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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 2017-18. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Anze Kopitar LAK · 92 P in 82 GP Blake Wheeler WPG · 91 P in 81 GP Taylor Hall NJD · 93 P in 76 GP Sidney Crosby PIT · 89 P in 82 GP Alex Ovechkin WSH · 87 P in 82 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

2017-18 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 34 58 92 -4 36 261 10 1.12 13.0 18:41

Contract

$8MCap hit2017-18
$87KCap dollars per point92 points in 82 games
$1.75MCap dollars per goal above replacement4.6 goals above replacement
$3.5MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$4.5MValueworth 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 691 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 2017-18 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.

2017-18 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+4.6Goals above replacement215th of 691 skaters, 151st of 451 forwards
+0.8Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+0.3Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 451 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+3.4 82nd percentileEven-strength defence-7.6 1st percentilePower play+5.2 99th percentilePenalty kill-0.1 24th percentilePenalties-0.5 21st 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

50.4Corsi for %1132 attempts for, 1115 against
-2.7CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
48.9Expected goals for %51.4 expected for, 53.6 against
-6.0xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.9Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
47.9Goals for %56 for, 61 against
99.1PDO8.4% shooting + 90.6% saves
288Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 600 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
Evgeni Malkin · Phil Kessel · Carl Hagelin44222:3850.748.512-11
Phil Kessel · Riley Sheahan · Jake Guentzel26186:5547.649.912-8
Evgeni Malkin · Phil Kessel · Bryan Rust18105:2557.452.13-5
Evgeni Malkin · Phil Kessel · Jake Guentzel2587:4955.149.86-6

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.

34Goalsnot counting empty-netters
22.1Expected goalsfrom 327 unblocked attempts
+11.9Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.87 expected goals per 60 minutes74th
Shot quality 6.8% chance per attempt29th
Finishing +11.9 goals above expected97thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 423 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0102030Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Goals 34Expected 22.1

