There's no bigger question mark for the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2024 offseason than the future of franchise cornerstone Jonathan Marchessault. One of the original ‘Golden Misfits' now has a Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy under his belt — and the 33-year-old is going to get paid this summer.
Whether or not the monster contract the pending unrestricted free agent signs will be with the Knights or elsewhere is still up in the air, but according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun, he's leaning towards the former.
“There wasn’t a lot of discussion between Marchessault’s camp and the Golden Knights during the season, and the reason is the sides agreed to wait until the offseason to reconnect. Now here we are,” reported the hockey insider on Friday.
“Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon said two weeks ago at his end-of-season media session that he wants to keep Marchessault, which he told the player himself after the season. And needless to say, Marchessault wants to stay. …There’s lots to juggle there, but re-signing Marchessault, the 2023 Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP, is of paramount importance. The sides are expected to talk soon. I think this one gets done.”
Jonathan Marchessault due for a huge raise this summer
Marchessault just played out the final season of a six-year, $30 million extension he signed with the club back in January of 2018. The Golden Knights went on a miracle run to the Stanley Cup Final that year — their first in existence — and Marchessault was a key piece of a team that came just three wins short against Alex Ovechkin and his Washington Capitals.
But Vegas would get its championship six seasons later. And again, Marchessault was a catalyst. He finished with a postseason-leading 13 goals and 25 points in just 22 games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, earning MVP honors in the process.
“Marchy is an original. He’s a core player. He had a career year. So he’s done everything humanly possible to put himself in a good position,” Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon told LeBrun two weeks ago.
“We really like the player, and his value extends beyond what you see on the ice. He’s a really important leader, he’s an important guy in our dressing room. So, there’s certainly a strong willingness from both sides to have real good discussions. That’s what we’re going to work on. We’ll reshape our roster and be ready to have a real good team again next season.”
It's clear that Marchessault wants to stay in Las Vegas, and the franchise wants to keep around maybe the best player in its short history. But the veteran deserves a long-term contract with a high AAV, especially after another strong regular-season and playoff showing in 2024.
But it's not going to be easy. The Knights have multiple other players who could test free agency as UFAs on July 1, including Chandler Stephenson, Michael Amadio, William Carrier, Anthony Mantha and Alec Martinez.
Obviously, Marchessault is the most important of that group, but it's possible that he could have priced himself out of a new pact with the Golden Knights. Only time will tell whether he will chase a second Stanley Cup on the strip or elsewhere.
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