Trade discussions for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel picked up this weekend at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
If a trade were to take place, it wouldn't happen for at least a couple of weeks and the Maple Leafs could seek draft picks and prospects for Kessel, Friedman reported Saturday. Kessel, 27, has seven years left on his eight-year, $64 million contract that carries an NHL salary-cap charge of $8 million. He scored 25 goals and had 61 points with a minus-34 rating in 82 games this season, and has scored at least 30 goals in four of the past six seasons.
If a trade were to take place, it wouldn't happen for at least a couple of weeks and the Maple Leafs could seek draft picks and prospects for Kessel, Friedman reported Saturday. Kessel, 27, has seven years left on his eight-year, $64 million contract that carries an NHL salary-cap charge of $8 million. He scored 25 goals and had 61 points with a minus-34 rating in 82 games this season, and has scored at least 30 goals in four of the past six seasons.
Toronto holds the No. 4 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, to be held June 26-27 in Sunrise, Fla., and is also open to trading the selection.
"It's something we would definitely look at," Maple Leafs interim co-general manager Kyle Dubas told the Toronto Star on Saturday. "If someone else was adamant about a player, we're pretty comfortable with the players in that cluster.
"We need to be acquiring as many draft pick assets as we can, as many prospects as we can. If there was something that made sense, we’d be open to listening and having some thorough discussions on the fourth pick."
