It’s time for Phil Kessel to be signed to a contract for the 2022-23 season
By Jim Lynch
When it comes to top free agents that are still available for teams, Phil Kessel is definitely near the top of the list. Kessel has played the last three seasons of his career with the Arizona Coyotes and during that time he has put up 42 goals and 91 assists with the Yotes.
Kessel is a free agent this offseason, one some team is definitely going to bite at some point this offseason. He is a forward who has experience winning two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and even though he is 34 years old, he still does have a lot of experience and could be a great winger in the bottom six of a good team.
Kessel has definitely lost a bit of his step and his shot since leaving the Pittsburgh Penguins a few seasons ago, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play another season or two.
Kessel deserves to go out on a good team, but the thing is there is another thing at play here.
Phil Kessel is just seven games away from tying the longest iron man streak in the NHL.
Kessel has played in 982 consecutive games, the last game he missed was on October 31, 2009, when he was a member of the Maple Leafs. While it did not seem possible that he could get to the top spot considering Keith Yandle was an active player with a lead on him, Yandle has since been scratched in a game last season ending his streak.
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So if Kessel were to sign with a good team, they might not want to be held to playing him every night. This means maybe Kessel would be more willing to sign with a bad team that will guarantee he gets to play at least another 10 to 20 games to get the record.
There are a lot of Phil Kessel fans out there, and I think we all want to see him back in the NHL next season. I would like to see him sign on a contending team that can add another championship to his resume and allows him to play in meaningful hockey again. I think it is more likely that Kessel signs with a bad team or even re-signs in Arizona to chase the record for the longest iron man streak, then who knows, maybe he will be traded next year towards the deadline to be one more depth addition on a good team.