In the past few weeks, many players have received invitations to training camps through a player tryout (PTO), which allows them to earn a contract and a permanent roster spot on a given team. Paul Bissonnette expressed his displeasure on X (formerly Twitter) that Phil Kessel was not granted PTO heading into training camp. This leaves the question: Should the Pittsburgh Penguins grant Kessel a PTO to join him in training camp starting on September 18? Although it would be a steep climb for fans to see him in a Penguins jersey and give him the chance to retire as a Penguin, it is unlikely that they will do so.
Aging and Decline
On October 10, Kessel will be 37 years old. While, yes, the Penguins have a history of buying and signing older players, they have started to get away from that under Kyle Dubas. He did a stronger job of making the team smaller this summer than other GMs in the past. He went out and bought Cody Glass from the Nashville Predators, and surprised many when he acquired Rutger McGroarty from the Winnipeg Jets, making him the organization’s top prospect. Adding Kessel will finally undo what he did this summer to make the team smaller and prepare for the future.
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With growth comes, in some cases, a lack of speed and point production. Both are true for the 17-season veteran. He’s still not known for his speed in the NHL, but his point production makes up for it. His stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Penguins brought him the most goals. In six seasons with the Maple Leafs, he scored 181 goals and 213 assists in 446 games in blue and white. He posted 110 goals and 193 assists in 328 games with the Penguins. Since those days, he has been pretty bad on the scoring side. His best season since leaving Pittsburgh came in the 2021-22 season with the Arizona Coyotes when he tallied 52 points. With the combination of an aging player and a year out of action, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to produce enough to cover his pace. He also hasn’t been a reliable player on defense, which makes it very difficult to justify signing him in training camp.
The Penguins Roster Is About to Fill Up
As mentioned in previous articles, the Penguins roster is set at this point. While there may be some good reasons to add Kessel to the PTO, and possibly the Penguins’ opt-out contract, it’s almost impossible to see where he would fit on the roster. This organization has some solid talent in its roster, with some even looking to break the streak this season. With the way Dubas has started to build the team, those young players are more likely to find places for players like Kessel, even if he is a veteran.
The youngster is hungry to prove that he has what it takes to be in the NHL, which pushes him to the next level, and makes it difficult for Kessel. Even older guys like Bryan Rust, Rickard Rakell, Noel Acciari, while not as old as Kessel, still have a lot in their game, and can contribute in different ways that work. Acciari, for example, doesn’t put up high scoring production, but he’s a viable player for a fourth-line role. If the Penguins wanted to try Kessel on the second line, it would be difficult to replace Rakell on that line after a good performance last season.
No NHL Game Time Since 2022-23 Season
The main reason the organization shouldn’t bring in Kessel is that he hasn’t seen a game in the NHL since April 24, 2023 when he was with the Vegas Golden Knights. A return to NHL-level game status is possible for young or elite players, but not for someone with Kessel’s current level of play. He was granted a PTO by the Vancouver Canucks last season, but it was to participate in practices with their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. He joined the organization on February 12, 2024, but after the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement and Vancouver couldn’t find a way to add him to their roster, he remained unsigned.
There may be reasons for fans and the organization to want to see Kessel return to the Steel City, but the bad outweighs the good. The Penguins need to continue to focus on building for the future, and continue to do the right things like they did with acquiring Glass and McGroarty. Although it was not the Pens who signed the nearly 37-year-old player, there may be teams that could use any services he could bring to the team.
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