It’s not all Phil Kessel’s fault

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the very definition of an “up and down” team. If they’re not running a two-game winning streak, they’re dropping three in a row. As soon as they rattle off four straight, they turn around and lose six of seven.

As frustrating as this is for fans in Toronto, it has to be worse for the players, especially Phil Kessel. After being branded as the franchise player before he even flew into town two years ago, Kessel had the weight of a nation on his shoulders – Leafs Nation, that is.

It’s said that Kessel is a streaky scorer. That couldn’t be more bang on. If the Leafs are up and down, Kessel is the personification of that theory.

In his last two games, he’s scored three goals on eight shots. These are coming after a 14-game goal-less streak that had many questioning whether he was trying too hard or not hard enough.

Trying to be a shining light has clearly pushed Kessel in the wrong direction. Sure, he did score 30 goals last season, but it took him almost 300 shots to do it. In 2008-09, he scored 36 goals on 232 shots. He also only added 25 helpers with the Leafs last year; not exactly an impressive total for a winger. He’s on pace this season for 31 goals and 24 assists. These are not the totals expected of the poster boy of the franchise.

It’s been this lack of production that’s been a focal point of interest in the Toronto media. When he said last week that “maybe it’s time for a change,” it was the first sign in the dressing room that maybe things in Toronto weren’t as good as coach Ron Wilson and GM Brian Burke are making them out to be.

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That comment, of course, was taken a million different ways, and not one person thought to ask Kessel if he cared to elaborate – at least not until after Burke got to him, at which point Kessel back-peddled like a good boy.

Not everything should be put on Kessel. A lot should, yes, but not everything. He’s been playing with far less talented players overall than he had while with the Boston Bruins, nor did he ask to be traded for two first-round draft picks. He also had to put up with the circus that was the NHL All-Star Draft, where he was picked last and had to sit alone on the floor smiling while Alex Ovechkin took a picture of the lone Leaf.

But in the end, is Kessel doing the best he can with what he’s got?

It may not matter for the time being as Burke has begun a fire sale and is looking for prospects and draft picks. Despite having made three trades in less than two weeks, Burke insists that the Leafs have not lost sight of the final playoff spot.

And don’t look now, but the Leafs are only six points back of that eighth-seed. It’s still very possible that the Leafs make their first postseason appearance since before the lockout, but getting there will depend largely on Kessel maintaining a scoring pace better than three goals in 16 games.

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