Insider gives an important update on Phil Kessel's plans for the future

Earlier this year, the Vancouver Canucks brought Phil Kessel to Abbotsford in the hopes he could get back up to game speed and be a bottom-six option in the NHL down the stretch and in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Due to salary cap reasons, the Canucks were unable to sign Phil Kessel before the 3 pm ET trade deadline in March, which is also used for playoff eligibility, meaning that he remained an unrestricted free agent.

Six months later, Kessel still remains unsigned but on Friday's edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman provided an update on his situation. Friedman said that Phil Kessel is hoping to play during the 2024-25 season. It's unclear if that'll be in the NHL or elsewhere, potentially in Europe.

Kessel, 36, hasn't played in a game in nearly 17 months, so he'll need to get back up to speed before suiting up for a team in the National Hockey League, if that's what he wishes to do.

During the 2022-23 season with the Vegas Golden Knights, Kessel appeared in 82 games where he registered 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists), 30 penalty minutes and was a minus-seven. The Madison, Wisconsin native went on to add two assists in four games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

While there likely isn't an opportunity available with the Vancouver Canucks anymore for Phil Kessel, it'll be interesting to see if any other teams around the National Hockey League bring him in to training camp on a PTO.

Source: Josh Erickson/Pro Hockey Rumors
Phil Kessel Still Hoping To Play This Season