On paper, the project is exciting.
Amanda Kessel, one of the best players in the history of the American program, on the same trio as Marie-Philip Poulin. Two star forwards, long-time rivals, united in what would become perhaps the most dangerous offensive duo in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF), or even the most dangerous trio with Laura Stacey on the left.
Who is against it? We neither.
Now, will this unit even have a chance to be reunited? There is room for doubt. Because the choice of the Montreal team to select Kessel in the seventh round (41st place) of the draft, Monday evening, is enough to leave one perplexed.
If she were to play in the LPWHF next fall, Kessel would return to competition after an absence of more than a year and a half. Following the 2023 world championship, during which her nine points in seven games contributed to the triumph of the Americans, she put her playing career on hold in order to continue the one she had started a year earlier in the management of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
First hired through a future manager development program, she was promoted to special advisor to general manager Kyle Dubas. Her dream, she has never hidden it, is to one day lead an organization.
Her current job involves a lot of recruiting, both amateur and professional, she told ESPN last March. Duties that are difficult to reconcile with a full-time job as a professional player, especially in Montreal, from where she could essentially only attend matches of the Canadiens, the Laval Rocket or the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada without long travel, in the QMJHL.
After the LPHF draft session on Monday, general manager Danièle Sauvageau indicated that she had not yet had time to discuss with Kessel about her very recent selection. Players wishing to withdraw from the draft had the opportunity to do so, she recalled. In other words: if Kessel remained eligible, it’s because she wants to play.
The fact remains that every GM had 40 opportunities to pick Kessel, arguably one of the best players available. An analysis by the media Athletic placed her in 6th place among the “hopefuls” available – at almost 33 years old, the qualifier makes you smile, especially if she is a triple Olympic medalist.
Montreal’s decision to take Kessel second-to-last does not in itself represent a huge risk. There will be plenty of talent available on the free agent market, should the team fail to win.
However, there is reason to wonder about the fact that five other GMs have overlooked the one who could instantly become an impact player in this league. Did they doubt his real chances of returning to the game? Were there fears that she would refuse to come play in Canada? Were his salary demands difficult to meet, at a time when there is not much money left for new contracts?
If his explicit wish had been to play at all costs, anywhere, his name would have been mentioned very early. If her wish had instead been to play while continuing her activities with the Penguins, she could have hoped to be drafted by an American club (Minnesota, New York, Boston). The connection to Boston was evident, given the presence behind the bench of his sister-in-law, Courtney Kessel. However, since the league no longer grants privileges due to personal constraints, as was the case last year, we should have crossed our fingers.
The mystery, therefore, is complete. Following Monday’s draft, Amanda Kessel did not post anything on social media. She is not usually very active there, but even the most discreet ones all come out of their usual reserve on this special occasion. Not her. The Penguins didn’t post anything to congratulate her either.
Neither her agent nor Danièle Sauvageau called La Presse back. And our request for an interview with the player, through the team, was unsuccessful.
Three options are now available to Kessel:
1. Sign a contract with the Montreal team. If the forward refuses an offer made to her, the organization retains exclusive negotiating rights for two years.
2. Refuse the offer and return home, which would likely end her professional career.
3. Convince management to swap him.
The latter scenario seems unlikely. Montreal would have no interest in getting rid of her for a song, and if no other team wanted to draft her, why pay a lot to acquire her after the fact?
If, by chance, she were to return to the Olympics, it’s safe to assume that the 2026 Olympics in Italy would be her last. After spending 18 months away from the ice, she could find a great springboard in Montreal to showcase herself to USA Hockey.
Will this argument help Danièle Sauvageau to convince her to cross the border? At the risk of repetition: maybe.
Really, all the questions in this case boil down to one: Will Amanda Kessel play in 2024-25? Nothing is less clear. If so, the result could be spectacular. Otherwise, it would have been much ado about nothing.
