Phil Kessel News

Kessel played just one shift in Tuesday's win over the Red Wings before leaving to fly back to Arizona to be with his wife for the birth of their child. He is scheduled to arrive in Toronto and be in the lineup on Thursday.

Kessel missed training camp but will play in Game 1 of the season. Kessel is expected to skate on the top line with Nick Schmaltz and is coming off of a season in which he scored 20 goals with 23 assists (43 points) in 56 games.

Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong told reporters that Kessel will miss training camp and is expected to miss 2-to-3 weeks. With the start of the regular season just over three weeks away, there's a chance that Kessel is ready for the start of the year.

After registering a career-high 92 points in 2017-18, Kessel’s numbers dropped off a bit in 2018-19 but he still tied for 18thin the NHL in assists (55) and red for 23rd in points (82). Moving to Arizona should allow Kessel to play a massive role, similar to his days in Toronto. Kessel is capable of being a 30-goal, 50-assist winger for the Coyotes in 2019-20.

Kessel has missed practice for the last two days, but was back on the ice this morning and is expected to play against the Flyers on Thursday. If he does play as expected, he will keep his ironman streak going to 425 straight games.

Kessel is banged up right now and the Leafs are off until Thursday, so he has taken practice off for the second consecutive day. He has also been the topic of trade talks, so they don’t want him to be injured if the right deal comes along.

Kessel has seen his ice-time dimish in the last few games. He played just 14:31 on Saturday and then only 12:57 last night, while positing a minus-4 rating. He is reportedly dealing with an undisclosed injury, yet he has not come out of the lineup. He has just three goals and three assists in his last 18 games.

Kessel reportedly went to the rink with lower-body soreness and was unable to make it through the skate. The expectation is that Kessel will be in the lineup on Tuesday vs. Dallas.

Kessel left Thursday’s game for a brief period of time but did return to finish the game. He likely just sat out this morning to rest some bumps and bruises, but will suit up tonight vs. the Rangers. He is riding a five-game point streak (3G / 7A) and has seven goals and 11 assists (18 points) in 13 games on the year.

Kessel is dealing with an undisclosed lower-body injury, but it does not appear to be too serious and we expect to see him in the regular season opener on October 8th. With nothing on the line it appears they are keeping him out as a precaution.

Kessel did not skate this morning or Monday, but head coach Randy Carlyle said that Kessel is good-to-go tonight vs. the Flames. Kessel suffered the injury after taking a hard pass from James van Riemsdyk off of the inside of his foot. Kessel has just two goals and two assists during the Leafs eight games skid, they will need him to be firing on all cylinders down the stretch.

Kessel left practice this morning, but ended up returning. Monitor his status during Tuesday's morning skate. Kessel has seven goals and nine assists (16 points) in his last nine games. If he is available tomorrow, make sure he is active.

It is good news that Kessel has returned to the ice, but not participating in drills is not a great sign. The Leafs will likely release an update after practice.

Expect an injury update following practice, but if Kessel misses anytime, it would be a serious blow to the Maple Leafs lineup. Stay tuned.

Kessel has a four game point streak going (3G / 1A) and has a total of 15 goals and 10 assists (25 points) in 28 games. His 15 goals has him tied with Sidney Crosby for fifth in the NHL. With Tyler Bozak out, he will likely skate with Nazem Kadri and James van Riemsdyk.

Head coach Randy Carlyle said that "Kessel did not feel good in one part of his body" and asked to be excused from the workout. It does not sound like Kessel is dealing with anything serious, so he should be in the lineup tomorrow vs. the Stars.