Penguins GM confirms Kessel had hand surgery stemming from preseason injury

Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel did indeed go under the knife to repair an injury that affected him for much longer than first reported.

The Pittsburgh Penguins winger recently underwent surgery on an unspecified hand, general manager Jim Rutherford confirmed Saturday. It's believed Kessel suffered the injury - also unspecified - during the 2015 preseason and not the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, as was initially reported.

"It was something he dealt with all season," Rutherford told Seth Rorabaugh of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "It bothered him. He took care of it. He's not expected to miss any time."

Despite the injury, Kessel was able to appear in all 82 regular-season games, as well as an additional 24 in the playoffs, where he played some of the best hockey of his career and finished second to Sidney Crosby in Conn Smythe voting.

Altogether, Kessel recorded 36 goals and 45 assists in 106 games in 2015-16.