Brian Burke Opens Up About Phil Kessel Offer Sheet

Pittsburgh Penguins President of Hockey Operations, Brian Burke was recently asked about his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the long-time executive made one thing clear, he was acquiring Phil Kessel one way or another.

Burke spoke with Sportsnet's Eric Francis recently and had this to say about a potential offer sheet for Kessel if a trade fell through:

I was prepared to offer sheet Phil Kessel when I (traded for) him in Toronto, and I told the Boston Bruins that. They were trying to make a deal with the (Los Angeles) Kings and trying to talk to (the) Nashville (Predators), and I said, 'Either you guys make a deal with me or I'm going to offer sheet him.' So they made a deal with me.

As far as the most recent offer sheet out of Carolina, Burke had this to say:

I thought it was a smart move by Carolina to handcuff Montreal, and I think it was a smart move to take the picks, which they managed to flip for a player I think will be useful.

Kessel went on to shine in Toronto, scoring at will, however unfortunately like most Toronto teams, couldn't find any success in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Burke now focuses on the Penguins and a team that's going to be hard pressed to make the postseason if they can't stay healthy.

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