Never-ending debate

So you thought the controversy surrounding the Phil Kessel trade had been put to rest, given No. 81's fantastic start to the year, huh?

Dream on.

This is one trade that will be debated for years to come -- count on it.

For those of you with short memories, Boston sent Kessel to Toronto for three draft picks, which the Bruins used to select budding star Tyler Seguin, centre Jared Knight and defenceman Dougie Hamilton.

Many observers gave the Bruins the hands-down victory in the deal right off the bat, but with Kessel jumping out to the scoring lead early this season, the gap seemed to be narrowing.

But after Saturday night's 7-0 loss for the Leafs, a game where the team looked dazed and confused, the debate regained its momentum. Making it worse was the fact Seguin led the Bruins with three goals -- his team-leading fifth, sixth and seventh of the year. For at least one night, the trade swayed back in favour of the Bruins.

Given the fact Seguin already owns a Stanley Cup ring, it wouldn't be out of line to suggest the Bruins were the big winners all along. It's also worth noting, Hamilton had 24 points in 16 games with the Niagara IceDogs and was the Ontario Hockey League's defenceman of the month in October. He is looking like a star in the making.

Seguin, a Brampton native, loves playing in Toronto. He was asked if he dreamed of playing in Toronto and scoring a hat trick as a member of the Leafs when he was growing up.

"I think, back then, it was just one day I wanted to be playing here, with or against the Leafs, or just be in the ACC," Seguin said. "Even in warm-up I can look up in the stands and almost pick out where I had been sitting while I was growing up."

Seguin, 19, is quickly becoming one of the go-to guys for the Bruins. His seven goals and 14 points lead the team in scoring.

"He always seems to get up when he's playing these guys," said Bruins tough guy Shawn Thornton. "He's got dynamic speed and a great shot. He has been playing good for us and he's got a lot of confidence. I'm glad that he's playing well."

Kessel's amazing start to the year has taken some of the pressure off of Toronto general manager Brian Burke who pulled the trigger on the controversial deal. Still, regardless of how well Kessel has performed, in two games against Boston the Leafs have been looked hopeless. And lest we forget, the Bruins are not exactly a Stanley Cup-calibre team at this point. They entered the game tied for last in the Eastern Conference. The Leafs are still trying to prove they're the real deal, but stinkers like the loss to Boston will certainly place doubt in the minds of many.

And on a night when Seguin vastly outplays Kessel, well, it just makes it all a little worse.

Kessel has been a bright light for the upstart Maple Leafs this season, no question about it.

To be blunt, though, he has a reputation for being a streaky scorer and his play in the past few games has taken a dip -- not points-wise, but in the overall way he's looked.

Despite putting up three assists in two games last week against New Jersey and Columbus, Kessel did not have the same jump -- the same dazzling speed -- that he displayed in his first 11 games. His ice time dipped to 18:44 against the Devils from 22:01 the game before against the Ottawa Senators. Then against the Blue Jackets it was down to 15:31. Against the Bruins, he played just 16:13.

Those are not minutes of a first-line player -- even if he doesn't kill penalties. They are the minutes of a player who looks tired…perhaps a little overwhelmed.

Wilson said he had no issue with Kessel's play on Saturday night..

"He had moments where he was skating tonight, like the way he took off on the breakaway in the third," Wilson said. "He's not always going to get six scoring chances every night. The other team, obviously, is paying attention to him. They want (Zdeno) Chara on the ice against Phil and we're trying to keep him away from Chara, but (Phil) has to find a way to play against a guy like that. We have four more games against them and two are going to be in Boston and I can't possibly keep Phil away from him."

The Leafs know they have to be better. The big question, however, is, has Kessel slipped into one of his familiar funks or is this finally the year when he steps up to the plate and finds the consistency that will justify his team giving up so much to acquire him?

Stay tuned.

Veteran hockey columnist Mike Brophy will cover the Toronto Maple Leafs for sportsnet.ca for the 2011/12 season.