Howie Hodge wrote:
I believe Burke's initial plan went down the shitter when he gave up two firsts for kessel......
This happened around the time of the transition from the old boards, so I didn't see too many opinions on this trade. Burke is supposed to be some kind of mastermind, and he sits down to the table with a team that is only $1.5 million under the cap to negotiate the rights for a player who will get $4 million per year, and does so in September. Then Burke gives away 2 first rounders and second rounder? He had all the leverage in the world, and let's face it, those picks are better than the same from any other team. If the draft is tomorrow, for example, the B's get pick #1, not just any first rounder. Honestly, I think if the B's got only the one second rounder, they would have felt good about that. I know Kessel is worth more than that in most scenarios, but the B's actually had an embarrasment of riches. They couldn't keep everyone, and they had already dealt with all their off-season signings and that didn't include Kessel. They had to choose who to part with for cap reasons, and they obviously decided it was Kessel way before Toronto took him. Why would Toronto offer so much? This is what's known as "laughing all the way to the bank".
Seriously, am I missing something here?