Breaking: Phil Kessel has been traded. Kessel traded.

It seems like Phil Kessel may have won the battle he decided to pick with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Of course all of our readers will be very familiar with the failed trade that the Penguins and Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford attempted to orchestrate earlier this offseason with the Minnesota Wild. Wild general manager Paul Fenton had been prepared to give up forward Jason Zucker in that deal but that trade was of course infamously blocked by Kessel himself thanks to the used of the limited trade protection provided to him in the terms of his current contract.

Since then there have been reports that the Penguins are playing hardball with Kessel, trying to force a more favorable trade in their favor in spite of his trade protection, all the while Jim Rutherford has made comments indicating that the Penguins could very well begin next season with Kessel still in the lineup. In spite of that however there have been many who doubt that the team can continue as is currently constructed with Kessel still on the roster, both due in part to his relationship with head coach Mike Sullivan as well as his relationship with Penguins star forward Evgeni Malkin.

Kessel however has stuck to his guns and rumors have long suggested that he truly desires to become a member of the Arizona Coyotes where he could be reunited with head coach Rick Tocchet. Tocchet was of course on the Penguins coaching staff prior to joining the Coyotes as their head coach, and the word around the league has always been that he was the only man able to truly manage Kessel on that coaching staff.

Well it now appears that Kessel may have gotten his way in the end, may have very well forced Rutherford's hand here and that of the Penguins as well. According to a report from Sportsnet's National Hockey League insider Elliotte Friedman the Penguins and the Arizona Coyotes are currently working on a deal that would send Kessel to the Coyotes. Friedman has reached out to both teams for comment but both have declined to do so at this time, so its still unclear where this one is going.

Stay tuned as we will be all over this developing story.

Update: Sounds like its a done deal.



Update: Sounds like forward Alex Galchenyuk will be going back to Pittsburgh as a part of this deal, still awaiting full details. Stat Tuned.



Update: TSN insider Darren Dreger seems to have the full details of the trade deal. It looks like the Coyotes are getting Kessel and a 4th rounder from the Penguins in exchange for the aforementioned Alex Galchenyuk and defensive prospect Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Joseph was of course selected in the 1st round (23rd overall) by the Coyotes at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.



Update: As Per Dreger the Coyotes also receive defenseman Dane Birks.

