Toronto, ON). Phil Kessel was traded to his hometown Wolfpack today for a package of youth and a number 1 draft pick. Kessel is a proven sniper in the league and will provide the Wolfpack offense with another dimension of speed and unpredictability. The full trade includes Toronto sending Quebec's 2010 #1 pick, and prospects Troy Brouwer and Adam Pardy to the Saskatoon Bears. Toronto also receives prospect Byron Bitz in the deal.
GM Thom Welch said, " we are delighted with this move and see Phil as a centerpiece of our offense for the future with Rick Nash. The move mortgages some of the future but also provides us with a potential checking force in Byron. We also still have 2 first round draft choices in 2010 from other moves we have made so we felt we could afford to deal away one.
In a related move, Toronto dealt disgruntled forward Nicolai Zherdev to Philadelphia today to make room for Kessel. Welch said, "Nic has a lot of upside but complained about playing time and he missed his mother in the old country. Our sense is he was not a long term answer for the Wolfpack and dealt him to the Bulls for a 3rd round draft choice."
The Wolfpack transactions today maintain the team payroll at around $35m. This keeps the team financially stable and increases the chances the team will turn a profit if they can produce a playoff caliber squad.
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