At his current pace, Phil Kessel could end the major awards drought in Toronto.
It has been quite a while since a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs has won a major NHL award.
For the record, the major awards are the Hart Trophy for MVP, Art Ross for scoring leader, Norris for top defenceman, Calder for best rookie and Conn Smythe for playoff MVP.
The Leafs haven't had a scoring champion since 1938 when Gord Drillon won the Art Ross. Their last Calder winner as top rookie was Brit Selby in 1966. Terry Sawchuk and Johnny Bower shared the Vezina in 1965, but that was when the trophy was awarded to the goaltenders for the team with the lowest goals-against average. Since the 1981-82 season, it has gone to the goalie judged to be the best in the league. Dave Keon won the Conn Smythe in 1967, the last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup.
There has been a sprinkling of Leafs honoured over the years -- Doug Gilmour won the Selke Trophy as best defensive forward in 1993 and Jason Blake won the Masterton Trophy for dedication and perseverance in 2008, but when it comes to Toronto players winning major awards, the cupboard is pretty empty.
That could change this season.
Based on his performance thus far, Phil Kessel could be in contention for the Hart as MVP and the Maurice Richard Trophy which was introduced in 1999 and goes to the player (or players) who leads the NHL in goal-scoring.
With seven goals in eight games, Kessel is right in the thick of things where the Maurice Richard is concerned. Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks are tied for the league lead in goals with eight apiece while Kessel, Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks and Marian Hossa of the Blackhawks trail by one with seven each. For what it's worth, Kessel has a game in hand on Sedin and two on Hossa.
There are some players that get off to good starts in a season, but you just know they will eventually hit the wall. For instance, does anyone really expect Clarke MacArthur of the Leafs to continue scoring at nearly a goal-per-game pace? Even Sharp and Sedin have both managed career highs of 36 goals in their careers so it would be a shock if they were to challenge for 50 this season.
It is abundantly clear that if he remains healthy, Kessel will be the driving force behind the Maple Leafs' offence. The 23-year-old Madison, WI, native is on pace for 72 goals this season.
Also, if the Leafs continue to produce victories at the rate they have in the early going, Kessel will have to rate consideration for the Hart. The Leafs, who were expected to scratch and claw to make the playoffs this season, are currently fifth overall with 11 points.
Toronto general manager Brian Burke made one of the most controversial trades in league history when he dealt his team's first-round picks in the 2010 and 2011 NHL Entry Draft along with a second-round pick in 2010 to acquire Kessel from the Boston Bruins. In what can only be described as worst-case scenario, the Leafs finished 29th last year which gave the Bruinsthe second overall pick and allowed them to choose highly-regarded prospect Tyler Seguin.
Kessel can take a lot of heat off of Burke if he continues with his inspired play. The Leafs knew they were getting a pure goal-scorer when they made the deal. Kessel was coming off a 36-goal season with the Bruins and although he missed the start of the year with the Leafs and was unable to train during the summer of 2009 because of a shoulder injury, he still managed 30 goals in 70 games in his first campaign in Toronto.
You can't help but notice the speedy winger every time he's on the ice. He's the one who usually has the puck and drives to the opposition's net. Not big at 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds, Kessel nevertheless shows no fear with the puck. With one of the quickest releases in the NHL, Kessel seems to want to score on every shift.
At some point you would expect the likes of Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and maybe even Ilya Kovalchuk to enter the race for the Rocket, but for now Kessel looks like as good a bet as anybody to win the major award. And if he wins it, the Hart can't be far behind.
