Will Phil Kessel play in the NHL again amid retirement buzz?
09/26/2024 08:23 PM
With the National Hockey League’s exhibition schedule now in full swing, several unsigned free agents are still hoping to secure deals for the 2024-25 season. Among them is three-time Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel, who remains eager to extend his professional career.
Kessel hasn't played since his time with the Vegas Golden Knights during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which marked the end of his incredible iron-man streak of 1,064 consecutive games. He attempted to secure a contract with the Vancouver Canucks organization last season but wasn’t offered a deal.
But he’s not letting that setback get in his way. According to a report from NHL Insider Pierre LeBrun in his latest ‘NHL Rumblings’ piece, Kessel’s agent is in contact with a handful of teams, and he’s willing to accept a lesser role with whoever would be willing to sign him, via The Athletic:
“Phil Kessel is not contemplating retirement yet. He's eager to catch on with an NHL team on a PTO to prove himself,” LeBrun wrote.
“A couple of teams have stayed in touch with his agent, Wade Arnott, on it. They wanted to see how things played out in their camps and preseason early on before circling back.
“Kessel skated with NHL players in Arizona before camps opened and is training and keeping in shape. I'm told he doesn't care about his regular season ironman streak if teams were worried about dealing with that. He would be open to missing games and playing whatever role was asked of him. He's also not begging for a job, but he genuinely believes he can still help someone.”
Whether or not there is a team genuinely showing enough interest in Kessel to offer him a contract so that he can extend his NHL career remains to be seen.
Will Phil Kessel play in the NHL again?
Considered one of the best American-born players to ever play in the NHL, Kessel was originally selected by the Boston Bruins with the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft. He spent the first few years of his career with Boston before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in September 2009.
Kessel eventually helped the Leafs reach the postseason for the first time in nine years, a series they’d lose in seven games to Kessel’s former Bruins teammates. His best season wearing a Toronto sweater came in 2011-12, scoring 37 goals with 45 assists.
In July 2015, Kessel was traded in a blockbuster deal to the Pittsburgh Penguins, where he played a key role in helping the team win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. During his time in Pittsburgh, Kessel was one of the team’s most consistent offensive threats.
Kessel was traded again in June 2019, this time to the Arizona Coyotes. After his contract expired, he signed a one-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022.
While with Vegas, Kessel scored his 400th NHL goal and became the first player to reach 1,000 consecutive games. Later that season, he earned his third Stanley Cup win after the Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in the Cup Final.
In 1,286 career games, Kessel has scored 413 goals with 579 assists while adding 34 goals and 49 assists in 100 career postseason games.
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