Montreal Canadiens Should Look to Buy Low on Phil Kessel

The Montreal Canadiens have been busy already this offseason. Their next move should include looking at Phil Kessel.

The Montreal Canadiens have been busy already this offseason. They acquired Jake Allen and Joel Edmundson in separate trades and then signed Edmundson to a four-year extension. They still have about $10 million in cap space available, but have to re-sign Max Domi and Victor Mete.

This leaves them with some wiggle room to use to upgrade the roster this offseason. It might keep them out of the market for the top free agents like Taylor Hall and Alex Pietrangelo, but they could always move another contract out to make anyone fit.

One player that could fit, and might be able to be acquired on the cheap, is Phil Kessel.

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The former star winger for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Pittsburgh Penguins struggled in his one season in Arizona with the Coyotes. He has two years left on a contract that has a cap hit of $6.8 million, and could be a player the Coyotes look to move to save some money next year.

The Coyotes, like any team, have not produced as much revenue as they anticipated in 2020. There were plenty of rumours that they were late on paying salary bonuses to players and they are definitely looking to offload some future costs.

Kessel was a great offensive producer before arriving in the desert, but he was not at his best this season with the Coyotes. He scored just 14 goals and 38 points in 70 games, but many players struggle to play their best hockey in Arizona for whatever reason. Kessel would not be the first player to see his production increase after packing his bags and leaving the Coyotes organization.

Remember when Max Domi arrived in Montreal from Arizona? He went from a nine goal scorer to a 28 goal guy overnight. Dylan Strome had six points in 20 games for the Coyotes in 2018-19 and finished the season with 51 points in 58 games for the Chicago Blackhawks.

Could Kessel be the next former Coyote to score in bunches? He has done it the rest of his career before landing in Arizona. He could score 30 goals in his sleep during his six seasons in Toronto, and while that is a few years back now, he had 82 and 92 points in his last two years with the Penguins.

The American right winger would fill a huge void on the Habs roster. WHile the team is currently deep in players that play down the middle, and have Jonathan Drouin, Tomas Tatar and Paul Byron on the left side, they could use some help on right wing.

They could also use some help on the power play. Defensive specialist Joel Armia and Jordan Weal have been given some heavy minutes on the man advantage because they shoot right and there is really no other option.

Even in his down season, Kessel scored nine power play goals which ranked 23rd in the league and would have led the Canadiens. Only Tomas Tatar and Nick Suzuki had more than three goals with the man advantage. Kessel could transform the team’s 22nd ranked power play.

It would be a bit of a pricey gamble, because at 32 years old, it is possible Kessel just lost his ability to contribute offensively. Sometimes players production falls off a cliff and can’t be recovered. But, sometimes if they are put in a better situation, they can find their game again.

If Suzuki is going to centre Brendan Gallagher and Tatar next season like he did in the postseason, that leaves a spot for Kessel on a line with Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jonathan Drouin. They could be put into offensive situations and sheltered a bit on home ice so they aren’t starting off in their own zone. Drouin and Kotkaniemi created opportunities no problem in the postseason, but they couldn’t find someone to finish the play.

Kessel has finished the play close to 400 times in his career. With the right linemates and the right offensive situation, he could do it 25-30 times again next season. He would immediately step on to the team’s top power play and give them a goal scoring threat we haven’t seen since Max Pacioretty was traded a few years ago.

The Canadiens could use more scoring, and the Coyotes could use more payroll flexibility. Arizona would not give Kessel away, but they would likely move him for a draft pick after his first bad season. The Habs are loaded with draft picks and could probably get Kessel for a second rounder. The Coyotes are also desperate for picks since they traded some for Taylor Hall and lost a first and a second for sneaking prospects in for interviews and physical testing.

The Canadiens have added Allen and Edmundson in an attempt to make the team more competitive for next season. If they want to compete next season, they need another top six winger and a better power play. Kessel would fill that role and wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to acquire.

He didn’t have his best season in Arizona, but we have seen players get recharged after leaving the desert in the past. Phil Kessel is a player that Marc Bergevin should think long and hard about acquiring.