Penguins likely to get very little in Kessel trade

Winger vetoed a deal last week

Ihate no-trade clauses in player contracts. I get that a guy might deserve the security of knowing where he and his family are going to live once he reaches a certain level of success, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. Those clauses can be awfully complicating.

I don’t imagine Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford is fond of them, either.

This is a topic because Phil Kessel nixed a trade last week that would have sent him to Minnesota for winger Jason Zucker with the Penguins throwing in Jack Johnson for center Victor Rask in an exchange of bad contracts. Kessel had that right; he can be traded to one of only eight teams that he has approved, per his contract.

So what happens now? Canadian hockey insiders Pierre LeBrun and Bob McKenzie of TSN have reported the Penguins have told Kessel they will welcome him back next season if another trade can’t be consummated.

Good luck with that. There could be similar awkwardness with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. The Penguins haven’t exactly gone out of their way to silence speculation that one or both could be traded when a simple, “There is no way we’re trading them” would do the trick. Malkin and Letang can’t possibly appreciate that even though they know professional sports are, first and foremost, a business.

But this is about Kessel. If any player can handle a slight, it’s Kessel, I suppose. He knows the Penguins looked hard into trading him after last season after he was basically invisible in the playoffs against Philadelphia and Washington with one goal in 12 games. When the team couldn’t find a taker, Mike Sullivan kissed and made up with Kessel publicly.

Almost literally.

“I really like Phil,” Sullivan gushed. “I have so much respect for Phil as an athlete and person.”

Kessel responded by getting 82 points in 82 games this season, although he endured a long drought late in the season. He went 29 games without scoring an even-strength goal, a span that included 16 games when he didn’t get a

goal of any kind. He had just one goal and one assist in the four-game playoff series against the New York Islanders — both in the first game — but was hardly invisible, taking 25 shots.

But this offseason is different than last offseason.

The Penguins had the deal in place to trade Kessel. This wasn’t just speculation. It would have been nice if it had gone through. I’m hoping it still will. Zucker is a solid player with the skating speed to play Sullivan’s preferred game and a decent scoring touch with an average of 25 goals the past three seasons. It’s a bit troubling this isn’t the first time the Wild tried to trade Zucker, but I could have moved past that. I’m not exactly expecting a big return for Kessel. The Penguins might not get much more than much-needed salary cap relief.

Other teams know Kessel is hard on coaches. He has worn out his welcome here — just as he did in Toronto and Boston — despite his point-a-game resume and his team-leading work on the power play. He doesn’t have much of a work ethic. He doesn’t believe in practicing hard, which sets a bad example for his younger teammates. He’s hardly in the best shape.

I have a hard time seeing Rutherford finding a taker willing to give back anything close to equal value for Kessel.

I keep hearing Arizona is a likely destination for Kessel, but I’m not buying it. I’m not convinced Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet wants Kessel even though he was the Kessel Whisperer when he was an assistant here on Sullivan’s staff. The Tocchet-Kessel relationship wouldn’t be the same with Tocchet as the head coach.

Others have suggested Vegas as a landing spot for Kessel, but I’m not sure the Golden Knights have the cap space to take on his contract after giving expensive, long-term contract extensions to Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. Florida? Maybe.

I am certain of this: Rutherford will continue to look for a trade partner for Kessel and would love to get something done before the NHL entry draft June 21-22, certainly by the start of free agency July 1.

It’s time, and Rutherford knows it.

Kessel’s legion of fans don’t want to hear that, of course. They love Kessel for a couple of reasons. One, he played a huge part in the Penguins’ Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017 with 18 goals and 45 points in 49 playoff games. And two, he is Everyman. He doesn’t look like a world-class athlete. He is balding. He isn’t in great shape. He even embraces his image of loving hot dogs.

I don’t know of too many Pittsburgh athletes who have been more popular than Kessel. I saw something in the Penguins’ game March 5 against Florida that amazed me. After Kessel missed a chance to end his then 15-game scoring drought by misfiring a onetimer at Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo, the PPG Paints Arena crowd rose as one and wrapped their arms around Kessel with a loud, long ovation. It was an incredible scene.

“The fans and city have been great to me since I’ve been here,” Kessel said after that game. “I love playing here. I have unbelievable memories here. They’ve been nothing but supportive and I appreciate it.”

Kessel will be missed, no doubt. But it really is time for him to move on.