Kessel is expected to work with AHL Abbotsford before potentially joining the Canucks. General manager Patrik Allvin told reporters Tuesday, "Phil has made his way to Vancouver and will be working out in Abbotsford this week."
Kessel will likely start by signing an AHL tryout agreement with Abbotsford before potentially securing an NHL deal with Vancouver. Last season, the 36-year-old winger managed just 14 goals and 22 helpers in 82 games with the Golden Knights before being a healthy scratch for nearly the entirety of the team's Stanley Cup run. With Vancouver, Kessel would likely land in a third-line role but could see plenty of opportunities with the man advantage as a power-play specialist.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Not in lineup Thursday
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Kessel will be a healthy scratch Thursday versus Winnipeg, according to Jesse Granger of The Athletic.
Kessel played in all 82 of Vegas' regular-season contests and each of the first four playoff games in this series, but he'll draw out of the lineup to make room for William Carrier's (lower body) return. Kessel has contributed two assists in the postseason. He also had 14 goals and 36 points during the 2022-23 campaign.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Picks up pair of helpers
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Kessel logged two assists and two hits in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Jets in Game 2.
Kessel set up William Karlsson on the Golden Knights' first goal and also had a hand in Mark Stone's tally with 2:30 left in the game. The pair of assists snapped Kessel's four-game slump. The 35-year-old is no stranger to a playoff run, but he'll be in more of a supporting role this time around. The winger had 81 points in 96 playoff outings prior to this postseason.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Contributes two points in win
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Kessel scored a goal on four shots, added an assist and went plus-3 in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Kings.
Kessel earned his first multi-point effort since March 19. He scored the opening goal and set up Chandler Stephenson's tally, both in the first period. Kessel is up to 14 goals, 36 points, 146 shots, 28 PIM and a minus-5 rating through 79 contests overall. His line with Stephenson and Ivan Barbashev make a big impact early on, but it's unclear if they'll be able to repeat it to close out the regular season.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Snags helper Tuesday
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Kessel produced an assist and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Predators.
Kessel ended a three-game slump with the assist. Prior to his quiet stretch, he'd posted a five-game point streak. The 35-year-old winger is up to 13 goals, 21 assists, 142 shots on net, 28 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 78 outings, playing mainly in a third-line role throughout the season.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: On five-game point streak
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Kessel posted an assist in Tuesday's 7-4 loss to the Oilers.
Kessel extended his point streak to five games (two goals, four helpers) when he helped out on Michael Amadio's second-period marker. The 35-year-old Kessel has grown into his middle-six role as the season progresses. He's at 33 points, 136 shots on net and a minus-7 rating through 74 appearances.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Registers power-play assist
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Kessel notched a power-play assist, two shots on goal and four PIM in Saturday's 4-3 overtime win over the Oilers.
Kessel has two goals and three helpers during his active four-game point streak. The 35-year-old helped out on a Pavel Dorofeyev tally in the first period Saturday. Kessel is up to 32 points (nine on the power play), 135 shots, 28 PIM and a minus-6 rating through 73 appearances, playing mainly in a middle-six role.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Deals helper Thursday
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Kessel recorded an assist and two shots on goal in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Flames.
Kessel has found his offense again with two goals and three helpers over his last five games. He set up Nicolas Roy on the game-winning tally Thursday. For the season, Kessel is at 30 points, 131 shots on net, 24 PIM and a minus-7 rating through 71 outings.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Steals and scores in win
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Kessel scored a goal in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Canucks.
Kessel stole the puck and showed off some of his vintage talent on the rush to open the scoring 3:01 into the game. He has two goals and two helpers over his last four outings. For the season, the 35-year-old winger has 13 tallies, 30 points, 131 shots on net and a minus-7 rating through 71 appearances.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Pair of points in win
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Kessel scored a goal and added an assist, both on the power play, in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Blue Jackets.
Kessel was limited to just two assists over 15 games between multi-point efforts. It's too soon to say if Sunday's effort will spark his offense over the last stretch of the season -- he's been inconsistent in a bottom-six role throughout 2022-23. Kessel has 12 goals, 17 helpers, 130 shots on net, 24 PIM and a minus-8 rating through 70 appearances.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Snags helper in win
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Kessel had an assist and four shots on goal in Tuesday's 5-3 win over the Flyers.
