Mystery Disease Kills Thousands
Ron Paul, Rick Santorum Suggest Foul Play From Romney Campaign
While fans eagerly await the start of the 2009-2010 NHL season, there is one high-profile player who still doesn't know what team he will spend it with.Phil Kessel had a breakout season in 2008-2009, scoring 36 goals and picking up an impressive plus-23 rating. He was solid on the power play and dangerous in the clutch, finishing second on his team with six game-winning goals. That team, the Boston Bruins, doesn't have enough cap room to sign Kessel, and it sounds like the fourth-year pro is tired of waiting around.
The Boston Globe is reporting that Kessel has cut off negotiations with the Bruins, preferring instead to sign an offer sheet with a different team. Of course, the Bruins would have the right to match any offer sheet the restricted free agent signs, but that doesn't necessarily mean he won't get an offer.
Kessel's desire for a contract believed to be in the range of $4 million per season doesn't jive with the Bruins and their $1.7 million in cap space. This isn't the NFL, where teams can pass off cap charges to later seasons. The average annual salary of an NHL contract is the player's cap number.
With rumors flying that the Toronto Maple Leafs could try to sign an offer sheet with Kessel, this latest development only intensifies the chatter. Will Brian Burke set aside his previous philosophy on offer sheets, in an effort to acquire a badly-needed top-six forward for his team? Not only that, but he could damage a division rival at the same time.
After all, it's not like Burke would have to reset the market to make this deal happen. Kessel wanting $4 million isn't unrealistic or some sort of extraordinary demand. He's a good player, doesn't turn 22 until early October, and his huge 2008-2009 season suggests more is to come.
What happened in Anaheim stays in Anaheim. Burke is staring at a depth chart that includes Lee Stempniak, Nikolai Kulemin, and Alexei Ponikarovsky among his top wingers. He might be trying to do the right thing by some sort of invisible general managers' code, but his loyalty is to the Maple Leafs, not Peter Chiarelli.
House GOP Offers Deal In Big Fight
Washington Gay Marriage Legislation Signed Into Law By Governor Chris Gregoire
Afghanistan Base Named 'Aryan' Raises Objections From Soldiers
Gay Marriage Vote Puts Heat On Christie
New Poll: Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney Tied Nationally
Debt Ceiling Showdown 2: Coming This Fall, In Time For The Election, Only Worse
Paul Ryan, Jeff Sessions Warn Obama's Budget Could Make The U.S. Like Greece
Scott Brown's Pledge To Keep Out Third Parties Written With Help Of Third Party
Bomb Attacks Target Israeli Diplomats In India, Georgia
Updates On Whitney Houston's Autopsy
It's Only Getting Worse: Economists' Latest Dire Prediction
WATCH: 25 Million Tons Of Japan Tsunami Debris Headed Directly Our Way
DNC Pushed To Incorporate Marriage Equality Into Party Platform
Message To Young Conservatives: Pursue Journalism
In One U.S. City, Budget Cuts Leave Homeless Without Bathrooms, Water Overnight
Huff TV: WATCH: Arianna Weighs In On Tony Bennett's Call To Legalize Drugs
Obama Sending Ambitious Plan To Congress
WATCH: Anderson Cooper's Hilarious Adventures With Adele
Some AT&T Users' Download Speeds Could Slow By 99 Percent
WATCH: Bill Maher Rips GOP Concept Of 'Elites'
Race Is On To Find Life Under Antarctic Ice Sheet
Violent Protests Highlight Greece's Difficulty In Sticking To Bailout Deal
