Pending UFA Jonathan Marchessault Expresses Desire to Remain With Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights are expected to face several financial obstacles regarding their roster this summer after failing to repeat as Stanley Cup champions this past season.
Jonathan Marchessault will be front and centre in that discussion, as the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner will become an unrestricted free agent this off-season. He just wrapped up the final season of his six-year, $30-million contract, which expires on July 1st.
But the 33-year-old, who’ll turn 34 next December, isn’t ready to leave Sin City just yet. If it were up to him, he’d remain a Golden Knight for the remainder of his playing career – though that decision isn’t his alone to make.
“I’ve done everything I can to stay here,” Marchessault told reporters Tuesday during locker clean-out. “I know I’m a big part of that organization. I’ve proved it along the years. I would love to stay. It’s my home. I’ve been part of the guys that we started this with. It’s the most proud thing I’ve done in my life, professionally for sure. I’m happy to be a Golden Knight. I would like to be the rest of my life, but it’s not necessarily in my control.”
Marchessault is one of just five remaining original members from Vegas’ 2017 expansion draft, including William Karlsson, William Carrier, Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb. They are the only ones left from the “Golden Misfits” club that took the ice for the first time during the 2017-18 season.
The Cap-Rouge, QC native, once an undrafted free agent, has transformed into a superstar since joining the Golden Knights. He’s coming off one of the top statistical performances of his career, scoring a career-high 42 goals in 82 games.
The 2022 All-Star also notched 69 points, the second-highest of his 11-year professional career, trailing only his inaugural campaign in Vegas, where he posted 75 points.
Marchessault remains hopeful that a contract extension can be worked out after speaking with Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon on Tuesday.
“It depends if this is important to them or not,” Marchessault said of whether a deal gets done. “I want to be in an organization that wants me. I have a couple of years left. I don’t play it for fun. I play it because I want to win. I want to be in a place that’s going to help me win.”
After breaking out for 30 goals in 2016-17, his final season with the Florida Panthers, Marchessault has spent the last seven seasons in Vegas, tallying 192 goals and 417 points across 514 contests. He was a critical member of last year’s Stanley Cup run, with his league-high 13 goals in 22 games.
The Golden Knights, of course, would prefer to retain Marchessault. But the problem is he’s one of seven UFAs scheduled to reach the open market, including Chandler Stephenson, Michael Amadio, Alec Martinez and mid-season trade acquisition Anthony Mantha.
With less than a million dollars in projected cap space for next season, per Cap Friendly, the harsh reality is a significant roster turnover could be on the horizon for the 2023 Stanley Cup champions in the coming months.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
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