Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Golden Knights Justify Decision to Allow Marchessault to Depart

Golden Knights Defend Decision to Let Marchessault Leave


Vegas Golden Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon has addressed comments made by former forward Jonathan Marchessault regarding his departure from the team this summer. Marchessault, who signed a five-year deal with the Nashville Predators in free agency, recently opened up in an interview with Andy Strickland, expressing his disappointment with how his time in Vegas ended. He didn’t seem happy. Not surprisingly, McCrimmon wasn’t exactly happy with the picture Marchessault tried to paint.

Marchessault noted a lack of communication during the negotiation process and the team’s reluctance to offer him the term he desired. McCrimmon defended the organization’s position and said that while they feel an emotional attachment to players like Marchessault, they couldn’t justify meeting the player’s ask and they’d treated him more than fairly while he was with the team.

Jonathan Marchessault McCrimmon Golden Knights

According to Marchessault, the Golden Knights were only willing to offer a three-year contract, while he was seeking five but would have settled on four. Frustrated by the lack of progress, he took it upon himself to contact McCrimmon directly to clarify his future with the team. Despite what he felt was a strong relationship with the GM, Marchessault recalled asking McCrimmon, “Are you guys actually letting me go, for real?”

The team remained firm, and Marchessault realized his time in Vegas was over.

McCrimmon Doesn’t Exactly See It The Same Way Marchessault Does

McCrimmon, speaking to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio, provided a different perspective. He clarified that Vegas had indeed offered Marchessault a four-year deal before the 2023 NHL Draft, but Nashville’s eventual five-year offer was beyond what the Golden Knights were willing to commit to.

“We emotionally are attached to the players that have helped us have success, yet there’s just no supporting data that justify, or in our minds, demonstrate a reason to have wingers that age like that at the end of their career.”

The decision wasn’t personal but rather a business move that made sense from several perspectives.

McCrimmon expressed his appreciation for Marchessault’s contributions to the franchise, acknowledging his critical role in Vegas’ success, including his performance in the 2023 playoffs, which earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy. He also noted that the organization put Marchessault in a position to go out and get that big contract from Nashville. “…he really wanted to make as much money as he could on his next contract for his family, which is what he did. We did nothing wrong,” added McCrimmon. He noted that even taking him in the expansion draft was beneficial for the forward and then putting him on a line with players who helped him produce was another reason Marchessault was able to cash in this offseason.

He wished Marchessault well in Nashville but stood by the decision, saying the team was prepared to move forward.

Ultimately, both sides seem to have different opinions on how this split all came to be and who was being fair and who wasn’t. While Marchessault was disappointed, McCrimmon maintained that the franchise made the right decision.

Next: What a Full Season Under Paul Coffey Means for Oilers’ New Defense