Ten years ago, the Penguins shocked the hockey world when they acquired Phil Kessel from Toronto.
In what turned out to be a “Do you remember where you were when you heard the news?” moment for Pittsburgh Penguins fans, today marks 10 years since the team acquired winger Phil Kessel in a blockbuster trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs on the opening day of NHL free agency.
NHL insider Bob McKenzie was the one who broke the news that sent shockwaves through the league and forever altered the course of the Crosby/Malkin era.
Kessel to Pitt in multi player deal. Done
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) July 1, 2015
McKenzie dropped the bomb just minutes before 1 PM Eastern, then the Penguins confirmed the deal a little more than two hours later with the full trade details that included former first round pick Kasperi Kapanen going the other way to Toronto.
Welcome to the team @PKessel81, @Tyler_Biggs, and Tim Erixon! pic.twitter.com/gQL2b07bWx
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) July 1, 2015
Rather than make a big splash in free agency, Jim Rutherford made his mark with the acquisition of Kessel, a move which paid immediate dividends for the Penguins as Kessel proved to be a missing piece in the Penguins Stanley Cup puzzle.
During his four seasons in Pittsburgh, Kessel totaled 303 points (110G, 193A) across 328 games played, never missing a contest in a Penguins uniform.
While his regular season numbers were impressive, Kessel’s best work in a Penguins uniform came during the playoffs where he totaled 56 points in 65 playoff games, including a team leading 22 points in the Penguins 2016 Stanley Cup title run.
Kessel added an additional 23 points the following playoffs as the Penguins went back-to-back, contributing the third most points among Penguins players over the course of the two Stanley Cup runs. His 18 goals over that same span led the team.
While Kessel’s time in Pittsburgh was short lived when looking at the entire Crosby/Malkin era, his contributions were among the most valuable. He arrived in Pittsburgh looking to prove the doubters after a tumultuous tenure with the Maple Leafs where he was often unfairly targeted by the local media.
Freed from the pressures of playing in Toronto, Kessel came to Pittsburgh delivered for the Penguins, especially when the stakes were highest.
He came to the city ten years ago today, an oft maligned figure looking to prove everyone wrong, and when he left, he did so with some extra hardware as a two-time Stanley Cup champion.