Do we want Kessel and Phaneuf back for next year?

[Leaf Lander]

Don cherry is going on how kessel will be in great shape next yr
so he can bring it for the Babcock coached leafs


If your like me you want this circus out of town asap


so do you want them back next yr or would u like them traded for picks and prospects

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[Shwaguy*]

Nah man. If one of them comes back so be it. If both come back I'll be a pretty dissapointed

 

[Mad Dog Tannen]

Nah man. If one of them comes back so be it. If both come back I'll be a pretty dissapointed

Ditto.

 

[Ash35]

No because i don't believe Kessel has it in him to commit himself to get in better shape. As for Phaneuf. I'm leaning towards him leaving but he plays hard and i respect him for that.

 

[NiL8r87]

If they need to stay to get their value back up, so be it. I'd rather do that than have Shanny sell low.

 

[MJ65]

No there is no need for the players who lack grit and the pride

 

[JMcLeaf]

I hope both are gone

 

[WTFMAN99]

I don't want either of them back.

Unless the return was so incredibly bad that it made sense to hold onto them, that is about the only way I hold on.

 

[Face Of Bear]

If we are truly rebuilding, I don't know why anyone would want them back. Both will be exiting their primes making 7M/8M each by the time we are competitive. How is that in any way desirable? Especially when you consider the assets we can get in return for moving them, assets that will probably be much more effective by the time the team is trying to be competitive.

 

[Trapper]

I hope both are gone

Well Babcock did say it would be painful.
For me, that means the core returns.

 

[Kamal007]

Everything I have heard from Shanny indicates to me that they will both be gone.

 

[Glenn Isildur Healy]

Well Babcock did say it would be painful.
For me, that means the core returns.

The opposite for me
Painful meaning, no shortcuts, finally time to gut this core and start from the bottom on up
Bringing the core back means, maybe we can still be cup contenders with these players who are already established

 

[Silent Knight]

The sooner both are gone, the better.
Cookies, pylons and slow motion run on interviews, be gone!

 

[ChickenMcNugget]

im ok with kessel because it's likely he'll have a bounce back season and dramatically increase his value, i think phaneuf has to go being the captain and all and i dont think he's going to improve by that much.

so kessel sure, phaneuf no

 

[PuckMagi]

I hope they keep Phaneuf and trade Kessel.

 

[burpsalot]

Everything I have heard from Shanny indicates to me that they will both be gone.

Shanahan challenged them & the rest of the team to perform & said the management team would be watching & would not be fooled. Their response was absolutely gutless & brutal. Shanahan wasn't disappointed, he was ****ing pissed. The Leafs will be looking for a certain return, they get it they are gone, if not, they come back, get showcased, then gone.

 

[SeenSchenn2]

They're good players, but it's time to move on.

 

[KGL]

I think it's like 60/40 that they trade Phaneuf. Kessel I'd say it's more 90/10. Really can't see Kessel back.

 

[34]

Kessel will stay and put up 40 goals. He s going to flourish under Babcock.


I really hope Phaneuf is traded. Would be a nice fresh start without him as Captain.

 

[nuck]

I guess it depends on how committed they are to turning the page. If they at blaming everything on the coaches maybe pk is back. If they have issues of chemistry then it tell seems unlikely. Didn't the club actually say they were reloading? I can't see any core player back except Dion because he might not bring that much back.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

If Kessel is going to rebound, score 40 goals and becomes a 90-point getter, it would make more sense to contend. All of the hype about rebuilding needs to be shelved and we'll take a more Rangers-like approach with effective drafting.

In that case, we'd hope that Hanifin drops to 4. Pick some potential centres with the 24 and probably retain Phaneuf.

 

[Trapper]

The opposite for me
Painful meaning, no shortcuts, finally time to gut this core and start from the bottom on up
Bringing the core back means, maybe we can still be cup contenders with these players who are already established

I think it's already been established what this core brings.
I guess people need to see it one more time.

 

[Durrr]

90 points win's Kessel the Art Ross this season with ease, people really think he's going to hit despite a worse team, but better coach?

I think this town has blown Kessel's "flaws" completely out of proportion, he's pretty much Patrick Kane on an awful team bur lets be realstic here people. This doesn't make up for the fact that we failed to build a team around him and need to move him for top return to help the future.

1 of Kessel and Dion in addition to Bozak/Lupul have to go for sure, we need to be a worse team on paper if we actually want to build through the draft.

 

[The_Chosen_One]

90 points win's Kessel the Art Ross this season with ease, people really think he's going to hit despite a worse team, but better coach?

I think this town has blown Kessel's "flaws" completely out of proportion, he's pretty much Patrick Kane on an awful team bur lets be realstic here people. This doesn't make up for the fact that we failed to build a team around him and need to move him for top return to help the future.

Apparently Babcock is a magician. He'll be a 40-goal, 90-point producer. It's not like a perimeter forward who produces around 30-goal is going to somehow see his assist numbers fall.

You'd obviously want to keep Phaneuf since he's a great hitter. Babcock spoke of Dion a lot more than Kessel so he'd have to part of the run.

 

[Christ]

I can't see Phaneuf coming back this year. I don't blame him for the team's poor play during his time as captain, though I do believe that he should never have been made captain. It was too much of a distraction for Phaneuf who needed to concentrate on his game and was in no way savy with the media in TO. I think he is a good defenseman, a bit overpaid, but far and away the best that the team has. Sadly as captain and a major face of the franchise he will need to be dealt in an effort to help change the culture in Toronto.

Kessel is a player I loath to let go due to his elite skill and sometimes uncanny ability to put the puck in the net. His attitude appears to be problem and his commitment to the team can very easily be questioned after the less than half hearted effort he contributed after Carlyle was canned. Before we signed Babcock, I wanted him gone, but with Babcock who I feel is probably the best coach in the game to deal with a player like Kessel, I do wonder if keeping him at least for a bit longer might be the wiser course of action. There is much being said about Kessel's trade value being the lowest it has ever been because of his second half last year and if that is the case we may well do well to hold on to him even if we intend to trade him later in hopes that Babcock can get Kessel going again.