Door Not Closed, Sauvageau Says Decision Belongs To Kessel

Although Amanda Kessel has been named Assistant General Manager with the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins , as well as the Penguins' Manager of Minor League Operations, PWHL Montreal is still hoping to see her play in the league next season.

The Hockey News has reached out to the Montreal organization and here’s what General Manager Daniele Sauvageau had to say about the subject:

“I was made aware of Amanda Kessel’s nomination, along with Pittsburgh Penguins’ General Manager Kyle Dubas’ declaration to the fact that the decision to pursue her playing career belongs to her and that he will support her decision,” Sauvageau told THN. “I hope to see Amanda in a Montreal uniform this upcoming season so that all PWHL fans can appreciate her talent on the ice.”

Back in June, after Kessel was drafted by Montreal, Dubas said he would be supportive of Kessel’s choice.

“I don't want to speak for Amanda, and she's been outstanding in our front office," Dubas told DK Pittsburgh Sports. "It's a tough one, because the PWHL finally started to get rolling, and it's a great avenue for women to play and be rewarded financially for their talents. So, I'd like to see Amanda live that out and make sure that she's happy on that front. But at the same time, we'd love for her to stay in the front office. She was outstanding in the year on so many fronts, and her potential on the front office side is unlimited. She can run her own NHL team one day. Just the progress that she's made this year has been spectacular. So, we'll see what happens there. That's Amanda's own personal thing, and we're supportive either way."

After the announcement of her promotion within the Penguins organization Dubas, again, said that he would support her no matter what.

“We will support her no matter what she decides,” Dubas told La Presse . “This promotion is a reflection of the exceptional work she has done with us over the past few years as she continues to grow professionally.”

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Still, it would be surprising to see Kessel in the PWHL. Among her new responsibilities with the team, she will assist Jason Spezza in his capacities of GM of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, as well as overseeing the Wheeling Nailers, Pittsburgh’s affiliate team in the ECHL.

On its final mock draft, THN had Kessel at #7 , while she was drafted 41st by Montreal. It was later said that Kessel wanted to only play with PWHL Boston . The feeling around PWHL Montreal earlier this summer is that the team would have better chances to sign Abby Boreen than Amanda Kessel.

Kessel has not commented on being drafted by Montreal nor on her intentions to only play for PWHL Boston, and since she’s on a vacation in Europe, isn’t available at the moment.

The league told THN that in the event that Kessel doesn’t sign with Montreal, no compensatory draft pick would be given.

“There will be no compensatory pick. Teams have two years to sign players they have selected in the draft,” the league said.