Though July 1 is usually a day to celebrate Free Agent Frenzy, a major trade shookup the National Hockey League as Phil Kessel was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After many rumors surrounding him, the Maple Leafs dealt Kessel to the Penguins in a multi-player deal.
TSN's Bob McKenzie tweeted that it was a done deal.
Kessel to Pitt in multi player deal. Done
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2015
McKenzie also divulged the details of the swap
TOR gets 1st round pick, Kapanen and Harrington for Kessel from PIT. — Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2015
Kessel, 27, makes $8 million annually through the 2021-22 campaign.
Darren Dreger said that more details could be involved in the trade.
Kessel trade could be bigger hearing Spaling involved and Pitt also gets Torontos 2nd round pick.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2015
This certainly makes the Metropolitan Division all the more interesting, especially considering the Columbus Blue Jackets acquired Brandon Saad from the Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh finished with a 43-27-12 record and settled for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The club then fell to the New York Rangers in five games in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Penguins hinted that they were interested in Kessel prior to the draft and that they expected talks to heat up.
"It's a pretty competitive market right now," Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford told the media ahead of last weekend's NHL Draft. "I would think that the next couple of days, with the amount of talk around the league, league-wide, you'll probably see the start of some movement."
After finishing with the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, there were a lot of changes expected to be made in Toronto this season, starting with a new head coach in veteran Mike Babcock.
Kessel had 25 goals and 35 assists for 61 points last season and is 247-273--520 in 668 games in his nine-year career spent between the Boston Bruins and Maple Leafs.
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