Kassian retires from NHL after 12 seasons

Zack Kassian announced his retirement from the NHL after 12 seasons on Thursday.

The 32-year-old forward had two assists and 50 penalty minutes in 51 games for the Arizona Coyotes last season.

Kassian had 203 points (92 goals, 111 assists) in 661 regular-season games from 2011-23 with the Buffalo Sabres, Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers and Coyotes. His 913 penalty minutes rank ninth among skaters since he joined the NHL in 2011.

He also had nine points (six goals, three assists) in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

"To play in the NHL is one thing, but to make a 12-year career of it is pretty special," Kassian told the NHL Players' Association. "From coaches to equipment staff and fellow players I've met along the way, I've made so many relationships that are going to last a lifetime."

Kassian was selected by the Sabres in the first round (No. 13) of the 2009 NHL Draft and made his NHL debut for Buffalo on Nov. 25, 2011.

He played 27 games for the Sabres before they traded him to the Canucks on Feb. 27, 2012. Kassian played 171 games with Vancouver from 2012-15, scoring 59 points (32 goals, 27 assists).

Kassian was traded to the Montreal Canadiens on July 1, 2015, but never played a game for them. He was then traded to the Oilers on Dec. 28, 2015.

Kassian played the next seven seasons with the Oilers, scoring 135 points (55 goals, 80 assists) in 412 games from 2015-22. He set an NHL career high with 15 goals in 79 games in 2018-19 and matched it in 59 games in 2019-20, when he had 19 assists to set an NHL career high with 34 points.

He was traded to the Coyotes on July 7, 2022, and played his final season with them.

Kassian was in training camp with the Anaheim Ducks on a professional tryout agreement but was released prior to this season.