Pittsburgh Penguins Forward Phil Kessel has Surgery on His Hand

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Phil Kessel had successful surgery on his hand on Friday and expects to be ready for the start of training camp in September. 

Penguins general manager, Jim Rutherford told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Saturday, “It was something he dealt with all season. It bothered him. He took care of it. He is not expected to miss any time.”

 

During the past season, Kessel did not miss a game for the Penguins. In the team’s Stanley Cup Championship run this past season, he played in 106 games throughout the regular season and the playoffs. Kessel has appeared in 528 consecutive regular season games, the fourth longest streak in the National Hockey League.   

After putting up 26 goals for the Penguins during the regular season, Kessel led the club in scoring during the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 10 goals and 12 assists. Those efforts helped Pittsburgh capture their first Stanley Cup since the 2009 playoffs. 

The Penguins acquired Kessel, along with Tyler Biggs, Tim Erixon and a second round pick, in the offseason trade that sent Scott Harrington, Kasperi Kapanen, Nick Spaling and two draft picks, to the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer.

While the team did not state the specific hand, or nature of the injury, Rutherford suggested to the Post-Gazette, that he felt that the injury may have occurred during the 2015 preseason schedule.