The Case for Keeping Jonathan Marchessault AND Chandler Stephenson

The Vegas Golden Knights are in a bind right now. Their biggest dilemma is which of their pending unrestricted free agents to retain. Jonathan Marchessault? Chandler Stephenson? Alec Martinez? A big decision (or two) looms for Kelly McCrimmon and the Golden Knights.

First, let's get one thing out of the way. McCrimmon prefers younger Golden Knights on his team. That's part of why Reilly Smith was sent to Pittsburgh this past offseason; the Vegas Golden Knights placed their hopes on younger talent like wingers Paul Cotter and Pavel Dorofeyev to carry the load.

Therefore, it stands with good reason that defenseman Alec Martinez won't be back after this season. In fact, rumors are swirling Martinez might be offloaded at the trade deadline. The native of Rochester Hills, Michigan, is 36 years old and is starting to break down a bit. With younger stars like Ben Hutton and Kaeden Korczak waiting in the wings, there's not a better time to move on than now.

But what about Stephenson and Marchessault? Which one of these forwards should the Golden Knights extend? With that, we shall say, "Why not both?" Here's why there's a case for extending both superstars to keep them in Vegas.