Three-Time Stanley Cup Champion Phil Kessel Rumored to be Linked to Two Teams in the West
Only nine days left until the official start of the NHL regular season, and Phil Kessel is still a free agent. The current Ironman record resides with Kessel, and after playing in all 82 regular seasons games last season, and starting in the first round of the NHL playoffs with the Stanley Cup winning Vegas Golden Knights last season, they elected not to re-sign him. After previously informing teams that he's fine with sacrificing his ironman streak for the sake of continuing his NHL career as a part-time player.
Kessel produced his lowest points total last season since his first year in the NHL back in the 2006-2007 season for the Boston Bruins. He scored 14 goals, 22 assist for a total of 36 points. His play was not up to par in the first round of the playoffs against the Winnipeg Jets, and he was subsequently scratched for Game 5 and the remainder of the playoffs. Despite his postseason struggles this past April/May, a few teams could still benefit from his services and he can still provide some added depth for the upcoming season.
The Calgary Flames are one of the suitors rumored to be in play to acquire him after a shoulder injury to young prospect Jakob Pelletier during a pre-season game against the Seattle Kraken on September 25th. He requires surgery for the injured shoulder this coming week, and will be out indefinitely.
After a disappointing season of failing to make the playoffs, the Flames are looking to bounce back and adding Phil Kessel would be a boost to their bottom six.
The St. Louis Blues are another team that would benefit from Kessel's services. They aren't expected to be a contender this season, however, if they can bring him in on a short-term, inexpensive deal, there's really no downside there. While I'm sure that Kessel would rather land with a contender, if he performs well this season, perhaps he can parlay his way into a deadline deal to a contender.
The Calgary Flames open the season at home against the Winnipeg Jets, October 11th. St. Louis Blues open the season against the Stars, in Dallas, on October 12th.
Visit BladeOfSteel.com for more information on this rumor.
| POLL | ||
Where will Phil Kessel likely end up playing? | ||
| Calagry Flames | 25 | 20.5 % |
| St. Louis Blues | 13 | 10.7 % |
| Somewhere else | 31 | 25.4 % |
| Remains a free agent | 53 | 43.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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