Canucks decide not to sign Phil Kessel: ‘Wasn’t a fit for us’

Vegas Golden Knights center Phil Kessel (8) skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Las Vegas.
Vegas Golden Knights center Phil Kessel (8) skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Monday, Oct. 24, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus) Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

By Sportsnet Staff

Posted March 8, 2024 2:45 pm.

The Vancouver Canucks did not agree to a deal with veteran forward Phil Kessel ahead of the roster deadline on Friday.

The Canucks brought Kessel to Abbotsford to work out with their AHL club last month, seeing if there was a fit for the NHL team.

“Phil is a great person. Well respected. Wanted to play. Some roster complications and how we want to play (and) he wasn’t a fit for us,” Canucks GM Patrik Allvin said.

Vancouver needed to get Kessel signed by the trade deadline for him to be eligible to play in the playoffs.

Kessel last played in the NHL last season with the Vegas Golden Knights, scoring 14 goals and 36 points in 82 games. He would go on to win his third Stanley Cup in Vegas, although in a limited role where he had two assists in four playoff games.

Kessel, 36, is a three-time NHL All-Star and his 992 career points (413 goals and 579 assists) are 12th-most all-time among American players.

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