It was a tale as old as time in the Vegas Golden Knights' realm. A player commanded too much of one thing, whether it was money or the term. In Jonathan Marchessault's case, it was about the latter.
Kelly McCrimmon couldn't do a five-year deal as the Original Misfit requested. Having roughly $5.5 million per year anchoring you in the later years would be a death sentence for the Golden Knights. How are you going to trade that contract, especially if there are no-trade clauses tied to him? Therefore, he was passed up and the Conn Smythe winner got his honky tonk on in Nashville.
It's safe to say that the stats show a goal scorer who lost his touch. The last two seasons have seen Marchessault score fewer goals combined (33) than his career-high of 42 in 2023-24. Suddenly, it doesn't seem like a bad idea to pass up five years for a player who would've been 38 once his deal was done.
But you know what's coming next. What would've happened if McCrimmon bit on Marchessault's request? What if he handed out a five-year deal to the beloved Misfit? Would he still have the same production from his previous years or would he have fallen off?
Jonathan Marchessault would've been servicable for the Vegas Golden Knights... for a couple of years at best
Marchessault would've had a good season, close to what he produced in 2023-24. Sure, he wouldn't have scored 42 goals like he did during his career-high session. But he would've put up between 25 to 30 goals in the first year. Why, you ask?
For one, he had Jack Eichel on his line during that 2023-24 season. While Bruce Cassidy had a penchant for shuffling his lines, Eichel would've fed the Misfit countless scoring opportunities, leading to goals galore. But that's where the fun stops.
Last season with the Predators, Marchessault only played 62 games, scoring 12 goals and 19 assists. That was a sharp two-year decline from his 42 goals scored in 2023-24, indicating that Father Time is undefeated.
Fans should look at a fellow Misfit as a perfect example of Marchessault's cautionary tale
The Golden Knights brought Reilly Smith back for the 2024-25 Stanley Cup playoff run. Here, he scored only three goals and eight assists in 21 games, which added to the total of 13 goals and 27 assists that year. The goals were a steep decline from his stellar 2022-23 campaign, in which he scored 26 goals.
Smith is a cautionary tale of what happens when players run into Father Time. While Smith did well in a limited role with Vegas last season (16 goals and 10 assists in 69 games), he wasn't brought back by the team this offseason. Imagine what would've happened if the Golden Knights were saddled with Marchessault's five-year demand.
That would've meant sharp declines in production, combined with being a defensive liability. That's not how McCrimmon operates and he would've been stuck with the bill. Some fans might've been hurt by the move. But it's all about the logo on the front and not the name on the back.
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