*Photo from Howlin Hockey*
One of the teams in flux this offseason is adding to team depth. The Vegas Golden Knights and RW Phil Kessel have agreed to a one year, $1.5 million deal, according to an announcement by the Golden Knights on Wednesday.
When being introduced, Kessel said that "I'm excited. Obviously it's a great organization, a great team, a winning place. When you get a chance to play on a good team that wants to win, you're always looking forward to it. Obviously it's a great organization, a great team, a winning place. When you get a chance to play on a good team that wants to win, you're always looking forward to it."
The previous 3 seasons, Kessel has suited up for the Arizona Coyotes, after being traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kessel had a full no movement clause in his previous contract, and has a modified no trade clause this season and makes $1.5 million.
Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon talked about the signing of Kessel, saying that "Over the course of the offseason we've been looking to add a veteran forward. We've had conversations with Phil for a while now, and felt from our perspective it was a great fit and I think Phil felt the same."
Last season, Kessel was one of the main contributors on a lowly Coyotes team. Kessel only put up 8 goals, but dished out 44 assists, posting a -24 plus/minus rating while averaging 16:41 of ice time in 82 games for the Coyotes last season.
Kessel has been in the NHL for 16 seasons, split between 4 different teams. Kessel has 399 goals and 557 assists, recording a -148 plus/minus rating while averaging 18:02 of ice time in 1,204 regular season games. In the playoffs, Kessel has an additional 34 goals and 47 assists in 96 games, winning two Stanley Cup titles.
Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy said of Kessel that "He's a guy that brings playmaking ability so he's going to upgrade our power play. He's got Stanley Cup championship experience, so another guy in the room that has been there and done it. Obviously, longevity in the game. He's a guy that comes to play every night, so I think he's going to check some boxes for us that will really help us. We lost some skill on the wings this year with Pacioretty and Dadonov, so it's a guy that comes in and, his goal numbers weren't probably as high as they'd been in the past last year, so we'll make sure that he still has a shot mentality. His playmaking ability for us, we feel, is still elite."
Entering this season, Kessel has played in 982 consecutive games, which is the second longest streak in the NHL. He can tie Keith Yandle for the longest streak of games played with 989 on October 24, against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He can pass it the next night against the San Jose Sharks.
The signing of Kessel comes as the Golden Knights have lost significant talent this offseason. Evgenii Dadonov and Max Pacioretty are gone, and goalie Robin Lehner is out for the season after recent surgery.
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