I see we've reached the Anger stage of the grieving process.
I KID.
Zroid, all of this is true. But it's also true that Kessel, as the highest paid player on the team and the one 'star', is going to get much of the blame for the team's anemic offence in the 2nd half of the season. Acknowledging that reality is not 'relying on media-driven narratives' - in fact, that's clearly what the rest of the league was thinking, else the interest in getting him would have been much greater.
Couple this with the off the ice quirks, as referenced in Mirtle's article, and you have the trade environment the Leafs f/o has been forced to work in. I think it sucks, and it is unfair given what you've pointed out, but it is what it is.
I don't think Kapanen will be pressured by the fan base to succeed because 1) he's not going to be in the NHL for a couple years at least and 2) he's not going to be a centre-piece of the rebuild.
That *can* change however if the Penguins end up missing the playoffs in 2016 and 2017 and the Leafs only end up with him, Harrington and the 3rd round pick from the trade.