Kessel notched an assist in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Canucks.
This was Kessel's team debut, and he was able to set up Kyle Palmieri's goal in the first period. The 26-year-old Kessel could see a larger role than initially expected after Alexander Romanov (knee) was given a timeline of 6-8 months to return from ACL surgery. Kessel is largely untested -- he's never played more than 39 NHL games in a season, and he's never picked up more than seven points, but he can handle a third-pairing assignment.