The forward signed a Five-Year, $27.5 Million contract with Nashville in the beginning of free agency
By Anthony Pellegrino @apelle50 IceInsider.com Founder/Owner
BOSTON--They were nowhere near an extension. At least, that's what 33-year-old veteran forward Jonathan Marchessault thought about his position, to gain a new contract, to stay with the Vegas Golden Knights.
"They didn’t believe in me for the remainder of my career. It was a little disappointing, but at the same time, I don’t hold grudges. I’ve been part of that organization for seven years. It’s water under the bridge. We move on. To give them credit, they always want to win."
The Knights's all-time leader in goals (514), assists (192), and points (417), thought he'd remain a Knight the rest of his career. One of six original team members, from the debut season, 2017-2018. This October, the veteran will find himself in a city known for country music, and Broadway: Nashville.
“Nashville was definitely the best of both worlds,” Marchessault said. “It’s one of the best cities in the NHL and also a team that wants to win. That’s the two things I wanted.”
Marchessault will find himself in a locker room filled with veterans that he's been on the opposing side of the ice with, for the entirety of his career. Ryan O'Reilly shares the common age of 33 with him. They've spent 11 seasons in the league, playing against each other. Facing off against Nashville, meant facing Roman Josi on defense, for the entirety of his career; both were born a year apart.
So why did Marchessault choose Nashville?
Perhaps Nashville's honkey tonk bars, country music, and fried chicken may be highly attractive to the right player; "The music capital of the world", Marchessault had another reason.
"I think I see a little bit of misfit in the Preds, to be honest,” he said. “Just with the way they played last year, their hard-nosed mentality, wearing things down and all that – I think it’s something I saw playing against them. They reminded me last year of my first year as a Golden Knight. It’s a good thing. Hopefully the new guys can come in and help the team to get a championship. That’s the goal here.”
To Marchessault, the Predators lineup takes him back to the early days, of 2017, with Vegas. That team, went 51–24–7 and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, in their NHL debut season.
Last season's roster featured Filip Forsberg as the top scorer, with 48 goals in 82 games played. However, a significant dropoff from Forsberg to O'Reilly who ended in second with 26 goals. If Marchessault were to be on Nashville's roster last season with his stats, he would've ended up just six goals behind Forsberg with 42.
It's safe to say Marchessault takes Philip Tomasino's spot as the veteran will slot into Nashville's top two lines. In 41 games with Nashville, Tomasino posted 7 goals, and 13 assists for 20 points in 41 games. Comparing the two's stats, Marchessault doubled his points for his goal total alone (42). Furthermore, he more than tripled his point total with 69 points.
Tomasino is expected to slot into the team's third line or spend extended time in Milwaukee (AHL.)
Comments