Why Florida is a sensible landing spot for Phil Kessel, Alexei Emelin's future, and some thoughts on Anaheim.

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Hey everyone. Monday is normally a day for Dobber's Ramblings, but he's taking a much-deserved vacation. He will be back soon, but for today, you guys are stuck with me.

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The rumour mill is heating up as it does every year in the NHL in the days leading up to the Entry Draft. It seems like there is more talk surrounding the future of Phil Kessel and his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs. It might seem crazy to trade Kessel, but this team seems to be (at best) a couple of years before they're even back in the playoffs. Kessel turns 28 when the season starts in October, so assuming a scenario where the Leafs take a couple of more lean years in order to really stock their pond, he'll be in his Age 30 season for the 2017-2018 campaign. A declining scorer of his skill level would still be valuable to them, but they needed to take advantage of the previous 2-3 years previous, and these next couple. That window has closed.

Let's be clear here: Kessel is still an elite player and producer until we get more data. Over the past four years, he has the same points per game mark as Ryan Getzlaf (0.94), and for a better comparison, isn't too far behind Alex Ovechkin (0.99). Patrick Kane is treated pretty much as a demi-god in some hockey circles, but his points per game mark over those years is between Kessel and Ovechkin at 0.98. Yes, Kane has had some spectacular playoff moments, and that's where much of his legacy comes from. Kessel could have that chance too when (if) the Leafs stop sucking annually.