The rumbles started fairly early on Tuesday morning and it wasn't long before all that smoke turned into a raging fire. The Toronto Maple Leafs announced that they had signed their superstar, Phil Kessel, to a new 8-year, $64 million extension.
Kessel was set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2014 season, so the Leafs were becoming proactive on getting their main man locked up for the long term, making him forego free agency and likely saved themselves from finding out what his actual market value is.
In the shortened 2013 season, Kessel scored 20 goals and 32 assists in 48 games, finishing 13th in pool scoring, 8th among forwards and now he's poised to build on that season, which saw the Leafs make the playoffs in forever.
If this deal was to have any implication on the pool, it would most likely be that Kessel is no-longer playing for a contract. You can now question his heart, now that he has the cash guaranteed and now it will test his overall commitment to the team. John S. took Kessel in the 2nd round, 41st overall, which could be a huge bargain, if he continues to score at his torrid pace or it could be about right, if he drops to more complacent levels.
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