Phil Kessel Reportedly Traded To Pittsburgh Penguins
BOSTON (CBS) -- NHL free agency got underway on Wednesday, but the Pittburgh Penguins made their big splash on the trade market.
The Penguins have reportedly swung a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs for winger Phil Kessel, adding another scorer to play alongside Sidney Crosby.
In exchange for Kessel, the Penguins are reportedly sending forward Kaspari Kapenen, defenseman Scott Harrington and a draft pick to Toronto, according to Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos.
Toronto will reportedly eat a part of Kessel's contract in the deal. Next season will be the second year of an eight-year, $64 million deal signed by the 27-year-old in Toronto.
Kessel was the fifth overall pick by the Boston Bruins in 2006, and spent his first three NHL seasons in Boston before being shipped out of town in 2009 for a package that included future draft picks that became Tyler Seguin (second overall pick in 2010) and Dougie Hamilton (ninth overall pick in 2011). Both players have since been traded by the Bruins, leaving them little to show for the Kessel trade.
In his six seasons in Toronto, Kessel tallied 181 goals and 213 assists in 446 games, but was a minus-79. He scored 26 goals and had 36 assists, finishing a minus-34, for the Leafs in the 2014-15 season.