Kessel's durability his greatest asset for Penguins

As is the case seemingly every season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have found themselves mired in injury trouble.

Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Carl Hagelin, Bryan Rust, Trevor Daley, Olli Maatta, and Ron Hainsey are all out of the lineup, with a few other key names having just returned - a staggering list considering each of those players are key contributors to the Penguins' cause.

It's this annual trend that makes general manager Jim Rutherford's decision to bring in Phil Kessel in 2015 all the more crucial.

While the quick-footed winger has been a game-changer offensively - posting 48 goals and 121 points through 152 games in Pittsburgh colors - it's Kessel's durability that makes him an invaluable piece for the Penguins.

Iron man in the Steel City

Just how durable is Kessel? He hasn't missed a single game in the past six seasons.

That's good for 598 consecutive appearances, a streak stretching back to the early parts of 2009-10, when Kessel missed time to recover from shoulder surgery. But that impressive iron-man run doesn't seem to be a big deal to the 29-year-old.

"I just keep playing," Kessel said to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "You get some bumps and bruises. You try to keep going no matter what. I like to play the game."

Kessel's knack for avoiding injury is impressive in its own right, but it's downright miraculous when viewed in the context of the rest of the Penguins' roster.

All three of Pittsburgh's top stars - Sidney Crosby, Malkin, and Letang - have dealt with enough lengthy injury absences to warrant little surprise when they're forced out of the lineup. And the Penguins faithful have become accustomed to seeing various other members of the lineup drop out for parts of each season as well.

Ignoring the injury bug

It isn't a groundless feeling of familiarity either. The Penguins' injury issues aren't just tied to those top stars - team-wide, they've long been one of the most-injured clubs in the league:

Stepping back and viewing the Penguins' situation on a lengthy timeline like the one above, Kessel's importance couldn't be clearer.

He's emerged as the perfect complementary piece in Pittsburgh - exceptionally skilled, among the fastest skaters in the league, and perhaps most importantly, immune to the team's persistent injury bug.

Contributing where it counts

It's no mystery why Kessel is able to avoid injury - the sharp-shooting winger is among the least physical skaters in the game. He finished with just nine hits to his name last season, and it doesn't take much film review to catch the veteran winger removing himself from situations that would call for a more physical edge.

His teammates likely aren't too worried about that lack of hard-nosed play, however, as Kessel has proven he's able to contribute when it matters most, having led the team in both goals (10) and points (22) during last year's championship run.

Just two years into his tenure with the Penguins, Kessel has already made good on the deal that sent him to the Steel City, delivering a Cup to Pittsburgh and following up with one of the finest offensive campaigns of his career.

And with the Penguins hampered by a slew of untimely absences yet again, the club is sure to lean on Kessel once more as it looks to gain momentum down the stretch - with the chance at a repeat still well within their sights.