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Photo of Phil Kessel

Phil Kessel

#8 · Right wing · Vegas Golden Knights

Born Oct 2, 1987 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA · 5'11", 208 lb · Shoots right · Drafted 5th overall in 2006 by BOS (round 1)

Trophy case

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Perseverance, Sportsmanship and Dedication 2006-07

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2011-12. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Henrik Sedin VAN · 81 P in 82 GP John Tavares NYI · 81 P in 82 GP James Neal PIT · 81 P in 80 GP Ilya Kovalchuk NJD · 83 P in 77 GP Jason Spezza OTT · 84 P in 80 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0204060802006-07: 29 points2906-072007-08: 37 points372008-09: 60 points6008-092009-10: 55 points552010-11: 64 points6410-112011-12: 82 points822012-13: 52 points5212-132013-14: 80 points802014-15: 61 points6114-152015-16: 59 points592016-17: 70 points7016-172017-18: 92 points922018-19: 82 points8218-192019-20: 38 points382020-21: 43 points4320-212021-22: 52 points522022-23: 36 points3622-23

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2006-07 BOS 70 11 18 29 -12 12 170 12 0.41
2007-08 BOS 82 19 18 37 -6 28 213 11 0.45
2008-09 BOS 70 36 24 60 23 16 232 6 0.86
2009-10 TOR 70 30 25 55 -8 21 297 13 0.79 $5.4M
2010-11 TOR 82 32 32 64 -20 24 325 11 0.78 $5.4M
2011-12 TOR 82 37 45 82 -10 20 295 12 1.00 $5.4M
2012-13 TOR 48 20 32 52 -3 18 161 16 1.08 $5.4M
2013-14 TOR 82 37 43 80 -5 27 305 25 0.98 $5.4M
2014-15 TOR 82 25 36 61 -34 30 280 18 0.74 $8M
2015-16 PIT 82 26 33 59 9 18 274 9 0.72 $8M
2016-17 PIT 82 23 47 70 3 20 229 12 0.85 $8M
2017-18 PIT 82 34 58 92 -4 36 261 10 1.12 $8M
2018-19 PIT 82 27 55 82 -19 28 215 12 1.00 $8M
2019-20 ARI 70 14 24 38 -21 22 153 11 0.54 $8M
2020-21 ARI 56 20 23 43 -17 12 115 8 0.77 $8M
2021-22 ARI 82 8 44 52 -24 40 175 6 0.63 $8M
2022-23 VGK 82 14 22 36 -7 30 149 10 0.44 $1.5M
17 seasons Career 1286 413 579 992 -155 402 3849 202 0.77

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2007-08 BOS 4 3 1 4 1 2 13 4 1.00
2008-09 BOS 11 6 5 11 7 4 38 1 1.00
2012-13 TOR 7 4 2 6 3 2 29 1 0.86
2015-16 PIT 24 10 12 22 5 4 98 9 0.92
2016-17 PIT 25 8 15 23 12 2 68 8 0.92
2017-18 PIT 12 1 8 9 -5 2 18 1 0.75
2018-19 PIT 4 1 1 2 -1 2 14 3 0.50
2019-20 ARI 9 1 3 4 -1 4 22 6 0.44
2022-23 VGK 4 0 2 2 2 2 5 3 0.50
9 seasons Playoffs 100 34 49 83 23 24 305 36 0.83

2011-12 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 37 45 82 -10 20 295 12 1.00 12.5 20:03

Contract

$5.4MCap hitends in 2014, then UFA
$66KCap dollars per point82 points in 82 games
$529KCap dollars per goal above replacement10.2 goals above replacement
$5.1MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$281KValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 367 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. It runs through 2013-14, with 2 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit
2011-12 $5.4M
2012-13 $5.4M
2013-14 $5.4M

Each season left on the contract. Only its cap hit and its end are known: how the pay is split by season, and any signing bonus, are not.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2022-23 to 2022-23 $1.5M
2020-21 to 2021-22 $8M
2018-19 to 2021-22 $8M
2016-17 to 2017-18 $8M
2014-15 to 2021-22 $8M
2012-13 to 2013-14 $5.4M
2009-10 to 2013-14 $5.4M

