For the last week, it has been written that Phil Kessel is all but a goner and will not return to the Bruins. There has been increased trade speculation and talk of an offer sheet being submitted by the Toronto Maple Leafs. But on Tuesday, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli surprisingly told CKAC radio in Montreal that there is still a chance the team's leading goal scorer in 2008-09 could return this season.
"It's a possibility," Chiarelli told the radio station. "He's hurt right now and he had surgery on his rotator cuff this summer, so he'll return to the ice in mid-November."
While Chiarelli wouldn't comment on negotiations, he did say — just as Kessel did earlier in the offseason — that he expects the situation to be resolved by Oct. 1, when the Bruins' season starts at home against the Capitals. Chiarelli wants to have his roster settled and his salary cap in order by then, so he would prefer to have the Kessel situation solved by then.
"Our priority is to have all the parts of our team in place," he said. "On Oct. 1, the salary cap will be reduced to the regular season limit [of $56.8 million], which tells me that everything will fall into place, one way or another, for Phil. We have between $1.5 [million] and $2 million remaining under the salary cap. We have space to maneuver, and I've told the Kessel camp that we hope to match any potential offer that may be extended to him.
"It presents a big obstacle," Chiarelli went on to say. "Last year, we had to make room for a player by sending Peter Schaefer to the minors. Our owners have supported me in icing the best team possible."
But if Chiarelli decides he can't reach an agreement with Kessel or senses an offer sheet he can't match is coming, it seems likely that he will take the trade route. He did note, however, that any team wanting to acquire the 21-year-old sniper would need to knock his socks off with a trade offer.
"One thing I can tell you is if I deal Phil Kessel, I would have to get a lot in return," he stressed. "He's a young, talented player, and those are rare. The Bruins had to endure a tough season to get the fifth overall pick, and if I have to trade him — and believe me, many teams are interested — it would have to be a pretty big return."
Calls to Kessel's agent Wade Arnott once again went unreturned, and numerous sources continued to tell NESN.com that the Maple Leafs, Predators and Kings are in the running for Kessel via trade, and the Leafs are reportedly still considering an offer sheet. According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, the Rangers are not in talks with the Bruins regarding Kessel.
"Widespread reports that the Blueshirts are engaged in active bidding for Boston's Phil Kessel are inaccurate," Brooks wrote on Sunday.
