Elliotte Friedman Delivers Update on Phil Kessel's Sweepstakes

Don't call it a career. Not yet, at least. NHL veteran Phil Kessel is ready for another chapter in his career, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The 36-year-old winger, a three-time Stanley Cup champion known for his offensive prowess and remarkable durability, is actively seeking a return to the NHL for the 2024–25 season, as Friedman confirmed on the September 12 episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast .

“He wants to play, I've heard this,” Friedman said. “He’s been calling teams and really wants to play.”

Kessel, who won two championships with the Pittsburgh Penguins and added a third one two years ago with the Vegas Golden Knights, has the league's all-time Ironman record with 1,064 consecutive games played.

According to Friedman, Kessel reached out to several teams, expressing his desire to continue playing, albeit to no avail yet.

This report is doubly intriguing following the pressure applied by former NHL player and current analyst Paul Bissonnette, who took to X on September 11 to call out NHL franchises not giving Kessel a chance.

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

Although it's true that Kessel won his first two cups back-to-back in 2016 and 2017, nearly a decade ago, it cannot be argued against the fact that he lifted Vegas to the first championship in franchise history as recently as in 2023.

Despite not playing last season, Kessel is a free agent available to sign a standard contract or, at the very least, a professional tryout (PTO) deal with any team with no guaranteed money attached to it.

Most recently, Kessel was close to signing a rest-of-season contract with the Vancouver Canucks ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. That never happened, however, because of a lack of cap space in Vancouver's room, according to Rick Dhaliwal.

Related: Paul Bissonnette Calls Out NHL Teams for Not Signing Penguins Legend