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2011-12 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2011-12 analytics

Rating

+10.2Goals above replacement58th of 680 skaters, 49th of 445 forwards
+1.7Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+5.7Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 445 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+10.6 99th percentileEven-strength defence-7.3 1st percentilePower play+0.9 87th percentilePenalty kill+0.1 78th percentilePenalties+1.3 84th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-10-50510152010-112012-132014-152016-172018-192020-212022-23Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

49.3Corsi for %1291 attempts for, 1329 against
+0.6CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
49.6Expected goals for %59.6 expected for, 60.5 against
+3.0xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
47.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
48.1Goals for %64 for, 69 against
99.7PDO9.4% shooting + 90.3% saves
387Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 557 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Joffrey Lupul · Phil Kessel · Tyler Bozak53605:5350.150.234-35
Tim Connolly · Joffrey Lupul · Phil Kessel26171:3842.442.39-9
Clarke MacArthur · Phil Kessel · Tyler Bozak3081:4542.042.12-3
Matthew Lombardi · Phil Kessel · Tyler Bozak1866:5844.249.53-2

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

36Goalsnot counting empty-netters
28.7Expected goalsfrom 389 unblocked attempts
+7.3Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 1.05 expected goals per 60 minutes92nd
Shot quality 7.4% chance per attempt53rd
Finishing +7.3 goals above expected94thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 410 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0102030Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Goals 36Expected 28.7

