(Las Vegas) Member of the first edition of the Golden Knights, Quebecer Jonathan Marchessault wanted to stay in Las Vegas. But he understands as well as anyone that the organization will do what it believes is necessary to put the team in the best position to win, now and in the long term.
Even if it means one of the most popular players in the team’s short history has to leave, which is what happened when Marchessault agreed to a contract with the Nashville Predators on 1er July.
“There is definitely no loyalty, but at the same time, you are there to win,” Marchessault said during his appearance on the podcast The Cam and Strick Podcast. This state of mind does not bother me personally. »
That’s the dichotomy for members of the Golden Knights organization. Management will provide all the tools necessary to aspire to the Stanley Cup, but the leash may be short. And that applies to players and coaches alike.
Marchessault won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in the playoffs, in 2023. Last season, he scored 42 goals, one less than the Golden Knights record. But the team is keeping an eye on the future, and they knew Marchessault was going to celebrate his 34th birthday in December.
There was disagreement over the details of a possible contract on either side, but general manager Kelly McCrimmon told the Associated Press that the Golden Knights wanted to keep Marchessault.
As for providing a more detailed explanation, McCrimmon referenced previous comments he made to SiriusXM NHL Network that the Predators had offered Marchessault one more year.
As unpopular as the decision to let Marchessault go may be, it doesn’t compare to choosing Robin Lehner over Marc-André Fleury in 2021, when the team traded the 2021 Vezina Trophy winner to the Chicago Blackhawks. Fleury is now with the Minnesota Wild, and he always gets a warm welcome when he visits Nevada.
Lehner’s journey with the Golden Knights is over, according to the Daily Faceoff website on Thursday. The two clans would have found common ground to end his contract. Lehner was on the long-term injured reserve list the last two seasons after undergoing hip surgery.
The Golden Knights have been aggressively trying to attract star players since joining the National Hockey League (NHL). Over the years, they have obtained Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo and Max Pacioretty.
PHOTO STEVE MARCUS, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Mark Stone
They also acquired Jack Eichel in a trade when the forward was in the middle of a dispute with the Buffalo Sabres. The player wanted to undergo a procedure that had never been performed on an NHL player.
The Golden Knights not only made a trade to get him in November 2021, they also allowed him to move forward with the procedure to replace a disc in his neck.
“I kind of went from one pole to the other,” Eichel said. In Buffalo, they were always working toward the future. It was never about now. It was about getting draft picks, developing them and working towards, “Okay, can we compete in a year, two years or whatever.” »
“Being able to play where the objective is to be the last team [en lice]it’s the best thing. That’s what you want as a player. We have all the confidence in the management and owners to make our team as good as possible every year and try to achieve the ultimate goal. »
The Golden Knights reached the final in their first year in 2018 and have made the playoffs every year except one. They won the Stanley Cup in their sixth campaign.