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 6, 2018 vs OTT W 4-0 1 1 2 1 0 2 0 18:12
Apr 5, 2018 @ CBJ W 5-4 (OT) 2 1 3 1 0 4 0 17:27
Apr 1, 2018 vs WSH L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 18:28
Mar 31, 2018 vs MTL W 5-2 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 16:48
Mar 29, 2018 @ NJD W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 18:53
Mar 27, 2018 @ DET L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 21:27
Mar 25, 2018 vs PHI W 5-4 (OT) 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 15:35
Mar 23, 2018 vs NJD L 3-4 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 0 3 0 18:21
Mar 21, 2018 vs MTL W 5-3 0 2 2 -1 0 4 0 18:06
Mar 20, 2018 @ NYI L 1-4 0 1 1 -1 0 3 0 16:59
Mar 15, 2018 @ MTL W 5-3 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 17:41
Mar 14, 2018 @ NYR L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:38
Mar 11, 2018 vs DAL W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 17:35
Mar 10, 2018 @ TOR L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 19:13
Mar 7, 2018 @ PHI W 5-2 1 0 1 -1 2 2 0 19:25
Mar 5, 2018 vs CGY W 4-3 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 3 0 17:36
Mar 3, 2018 vs NYI W 3-2 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 17:41
Mar 1, 2018 @ BOS L 4-8 1 1 2 1 0 3 0 19:17
Feb 27, 2018 vs NJD L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 22:45
Feb 24, 2018 @ FLA L 5-6 0 1 1 -2 0 4 0 20:47
Feb 23, 2018 @ CAR W 6-1 2 1 3 3 0 5 0 17:26
Feb 18, 2018 @ CBJ W 5-2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 18:15
Feb 17, 2018 vs TOR W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 19:21
Feb 15, 2018 vs LAK W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 20:00
Feb 13, 2018 vs OTT W 6-3 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 18:47
Feb 11, 2018 @ STL W 4-1 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 20:13
Feb 9, 2018 @ DAL L 3-4 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 20:12
Feb 6, 2018 vs VGK W 5-4 1 1 2 0 0 3 0 20:17
Feb 3, 2018 @ NJD L 1-3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 20:12
Feb 2, 2018 vs WSH W 7-4 2 1 3 2 0 4 0 17:44
Jan 30, 2018 vs SJS W 5-2 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 17:14
Jan 25, 2018 vs MIN W 6-3 0 3 3 1 0 3 0 15:30
Jan 23, 2018 vs CAR W 3-1 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 15:06
Jan 20, 2018 @ SJS L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 20:15
Jan 18, 2018 @ LAK W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18:33
Jan 17, 2018 @ ANA L 3-5 1 1 2 -4 2 4 1 19:20
Jan 14, 2018 vs NYR W 5-2 1 1 2 2 0 4 0 19:29
Jan 13, 2018 vs DET W 4-1 1 2 3 1 0 7 0 18:52
Jan 7, 2018 vs BOS W 6-5 (OT) 1 1 2 0 0 3 0 18:51
Jan 5, 2018 @ NYI W 4-0 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 15:19
Jan 4, 2018 vs CAR L 0-4 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 20:33
Jan 2, 2018 @ PHI W 5-1 1 1 2 -1 0 4 0 15:14
Dec 31, 2017 @ DET L 1-4 0 1 1 -3 0 2 0 21:45
Dec 29, 2017 @ CAR L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 4 2 20:26
Dec 27, 2017 vs CBJ W 5-4 (SO) 1 1 2 -2 0 3 0 18:37
Dec 23, 2017 vs ANA L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 17:19
Dec 21, 2017 vs CBJ W 3-2 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 20:24
Dec 18, 2017 @ COL L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 19:34
Dec 16, 2017 @ ARI W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 20:28
Dec 14, 2017 @ VGK L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 20:49
Dec 11, 2017 vs COL L 1-2 1 0 1 -1 0 7 1 20:01
Dec 9, 2017 vs TOR L 3-4 0 1 1 -2 0 4 2 23:24
Dec 7, 2017 vs NYI W 4-3 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 0 5 0 19:34
Dec 5, 2017 vs NYR L 3-4 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 22:22
Dec 2, 2017 vs BUF W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 5 0 19:58
Dec 1, 2017 @ BUF W 4-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 18:06
Nov 27, 2017 vs PHI W 5-4 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 4 0 22:10
Nov 25, 2017 vs TBL W 5-2 2 2 4 0 2 3 0 17:19
Nov 24, 2017 @ BOS L 3-4 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 19:16
Nov 22, 2017 vs VAN L 2-5 0 2 2 -2 0 2 0 17:30
Nov 18, 2017 vs CHI L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 20:26
Nov 16, 2017 @ OTT W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16:33
Nov 14, 2017 vs BUF W 5-4 (OT) 1 1 2 0 0 3 0 18:25
Nov 11, 2017 @ NSH L 4-5 (SO) 1 1 2 2 2 4 0 21:11
Nov 10, 2017 @ WSH L 1-4 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 16:24
Nov 7, 2017 vs ARI W 3-1 1 2 3 2 0 3 0 17:14
Nov 4, 2017 @ VAN L 2-4 0 1 1 -2 0 6 0 19:01
Nov 2, 2017 @ CGY L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 2 6 0 17:16
Nov 1, 2017 @ EDM W 3-2 0 2 2 0 0 0 1 18:31
Oct 29, 2017 @ WPG L 1-7 0 1 1 -1 0 4 0 15:34
Oct 28, 2017 @ MIN L 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 16:51
Oct 26, 2017 vs WPG W 2-1 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 9 0 18:57
Oct 24, 2017 vs EDM W 2-1 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 5 0 17:51
Oct 21, 2017 @ TBL L 1-7 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 16:25
Oct 20, 2017 @ FLA W 4-3 0 2 2 0 2 6 0 18:48
Oct 17, 2017 @ NYR W 5-4 (OT) 1 2 3 3 0 5 0 20:35
Oct 14, 2017 vs FLA W 4-3 0 1 1 -1 0 4 0 17:10
Oct 12, 2017 @ TBL L 4-5 0 1 1 0 2 5 0 17:45
Oct 11, 2017 @ WSH W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:45
Oct 7, 2017 vs NSH W 4-0 0 1 1 1 2 4 0 17:50
Oct 5, 2017 @ CHI L 1-10 1 0 1 -2 10 5 0 15:22
Oct 4, 2017 vs STL L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 18:42