Kessel Traded to Arizona for Galchenyuk

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Arizona Coyotes just broke twitter. The Penguins acquired forward Alex Galchenyuk and defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph in exchange for forward Phil Kessel,  defenseman Dane Birks, and a 2021 4th round pick. This trade has been rumored for a few weeks and now that it’s finally happened, it’s surreal.

Galchenyuk scored 19 goals in 72 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season. He added on 22 assists, bringing his point total up to 41 on the season. He has played in 490 games over his seven-year career. Drafted third overall in the 2012 draft, he has scored 127 goals and added 169 assists for a total of 296 points. Galchenyuk is 25 and still has room to grow. Last season was his first in Arizona after being traded from the Montreal Canadiens for Max Domi. He had a rough season last year being with a new team, but I think he can bounce back and fit in perfectly alongside Malkin or Crosby. Galchenyuk has one year left on his $4.9 million contract and if he plays well in this upcoming season, he could find a raise at the end of it.

Kessel, 31, had 27 goals and 55 assists in 82 games this year. He produced at a point per game pace and was the second highest total points for the Penguins last season. In his career, Kessel has 823 points in 996 games played. As he nears his 1000th game in the NHL, he is joining his fourth team and this one could be the one he stays on for the rest of the career. Phil became really good friends with Coyotes head coach, Rick Tocchet. Tocchet was an assistant coach for the Penguins during their back-to-back championships in 2016 and 2017. Arizona was on his eight team trade list and you can only imagine that it was because of him. Kessel has three years left on his $6.8 million contract, which now makes him the highest paid player on the Coyotes.

Joseph, 19, was drafted 23rd overall in the 2017 draft. He has 140 points in 235 games in the QMJHL with the Charlottetown Islanders and the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Joseph is a solid prospect who could turn into an NHL regular someday, He was a great addition to this trade and will make it even better if he can turn into a NHL player in the future. This also adds some much-needed depth in our prospect pool. 

Birks, 23, was drafted 164th overall in the 2013 draft. He played in 65 games last season with the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL, scoring one goal and adding 13 assists. He seems to be a part of this trade just so Arizona will be at the minimum roster size. He might make an impact in the AHL next season for Tucson Roadrunners, but certainly won’t be NHL ready to start next season. 

Penguins fans knew this trade was going to happen. Kessel didn’t seem to be happy or like he was fitting in with the team anymore. From a front office standpoint, this is a steal. They traded for a young forward who has room to improve on some of his talents, and a young prospect who has a lot of potential for a player who wasn’t meshing well with the team anymore and a fourth round pick. This makes Rutherford look like a god. Plus, we save an extra two million dollars that we will need to sign guys like Pettersson, Blueger, Aston-Reese among others. I’m personally very happy this was done, but I will miss Phil in black and gold next season. Thank you, Phil, for your time in Pittsburgh and for helping us win back-to-back Cups, and I wish you the best of luck in Arizona. As for Galchenyuk and Joseph, welcome to Pittsburgh, and I hope you like it here and can make an impact on the team both now and into the future.