NHL Trade Rumors: Will the Pittsburgh Penguins trade Phil Kessel?
By Jasmine Yen
In the 2017-2018 season, Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel recorded a personal best 92 points with 34 goals and 58 assists. And yet, trade rumors are still circulating around him.
Phil Kessel has not missed a game since 2010 and his ironman streak is at 692 games. He is second in scoring on the Pittsburgh Penguins, behind only Evgeni Malkin. This guy is a huge part of the team, both on the ice and off the ice. Yet he’s still the subject of NHL trade rumors.
Many players commented on how Kessel keeps the dressing room relaxed and laughing, even when times are tough. One time, a prank war between Malkin and Kessel broke out and the coach had this to say about it: “It’s all in good fun. And Phil always seems to be in the center of all that.”
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Kessel gives the Penguins an elite powerplay, a scoring danger every shift, and deceptive speed. Why would they trade that away?
Even when he was in Toronto, Phil has been the center of media criticism, no matter how well he played. He is constantly overlooked and has the reputation of being an easy guy to trade.
And today, Jim Rutherford had to tell the media AGAIN the same exact thing. When will this be let go? People are always trying to create a “Phil Kessel trade” narrative and it gets so out of hand. the general manager has to step in.
Everyone wants to make their team better, but how does trading away your second best scorer do any good? Pittsburgh will be fine if they make no moves at all because this team is just that good. Don’t fix what ain’t broke and if you try, you will regret it.
Just look at the Chicago Blackhawks. After a first-round sweep at the hands of the Nashville Predators, they pressed the nuclear button. Trading their rising star Artemi Panarin for Brandon Saad, and dealing Scott Darling away for a 3rd round pick. If they had just waited until their emotions boiled down, they might be in a better position than right now.
Next: Penguins Offseason Outlook
What we learned from previous teams is to never twiddle around just because you want to. And certainly, don’t trade away your best players just to make headlines.
For more NHL Trade Rumors, check out our Rumors page!