It's Obvious That Phil Kessel Wants Out Of Pittsburgh And The Penguins Should Allow It To Happen
You really can’t blame anybody for ever wanting to move out of Pittsburgh. I’d imagine it’s like prison. The only thing you do while you’re there is count down the days until you get to leave. Everybody there is the dumbest person you’ve ever met and mayonnaise is considered a delicacy. So I certainly cannot fault Phil Kessel for wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible. Especially not after this report from The Athletic came out about some discord between Phil The Thrill and the Penguins.
The Athletic – All is not well in the relationship between Kessel and Mike Sullivan. Long before this off-season, the coach knew his relationship with Kessel could be a problem…
Kessel was furious that he wasn’t deployed regularly on a line with Evgeni Malkin in the playoffs. He spent most of his time skating with Riley Sheahan or Derick Brassard as his center, and Kessel felt this was unproductive for the team and for himself. Sullivan believed this attitude to be selfish.
Multiple people in the Penguins organization believe Kessel was “pouty” about this situation and it could have affected his performance.
I mean… wow. Talk about some troubling reports coming out of PPG Paints Arena. Phil Kessel hates head coach Mike Sullivan. Head coach Mike Sullivan hates Phil Kessel. Clearly this is a situation which is not healthy or beneficial to either parties. Now I understand that the NHL is a business. And just because somebody isn’t happy somewhere doesn’t automatically mean that they have to be moved as long as they are under contract. For those of you who are unaware, Phil Kessel is still under contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins until July 1, 2022. So it’s not like the Penguins are legally obligated to trade him. HOWEVA… the man is the sole reason why your organization won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and ’17. You’d think you would have a little more respect for the guy and grant his wishes. Phil Kessel clearly wants out in Pittsburgh. Unless the Penguins are heartless and lack any shred of common decency, they should give him a fresh start somewhere new.
Now this is obviously where things get a little trickier. Because not only do you have to find a right fit for Phil Kessel in a potential trade suitor, but you also have to get back something of similar value in return. So let’s think about what the Penguins were really lacking this postseason. What was the biggest factor in terms of getting knocked out of the playoffs by the Washington Capitals? Pretty simple–it was defensive depth. What team in the league has an abundance of defensemen who can bring a ton of depth and experience to Pittsburgh’s blueline?
That’s right. The Philadelphia Flyers. I think the trade that would make the most amount of sense would be Phil Kessel for Andrew MacDonald and Radko Gudas. Think about it for a second. The Flyers are only getting one player in that trade. The Penguins are getting two. Already the Penguins are winning that deal. Then you look at the contracts. Both MacDonald and Gudas only have 2 years left on their deals as opposed to Kessel’s 4. That gives them a lot more flexibility for the future once Crosby and Malkin’s window closes in a year or so. As a Flyers fan I would hate to see my favorite team get fleeced like this in a trade. I have no idea why the Flyers would ever agree to such a lopsided deal. But all I’ll say is this–if the Philadelphia Flyers present that trade offer to the Pittsburgh Penguins, then they owe it not only to Phil but to themselves as well to take it right away. Facts are facts.