NHL Trade Rumors: Phil Kessel likely on the move
Phil Kessel is no stranger to the world of NHL trade rumors. But after being listed at the top of TSN’s Frank Seravalli’s trade bait list, has he played his last game for the Pittsburgh Penguins?
It’s the offseason, which means for teams who aren’t in the playoffs, it’s prime time for NHL trade rumors. Phil Kessel holds the unofficial record of most times being mentioned in rumors. Heck, he was mentioned in trade rumors the same summer he helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win their second straight Stanley Cup. It seems every offseason, Kessel is being shopped.
However, this summer feels different. After being swept by the New York Islanders in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford has promised significant changes. Trading Kessel qualifies as a significant change.
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According to Frank Seravalli of TSN, the Penguins forward headlines his latest trade bait board, as he tops the 16-player list.
I’m still skeptical that the Penguins will trade Kessel. He’s been one of their most productive players and is coming off a pretty strong year. Furthermore, the Penguins Stanley Cup window is wide open. If Pittsburgh needs any advice on how to deal with a disappointing season, they should just look back at what happened after the 2014-15 season.
The Penguins suffered a very similar outcome, losing in the first round in disappointing fashion. However, did Pittsburgh subtract from their core? Nope, the Penguins didn’t trade Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, or Sidney Crosby. Rather, they added to their core by trading for Kessel.
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That said, you can only ignore the smoke for so long before you start wondering where the fire is. And, as they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Kessel has reportedly been a hard guy to coach. But then again, plenty of great players are.
Still, Rutherford has not reacted well to struggles as of late. His idea of shaking up the roster last summer was signing an aging, declining defenseman in Jack Johnson to a five-year deal. What did Rutherford do at the trade deadline? He traded for Erik Gudbranson. This came after Rutherford pretty much gave away Jamie Oleksiak, who, though unspectacular, is a reliable NHL defenseman.
Trading Kessel is undeniably plausible for the Penguins. The usual whispers of him being traded have turned into screams. Maybe the Penguins, much like the Evgeni Malkin rumors, are just trying to give Kessel a kick in the pants.
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He’s probably not a pleasant player to coach. But when Kessel is on his game, very few are better than him. Plus the Penguins don’t have much leverage and I find it hard to believe they’d get a fair price for him.