The Leafs should pursue Kesler

You read that correctly. The Maple Leafs should definitely look in to acquiring Ryan Kesler of the Vancouver Canucks.

Though Kesler is currently property of the Canucks, his contract is set to expire in the summer. He will then become a restricted free agent who is eligible for arbitration. If the Canucks cannot afford to pay him the raise he deserves, then he should be far from untouchable after Vancouver finish up the season/playoffs. Obviously they can’t deal him prior to the deadline because Kesler will be an integral part of their playoff hopes. Ryan Kesler is built for the playoffs.

Many Canadians, including myself, were clearly pissed off with Kesler because of remarks he made during the Olympics about hating the Canadian team and how he thought his own teammate Roberto Luongo was fighting the puck. The point is, it works and it gets under everyone’s skin. He's a very smart player, something the Leafs could use more of (insert Grabovski comment here). Either way, Kesler was classy in defeat, giving congratulations to Luongo and the Canadians and ending any real controversy his earlier remarks may have sparked. He is truly a great player with a major competitiveness that’s at a level that only a handful of players in the league can bring to the table every night. He’s gritty, and definitely one of the best players in the NHL on both sides of the puck. Really, he’s the ideal player that the Leafs should get. Ron Wilson would be a great coach for Kesler, as we all should be aware of after the Olympic tourney.

The rest of the Maple Leafs brass are no strangers to #17 either. Brian Burke was the GM who drafted Kesler in 2003 in the first round (23rd overall). The speedy center is only 25 years old and would fit in to a Leafs team that is smack-dab in the middle of a rebuild. Since the Buds defense is completely blocked with high-end talent and in turn, barrels of cash, then acquiring good forwards is definitely a priority going forward.

I know that this all sounds like far-fetched wishful thinking, but a fan can dream right? Plus, it’s only speculation. I actually firmly believe that the Leafs have already looked in to what the Canucks plan to do with Kesler, and if they haven’t, then they should. I would imagine that Burke or Nonis have probably chatted with Mike Gillis about a trade offer, whether it’s regarding Kesler or not. The lines of communication are definitely open between these two teams. As Burke said earlier this year when the Phaneuf deal was pulled, he is far from finished.

Don’t get this confused with tampering either. Tampering is when a team actually makes a statement regarding another team’s player, or tries to contact the player directly. Checking to see if players are on the block from another GM is not tampering. Plus, I can speculate all I want. It’s not like anyone is going to take my first round picks. Although, if they did, my beer league team would surely suffer.

The blue & white are in action tonight for the first time since the Olympic break, which I can’t even write about. There’s no need for me to write even MORE material about the Olympic hockey tournament. I will say that the gold medal game was like something out of a movie. As Canadians, the Crosby goal will stay with us forever. I watched Sportscentre yesterday and Patrick O’Sullivan was asked about the game, to which he responded that it was a broken play and lucky goal for Crosby. Lay off the sour grapes Pat. Maybe if he worked on his plus-minus (WORST IN THE LEAGUE) instead of bitching, he would have been on Team USA. Canada rules hockey, so deal with it.

Wow, I just got side-tracked. Like I was saying, the Leafs are in action tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes at the ACC. The game goes at 7:00 est. Everyone enjoy!



MSU