Paul Bissonnette Calls Out NHL Teams for Not Signing Penguins Legend

Former Pittsburgh Penguins player and current co-host of the famous "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast, Paul Bissonnette, took to X on Wednesday to criticize all NHL teams for not offering a fellow Penguins legend even a tryout contract.

Bissonnette believes that two-time Penguins champion and three-time Stanley Cup winner Phil Kessel deserves at least a professional tryout (PTO) ahead of training camp and perhaps a standard contract for the 2024-25 season.

"Phil Kessel can’t even get a PTO. I got a (expletive) PTO," Bissonnette wrote on X on September 11 . "You’re telling me half the teams couldn’t use Phil Kessel at camp."

Bissonnette, known for his outspoken style, was in disbelief that Kessel, the league’s Iron Man with 1,064 consecutive games played, remains unsigned less than a month from the start of the regular season.

The post comes with a caveat, however, as Kessel is already 36 years old, and although he played all 82 games for the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2022-23 campaign, he wasn't on an NHL roster last year.

That said, Kessel left the league scoring 14 goals and 36 total points for the Knights on his way to hoisting the Stanley Cup for the third time throughout his 17-year career.

Kessel started his career in Boston aged 19 when he already played 70 games in his first NHL season all the way back in 2007. His resume includes 413 goals, six 30-goal seasons and significant playoff experience, with 83 points (34 goals, 49 assists) in 100 postseason games .

It is unknown whether Kessel, who hasn’t played since April 2023, continues to look for an opportunity to extend his career or not, though it's quite clear Bissonnette would love for that to happen.