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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 2012-13. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Chris Kunitz PIT · 52 P in 48 GP Eric Staal CAR · 53 P in 48 GP Taylor Hall EDM · 50 P in 45 GP Mike Ribeiro WSH · 49 P in 48 GP Patrick Kane CHI · 55 P in 47 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

2012-13 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
48 20 32 52 -3 18 161 16 1.08 12.4 19:49

Contract

$5.4MCap hit2012-13
$104KCap dollars per point52 points in 48 games
$663KCap dollars per goal above replacement8.1 goals above replacement
$7.6MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$2.2MValueworth 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 558 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. When it ends is not known.

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 2012-13 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.

2012-13 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+8.1Goals above replacement34th of 605 skaters, 32nd of 397 forwards
+1.4Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+5.5Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 397 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+5.0 96th percentileEven-strength defence-2.3 4th percentilePower play+2.3 99th percentilePenalty kill+0.0 49th percentilePenalties+0.5 69th 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

46.2Corsi for %723 attempts for, 843 against
+3.2CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
46.1Expected goals for %28.6 expected for, 33.5 against
+2.1xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
44.7Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
54.2Goals for %39 for, 33 against
103.1PDO10.6% shooting + 92.6% saves
230Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 578 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
Phil Kessel · James van Riemsdyk · Tyler Bozak44504:5746.246.625-26
Joffrey Lupul · Phil Kessel · Tyler Bozak944:2951.755.54-0
Clarke MacArthur · Phil Kessel · Tyler Bozak1635:4858.847.31-1
Phil Kessel · James van Riemsdyk · Nazem Kadri2122:3838.028.61-1

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.

20Goalsnot counting empty-netters
14.0Expected goalsfrom 224 unblocked attempts
+6.0Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.89 expected goals per 60 minutes80th
Shot quality 6.3% chance per attempt17th
Finishing +6.0 goals above expected95thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 355 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

05101520Game 20Game 40Goals 20Expected 14.0

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 27, 2013 vs MTL L 1-4 1 0 1 -2 0 3 1 19:53
Apr 25, 2013 @ FLA W 4-0 2 0 2 2 0 4 1 17:17
Apr 24, 2013 @ TBL L 2-5 1 0 1 -2 0 3 0 19:35
Apr 20, 2013 @ OTT W 4-1 0 2 2 1 2 0 4 20:22
Apr 18, 2013 vs NYI L 3-5 0 3 3 -1 0 2 0 21:00
Apr 16, 2013 @ WSH L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 16:45
Apr 15, 2013 vs NJD W 2-0 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 19:51
Apr 13, 2013 vs MTL W 5-1 1 1 2 1 0 4 0 13:34
Apr 10, 2013 @ NYR L 2-3 (SO) 2 0 2 2 0 5 0 22:35
Apr 8, 2013 vs NYR W 4-3 2 1 3 1 0 5 0 22:01
Apr 6, 2013 @ NJD W 2-1 0 1 1 1 0 4 1 22:50
Apr 4, 2013 vs PHI L 3-5 0 0 0 -2 0 5 0 21:09
Mar 30, 2013 @ OTT W 4-0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 17:44
Mar 28, 2013 vs CAR W 6-3 0 2 2 2 0 6 0 19:53
Mar 26, 2013 vs FLA W 3-2 0 2 2 1 0 3 0 21:32
Mar 25, 2013 @ BOS L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 21:21
Mar 23, 2013 vs BOS W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 16:58
Mar 21, 2013 @ BUF L 4-5 (SO) 0 2 2 0 2 3 0 19:27
Mar 20, 2013 vs TBL W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 15:39
Mar 16, 2013 vs WPG L 4-5 (SO) 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 16:17
Mar 14, 2013 vs PIT L 1-3 0 1 1 -2 0 1 0 23:10
Mar 12, 2013 @ WPG L 2-5 2 0 2 0 2 3 0 20:33
Mar 9, 2013 vs PIT L 4-5 (SO) 1 2 3 -1 0 5 0 20:38
Mar 7, 2013 @ BOS L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 17:42
Mar 6, 2013 vs OTT W 5-4 1 2 3 0 0 5 1 18:38
Mar 4, 2013 vs NJD W 4-2 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 22:12
Feb 28, 2013 @ NYI W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 19:37
Feb 27, 2013 vs MTL L 2-5 0 0 0 -4 0 2 0 15:40
Feb 25, 2013 @ PHI W 4-2 1 0 1 0 0 5 0 20:05
Feb 23, 2013 @ OTT L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 21:02
Feb 21, 2013 vs BUF W 3-1 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 19:01
Feb 19, 2013 @ TBL L 2-4 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 19:18
Feb 18, 2013 @ FLA W 3-0 1 0 1 1 4 5 0 20:20
Feb 16, 2013 vs OTT W 3-0 0 0 0 2 0 5 0 19:05
Feb 14, 2013 @ CAR L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 22:31
Feb 11, 2013 vs PHI W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 16:50
Feb 9, 2013 @ MTL W 6-0 1 2 3 2 0 2 0 17:47
Feb 7, 2013 @ WPG W 3-2 1 0 1 -1 0 4 0 17:03
Feb 5, 2013 @ WSH W 3-2 0 2 2 3 2 2 0 21:19
Feb 4, 2013 vs CAR L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 20:06
Feb 2, 2013 vs BOS L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 21:33
Jan 31, 2013 vs WSH W 3-2 0 1 1 0 2 6 3 20:18
Jan 29, 2013 @ BUF W 4-3 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 26:04
Jan 26, 2013 @ NYR L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 4 0 19:56
Jan 24, 2013 vs NYI L 4-7 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 24:01
Jan 23, 2013 @ PIT W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 20:28
Jan 21, 2013 vs BUF L 1-2 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 22:27
Jan 19, 2013 @ MTL W 2-1 0 2 2 0 0 3 0 17:46