Phil Kessel Signs With Vegas Golden Knights

Phil Kessel Signs as a Free Agent With Vegas Golden Knights

The former Arizona Coyotes forward Phil Kessel had requested a trade with general manager Bill Armstrong and didn’t want to stay on a team in the midst of a rebuild. So, he went to free agency instead. Phil Kessel was one of the last remaining unsigned players in the NHL. Today that changed when he signed with the Vegas Golden Knights. He inked a one-year $1.5 million contract. 

Phil Kessel was taking part in the Coyotes' informal skates this week at the Ice Den.
Vegas has long-been a rumored destination for Phil, and he'll be close to good friend Rick Tocchet, who lives there. https://t.co/9HpjUHntY9

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During Kessel’s three-year stay in the desert, he collected 42 goals, 91 assists in 208 games. He also contributed 15 power-play tallies as well as 12 assists. Always a dangerous shooter, Kessel had five game-winning goals.

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What This Means Going Forward

Since Kessel wanted to be moved and that didn’t happen, it was just a matter of time before he became a free agent. General manager Bill Armstrong waited it out to get the best deal possible for his team without any success. Kessel’s play has decreased as he ages, and while still a good player to have on the power play, he is not going to score 30 or more goals as he has done six times over his 16-year NHL career.

He will however be a good veteran to help lead the young guys, and let’s face it, Phil is a fun guy to be around. He has two Cup championships and that experience is always a good thing to have on your roster. The big question is can he continue his Iron-man streak of 982 consecutive games?

Overall, Kessel will be a good addition to Vegas. Even if he doesn’t score as he has in the past, he has been adding up assists averaging 0.50 assists a game while in Arizona. Kessel is a good possession player with a Corsi For of 55.6 and a Relative Corsi of 9.2. Get him the puck and he will know what to do with it.