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Why any NHL team would be lucky to add Phil Kessel to their roster

By Jim Lynch

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 13: Phil Kessel #8 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates the Stanley Cup victory over the Florida Panthers in Game Five of the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JUNE 13: Phil Kessel #8 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates the Stanley Cup victory over the Florida Panthers in Game Five of the 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on June 13, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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For the second year in a row Phil Kessel is without a home late into the offseason. Kessel is still looking to find a team to play for this upcoming season after playing in all 82 of the Vegas Golden Knights regular season games this past season putting up a respectable 36 points during that time.

Kessel currently has a 1,064 game iron man streak going, which could be a factor in why some teams do not want to add the three-time Stanley Cup Champion. Scratching a player on a streak like that can be a cause for uproar amongst the fans or even players in the locker room, you might remember the energy around the NHL when Keith Yandle’s iron man streak ended with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has reported that Kessel has been letting teams know that if they sign him continuing that streak won’t be a problem, which should open the door to having him sign with a team sooner rather than later. Honestly though, record aside any team would be lucky to add Kessel to their roster.

Why any NHL team would be lucky to add Phil Kessel to their roster

Phil Kessel has experience and knows what it takes to win in the NHL. While he did not play a lot during the Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup run this past postseason, he was around a team that just won a championship.

Kessel also has experience winning with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he played a big role int he team’s back to back championships in 2016 and 2017 and he has even played for a few struggling teams during his time with the Arizona Coyotes. Kessel has experience playing in a wide variety of situations in the NHL and should be a target for a lot of teams.

Kessel is not going to cost a lot of money to sign. He could very well be willing to take a league minimum deal to extend his NHL career for another season, but for a team rebuilding looking to add someone to their roster with experience, Kessel would be a great add. Even for a contending team Kessel could be worth a look to provide a little bit more depth.

A team like Tampa Bay or Florida or even Edmonton could use a player like Phil Kessel getting a spot in their bottom six, even if it is just as a 13th forward. I think more teams should be looking to add Kessel and whoever does end up signing him will be getting a nice bonus addition to their lineup right before the season.

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