McKenzie addresses Kessel-to-Predators trade speculation

Bob McKenzie was on Vancouver’s TSN 1040 on Tuesday morning.

On what he’s hearing as far as Phil Kessel being traded to the Nashville Predators:

“Well, I haven’t heard that specifically. I think the Leafs are open to listening to offers on all their players. I think if Brendan Shanahan – I mean, he only came on the job right at the end of last saeson, so there were no games played in the summer. He put together a different – he kept Dave Nonis and kind of stripped away his assistants and built a new management team there. Stripped away all of Randy Carlyle’s assistants, and ultimately fired Randy Carlyle recently.

“So I think he’s putting the off-ice pieces in place. I think he’s trying to get a handle on his players and his team. And I think he wants to see how Kessel and other players are going to perform under Peter Horacek. He wants to see how things are going to go between now and the deadline.

“I’d be shocked if the Leafs traded Kessel before the deadline, but I think they would listen. And I think any player on the Toronto Maple Leafs is available.

“When Nashville comes up because David Poile did a recent interview where he talked about how good he thought Kessel was and that he didn’t understand why so many people were down on Kessel because he was great for Team USA at the Olympics and is a great American player and David loves American players in Nashville.

“So I wouldn’t want to draw too straight a line between Phil Kessel and the Nashville Predators, other than I’m sure Poile likes him, and I’m sure that the Leafs would listen. But that doesn’t necessarily translate into anything being imminent, I wouldn’t think.”

Source: TSN 1040/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

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Nichols on Hockey

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