The fact that Phil Kessel hasn’t played in a professional hockey game since April 2023 isn’t stopping the NHL’s Ironman from getting back in the game.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Friday on the 32 Thoughts podcast that Kessel was a front-runner to star in a proposed 3-on-3 pro hockey league that fell apart, the three-time Stanley Cup winner and veteran of 1,286 NHL games is looking to get back into the biggest league in the world.
“He wants to play,” Friedman said. “Paul Bissonette had a tweet this week about ‘how come Phil Kessel can’t get a job?’ and I was looking at it, because I had heard and was going to check, that Kessel was calling teams and really wanted to play. That seems to confirm it, then I heard it from a couple of people.
“He’s legitimate about it. That three-on-three league that was supposed to start up but didn’t, I heard Kessel was one of those guys they were really talking to about playing there. He wants to play, he loves hockey, and he wants to play.
“I don’t know if this is going to happen, but it’s very, very legitimate that he wants to play.”
Kessel last played for the Vegas Golden Knights, drawing in for all 82 regular season games in the 2022-23 season, scoring 14 goals and 36 points, playing in an additional four playoff games, where he added two assists. During the Golden Knights’ run that saw the franchise win their first Stanley Cup in their sixth year in the league, Kessel drew out after that fourth game.
It marked his first absence from a lineup in 14 years, but Kessel’s fire to continue playing NHL hockey didn’t stop. While he didn’t land with the team at the start of last season, he spent some time with the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate in February, but it didn’t lead to a contract.

Avalanche winger Lehkonen out to start the year

The Colorado Avalanche will be without winger Artturi Lehkonen to start the season after undergoing off-season shoulder surgery.
Avalanche captain Nathan MacKinnon revealed news of Lehkonen’s soon-to-be absence from the lineup earlier this week, with The Score’s John Mastisz confirming the news Friday. He reported that there was “no firm timeline for a return.”
Lehkonen missed time last season with an upper-body injury, playing in just 45 games where he scored 16 goals and 34 points, adding another six goals and 11 points in 11 playoff games.
Here’s more on Lehkonen from Daily Faceoff’s Colton Davies:
During the 2022-23 season, Lehkonen notched a career-high 21 goals and 51 points in 64 games. Lehkonen missed 4-6 weeks with a broken finger and underwent surgery which cost him nearly 20 games of action.
The Montreal Canadiens originally selected Lehkonen in the second round, No. 55 overall, of the 2013 NHL Draft. After spending the three years after his selection developing overseas, Lehkonen jumped directly into the Canadiens’ lineup in 2016-17 without playing a single game in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Lehkonen spent parts of six seasons in Montreal to start his career, topping out with 31 points in 82 games with the club in 2018-19. He was instrumental in helping the Canadiens reach the 2021 Stanley Cup Final in Cinderella fashion, scoring in overtime to defeat the Vegas Golden Knights on home ice.
Throughout his career, Lehkonen has racked up 117 goals and 126 assists for 243 points in 511 career games with the Canadiens and Avalanche.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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