Kessel snapped a six-game point drought with his helper on a Teddy Blueger tally in the second period. After taking some strides on offense in January and February, Kessel's gone cold again. For the season, he has 11 goals, 16 assists, 129 shots on net and a minus-6 rating through 68 appearances.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Ends slump Wednesday
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Kessel produced an assist in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Hurricanes.
Kessel had gone six games without a point entering this contest. He ended the slump with a helper on the second of Jack Eichel's two tallies in the game. Kessel's best stretch of season came sandwiched around the All-Star break, but it appears he's faded back into a quiet role on the third line. The 35-year-old winger is at 26 points, 117 shots on net, 22 PIM and a minus-5 rating through 61 appearances.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Earns two points Sunday
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Kessel scored a goal on two shots, added an assist and went plus-2 in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Ducks.
Kessel and William Carrier assisted on each other's goals in the third period. With four goals and three helpers over his last seven games, Kessel continues to look more comfortable on a line with Carrier and Chandler Stephenson. Kessel is up to 25 points, 105 shots and a minus-7 rating through 54 appearances.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Pair of points in win
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Kessel scored a goal on two shots and added an assist in Tuesday's 5-1 win over the Predators.
Kessel and Chandler Stephenson assisted on each other's goals in the contest. After the game, head coach Bruce Cassidy said Kessel is "going to the net, he's contributing" while playing alongside Stephenson, per Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun reports. That praise suggests those two forwards, alongside William Carrier, could stick together as a line for a while. Kessel has three goals and two assists over his last five outings, and he's up to 23 points, 101 shots and a minus-9 rating through 52 contests overall.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Manages helper
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Kessel logged an assist and a team-high seven shots on goal in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to the Islanders.
Kessel and Jack Eichel led the charge with seven shots each, while the Golden Knights put up 45 shots against Semyon Varlamov. The 35-year-old Kessel had the secondary helper on William Carrier's tally in the second period. With three goals and four assists over 12 outings in January, this was Kessel's best month of the season. He's up to nine tallies, 12 helpers, 99 shots on net, 20 PIM and a minus-10 rating through 51 appearances this season.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Scores versus Rangers
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Kessel scored a goal in a 4-1 loss to the Rangers on Friday.
Kessel found the back of the net at 4:57 of the second period to narrow New York's lead to 2-1. It was his ninth goal and 20th point in 50 games in 2022-23. Kessel has provided two goals over his last three games after being held off the scoresheet in three straight contests from Jan. 16-21.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Scores lone goal on power play
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Kessel scored a power-play goal in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Coyotes.
Kessel capitalized on his only shot in the game, and his goal was all the Golden Knights could put past Coyotes goalie Karel Vejmelka. The 35-year-old winger has shown some improvement with five points through nine games in January. Kessel remains in a bottom-six role, and he hasn't been able to make up for that with an outsized performance on the power play, where he's earned six of his 19 points through 48 contests overall.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Supplies assist in loss
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Kessel recorded an assist and four shots on goal in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Oilers.
Kessel has found a groove on offense lately, logging four points over his last four games. The 35-year-old winger helped out on a Paul Cotter tally in the second period of this contest. For the season, Kessel has mainly struggled in a bottom-six role, producing seven goals, 11 helpers, 81 shots on net and a minus-9 rating through 44 contests.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Contributes helper in loss
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Kessel provided an assist in Saturday's 5-1 loss to the Kings.
Kessel has picked up three points over his last two games. The 35-year-old winger is up to seven tallies, 10 helpers, 76 shots on net, 18 PIM and a minus-9 rating through 42 appearances. While he's in a third-line role with power-play time, he tends to be near the bottom of the list when it comes to ice time for Vegas skaters.
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Golden Knights' Phil Kessel: Goal and assist in win
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Kessel scored a goal on three shots, added an assist, went plus-2 and logged two PIM in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Penguins.
Kessel did some damage against one of his former teams. The 35-year-old opened the scoring at 1:52 of the first period and also set up a Paul Cotter tally in the third. Those two forwards worked alongside William Karlsson on a new-look third line that found instant success, addressing a significant weak spot in the Vegas lineup. The goal was Kessel's first since Dec. 15, and he's up to 16 points, 76 shots, 18 PIM and a minus-9 rating through 41 contests this season.
