Canucks to work out veteran Kessel this week
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Free agent forward Phil Kessel is in Vancouver and will work out for the team in Abbotsford, B.C. this week, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced Monday.
The 17-year veteran has not played in the NHL this season after spending 2023-24 with the Vegas Golden Knights.
The 36-year-old appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Knights last campaign, scoring 14 goals with 36 points. In the playoffs, he appeared in four games and recorded two assists as Vegas went on to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun said last month that Kessel’s camp is in contact with a couple of teams around the league with the NHL’s trade deadline set for March 8.
“I’ve checked in on that over the last day and the answer is that he still absolutely hopes to catch on with an NHL team,” said LeBrun on Insider Trading in late January. “He has not given up hope. His camp is still in contact with a couple of teams. One of the things in consideration here is that, because he hasn’t played since last year, is that there might be a team or two that says “Hey come and skate with us for a bit so we can take a look at you and see where things are.
“He’s been skating and trying to stay ready. After Zach Parise and Corey Perry found homes, could it be a hat trick with Phil Kessel finding a home before March 8? We’ll see.”
Kessel currently holds the NHL record of consecutive games played in the regular season with 1,064. He is the only player in NHL history to play 1,000 consecutive games.
Drafted fifth overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2006 NHL Draft, Kessel has won three Stanley Cup championships in his career (2016, 2017 and 2023) and is a three-time All-Star. In 2007, he took home the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.