington, 22, was born in Kingston, Ontario and was drafted 54th overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The 6’2″ defenceman was expected to be called up next season by the Pittsburgh Penguins was a former London Knight and played for Team Canada in the World Junior championships.
