There have been few players in hockey history with absolutely no enemies and who are universally liked by every hockey fan in the world.
But Phil Kessel is one of them. He just loves playing hockey and eating hot dogs, but he’s also managed to have one heck of a career.
Kessel is a three-time Stanley Cup champion after playing with the Vegas Golden Knights last year. But Kessel didn’t play much in the postseason and wasn’t dressed for any of the games in the finals.
Kessel has been a free agent since last summer, and he’s still the active NHL Iron Man since he technically hasn’t missed a regular-season game due to not being signed.
But the word on the street over the last couple of months has been that Kessel hasn’t given up and that he still wants another go in the NHL.
Over the past month, it has seemed like a certainty that Kessel will sign with the Vancouver Canucks, as he’s been skating with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate Abbotsford Canucks since mid-February.
There have been few sightings of Kessel, but just last week, he was spotted in the background of a practice photo from Abbotsford’s practice. But now, a shocking turn of events may put a halt to Kessel’s hopes of returning to the NHL.
According to the website Cap Friendly, Kessel will need to sign a contract before 3 PM this Friday. If not, he won’t be eligible for the playoffs.
Cap Friendly said this in response to Canucks insider Rick Dahliwal, who reported that there’s not much going on about Kessel and a potential signing with the Canucks.
Vancouver isn’t the only team looking for depth with the playoffs approaching, so there should be a lot of interest in a player with Kessel’s experience.
Although Kessel didn’t play much in the last postseason, he was praised for his locker room behavior, always being a leader. We just hope to see Phil play some hockey before the season is over!
