Kessel eager to sign contract: 'I know I can still play'

Phil Kessel's eager to sign a contract and hit the ice as he remains without a deal a month into the 2023-24 season.

"I'm staying ready," the unrestricted free agent told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun. "I've been skating. In the next week, I'm going to work with a skating guy here (in Arizona). We're going to do individual sessions to stay ready."

Kessel tallied 14 goals and 36 points in 82 games last season with the Vegas Golden Knights while playing a career-low 12:49 per contest. He dressed in only four postseason games as the Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup, the third triumph of Kessel's career.

"I know I can still play and can still help," the 36-year-old said. "For the minutes I played last year, I thought my numbers were pretty solid, right? So I know I can help a team and contribute to a team which needs scoring.

"Obviously, I'm a little surprised I haven't got anything yet, but it is what it is, right?"

Kessel is the NHL's all-time ironman with 1,064 straight regular-season games. Though the streak would continue if Kessel signs a contract, he made it abundantly clear it's not a factor in him inking a deal.

"I don't care," Kessel said about his ironman streak. "I think people think I care about that. I've never cared about that. I've always been a guy that feels he should be in the lineup, and if I can play, I'll play."

Kessel isn't set on exclusively signing with a handful of teams, either. The six-time 30-goal-scorer is open to all possibilities and simply wants to continue playing.

"I'm willing to kind of go wherever," he said. "Because I want to play. I love to play."

Should he sign a contract, Kessel would embark on his 18th season in the NHL. He has 413 goals and is only eight shy of the 1,000-point mark in 1,286 career games.