3 NHL teams who should sign Phil Kessel right now

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The National Hockey League has been graced by Phil Kessel‘s presence for a long time now. He has been in the league for 17 years now. He played with the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes, and Vegas Golden Knights during that span.

He has won the Stanley Cup three times (two with Pittsburgh and one with Vegas) during his tenure in the league and he is also a fan favorite player. He is truly a nice guy who tries hard and loves the game.

Now, we are about a quarter of the way through the 2023-24 season and Kessel is still a free agent. At 36 years old, he is still looking to latch onto a team so he can continue his NHL career. There are plenty of teams out there that should consider him.

In 2022-23, Kessel kept his Iron Man streak alive by playing in all 82 games for the Golden Knights during the regular season. However, he didn’t get in many games after their first-round series win over the Winnipeg Jets.

The NHL is a better place thanks to the fact that Phil Kessel was a part of it

With all of that in mind, he is as big of a part of that championship team as anyone on the roster. His experience and the love that he receives from teammates, coaches, and fans, speak volumes. He should be proud of his NHL career.

Up to this point, he has played in 1286 games and he has scored 413 goals with 579 assists for 992 points. It is time for him to join a team so he can blow past the 1000-point mark.

In those 82 games with Vegas last year, he scored 14 goals and had 22 assists for 36 points. He can still bring a little bit of offense in addition to what he brings to a team off the ice. These are the three teams that should be in on Kessel right now:

Phil Kessel makes a lot of sense for the Vegas Golden Knights still

Phil Kessel would be okay with seeing his Iron Man streak come to an end this season. He doesn’t need to play in every game as he did last year. That is why the Vegas Golden Knights should pursue him right now.

They won the Stanley Cup with him around last spring so having him back makes total sense. He will be helpful off the ice just as much as he would on the ice. During the dog days of the season after the holidays, a guy like Kessel makes things a bit easier.

He can play every other game for guys who may be dealing with some sort of injury or he could just draw into the lineup randomly. Vegas is a place where good players can go and expect to be a part of a winning culture.

They may or may not repeat as Stanley Cup champions but they would allow Kessel to be in some games and be on a team that has a chance. He’d also get past that 1000 points plateau that probably means something to him. It is just a really good fit for both sides.

The Boston Bruins are a team that should consider Phil Kessel at this point

The Boston Bruins had Phil Kessel at one point. He was the fifth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Draft and he stayed with the Boston Bruins for three seasons. With them, he played in 222 games and scored 66 goals and 60 assists for 126 points.

His rookie year saw him win the NHL’s Masterton Trophy for perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. He did it after coming back from cancer and he is the first rookie in the history of the NHL to ever have won the award.

Boston traded him to the Toronto Maple Leafs which is where he became a true star in the league. In exchange for Kessel, the Bruins landed a first-round pick in 2010 (Tyler Seguin), a second-round pick in 2010 (Jared Knight), and a first-round pick in 2011 (Dougie Hamilton).

Now would be a perfect time for Kessel to make the trip back to the Bruins. He’d bring a sense of veteran leadership and depth to that forward group. They don’t have the likes of Taylor Hall or Nick Foligno like they did last year so adding a guy like Kessel might help them make up for it.

Kessel would be a good fit on the Bruins because he could still fit in on any line they have. He is probably a middle-six forward at this point of his career which is perfect for them. We know their defense and goaltending is elite so someone like Kessel could be used to help the offense.

The Chicago Blackhawks could use a good veteran leader like Phil Kessel

The Chicago Blackhawks have been going through it lately. There have been a lot of issues there. However, they have Connor Bedard so the only thing they should be considering right now is doing what they can to help him develop.

Bedard looks like he is the real deal. You can argue that he has been even better than expected coming into the year. At 18 years old, it is not easy but he has handled it all so well.

The Hawks brought in a few veterans to help Bedard grow his game. Three forwards (Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, and Corey Perry) who have had major success in the NHL were brought in to help him along but two of them are already done for the year.

Perry had his contract terminated for something he did off the ice. Hall is injured and is going to miss the remainder of the season. That leaves Foligno as the one left that is still there with the team. He is doing an amazing job and the Hawks need that to continue for him.

Adding someone like Kessel would be great as a replacement for Hall and Perry. There is no telling if he will replace their on-ice production but he is a better option than most of the people that will be in the lineup instead.

Unlike some other options, including Boston and Vegas, Chicago isn’t competing for the Stanley Cup this year so Kessel wouldn’t be joining a winner. However, he’d be joining a team where he can get tons of ice time. He might even be able to play with Bedard a ton which is a good thing for him.

Kessel is one of the great players to play in this league for the last 17 seasons so getting him again for 2/3 of this season would be great. Hopefully, Kessel can join a team soon.

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