It’s been 16 years since the Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Phil Kessel in a trade with the Boston Bruins. At the time, Leafs general manager Brian Burke just entered his first full season in charge.
Burke wanted to make a big move to shake up the roster and speed up the rebuild.
Toronto was stuck in a rebuild since former captain Mats Sundin’s departure. Many believed Burke could restore the struggling franchise’s identity. He was introduced as Leafs general manager in November, 2008 and made big promises.
Burke faced many obstacles, as the Leafs lacked a true goal-scoring threat on the roster. To address that, he set his sights on Kessel, a young pending RFA.
Burke, known for bold blockbuster trades, offered the Bruins draft picks, non of which had restrictions. The deal was finalized on Sept.18, 2009.
Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Phil Kessel
Boston Bruins acquire: 2010 1st round pick (Tyler Seguin), 2010 2nd round pick (Jared Knight), and a 2011 1st round pick (Dougie Hamilton).
It was a gamble for Toronto. The team hoped Kessel, 21, would accelerate the rebuild. He scored 36 goals and 24 assists in 70 games the previous season.
Former Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke Discussed Phil Kessel Trade
Brian Burke explained that Kessel was exactly what the Leafs needed. He considered the trade a major step forward for the franchise.
During his introductory press conference, Burke emphasized that no roster players or prospects were traded away to acquire Kessel.
“We haven’t given anything out of our lineup and we’ve added a guy who scored 36 goals last year, and I think it’s on the way up, not down,” Burke said. “Our goal is to make the playoffs, our intention is to make the playoffs. We felt even prior to this deal we had enough man power to do that, but does this put us ahead in the race? Absolutely.”
Kessel, in his first media appearance, echoed the excitement. He expressed a desire to become an elite player in the NHL.
“Guys that score 50 goals are great players in the league and I want to be considered a great player in the league,” Kessel said. “I just wanna help the team win here, that’s the main goal here.”
Kessel made it clear that his focus was on the team.
“It’s not individual goals, it’s me coming in here doing whatever I can to help the organization and the team win hockey games.”
How Many Season Did Kessel Play in Toronto?
Kessel played six full seasons with the Maple Leafs. He never found playoff success with the team during that period. However, he led Toronto in points every season he played there.
His lone playoff appearance with the Leafs was in 2013, when they lost to the Bruins in Game 7 of the 1st round.
His time in Toronto came to an end on Jul. 1, 2015, when he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. There, reached new heights in his career, setting new career highs for points. He also played a major role in helping the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017.
Toronto is also where Kessel’s iron man streak began. He played in 1064 consecutive NHL games from 2009 until his final game in 2023.
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