During the American Presidential Debate on Tuesday night, former Pittsburgh Penguins forward, Spittin’ Chiclets host, and TV personality Paul Bissonnette wondered why three-time Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel couldn’t land a PTO.
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On top of his multiple title wins and six 30-goal seasons, Kessel is the current NHL Iron Man, having dressed in 1,064 consecutive games. However, he hasn’t taken a shift in the league since Apr. 24, 2023, when he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights.
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Despite his limited role during the playoffs, Kessel skated in all 82 games in the regular season but averaged a career-low 12:49 a game. Still, he scored 14 goals, had 36 points, and finished with his best plus/minus totals (minus-7) in five seasons.
Interestingly, Bissonnette began his brief NHL career with the Penguins, suiting up for 15 games in 2008-09 before relocating to the Phoenix Coyotes the following season to finish his career in the desert. He played 202 games, scored 22 points, and had 340 penalty minutes.
On Tuesday night, he tweeted and replied to fans who felt the same way about Kessel. Kessel has 413 goals, 119 of which have come on the man advantage and could bring valuable leadership to a younger team.
Meanwhile, the Penguins had one of the worst power play seasons of the Sidney Crosby era in 2023-24 and could have used a skillful forward like Kessel to divide up the offense on special teams.
Moreover, Kessel is still connected to the Pittsburgh organization on top of winning back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017. His sister Amanda is now the assistant general manager of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
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Sadly, no one has given Kessel, now 36, a chance to come back outside a brief stint with the Vancouver Canucks in February.
Ultimately, the situation didn’t work out with the Canucks, because he wasn’t the right fit for the organization. However, that doesn’t mean another franchise couldn’t consider giving him another crack.
For perspective, in Kessel’s last season (2022-23), he had 36 points, almost equal to Jeff Carter’s previous two seasons combined (43). The recently retired Carter had exactly 100 points in Pittsburgh, while Kessel registered over 131 with the Coyotes and Golden Knights during the same span.
Even though the league is about getting faster and younger, those players eventually become champions and experienced veterans who stick around to pass knowledge to the next generation.
As a former top-five pick with an impressive NHL resume, Kessel should be able to find a home somewhere and share his hockey experiences on and off the ice.
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