19. Phil Kessel – 2006 – 5th Overall
(Contributed by Andrew Thompson of Causeway Crowd)
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports.
Phil Kessel is as infamous a player in the Boston Bruins organization as it gets. After being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Phil Kessel showed that he has what it takes to be a dominant force in the NHL. in his three seasons as a Boston Bruin, Kessel put up 66 goals, proving he had a knack for scoring goals even at a young age.
After his battle with cancer, he was the first rookie ever to win the Masterson trophy. While Kessel was a dynamic scorer, and an offensive powerhouse, he was clearly not a fit for the Boston Bruins based on his attitude and unwillingness to play defense in a system that heavily relied on player-accountability.
Just prior the start of the 2009-10 season, the Bruins traded Phil Kessel to the Maple Leafs. Due to that trade, the Bruins ended up with two players who have already shown from a young age that they have the potential to be cornerstone players in any franchise in the NHL. The Bruins got a 2010 first-round pick (which ended up being Tyler Seguin, who helped the Bruins win the Cup in 2011) a 2010 second-round pick (Jared Knight) and a 2011 first-round pick (which was Dougie Hamilton.) Hamilton helped the B’s get to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2013.
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