Mired in a contract squabble with the cap-strapped Bruins, there was clearly no going back to Boston for the 21-year-old Kessel, who tagged Toronto as his No. 1 destination of choice, according to media reports.
In acquiring Kessel, Burke mortgaged a good chunk of his team's future as he sent first and second-round draft picks in 2010 as well as a first-round pick in 2011 to the Bruins.
The first trade attempt earlier this summer, which was quashed by Burke, would have seen the Leafs send defensive ace Tomas Kaberle and a first-rounder to Boston for the coveted winger.
Kessel, who set career highs in goals (36) and assists (24) last season, was rewarded handsomely by Burke and the Leafs after the trade. The Wisconsin native signed a five-year contract worth $27 million US, which works out to about $5.4 million a season, a deal that currently makes him the highest paid Maple Leaf.
The restricted free agent had reportedly sought a salary somewhere between $4 to $5 million a season.
Did the Leafs Give Up Too Much for Kessel?
It's no secret the Maple Leafs were in desperate need of firepower.
The scoring potential of the current Leafs squad had appeared grim up until now. Aside from Jason Blake and Mikhail Grabovski, who scored 25 and 20 goals last season respectively, the team's offensive dynamic lacked a pure finisher like Kessel.
Sure, giving up the first-round draft picks could come back to haunt Burke. But he's banking on the brimful of young forwards the Leafs are already developing to help mitigate the loss. These players include rookies Christian Hanson, Tyler Bozak and this year's highly touted first-round pick Nazem Kadri.
And this signing clearly is no mere stop-gap solution, either, as has been the case far too often in the Leafs' past.
Kessel, who turns 22 in October, is still a young player with untold offensive upside. While he's only had one outstanding season thus far, his point-per-game performances in the playoffs with the Bruins the past two seasons affirmed his status as one of the game's brightest young stars.
It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that Kessel could be the gamebreaking forward around which the Leafs mold future teams. Heck, he may even prove to be the natural successor to Mats Sundin's captaincy one day.
But all of that depends, of course, on whether he can stay on the ice.
Kessel won't be suiting up until November as he recovers from rotator cuff surgery, the latest health-related obstacle in a young career that has already seen him recover from a bout with testicular cancer during his rookie season.
