Thursday, February 14, 2013
Kessel wants to stay a Leaf
By Victoria Matiash
If Phil Kessel gets his way, the Toronto Maple Leafs will offer up a contract extension in the not-too-distant future. As relayed by the Toronto Sun, Kessel's agent recently told The Fan 590 that his client would prefer to finish his NHL playing career with the Maple Leafs.
"This young man lives and breathes hockey," Arnott said. "He was very excited to come here four years ago. I think if you asked Phil today, he'd love to finish his career here in Toronto. But it's still young in his career right now ... Phil would like nothing more than to help the Maple Leafs make the playoffs. He wants to experience playoff hockey here in Toronto. That's the first step to winning a potential Stanley Cup here in Toronto. He was very disappointed last year. They had a very good start to the season. They were in a playoff position at the turn of the calendar year and unfortunately the last third of the season didn't go well."
Kessel is due to become an unrestricted free agent in thesummer of 2014. If current management doesn't care to extend the relationship -- and remember, Kessel was former GM Brian Burke's acquisition -- a trade for the 25-year-old could be in the works later this season or next.
