Phil Kessel has scored three goals in the opening two games of the 2021 season and the Arizona Coyotes are finally seeing the player they traded for 18 months ago.
When the Coyotes announced the trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins that saw them land Kessel, in exchange primarily for Alex Galchenyuk and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, many hoped that this would finally give the team a legitimate offensive threat.
His signing saw boosts in both ticket and jersey sales as anticipation built rapidly, with the Coyotes showing real promise towards the end of the 2018/19 season and the belief that Kessel could be the final piece to the puzzle as they pushed for the post-season.