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[Rumour] - Phil the thrill linked to Canucks


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5 minutes ago, higgyfan said:

Given his status, can the Nucks sign Phil after the TDL?  Would his signing still count against the

salary cap or # of players on the teams?  Anyone know?

 

 

https://torontosun.com/sports/hockey/coyotes-will-get-their-phil

 

"Rick Tocchet, nicknamed ‘the Phil Kessel Whisperer’ for his unique relationship with the quirky star, says the winger is going to be fine addition to the Coyotes locker room."

 

“You know, not everybody is the same,” the coach told AZ Central this week when Kessel was acquired from Pittsburgh, Tocchet’s old team. “To win a Stanley Cup, you need different personalities. I’m not sure you can win with all the same. (Phil) had a personality in the dressing room that was infectious to Crosby, Letang, Malkin, all those guys."

 

“Phil has a personality of his own. He marches to his own drum like a lot of different guys. It’s just more publicized being in Toronto (where Kessel led the team in scoring, but detested the spotlight).”

 

“Phil’s a great person and a generous guy,” Tocchet said. “His teammates love him. Honestly, he’s a normal guy. He loves hockey and he’s a closet hockey nerd, although he doesn’t tell many people that. He really follows the game. He’s a guy that the young guys are going to like. He loosens up the dressing room.

“It’s not that he wants to prove anyone wrong because people throw daggers at him, it’s just that he hates the noise. His play will shut the noise up, as it has in the past.”

This was my first thought, it’s not about being a roster player night in and night out it’s about bringing in a glue guy that has the experience that can fill holes here and there and have potential hot streaks 

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I really don't get it.  I know he's a bit of a unicorn but Phil Kessel is not the type of player that would fit well under the current forechecking system.  We're not seeing this guy on the first PP unit so he's only really going to play 5v5.  The only thing he has going for him is that he's obviously built up a great relationship with Rick Tocchet.  But he is getting really old now.

 

image.png.7d7db2056816acc388c93cf3d2872a5a.png

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1 minute ago, Captain insano said:

This was my first thought, it’s not about being a roster player night in and night out it’s about bringing in a glue guy that has the experience that can fill holes here and there and have potential hot streaks 

 

He can't fill holes or have any streaks if he's ineligible in the playoffs.

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10 minutes ago, Strawbone said:

Who knows, if he's serious about wanting one last shot at playing in the NHL, you gotta think he's kept himself in the best shape possible. And you don't play over 1000 consecutive games in the NHL if you're not in shape. It's not always about looking lean and ripped. Here's perhaps the most dominant guy ever to fight in the UFC who was incredibly strong, agile, and quick.

 

 

 

 

 

9648.jpg

That man was a savage

 

When he was in pride fighting the japanese audience was dead quiet and you could hear his punches echoing as he hit his opponents ribs throughout the stadium. He would just beat on a guys ribs and make him quit. Power indeed. Makes me wince just thinking about taking a hit from him.

 

The only other person in this world that frightens me like that is a guy I used to spar with. His shins were like razor blades. Just blocking him it felt like my skin was cracking open and bleeding lol. I never ever wanted to get kicked full force by that man EVER!

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1 hour ago, CaptainCanuck12 said:

Has he ever been in good shape though?

 

Kessel has always looked like the Pillsbury doughboy's younger brother. Yet he has been in good enough shape to play 1286 NHL games, scoring 413 goals and 992 points and three Stanley cups. I wouldn't mind adding Phil for the playoffs, but unless there are injuries, I can't see him playing regularly. BUT, he HAS been there and knows what it takes. That kind of presence in the room might be valuable to a team with little or no playoff experience.

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57 minutes ago, 88Canuck said:

While I get the pre-season part vs now to a degree, he’s still a nhl player even though not the player he was years ago. I would say his experience may be more valuable than anything.

As I said before, we have that experience in spades including: Tocchet, Gonchar and Foote.

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4 minutes ago, EdgarM said:

As I said before, we have that experience in spades including: Tocchet, Gonchar and Foote.

That was the big thing I was looking forward to with this coaching staff. They don't mess around and know how to win in the spring. I wouldn't mind Kessel at all on a cheap deal. 

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82 games, 14 goals, 22 points and 36 points with the VGK last year playing an average of 12:48 per night.

 

That production is the same as the pace Mikheyev is on this year, but Mikheyev ATOI is 14:44.

 

Laugh all we want, but Kessel is a unicorn. 

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5 minutes ago, HKSR said:

Oh I didn't actually know that.  Guess we'll find out within a month if the Thrill will be a Canuck lol

 

It's because we don't have his rights as a player.  We could theoretically sign Willander in April and he'd be good to play - not unlike Luke Hughes last year.

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It costs us nothing and presumably the cap hit would be low enough to be buried in the minors if he didn’t work out.  It wouldn’t limit us on other moves.
 

With Lindholm on the roster we have a bunch of centres and Aman can easily be bumped out of the top four lines to a spare forward.  A line of Lafferty-Suter-Kessel could bring some scoring depth if Phil fails in a top six audition.  Not a lot of teams can match that as a 4th line and they would have a chance to feast on lower quality opposition and 3rd pairing D.

 

I can imagine bringing him in and seeing what shape he is in before signing.

 

He has the experience and credibility to be another veteran presence in a room with very little playoff experience to lean on.

 

Of course he could just be too far past his prime and not able to keep up with the pace Tocchet wants to play at.  As long as his cap hit can be buried the experiment doesn’t hurt us and doesn’t infringe on other moves we might want to make.

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2 hours ago, Captain insano said:

IMG_8030.jpeg

Ha! I texted this idea into Sat and Riccio a month ago and they ignored it, when they were talking UFA targets. To me it made a ton of sense

 

top 6 scorer

2 cup rings

History with Rutherford

Cheap as a player waiting

 

Only issue is what kind of shape is he in!

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PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN! 
 

 

Sad Puss In Boots GIF
 

This season is starting to feel suspiciously like a fever dream.  If Aqualini had Benning in the box with him as we hoist the cup I’ll know the simulation is shutting down. 

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6 minutes ago, Miss Korea said:

 

It's because we don't have his rights as a player.  We could theoretically sign Willander in April and he'd be good to play - not unlike Luke Hughes last year.

From what is being said around the team, they want Willander to stay in College one more year, they try to bring him out next year if he keeps progressing.

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1 hour ago, PhillipBlunt said:

Exactly. Phil could care less what the banal dopes think about him. He's won it all more than once, and earned it every time. 

 

PLAYOFFS 4 0 2 2

 

 

 

Oh yes he definitely EARNED IT alright.  :classic_biggrin: Sure glad he was there for them in those 4 games. 

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