Jonathan Marchessault has played his last game for Vegas, per insider

Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault has made it clears he prefers to stay in Vegas, the maths just don’t work.

“I’ve done everything I can to stay here,” Marchessault said during Tuesday’s end-of-season media session. “I know I’m a big part of the organization. I would love to stay. I was a part of the guys who started this, one of the most proud things in my life. I’m happy to be a Golden Knight and want to be one the rest of my life.”

The truth is that Marchessault is one of six pending unrestricted free trade in Sin City, and while he recorded a career-high 42 goals and led Vegas with 68 points, the Golden Knights simply cannot afford him. Especially since his performance has set him up for a significant raise from the $5 million he earned annually since he signed a six-year, $30-million contract in 2018-19.

Vegas is so cap-strapped, only projected to have less than $1 million in financial flexibility this summer with 20 active roster players under contract, per Cap Friendly.

This prompted insider Frank Seravalli to claim that Marchessault will be on his way and become one of the most coveted free agents this summer:

“They all said the right things on locker cleanout day in Vegas, the insider started off.

“But the math still isn’t mathing. At least not how we see it right now. Marchessault, 33, is coming off a career year in goals (42) and second best in points (69). Unlike some of his other fortunate union members, Marchessault didn’t earn a full-time role in the league until he was 25. He’s made $29 million in earnings, which should set him for life, but it’s not the comfortable cushion to be taking hometown discounts. The Golden Knights have to know that. And besides, there doesn’t seem to be much room. It appears as if Vegas slid Marchessault’s money to Tomas Hertl . That hurts, but it seems to be reality, and sound business practice for a team that has been equally aggressive in acquiring and dispatching key pieces.”

There is still some hope, I’d say. GM Kelly McCrimmon could get an additional $5 million of wiggle room if goalie Robin Lehner remains on long-term injury reserve. But he will still need to make room for Marchessault, who has been one of the few original misfits left on the roster. He collected 417 points in 514 games since joining the Golden Knights for their inaugural season and won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP in 2023.

Time will tell, and for a guy like Marchessault, who admitted it was difficult to play on an expiring contract, saying he “thought about it all year”, the offseason might not get any easier for him ahead of free agency.

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