With 11 goals and 28 points in 19 NHL games since Jan. 1, Toronto Maple Leafs sniper Phil Kessel had been the hottest offensive player in hockey. But that was before the Olympic break ruined Kessel's season.

Kessel spent his Olympic break playing for Team USA at the Olympic men's hockey tournament where he continued his torrid scoring pace (Kessel led all players at the men's tournament in scoring). Despite his personal Olympic success, Kessel's experience in Sochi has obviously jolted him out of the groove he'd been in before the two-week recess. Probably irretrievably.

To wit, Kessel's performance at Maple Leafs practice on Wednesday - as told by Toronto Star sports reporter Curtis Rush:

Phil Kessel skated for the first time since the Olympics on Wednesday morning at the Maple Leafs practice, and well, he looked sluggish. He mishandled the puck early on a two-on-one with linemate Tyler Bozak, hung his head and then seemed to drift off. At various times, he took a knee to catch his breath, and he was the first person off the ice at the end.

That Kessel left his game, drive, and compete level in his athlete's village dormitory could not be more apparent.

In addition to his flagging work ethic at practice, the near paralytic funk Kessel is contending with has impacted his mental acuity too. In this video interview posted on Wednesday, Kessel struggles enormously with a facile line of rapid fire questioning and becomes agitated and distracted by the mere presence of cameras:

"What is your best quality?"



"Huh... I dunno... Ask someone else?"

Definitely cause for concern.

When you see how a star player like Kessel can have his season so completely derailed by the Olympic break, is it really any wonder that the NHL is so reluctant to commit to participating at the 2018 Winter Olympic games in Pyeongchang, South Korea?