The Vegas Golden Knights have signed Phil Kessel to a one-year contract worth $1.5 million, the club announced Wednesday.
Kessel, 34, is coming off a 52-point season with the Arizona Coyotes in 2021-22 — the most recent of three campaigns he played with the club.
Heading into next season, Kessel is just eight games away from surpassing Keith Yandle's all-time-leading iron man streak of 989 games.
Yandle beat the record in January, surpassing Doug Jarvis who'd set the mark at 964 games in 1987, but served as a healthy scratch late in the Philadelphia Flyers' season to bring his run to a halt.
Should Kessel take the ice in his first eight games this upcoming season, he'll tie Yandle on Oct. 24 against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs and set the new record of 990 consecutive games played on Oct. 25 in San Jose against the Sharks.
In 1,204 career games over 16 NHL seasons, the two-time Stanley Cup champion has amassed 399 goals and 557 assists. Kessel reached a peak in production with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2017-18, totalling 92 points.
The Madison, Wisc., native has also recorded 81 playoff points in 92 games.
The Golden Knights will be Kessel's fifth team. The veteran winger previously played for the Coyotes, Penguins, Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins — who drafted him fifth overall in 2006.
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