Kessel had a no-trade clause (Habs were a team that he'd have accepted a trade to) that handcuffed the Leafs. I understand Pacioretty gets a lot of flack on this board but the fact remains he is a proven scorer in the league, has a sweet sweet contract and doesn't possess any no trade clauses. He is one of the very few offensive talents we have and his contract is a lot more manageable than Weber's and Price's.
Bottom line is even if we don't want to see his face here anymore, we can't sell him short. None of the players you mention have 1st line potential. In fact, I'm not sure one of them possesses 50 point potential (I do think Meier was a terrible top 10 pick and will bust) and the firsts are late firsts.
Also, I wouldn't necessarily demand a center in return though. I just want the best players. If a center happens to be the best player in return, great. I think the Habs have made the mistake of going for needs far too often in the past. E.g I'd much rather have a Pavel Buchnevich from the Rags than a Mcleod from New Jersey. Before we get rid of Patch, let's auction him first to everyone else and take the absolute best offer. Kinda similar to what the Avs got for Duchene and I think Patch is a better player than Duchene with a more attractive contract as well.
