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Trade: Penguins deal Kessel to Coyotes for Galchenyuk

Pittsburgh Penguins v Columbus Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS, OH - FEBRUARY 26: Phil Kessel #81 of the Pittsburgh Penguins controls the puck during the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on February 26, 2019 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Pittsburgh defeated Columbus 5-2. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)

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The Phil Kessel drama in Pittsburgh has finally come to an end.

Kessel is moving on to the Arizona Coyotes as part of a deal that was consummated Saturday between the two teams. The 31-year-old forward is reunited with former Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet in exchange for Alex Galchenyuk and Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The Coyotes also receive a 2021 fourth-round pick and defenseman Dane Birks.

“First of all, I’ll say that he was a terrific player for us and played a huge part in those two Cups. And I can’t say enough good things about him. And I like him personally,” Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford said. “I just think it was time to make a change with him.”

Kessel has three years remaining on a contract that carried a salary cap hit of $6.8 million. Galchenyuk will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2019-20 NHL season. His deal brings a cap hit of $4.9 million. [ProHockeyTalk’s 2019 NHL free agency tracker]

Rutherford tried to trade Kessel, who had 27 goals and 82 points in 82 games this season, once this off-season, but a deal with the Minnesota Wild fell through after the forward refused to waive his no-move clause. Kessel’s clause allows the Penguins to deal him to eight pre-approved teams. If Kessel was going to be leaving Pittsburgh, he would be controlling the situation, which, according to an article in The Athletic this week, was becoming an issue for some inside the Penguins’ organization.

Despite the rumors that swirled around Kessel, he produced on the ice. He’s one of 18 players to record at least 300 points since the 2015-16 season and over that same period of time he scored 110 goals for the Penguins. He’s also a durable player having not missed a game since the 2009-10 season and owns the third-longest active consecutive games streak (774) and is eighth all-time.

“We felt the ability to add a scorer was the primary need for our group,” Coyotes GM John Chayka said during a Saturday night conference call. “Phil has been one of the best offensive producers in the league for a long time and we think he’s going to come in motivated and ready to go.”

“I’m just coming in to do what I do best and try to help the team win as many games as possible,” Kessel said. “I think they’re an up-and-coming team, they’ve got a lot of pieces in place and I want to help them along.”

The 25-year-old Galchenyuk played one season with the Coyotes following a trade from the Montreal Canadiens last summer. He scored 19 goals and recorded 41 points in 72 games. Those numbers could be in for a bit of a boost if head coach Mike Sullivan puts him on the wing next to either Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin.

Rutherford said there was going to be change to the roster following their first-round sweep at the hands of the New York Islanders. He now has a little over $5 million in cap space, per Cap Friendly, to continue tweaking the roster. There are no real major re-signings to be done other than decisions on UFAs Matt Cullen and Garrett Wilson, as well as restricted free agents Zach-Aston Reese, Marcus Pettersson and Teddy Blueger. It’s not the greatest of free agent classes to go shopping on the cheap, so more trades could be on the way for the Penguins.

Kessel and the Coyotes make their visit to Pittsburgh on Friday, Dec. 6.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.