With Phil Kessel allegedly on the trade block at the age of 31, he could be a valuable upgrade for the Detroit Red Wings. First off, the Toronto Maple Leafs pay 1.2 million per year on his 8 million per season contract.
That was the retained salary when they struck a deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins and any other team that may add Kessel to their roster would only need to pay him 6.8 million per season.
I say only because I look at it this way; Phil is 31, and he has played 82 games in each of the last five consecutive seasons.