Canadian Perspective: Phil Kessel & The Penguins, A Match Made In Heaven
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – Sportsnet NHL Insider Nick Kypreos and Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons joined Chris Mack, Josh Miller and Jim Colony on "The Fan Morning Show" Thursday to discuss the Penguins' blockbuster trade for Phil Kessel. Each seemed to have high hopes for Kessel in Pittsburgh.
This was especially surprising when it came to Simmons, considering that he wrote a column likening Kessel to a disease that plagued the Maple Leafs.
"I expect Phil Kessel to score somewhere between 40 and 50 goals if he gets to play with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin," Simmons said. "He is an immensely skilled and talented offensive player who, when paired with the right people in the right circumstances can be electric."
Many people have expressed their concern regarding Kessel's attitude, but both Kypreos and Simmons believe that will not be an issue in Pittsburgh because there will be no pressure for him to be "the guy" and lead the team.
"Phil is going to be really comfortable there," Kypreos said. "He wants to put the puck in the net and then he wants to go home."
Another knock on Kessel has been that his conditioning is suspect - or at least allegedly so. Many claim that he is out of shape because he works out infrequently, but Kessel has maintained a reputation for being one of the fastest skaters in the league and excelled in fitness tests with the Maple Leafs.
Simmons likened it to John Belushi's "Little Chocolate Donuts" sketch from Saturday Night Live.
"That's kind of Phil - he's not a guy who skates a lot in the offseason, he's not a guy who gets himself into tremendous shape," Simmons said. "He's a freak. He's a freak in that he can not necessarily train and not necessarily be the most conditioned guy on your team - and you ask a guy to skate 15 feet for the puck, he's the fastest guy in the league. He has an incredible innate talent that is almost unexplainable."
Kypreos had another take on the conditioning concerns of Kessel. Kypreos claims the only reason there was concern was a result of how poorly the Toronto Maple Leafs were as a team.
"Publicly, it will not get played out like it did in Toronto," Kypreos said.
As for how he will fit in with the Penguins, both men agreed that it should be a great match.
"He just has to perform," Simmons said. "Given that, this might be the absolute best situation in the NHL for him."
Kypreos thinks that the same can be said for the Penguins - especially Sidney Crosby.
"The whole thing with Sid is his ability to see the play and forecast and be one or two steps ahead," Kypreos said. "If Phil can't do it, then I don't know who in the league can... Phil's a smart player when it comes to scoring goals, and like I said, if Phil can't do it, I don't know who in the league can."
The interviews can be heard here:
