Looking back at the 2024 offseason, people were writing off the Vegas Golden Knights. They said they were one-and-done, or worse, missing the Stanley Cup playoffs. When you lose Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson, and a whole slew of forwards and defensemen, the panic starts setting in.
"Who will replace Jonathan Marchessault's scoring?"
"Oh great. Our power play's gonna suck now!"
Golden Knights fans heard it all. They heard the "downfall of the Golden Knights" talk.
They heard that Jack Eichel would regret moving to Las Vegas after a tumultuous tenure in Buffalo.
None of this is new if you live in Las Vegas. Watching Jonathan Marchessault join Jelly Roll's entourage was something Las Vegans weren't expecting. However, it was something that helped the Nashville Predators... On paper, at least.
Here's the story. The Predators also signed Steven Stamkos and Brady Skjei, bolstering their forward group and blue line. Barry Trotz had plenty of money to spend, mind you. Why not burn $20.5 million on 30-year-old players and go for the Stanley Cup?
One team has already clinched a playoff spot, while the other was already eliminated before April. Can YOU guess which one's which?
If you guessed the Predators as the playoff-clincher, well, you're wrong. In fact, the Golden Knights already clinched their spot on Tuesday, thanks to the Calgary Flames losing to the Utah Hockey Club. As for Nashville? They have 62 points, a far cry from Vegas and their 98 points.
How Kelly McCrimmon shows getting prized free agents doesn't "win" the offseason
Exhibit A of Kelly McCrimmon outsmarting the Predators front office (and NHL) starts with Pavel Dorofeyev. Many people wondered who would take over Jonathan Marchessault's scoring abilities on the wing. Even some experts panned the position as being weak (hello, guilty party here).
However, the Russian winger has emerged with a team-leading 32 goals this season. That includes 13 power play goals, one short of the team lead. One can say the unit has reinvented itself to new levels. In fact, they led the NHL in power play percentage heading into Thursday's game against the Winnipeg Jets (30.6%).
Compare that to last season, when the Golden Knights were (drumroll, please)...
...20th with a percentage of 20.2. In fact, their best percentage during the Marchessault era was 22%, coming in 2019-20. Mind you, the Predators winger never touched double-digits in the power play goal category once as a Golden Knight.
The "Original Misfit" has 19 goals this season, a far cry from Dorofeyev's 32. Add in the 24-year-old's $1.835 million salary in 2024-25 and it's a far superior deal compared to Marchessault's $5.5 million AAV deal.
Oh, and Steven Stamkos has 23 goals and 22 assists, while SKjei has 10 goals and 18 assists. The duo barely combines for more goals than the 24-year-old winger.
It isn't just Marchessault and the Nashville Predators, though
Remember when Chandler Stephenson got a lucrative seven-year, $43.75 million deal with the Seattle Kraken? He got his payday with a young team filled with budding superstars. Surely, Seattle would make the most of their dark horse status, right?
Well, they're also eliminated. They have 70 points, far inferior to the 98 points Vegas has. While the Saskatoon native is back to his assists-accumulating ways (37 this season), he only has 12 goals.
A prior post compared Brett Howden to Stephenson. While Howden has five empty-net goals (best on Vegas), he still has 22 goals. That's far more than the Kraken center, where he'd still have more than the former Golden Knight without them. Also, a $1.9 million salary (bumped up to $2.5 million next season) is a bargain compared to a $6.25 million cap hit.
There's also Michael Amadio and his 24 points (11 goals and 13 assists) this season. There's also William Carrier and his nine points (39 games). Sure, he carries a $2 million cap hit for six seasons. However, Kelly McCrimmon was willing to sacrifice wraparounds for a better power play.
Go ahead and hang the preseason championship banner in Nashville. It doesn't matter in the grand scheme, especially when compared to winning a division... Or even a Stanley Cup. McCrimmon understands the assignment.