NHL GMs tell LeBrun "for sure they'd take Phil Kessel"

Pierre LeBrun was on Ottawa’s TSN 1200 on Wednesday afternoon.

On if there would be a market of teams lining up for Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf if the Leafs shopped them in the summer:

“I don’t know about lining up, but there will be definitely be buyers. Remember this about deals that you think can’t be moved, or players that can’t be moved. Roberto Luongo was traded from Vancouver to Florida when no one thought there was any avenue left in that whole thing. I mean, remember how stunned people were when he was finally dealt last year? Because they thought Vancouver had tried everything for three years. And in particular not because of the goalie – he’s a terrific goalie – but because of his contract.

“And at the end of the day, if someone wants someone there’s always a way. The thing is, the Leafs would probably have to eat some money, a); b), what do you get in return? These are all things you have to gauge.

“But believe me, I’ve talked to a number of GMs in the last 48 hours who said for sure they’d take Phil Kessel. But they’re some of the GMs who feel that on their team, he’d be better-surrounded. And that he would probably feel some kind of peer pressure to conform to the way their culture is and would be better for it.

“And one of the examples that one of the GMs gave to me – he’s an Eastern Conference GM – but he pointed to the L.A. Kings and said a lot of people thought the Kings trading for Marian Gaborik was ridiculous last year because he was the anti-Darryl Sutter, the anti-‘the way the Kings play and their structure.’

“Well, the peer pressure of when he walked into that room last year after the trade deadline forced him to conform. He wanted to be welcomed. He wanted to win a Cup, and suddenly a new Marian Gaborik emerged.

“And I think in my conversations with some of these people, they believe Phil Kessel can be on a championship team, but he needs to be better-surrounded. And the problem right now with this Leafs team is that there are too many guys that run the roost that are not committed to doing the things you need to do to be a winning team. There’s a culture issue in that room, there has been for a long time, and it hasn’t been fixed.”

Source: TSN 1200/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

Nichols on Hockey

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