Phil Kessel says hand will be ready for Penguins' season opener

Phil Kessel didn't swing a club at the Pittsburgh Penguins' annual pre-season golf outing Tuesday, but he says he will be gripping a stick on the ice at Consol Energy Centre for their Oct. 13 season opener against the visiting Washington Capitals.

The 28-year-old right-winger vowed he'll be in the starting lineup following hand surgery in July to repair a bone chip.

"I'll obviously be out there skating in [training] camp [later this week]. I'll progress as it goes," Kessel told reporters at Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley, Pa. "I'll be ready to start the first game of the year. … [The hand] feels a lot better than it did last year."

Kessel reportedly dealt with the hand injury all of last season, though he scored a combined 36 goals in the regular season and playoffs.

He was in the running for the Conn Smythe Trophy in June, won by teammate Sidney Crosby, after leading the Penguins in playoff scoring with 22 points on a team-leading 10 goals and 12 assists while recording at least a point in 16 of his 24 playoff outings.

But it wasn't a memorable start for him in a Penguins uniform after Rutherford acquired the 10-year NHL veteran in a July 1, 2015 trade from Toronto.

'I just try to always play'

In his first 23 games through November, Kessel managed only seven goals and 15 points while juggling linemates.

But everything changed for Kessel, who has played in 528 consecutive NHL contests, after joining the "HBK Line" with Carl Hagelin and Nick Bonino. He proved to be a clutch performer with 14 goals and 34 points in his final 39 regular-season games.

"I just try to always play, no matter what," said Kessel, who last missed a game in November 2009 after recovering from shoulder surgery. "I've got to be really banged up to not play."

Will Kessel be different in any way entering his second season with the Penguins?

"Nah, same player," he said. "But I won. Stanley Cup champ. No one can ever take that away."