Free agent winger Phil Kessel still intends to sign with a team before the March 8 trade deadline, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun wrote for The Athletic on Wednesday.
Kessel, 36, has not played since Game 4 of the Golden Knights’ first-round win over the Jets in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He has continued to skate on his own to stay in game shape throughout the offseason and throughout the regular season.
There’s no substitute for organized hockey, though, and LeBrun says inquiring teams might consider a tryout to have him practice with the team before signing him to a contract. LeBrun reported last month that Kessel was considering signing with an undisclosed team in the Swiss National League, but that has not come to fruition.
To that end, LeBrun notes a “couple of NHL teams have kept tabs” on Kessel in recent weeks, and after some other unsigned veteran dominoes have fallen in Corey Perry and Zach Parise, interest in Kessel’s services might pick up. He must sign by the trade deadline to be eligible for postseason play.
Kessel scored 14 goals, 22 assists and 36 points in a bottom-six role with Vegas last season. He played in all 82 games, extending his NHL-record ironman streak to 1,064. Since he’s remained unsigned this year, the streak is still active.
That level of production on a contending team has left some puzzled as to why no one has taken a flyer on Kessel’s services for the league minimum salary. He checks all the boxes for an ideal cheap add for a contending team – nearly 1,300 games of NHL experience and three Stanley Cup rings, as well as a history of strong playoff performances.
Even still, LeBrun says “there’s no guarantee” a team will extend an offer to Kessel over the next five weeks. That’s despite some contenders with a clear need for scoring support in their bottom six, namely the Bruins, where he began his career after being drafted fifth overall in 2006. He’d be a higher-ceiling option than their depth winger trio of Jesper Boqvist, Jakub Lauko and Oskar Steen, who have combined for four goals.
Not like the Pens are getting offense from the bottom 6 wingers anyway. Sign Kessel and use him almost exclusively on the PP. He can still shoot—if the PP was even league average the Pens would have won 5-6 more games.
Not to many teams need a guy that will be a healthy scratch night after night in the playoffs.
That would be a nice full circle career achievement for Kessel to sign with The Bruins.
This has Caps written all over it…
Rangers should bounce Wheeler for a pick and sign Kessel.
The only two teams that should consider him are the dregs.
The Hawks need someone to play with Bedard when he comes back and it doesn’t matter if they lose.
The Blue Jackets should trade everything that’s not bolted down and would need some warm bodies to back fill to finish out the year.
Other than that…I hate to say it…love the guy, but…nope.
After last night, the Blues and Kraken should give him a call. Getting shutout by the two worst GA teams in the league is unimpressive.
Surprised he hasn’t already signed with Canucks to play for Tochett again.
Good lord! Who would want a selfish, lazy, one-dimensional, zero defense, zero physicality bench warmer, who won two cups as a glorified 3rd line player who needed to be surrounded by the team’s two best defensive forwards to cover for his defensive liabilities?
The guy was ready to quit hockey all together because Carlyle was trying to stop him from drinking Cokes during practice and even during games! Who would want that on their team? Vegas sure didn’t want him playing in the playoffs!
Hate to say it but glorified third liners don’t put up PPG totals or slightly under for the majority of their career oh and third liners play defence too.
FiLl KeSSeL iS FaAAaT REEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Kessel WAS a 3rd line player on the Pens; he was not compatible (good enough) with either Crosby or Malkin. Kessel has NEVER played his position properly and that’s why he’s a career MINUS 108 — zero defense, zero physicality, zero backchecking… occasionally coaches were able to force him to backcheck a little, but it never lasted long. He only achieved PPG once in his career, and that was because of Crosby/Malkin on the power play. His 5 on 5 numbers have almost always been abysmal.
Malkin told the truth about Kessel in Russia, thinking the interview would never make its way into North America (it was in Russian); however, he stated that he didn’t want to play with Kessel, because Kessel was only concerned with putting up points and didn’t care about winning (i.e., not playing his position properly). Good players don’t want him on their lines, and you can’t have a power play “specialist” take up a roster spot, especially when they can’t even one-time the puck!
Anyway, I think he’s a good fit in Chicago. Almost close to ideal fit for someone to pair next to Bedard for a few games. I can’t see him landing on a contender.