The Toronto Sun reports that Kessel has found himself amidst an eleven-game scoring drought, but generating offense isn’t his only problem. Kessel has also been playing mediocre defense, and has been criticized for lackluster backchecking in the defensive zone. He's minus-20 so far on the season, so basically, his entire game is flawed.
Amidst his problems on the ice, Kessel has also managed to stir up controversy off the ice with comments he made to the media that implied he wants to leave Toronto and that his relationship with head coach Ron Wilson is less than spectacular, according to The Globe and Mail.
"No, me and Ron don't really talk," he told the media. "So that’s all I've got to say about that."
When asked about how he feels on his new line, Kessel was not afraid to hide his discontent.
"I don't know," Kessel said. "We've got to change something, so I'm not sure if that's it, but maybe. I don't know.
"I don't really know what to say about [the scoring slump] anymore. I'm trying. Obviously it's not going right. Like I said, might not be working out here. What are you going to do?"
The next day, he was quick to rescind his remarks and now claims that he is happy to be playing where he is.
"Obviously I love Toronto, I want to be here," he said. "I love the city, I love the fans, I love the team. The guys are great here. I don't want any trade or anything like that. I want to be here for a very long time. I love it here.”
While Leafs fans are struggling to understand what their star forward is thinking, Toronto general manager Brian Burke has come to Kessel’s defense.
"If he wasn’t working and wasn't getting quality scoring chances, I'd be a lot more concerned," Burke said. "No I'm not disappointed in Phil. We may not have all the pieces on the chessboard."
Unfortunately, trading Kessel at this point would only hurt the team, as his value has certainly decreased. The Leafs may be stuck with him until he straightens things out.
