My, what a difference two summers can make. One summer, you have an entire fanbase calling for your head after an Original Misfit leaves. The next summer, everyone loves you after you bring another back.
Such is the life of Kelly McCrimmon, who dealt with Jonathan Marchessault grabbing a pair of cowboy boots to form a new country duo with Steven Stamkos last summer. Now? He's telling Reilly Smith to unpack those boxes he's been keeping in the garage.
After signing a one-year, $2 million extension to stay with the Golden Knights, Smith showed that he was willing to do whatever it took to finish his story in Las Vegas. If that meant taking a pay cut to stay with the team, so be it. If it were for one year, who cares?
The same wasn't said for Marchessault, who was offended by McCrimmon not offering him a five-year deal. And deferred payments? Forget about it. He had peewee hockey lessons to give to his son, you know.
But the tense saga between the two sides was a lesson on how NOT to handle negotiations with your general manager. Last summer devolved into a classic verbal sparring match where fans were torn on who they should believe. That's not the only lesson learned from this saga, though.
What Jonathan Marchessault can learn from Reilly Smith returning to the Vegas Golden Knights
First, putting the team above everything else matters. If you're looking to win a Stanley Cup, that means thinking about your role and where you stand in the grand scheme. That's what Reilly Smith wanted above all else.
He thought about how he effortlessly fit into the team's style of play. That included his special teams role and how he could reinvent the "power kill" with William Karlsson. Lo and behold, the Golden Knights had the third-best penalty kill during the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs (83.3%).
Let's not forget that Marchessault's new team, the Nashville Predators, didn't even qualify for the playoffs. The Misfit took a five-year deal worth $5.5 million annually, only to watch a team filled with 30-somethings fall short. Getting only 68 points and watching the Golden Knights get 110 with a Pacific Division title is never fun, you know.
In the case of Marchessault, he was hoping for a brand new adventure with Stamkos and was coined the offseason champions. By the way, Nashville had a power play percentage of 21.8%, good for... *drumroll, please*.
...18th in the NHL.
Sometimes, the grass isn't always greener on the other side
Yes, anybody would want a nice payday that'll last them as long as possible. You don't want to be scraping by should the economy completely crash. That's why some fans can understand Marchessault taking a five-year deal worth $27.5 million.
But when you resort to asking to be traded to another team that's located in a "no state income tax" state? That signifies that you're not happy in your current situation. It also says you might have some regret over leaving the place that made you into a star.
That's where the former Conn Smythe winner stands with the Nashville Predators. He left the Golden Knights to bet on a Stanley Cup in Tennessee. What happened? The Predators didn't even make the playoffs, while Vegas won the Pacific Division like he didn't even exist.
Meanwhile, Smith ran it back with the Golden Knights and is sticking around for another year. To him, it's not about the money or contract length. To him, it's about winning another Stanley Cup and giving Las Vegas another championship to celebrate.
Some things in life are bigger than money. Sometimes, they involve serving a vital role for the team that makes you a superstar. Will the Predators winger learn that and come back eventually? The door's always open.