Kessel joins World Poker Tour

Free-agent forward Phil Kessel is joining the World Poker Tour, he announced Thursday on Instagram.

Kessel hasn't played a game since the 2023 playoffs when he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights' championship squad. He was a frequent healthy scratch during their Cup run and didn't sign anywhere for the 2023-24 campaign despite some in-season interest from the Vancouver Canucks.

It was reported in September that Kessel was interested in signing a professional tryout and that keeping his ironman streak intact wasn't a factor. Kessel has played in an NHL-record 1,064 consecutive games dating back to November 2009.

Kessel's played 17 NHL seasons and accumulated 992 points in 1,286 games. He's a three-time Stanley Cup winner and took home the Masterton Trophy in 2007.