How will Golden Knights fans react to Jonathan Marchessault returning to Las Vegas?

Wednesday saw a bittersweet reunion between Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The superstar returned to Texas after Nico Harrison traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and a bag of peanuts.

If you're wondering how that game went down, the Lakers pulled away from them, 112-97. Doncic scored 45 points in that contest, exacting his revenge on the useless Harrison.

Of course, it wasn't without any emotion or sadness.

It's not like Doncic wanted to leave (unlike a certain Vegas Golden Knights misfit). He bought a $15 million house in Dallas, hoping to stick around. Doncic wasn't concerned about his kid's peewee hockey camp, either. Instead, he wanted to leave a lasting legacy in Texas sports.

Compare that to Jonathan Marchessault, who didn't have as graceful an exit as the Slovenian basketball star. The Nashville Predators winger didn't return to the Golden Knights last summer, picking up his cowboy boots to go to Nashville.

Kelly McCrimmon and the "Golden Misfit" did their best to come up with a deal before free agency started. Fans wanted him back since he represented everything the franchise was.

Underestimated.

Determined.

But the only problem was that the aftermath became a case of "he said, he said." It tore the fanbase apart with some believing that the end was near.

"Where will we get scoring on the wing from?"

"How will our barely functioning power play survive?"

"WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE POOR POWER PLAY?"

How the debacle between Jonathan Marchessault and the Vegas Golden Knights went down

The Jonathan Marchessault-Vegas Golden Knights saga was a rocky one last summer. The winger wanted a five-year deal that would keep him around until retirement. He would've been 39 years old by contract's end, sending him off as a Golden Knight for eternity.

Okay, so that's not bad. So what's the problem? He scored 42 goals the season prior.

Kelly McCrimmon isn't a big fan of handing out long contracts to players 29 years old or older. Sure, he might've signed Alex Pietrangelo to a seven-year deal worth $61.6 million. But he'll be 37 years old once the contract ends. Therefore, that was a no-go. Three years will work. Maybe he'll budge on four.

After that became an accusation battle of McCrimmon not offering the best deal possible. There was talk of deferred payments, which would've been fine in the short term. However, this offended the "Misfit," who took his business to SEC football territory.

Now? He has 19 goals and 34 assists with his new team. The 34-year-old is back to his offensive self after a slow start, putting up good numbers assist-wise. However, the Golden Knights moved on and watched Pavel Dorofeyev (33 goals this season) blossom into an offensive force. Oh, and the power play is headed for its best season in franchise history.

How will Golden Knights fans react to the "Original Misfit" returning to T-Mobile Arena?

Let's be honest. Some fans will be bothered by how Marchessault's tenure in Las Vegas ended. There will be some boos from the crowd, given that he acted in his self-interest. Feuding with the general manager who got you a Stanley Cup isn't the most ideal thought, after all.

However, he is a "Golden Misfit." He won a Conn Smythe Trophy as a Golden Knight, beating out names like Mark Stone and Jack Eichel. He came within a goal of tying fellow "Misfit" William Karlsson's single-season goals record last season.

That's especially true since he still holds countless franchise records. He's been nearly as notable in Vegas Golden Knights history as Marc-Andre Fleury was. The winger does deserve love for his contributions.

Will he get booed for the offseason saga? Probably. Some fans will be salty about how the aftermath went down. However, Marchessault will get a nice tribute video and receive a standing ovation for his work. The ending might've been imperfect. Still, there are plenty of fans who miss his presence (especially on social media).