Wade Vandervort
Vegas Golden Knights right wing Jonathan Marchessault (81) warms up before Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars at T-Mobile arena Friday, May 3, 2024.
By Jack Williams (contact)
Published Monday, July 1, 2024 | 12:22 a.m.
Updated 15 minutes ago
Time ran out for the Vegas Golden Knights to re-sign forward Jonathan Marchessault to a new contract, but it didn't take him long to find a new one.
Within minutes of NHL free agency opening Monday, multiple reports confirmed the 33-year-old forward signed a five-year deal with the Nashville Predators worth a $5.5 million annual average value.
The Vegas Golden Knights had nearly two months since the end of the season to strike a deal with their leading scorer but could not come to an agreement.
The terms of his new contract might make it a little harder to swallow for Golden Knights' fans given that he only got a moderate raise.
He arguably earned more with a career year last season.
Marchessault recorded 42 goals and 27 assists in 82 games last season for a Golden Knights-leading 69 points. He also won the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the NHL Playoffs. He recorded 13 goals and 12 assists in last year's postseason, helping Vegas to a Stanley Cup Championship.
Marchessault made it clear that he did not want to leave Vegas. He said wanted to be “a Golden Knight for life” and declared Vegas was “home” for his wife and four children. He was one of just five of the original members of the 2017 expansion draft who were still with the Golden Knights.
There are now only four “original misfits” remaining: William Karlsson, Brayden McNabb, William Carrier and Shea Theodore.
Two more could be on the move, as Theodore has been the subject of trade rumors while Carrier is one of six Vegas UFAs including Marchessault. The others are Anthony Mantha, Chandler Stephenson, Michael Amadio and Alex Martinez.
With all of the UFAs off the books, Vegas has an estimated $8.17 million in cap space. Multiple reports on Sunday indicated that the Golden Knights may use some of it to make a run at superstar Tampa Bay Lightning UFA Steven Stamkos, but he's also now in Nashville.
The Predators signed Stamkos to a four-year deal worth an $8 million annual average value.
The top of the Golden Knights' wish list is now a backup goalie for Adin Hill after shipping Logan Thompson to the Capitals in a trade this weekend.
Vegas became bumped up against the cap after a trio of trade-deadline deals last year that included acquiring defenseman Noah Hanifin, already extended on a new eight-year contract with more than a $7 million average annual salary, and forward Tomas Hertl, who's set to make more than $8 million for the next six seasons.
Marchessault is a major loss for the Golden Knights. He left a resounding impact on and off the ice, as seen through his stats and the way his teammates and coaches spoke of him. He played a pivotal role in establishing the Golden Knights not just in Las Vegas, but in the league.
Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon said at the NHL Draft on Saturday that there was a lot of movement to be expected among the Golden Knights’ forwards this offseason.
McCrimmon is scheduled to speak to media members on Monday at Golden Knights development camp.
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