Quote:
Originally Posted by spoon.ek9
i'm kind of 60/40 on the whole trade kesler thing. i mean.. you don't just trade a selke winning centre after a SINGLE bad season which was preceded by hip surgery and a shoulder injury in February..
on the other hand, his diving, chirping, and apparent unwillingness to pass to his wingers were all detrimental to the team. but is this really enough to trade the guy away? if he can just play like he did last year and last year's playoffs, he'll be fine.
i think gillis/av need to show him that toews video again. in fact, there was a report that kesler (and burrows/lappy, i believe) to just shut up and play.
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I love Kesler at times, and can't stand him at other times. There are those who feel Kesler makes a better captain than Hank because he is more emotionally invested, seems to 'show' more heart as a result. I can't help but disagree, Kesler is quite polarized. At his best, he can be a great leader with his on-ice play. At his worst, his antics are on par with Lappiere, not exactly something I want from a leader of the team, goes and sulks in the corner, not great with the media when he isn't bombing interviews, so he needs some work before he can be a good captain. Overall, his inconsistency here is something that needs to be addressed before he can become respected as a great player; he has shown that he possesses the tools to do it though.
I'm not for or against trading him. Like I mentioned I believe this season was an anomaly and he will bounce back and be a great player. But if he doesn't move before July, then he becomes unmoveable for the next 4 seasons. I don't think MG is actively looking to get rid of him, but this does provide an interesting opportunity and I wonder why his NTC didn't kick in from the beginning of his new contract. I think he can bring back an equal or greater return if he does get moved, and can change up the mix in the room for the better.