Insider shares a major update on Phil Kessel's return to the NHL

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Daniel Lucente
September 13, 2024 (3:52 PM)

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NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently revealed that Phil Kessel is not ready to hang up his skates just yet, and can see him joining a team this NHL season.

A dynamic winger in the NHL, Phil Kessel has evolved into one of the most consistent and prolific players in the league. A selection by the Boston Bruins with the 5th overall pick back in 2006, Kessel's travels around the NHL have been a mix of resilience, skill, and a desire to light the lamp.

Phil Kessel broke into the NHL with the Bruins, where he quickly showed his offensive skill, particularly his elite skating speed and accurate shot. After three seasons in Boston, he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2009, where he took an upward turn toward being among the league's top scorers. In those six years with the Leafs, Kessel compiled five 30+ goal seasons, helping him attain elite goal-scorer status. But despite the personal success, the struggles of the Maple Leafs led to his trade in 2015 to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

That move to Pittsburgh rejuvenated Phil Kessel's career as he had a huge role in the Penguins' back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2016 and 2017. On the "HBK" line, Kessel provided some much-needed secondary scoring, netting 10 goals and 22 points during the 2016 playoffs and re-establishing himself as a clutch performer.

After finding success with the Penguins, Phil Kessel went to the Arizona Coyotes and then to the Vegas Golden Knights. In Vegas, the team had a whole load of veteran presence thanks to Kessel, who led the team to new heights. He continued setting milestones like playing over 1,000 games consecutively, thus earning him the title of the NHL's "Ironman."

He still brings a lot to the table in the NHL. Phil Kessel's skating and instincts for offense are still elite deep into the later stages of his career. Beyond that, his role and presence in the locker room are invaluable with two Stanley Cups. Durability on-ice, as well as his consistency, he loves the game, having turned into a big performer in high-pressure situations in the playoffs.

Now that he has veteran experience and leadership to add to his offensively productive traits, Phil Kessel has become an attractive option for teams looking for depth with scoring in the lineup. NHL insider Elliotte Friedman believes it's only a matter of time before teams sign him, and he is ready to play again.

"He wants to play, I've heard this," Friedman shared.

"So, Paul Bissonnette had a tweet this week about 'How come Kessel can't get a job?' and I was looking at it because I had heard, and I was gonna check, that Kessel was calling teams and really wanted to play. That seems to confirm it, and then I heard from a couple of people that he's legit about it."

Fans around the league will surely be on Kessel watch, as they wait to see if any NHL teams bite and at the very least offer Phil a PTO.

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