Let’s start with this little nugget from the Godfather of the North American hockey media, Bob McKenzie:

The Boston Bruins -- the team he bolted for big money (and a chance to elude the coaching grasp of Claude Julien) -- are on Phil Kessel's list of approved destinations if Toronto trades him in the next two weeks. And the Maple Leafs are most definitely looking to deal Phil the Thrill prior to the NHL Draft to shed cap space and, more importantly, to radically alter the DNA of a hockey club that’s been a pouty, underachieving, coach-killing mess for the last few years.

So could the unthinkable happen? Could Kessel return to the franchise that drafted him in 2006? Will he return to the club that saw him through his bout with testicular cancer as a teenager and then developed him into a pretty good player before he first hit restricted free agency six years ago?

The kneejerk answer: Not a chance. But it also opens an interesting philosophical conversation.

Sources have indicated to CSNNE.com that Toronto is moving in earnest to deal both Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, and it’s something the Leafs want to accomplish quickly. Rightly or wrongly, they are the poster boys for a hockey club that stunk out loud on the ice, and then engaged in a nonsensical war with fans that voiced their displeasure with the perennially crappy Original Six franchise.

Perhaps Phaneuf sticks around and is salvaged as a second-pairing defenseman, given how miscast he was as a No. 1 in Toronto. But Kessel will be moved a) because of his $8 million cap hit through 2022, b) because he has the value that goes along with averaging 30 goals per season during his six years in Toronto and c) because he has the same thirst for fitness as your typical hockey writer. Kessel, 27, is also coming off his lowest goal output (25) in a full season since his second year with the Bruins, and was a mind-boggling minus-34 for a team that raised the white flag far too quickly on way too many nights last season.

Still, his 25 goals would have led last year's underwhelming Bruins offense. He's a true, top-line right winger in a way that David Pastrnak (too young) and Brett Connolly (couldn’t crack the top nine in Tampa Bay) aren’t likely to be in the immediate future. Kessel would give David Krejci a true trigger man on his right side, and could be the sniping goal-scorer that Boston yearned for last season when it dropped to 22nd in the league in team offense.

He's clearly not a Nathan Horton- or Jarome Iginla-type, but there's more than one way to build a successful forward line.

Sure, the Bruins will have to give up assets that probably start with the 14th overall pick in the draft and might also include some combination of Malcolm Subban, Reilly Smith, Loui Eriksson and Joe Morrow, as well as future draft choices. But there’s every possibility the Bruins could also coax a wealthy franchise like the Maple leafs to hold back as much as half of Kessel’s $8 million-per-year salary, particularly if they're a motivated seller. That would give the Bruins a bona-fide 30-goal scorer and sniper for a cap hit of $4 million per season, and address many of the team’s offensive woes from last season in one fell swoop.

It might cost the Bruins something a bit more valuable to get the Leafs to swallow that kind of money, but it’s an avenue worth going down.

Another item in the plus column: The Bruins would also once again be capable of winning a game in the damned shootout every once in a while. That was one of Kessel’s skilled specialties in his first incarnation here, and he would immediately become their best shootout option.

There are two sides to chasing down this fantasy, of course.

Clearly Kessel is a bit of an introverted loner, and his game and effort levels run hot and cold throughout the season.

There would have to be adjustments made all around, to be sure, and Kessel might be the final straw to push the already tenuous Julien situation over the edge this season. The coach and player used to fight over Kessel’s weight-room dedication, and even squabbled over the kind of sticks the quirky right winger preferred.

This all speaks to a big decision looming for general manager Don Sweeney and the Bruins, and the Kessel question gets to the very heart of the approaching crossroads.

Do the Bruins believe they can re-tool and reload on the run, and continue their current stretch with a core group that’s getting old in some spots and showing signs of wear and tear? Is it possible to squeeze one more Cup, or even a long playoff run, out of a group that looked rudderless last season?

Or does the B’s brain trust feel their current roster needs to be stripped down to bare essentials, with just a select few -- such as Krecji, Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron, Tuukka Rask and Dougie Hamilton - being saved? Is this a team that should start rebuilding for the future with a true roster makeover?

If it’s the former, then a Kessel move makes sense. Barring such a bold strike, there's little reason to truly believe the Bruins are going to be that much better offensively next season.

If it’s the latter, then adding Kessel is counterproductive.

But either way, the Bruins should be having a conversation about Kessel and whether there are any circumstances under which he could once again don the Black and Gold. The player certainly hasn’t ruled it out given the terms of his no-trade clause, and one has to wonder if a team desperately seeking offense is equally open for a “Thank You, Kessel!” reconciliation.