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TORONTO — Somewhere along the way, Phil Kessel became the problem.

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It was not enough that the Toronto Maple Leafs forward led the team in scoring the last five years. Or that he is ranked in the top 10 in the NHL in goals and points this season. Or that since he played his first game in Toronto, he has not missed a single game despite often being banged up.

According to one former head coach, Kessel is the reason why Randy Carlyle was fired on Tuesday. According to others, he is the reason why the Leafs will never win a Stanley Cup.

As Kessel said on Wednesday, “I don’t know what you expect out of me out there. Obviously you expect more.”

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Well, yes. Kessel is expected to be Sidney Crosby or Jonathan Toews. He is expected to be something that he is not and can never be, which is unfair to both Kessel and the Leafs.