I would like to thank Burke emphatically for acquiring van Riemsdyk for Schenn. Young 6'3 fowards with high-end skill, can skate and wililng to take punishment in front of the net don't grow on trees, and he got one for a plodding defensiveman who is getting benched regularly this season in Philadephia. The Kessel deal has it's merits now since Phil The Franchise has played at an all-star level for several seasons in a row, but the JVR trade is an absolute steal.
If JVR continues to develop in a way we can reasonably expect him to, it'll turn out to be the best steal the Leafs made in the last 30 years. The Gilmour trade was THE best steal for the Leafs, but he only played productively for 2-3 years for the Leafs. JVR has all the tools and youthfulness to last for a much longer period, the only thing he needs to prove is what kind of heart he has. If its anything close to the Gilmour's, he may turn out to be one of the best Leaf wingers.
As for the Kessel/Seguin comparison, I honestly can't argue who's a better TEAM player as I haven't really watched Seguin that much except only when he played against the Leafs; but for what I've seen I can say there no way Seguin will ever offer the kind of enjoyment that Kessel offers when playing his best. The blazing speed when he rushes up ice forcing the defenders to back up was a beauty to watch. The scoring touches that you'd only seen from very selected few in the history of the game. From the very few games I've watched Seguin played, I've never seen anything close.
As for +/-, Seguin has the advantage of having played mostly with one of the best defensive team in the league. He has never had to play with turnover machines like Gardiner, Franson, Kadri & company. I had always thought Kessel was a one dimensional player, but he has won me over after the coaching change. What's more impressive was that he took his game to a higher level after he signed a new deal. That proves to me he has a big heart.