Pittsburgh Penguins: Phil Kessel changed everything about this era

Though the Pittsburgh Penguins traded Phil Kessel during the 2019 offseason, fans should remember him fondly, as this era of Pens hockey wouldn’t have happened without him.

On July 1, 2015, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford acquired the elite offensive force that the team had been lacking since Marian Hossa’s brief stint with the club in the later portions of the 2008 season. That offensive force was Phil Kessel.

At that time, there was minimal interest amongst other NHL teams in trading for Kessel. That was (and still is) stunning to me. The Penguins had leverage in terms of the trade negotiations. While Kessel came with some flaws, his past production spoke for itself. Between the regular and postseason, Kessel produced 359 points in 393 games as a Penguin. He is a future Hall of Famer and was a perfect fit in his four seasons in Pittsburgh.

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Consider what the state of the Penguins was before Kessel’s arrival. They were a top-heavy roster. Their bottom-six forwards were at or below replacement level. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were being asked to do too much. There was a stale feeling around the team. The Penguins had advanced to the Eastern Conference Final just once from 2010 to 2015.

Kessel’s arrival changed everything about this era of the Penguins for the better. He was the game-breaking talent that this franchise was missing. Kessel could create his own shot. He helped cement the legacies of Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang. His unique personality helped keep the locker room loose in key moments. He elevated his game when it mattered most.

Also, Kessel was instrumental in changing the narrative that people had about the Penguins being a playoff disappointment. Perhaps the most satisfying part of all this is that he also proved his critics wrong. They frequently labeled him as lazy and claimed he ate too many hot dogs (which was proven false). Kessel was well aware of these asinine labels. He trolled the Toronto media in elite fashion.

It's August 14th and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Phil Kessel is eating hot dogs out of the Stanley Cup. pic.twitter.com/39FAF1MPjH
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) August 14, 2017

Here are some of my favorite moments from Kessel’s on-ice tenure in Pittsburgh

March 26, 2016

By the spring of 2016, the Penguins were a force with the savviness of Mike Sullivan behind the bench. Their forward depth was on full display on this night. Kessel and Nick Bonino tallied 5 points each in a 7-2 route of the Red Wings. Kessel had a game-high 6 shots on goal. This victory kick-started an eight-game winning streak, as the Penguins won 8 of their final 9 games to conclude the regular season.

April 19, 2016

After some fine work in the defensive zone from Patric Hornqvist and Kris Letang, the Penguins were off to the races. After gaining the offensive zone, they go tic-tac-toe. Their passing had Henrik Lundqvist swimming in the Hudson River. Kessel had a wide-open cage to open the scoring in Game 2.

May 10, 2016

Kessel scored the first two goals in the series-clinching Game 6 victory over the Washington Capitals. Kessel’s wicked wrist shot, patience, and vision were on full display on both of these tallies.

On that same night, Kessel also recorded the secondary assist on the iconic Nick Bonino overtime game-winner. That was a *very* tightly contested series, and Kessel was a huge difference-maker in the Penguins closing it out.

May 18, 2016

In Game 3 of the East Final, Kessel beats Tampa Bay’s best defenseman (Victor Hedman) to a loose puck, puts the puck to the net as the second period wound down for Carl Hagelin to pounce on the rebound. This is one of my favorite plays from that Cup run. The Penguins were a dominant force who just outskated and outplayed their opponents night after night. This play exemplifies exactly that. Kessel recorded a goal and assist in a 4-2 victory. Fast forward to the 2:03 mark in the clip below.

If I had a Conn Smythe Trophy vote (for Playoff MVP) following the Penguins 2016 championship run, my vote would have gone to Phil Kessel. He had 22 points in 24 postseason contests. He led the Penguins in both playoff goals and points. His 98 shots on goal were far and away the most in the league and 18 more than second-place (Patric Hornqvist). Kessel was the key piece to the “HBK” line that made the Penguins a matchup nightmare for their opponents. He was a difference-maker in the truest sense of the word.

April 20, 2017

The Penguins’ power play used to revolve around Kessel’s mobility and playmaking ability from the left half-wall. The Kessel curl was such a weapon and was very difficult for opponents to defend against. Kessel took the feed from Justin Schultz, curls off of the half wall and fires a wrister past Sergei Bobrovsky to open the scoring in a decisive Game 5.

May 15, 2017

In the first couple of games of the Eastern Conference Final, the Penguins struggled to score. Phil Kessel became very animated and passionate on the bench. Chris Kunitz found it to be comical. Fittingly enough, Kessel scored the only goal in a 1-0 Penguins win, as they evened the series.

October 27, 2017

Kessel breaks up Patrik Laine’s pass attempt, pulls away, and scores his 300th career goal in dramatic fashion.

October 11, 2018

Kessel’s wicked wrist shot was on full display against the Vegas Golden Knights. Geno Malkin and Carl Hagelin’s stretch passes hit Kessel right in stride and he wasted no time converting on a couple of breakaways. Malcolm Subban had no chance. His natural hat trick propelled the Penguins to a 4-2 victory.

March 12, 2019

Kessel converts on Justin Schultz’s rebound to tally a powerplay goal and help Evgeni Malkin record his 1,000th NHL point.

Acquiring Phil Kessel was a franchise-altering acquisition for the Penguins. He was an instrumental piece in them winning back-to-back championships. His tenure in Pittsburgh was a great success and a whole lot of fun for Penguins fans. Thanks for reading!