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NHL Toronto Maple Leafs

Phil Kessel Proving Worth Every Penny and Draft Pick For Toronto Maple Leafs

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Kessel

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Phil Kessel is quickly putting to rest the idea that the massive contract extension he signed last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs would result in any drop off with his on-ice performance.

Any doubters who feared Kessel was simply playing at a high-level in order to get paid have vanished, as once again the talented winger finds himself near the top of the league in scoring. Through 16 games Kessel has recorded 10 goals and 21 points, good enough for fifth in the league in goalscoring and fourth overall in total points.

When Kessel initially signed his eight-year, $64 million extension last season, some skeptics worried he’d transform into another Alexander Semin — the type of player who competed hard to earn a big contract but once he received it would suddenly see a dramatic decrease in his compete level.

Instead, Kessel appears to playing with the type of fire and determination found in every elite player and has refused to slip into one of his infamous slumps through the six weeks of the season. When he hasn’t played up to standards on one night, he’s often come back the next night and lived up to the reputation as the dangerous scorer he’s known to be.

Unlike in recent years when he’s gone as many as five or six games without a point, Kessel has only been kept off the score sheet for back-to-back games twice this season before responding both times in the third game with a three-point performance. That’s exactly the type of answer expected from an elite scorer receiving elite money.

For all the drama and criticism the talented forward was forced to endure as a result of the highly-publicized deal that brought him to Toronto, Kessel is proving exactly why the Maple Leafs were willing to give up two first-round picks and second-rounder. The trade will continue to be debated for decades, but there’s no denying that acquiring a point-per-game player is about as rare as a Maple Leaf playoff appearance.

However, with Kessel continuing to prove he’s an annual top-five scorer in the league, those Maple Leaf playoff appearances will no longer be so rare.

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