Vegas Golden Knights Sign Jonathan Marchessault To Six-Year Extension
The Vegas Golden Knights have finalized an extension with forward Jonathan Marchessault.
One of the biggest reasons for the early success of the Vegas Golden Knights has been their top forward line. They acquired both Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith from the Florida Panthers for a fourth-round pick. Those two forwards, combined with center William Karlsson, have a total of 101 points.
According to Bob McKenzie, Marchessault, the leading scorer of the trio and a free agent after this season, and the Golden Knights are close to a multi-year extension.
Jonathan Marchessault and VGK closing in on contract extension for the pending UFA who is currently making $750K. When it’s done, it’s expected to be 6 years with an AAV of $5M or thereabouts. He’s earned it. Quite a story in Vegas, where great stories abound this season.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 3, 2018
UPDATE (4:11 p.m. ET): It’s official
Year by year breakdown: 7/ 6/5/5
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 3, 2018
3.5 and 3.5 https://t.co/w2kcaucona
Considering how integral he has been to their success, getting him locked up is key for the Knights. Marchessault is 27 years old, so a six-year deal makes sense. This would keep him with the Knights until he’s 33 years old, which is when forwards tend to start to decline.
More from Vegas Golden Knights
- 3 reasons the Vegas Golden Knights won’t repeat in 2024
- Lake Tahoe Granted New Expansion ECHL Franchise
- The winners and losers from day one of the 2023 NHL Draft
- 2023 NHL Draft Live Updates: News, Draft Selections, Trades and More
- 2023 NHL Draft: Complete First Round Draft Order
As with all extensions, Marchessault’s would come with some risk. He has very limited NHL experience and only appeared in 49 games before the start of last season. But since then, Marchessault has proven to be a top-notch scorer and all-around player. He is on pace to pass last season’s career highs of 30 goals, 21 assists and 51 points.
Marchessault should prove to be a value at around $5 million. That would put him just inside the top 100 among all forwards for largest cap hit. The Golden Knights also solidify their roster. This is relevant because Vegas has only 15 players (including Marchessault) under contract for next season. Having your leading scorer back is obviously a pretty good thing.
The salary works out really well too. It’s front-loaded, meaning the Knights will be paying Marchessault the most during what will most likely be his prime years. Even in a worst-case scenario, it’s a very movable contract.
Next: Each NHL Team's New Year's Resolution
For the Golden Knights, this shows they’re committed to winning. Many thought they would be sellers at the trade deadline. But seeing as how the Knights are close to signing Marchessault to a long-term extension, perhaps the team won’t be listening to offers for all their pending free agents.
Marchessault has been a wonderful success story. To get a long-term deal and security after being an undrafted, under-sized free agent, that’s huge.