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 7, 2012 @ MTL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 6 0 21:23
Apr 5, 2012 vs TBL W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 10 1 23:32
Apr 3, 2012 @ BUF L 5-6 (OT) 0 3 3 2 0 8 0 23:23
Mar 31, 2012 vs BUF W 4-3 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 19:56
Mar 29, 2012 vs PHI L 1-7 0 0 0 -3 0 2 0 19:58
Mar 27, 2012 vs CAR L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 20:13
Mar 24, 2012 vs NYR L 3-4 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 25:06
Mar 23, 2012 @ NJD W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 21:00
Mar 20, 2012 vs NYI L 2-5 1 0 1 -1 0 1 0 17:41
Mar 19, 2012 @ BOS L 0-8 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 15:07
Mar 17, 2012 @ OTT W 3-1 1 1 2 -1 0 2 0 19:44
Mar 15, 2012 @ TBL W 3-1 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 18:20
Mar 13, 2012 @ FLA L 2-5 0 1 1 -1 0 5 0 21:11
Mar 11, 2012 @ WSH L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 19:55
Mar 10, 2012 vs PHI L 0-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 21:53
Mar 7, 2012 @ PIT L 2-3 1 0 1 0 0 6 0 23:02
Mar 6, 2012 vs BOS L 4-5 1 1 2 -2 0 5 0 22:02
Mar 3, 2012 @ MTL W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 18:39
Feb 29, 2012 @ CHI L 4-5 0 1 1 -2 0 8 0 19:19
Feb 28, 2012 vs FLA L 3-5 1 1 2 -1 0 3 0 21:17
Feb 25, 2012 vs WSH L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 2 5 0 23:16
Feb 23, 2012 vs SJS L 1-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 22:13
Feb 21, 2012 vs NJD L 3-4 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 2 3 2 22:26
Feb 18, 2012 @ VAN L 2-6 0 1 1 -2 2 4 0 18:42
Feb 15, 2012 @ EDM W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 5 0 20:57
Feb 14, 2012 @ CGY L 1-5 0 1 1 -2 0 5 0 19:59
Feb 11, 2012 vs MTL L 0-5 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 21:43
Feb 9, 2012 @ PHI L 3-4 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 18:59
Feb 7, 2012 @ WPG L 1-2 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 21:17
Feb 6, 2012 vs EDM W 6-3 2 1 3 4 0 6 0 18:44
Feb 4, 2012 @ OTT W 5-0 1 2 3 3 0 6 0 17:59
Feb 1, 2012 vs PIT W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:13
Jan 31, 2012 @ PIT L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 20:30
Jan 24, 2012 @ NYI W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 20:22
Jan 23, 2012 vs NYI W 3-0 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 17:56
Jan 21, 2012 vs MTL L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 18:58
Jan 19, 2012 vs MIN W 4-1 1 0 1 -1 0 5 0 19:41
Jan 17, 2012 vs OTT L 2-3 0 1 1 -1 0 1 0 21:26
Jan 14, 2012 vs NYR L 0-3 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 15:55
Jan 13, 2012 @ BUF L 2-3 0 0 0 -2 0 5 0 20:51
Jan 10, 2012 vs BUF W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:52
Jan 7, 2012 vs DET W 4-3 1 1 2 1 0 3 0 16:41
Jan 5, 2012 vs WPG W 4-0 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 18:25
Jan 3, 2012 vs TBL W 7-3 1 0 1 1 0 7 0 17:20
Dec 31, 2011 @ WPG L 2-3 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 16:37
Dec 29, 2011 @ CAR L 3-4 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 20:17
Dec 27, 2011 @ FLA L 3-5 0 1 1 -1 0 5 0 19:00
Dec 23, 2011 @ NYI W 5-3 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 17:06
Dec 22, 2011 vs BUF W 3-2 1 0 1 1 2 10 1 18:50
Dec 19, 2011 vs LAK L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 23:01
Dec 17, 2011 vs VAN L 3-5 1 1 2 -1 0 3 0 21:53
Dec 16, 2011 @ BUF L 4-5 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 20:54
Dec 13, 2011 vs CAR W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 20:57
Dec 9, 2011 @ WSH L 2-4 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 19:18
Dec 6, 2011 vs NJD L 2-3 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 8 1 18:58
Dec 5, 2011 @ NYR W 4-2 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 20:09
Dec 3, 2011 @ BOS L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 5 1 18:28
Nov 30, 2011 vs BOS L 3-6 0 1 1 -3 0 3 0 21:01
Nov 27, 2011 @ ANA W 5-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 18:28
Nov 25, 2011 @ DAL W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 20:36
Nov 22, 2011 @ TBL W 7-1 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 18:59
Nov 20, 2011 @ CAR L 2-3 2 0 2 1 4 2 0 20:41
Nov 19, 2011 vs WSH W 7-1 1 1 2 0 0 2 0 19:52
Nov 17, 2011 @ NSH L 1-4 0 0 0 -4 0 6 1 27:07
Nov 15, 2011 vs PHX L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 0 0 6 0 26:32
Nov 12, 2011 vs OTT L 2-5 0 1 1 0 0 5 0 20:42
Nov 10, 2011 @ STL W 3-2 (SO) 1 0 1 -1 0 3 0 19:50
Nov 8, 2011 vs FLA L 1-5 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 20:44
Nov 5, 2011 vs BOS L 0-7 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 16:13
Nov 3, 2011 @ CBJ W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 15:31
Nov 2, 2011 @ NJD W 5-3 0 2 2 3 0 4 0 18:44
Oct 30, 2011 @ OTT L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 22:01
Oct 29, 2011 vs PIT W 4-3 1 1 2 1 0 2 0 15:45
Oct 27, 2011 @ NYR W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 5 1 17:23
Oct 24, 2011 @ PHI L 2-4 1 0 1 -1 0 2 0 20:58
Oct 22, 2011 @ MTL W 5-4 (OT) 1 1 2 0 0 3 0 18:32
Oct 20, 2011 @ BOS L 2-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 20:11
Oct 19, 2011 vs WPG W 4-3 (SO) 1 2 3 1 2 5 1 23:32
Oct 17, 2011 vs COL L 2-3 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 0 5 0 20:48
Oct 15, 2011 vs CGY W 3-2 2 1 3 3 2 5 0 20:14
Oct 8, 2011 vs OTT W 6-5 3 1 4 3 0 4 0 19:43
Oct 6, 2011 vs MTL W 2-0 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 20:50