Pacific Notes: Marchessault, Bouchard, Blackwood

While there have yet to be any extension discussions between the Golden Knights and Jonathan Marchessault, SinBin.Vegas’ Jason Pothier notes that this shouldn’t be construed as Vegas being willing to move the veteran.  The 32-year-old is entering the final year of his contract which carries a $5MM AAV and after putting up 123 points in 152 games over the last two seasons plus earning the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP, it stands to reason that he’ll be in line for at least a small raise.  Vegas doesn’t generally rush to give their players early extensions but considering Marchessault’s importance to the team, it seems like only a matter of time before those discussions begin.

More from the Pacific:

• Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard is one of the top remaining restricted free agents and with Edmonton’s salary cap situation, a two-year bridge deal appears to be a foregone conclusion. To that end, Kurt Leavins of the Edmonton Journal posits that Edmonton may wind up needing to back-load the contract, a move that will result in a higher qualifying offer.  However, with the 23-year-old having two straight seasons of at least 40 points under his belt and an expectation of more upside to come, a higher qualifying offer would basically be a moot point anyway as his next contract, one that would carry arbitration rights as well, would almost certainly cost more than the qualifier.
• In a recent piece for NBC Sports Bay Area, Sheng Peng takes a look at San Jose’s acquisition of Mackenzie Blackwood earlier this offseason. Even strength save percentage was a significant issue for the Sharks last season and that was a strong point for Blackwood earlier in his career.  If he’s able to rediscover some of his earlier form, the 26-year-old will be a worthwhile pickup for the Sharks, a team that seems likely to allow a lot of shots per game once again next season.