It sounds like all that’s left for Phil Kessel to remain a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs for a long time is a handshake, a signature and a press conference.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported Tuesday morning that Kessel and the Maple Leafs have agreed to a new eight-year contract, and while the extension hasn’t been signed yet by Kessel, the announcement is expected to come later Tuesday. According to Dreger, the extension is worth about $8 million per season.
Kessel’s potential $8 million salary cap hit would be the seventh-highest cap hit in the NHL surpassing players like Shea Weber, Rick Nash, Zach Parise and Steven Stamkos, just to name a few.
Kessel is about to enter the final year of a five-year, $27 million contract that started prior to the 2009-10 season.The 25-year-old (he’ll be 26 on Tuesday) is coming off of a season in which which he scored 20 goals and added 32 assists in just 48 games. Kessel has put 253 points in 282 games since being acquired by the Leafs from the Bruins after the 2009 season.
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