The Vegas Golden Knights locked up a part of their core for the next six years.
The roster in the next five years still looks like a mystery for the Vegas Golden Knights. The only two players signed into the 2021-22 season are Reilly Smith and Brayden McNabb. The club has been very cautious about how they’ve spent their money, and you have to be in the salary cap era.
With tons of cap space, general manager George McPhee could go a ton of different directions due to the team’s success. McPhee has been persistent about obtaining future assets for players on the roster. But with every Golden Knights victory, it’s hard to move on from a group that’s playing insane hockey since the start of December.
Perhaps today was the beginning of maintaining those players. On Wednesday, the Vegas Golden Knights announced they had signed Jonathan Marchessault to a six-year deal. Marchessault’s new cap hit of five million dollars kicks into gear next season in 2018-19.
My initial thoughts on the deal are pretty much the same as everyone else. What a great deal for both sides. The Knights didn’t overpay, and Marchessault received the money he so rightfully deserves. And even after this contract, Vegas still has so much cap space to play with over the offseason.
It’s mind-blowing when you think about how well McPhee has handled the situation. He’ll be up for general manager of the year when the season is all wrapped up. But let’s talk about how huge this signing is for Vegas.
When Marchessault’s contract expires, he’ll be 33 years old, and his performance level won’t be the same as it is now. The Knights will get the absolute best out of Marchessault in his prime years of his career. Another reason why I love this contract for the Golden Knights.
The Cap-Rouge, Quebec native is having a fantastic year thus far with the Knights, and he’s on pace to pass last years breakout campaign. The 27-year old has notched 15 goals, 22 assists and 37 points in 35 games played this season. He’s also currently on a seven-game point streak with 11 points in that stretch.
McPhee made it clear to the media today that Marchessault fits the identity of the Golden Knights and that he liked how his first line is performing. With Smith already signed long-term, perhaps William Karlsson could be next in line for an extension. It won’t surprise me if that’s the next order of business for the busy GM.
George McPhee on signing Jonathan Marchessault to his new extension: "He fits our identity of a guy who competes on both ends of the rink, and he's generating offense. We like how the line he's on is performing and wanted to keep it together."
— Danny Webster (@DannyWebster21) January 3, 2018
With contract negotiations out of the way, Marchessault’s production should increase even more now that he knows he has some sense of security. He’s improved his play in both ends of the rink this year, and he’s only grown into a better overall player. A lot of that has to do with the coaching of Gerard Gallant.
Next: Vegas Golden Knights: William Karlsson Earns NHL’s Second Star Of Week.
All in all, Vegas Golden Knights fans should be extremely thrilled to have Marchessault back in the mix for another six years. I think it’s pretty safe to say to get your #81 jerseys before they sell out. And who knows, maybe someday we’ll be adding an “A” or a “C” on the front of his sweater.