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Jonathan Marchessault

Central Notes: Marchessault, Taylor, Safonov

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While there has been some speculation that Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault might be open to a trade after an underwhelming first year with Nashville, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggests it might not be quite that simple.  In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), he relayed that the list of teams Marchessault might actually be willing to go to is rather small.  Having played exclusively in no-tax states, there’s a sense that Marchessault would prefer not to take a big hit to his bottom line in pay with a move while preferring to go to a legitimate contender, a combination that not a lot of teams can offer.  That said, Marchessault can only control things to a certain point as he only has a 15-team no-trade clause in his deal, one that has four years remaining on it at a $5.5MM cap charge.

More from the Central:

  • The Predators have signed AHL head coach Karl Taylor to a contract extension, reports David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period (Twitter link). Taylor helped lead Milwaukee to the Central Division regular season title for the second straight year and a top-two finish for the fourth straight season so the extension should come as little surprise.  Taylor has been running Nashville’s farm team for the last seven seasons and has not yet had a chance to work at the NHL level.
  • Blackhawks prospect Ilya Safonov has signed a one-year contract extension with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL, per a team release. The 24-year-old center was a sixth-round pick by Chicago back in 2021, going 172nd overall.  Safonov had a minor role with Kazan at the time but had a breakout 37-point performance in 2022-23, providing some enthusiasm that he could come to North America and push for a spot with Chicago.  However, his production has dipped over the last two years; this season, he had 22 points in 51 outings and will now remain overseas for at least one more year.

Central Notes: Marchessault, Ylonen, Hintz, Blackhawks

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Jonathan Marchessault’s first season in Nashville didn’t exactly go as planned.  Like many Predators who underachieved, his offensive numbers dipped, with his goal total being cut in half from 42 to 21 while his 56 points were his lowest since the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign.  With things not going well this year, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that the belief is that the 34-year-old is open to moving on.  He’d be an intriguing addition for teams looking to add some firepower up front but the fact he has four years left on his contract (even at a reasonable $5.5MM price tag) could scare some suitors off, while Marchessault can also partially control his fate with a 15-team no-trade clause.

More from the Central:

  • As expected, Predators pending RFA Jesse Ylonen has officially signed with SHL Djurgarden, per a team release. He was linked to landing a deal in Sweden last week.  The 25-year-old was on Montreal’s roster full-time last season but he played exclusively in the minors this year, splitting time between farm teams in Tampa Bay and Nashville.  Between the two squads, Ylonen put 12 goals and 23 assists in 66 games.  Ylonen has two years of team control remaining but with arbitration eligibility.  Considering the term of this agreement is two years, the likeliest outcome is that the Preds simply non-tender Ylonen next month.
  • After missing Sunday’s game with a leg injury, Stars center Roope Hintz was back in the lineup tonight against Edmonton. He took the place of Evgenii Dadonov who was a healthy scratch.  Hintz entered the night tied for second on Dallas in points with 11 through 15 games after putting up 67 in 76 games during the regular season.
  • The Blackhawks made it official today that Anders Sorensen and Michael Peca will serve as assistants on Jeff Blashill’s staff, moves that were reported last week. Meanwhile, it appears the third and final spot is close to being filled as well as Blashill told reporters today including Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link) that they’re close to getting that vacancy filled.  Whoever is hired will be taking the place of Kevin Dean who is not returning next season and will likely be tasked with working with their young defensive group.

Predators Owner Speaks On State Of The Team

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Alex Daughterty of The Tennessean wrote about the thoughts of Nashville Predators’ soon-to-be majority owner Bill Haslam. The story covers Haslam’s thoughts on general manager Barry Trotz, head coach Andrew Brunette, as well as the team’s summer free agent spending spree that has not worked out according to the plan. The Predators currently sit second last in the entire NHL in points after dishing out big money long-term contracts to Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, and Brady Skjei.

Haslam tells The Tennessean that the organization still feels that it should have spent that money on pricey free-agent acquisitions and says that it would do whatever it takes to keep making the team better.

There is no faulting the logic that the Predators had going into the summer, The team performed well last season with much less talent (on paper) and seemingly felt that some offseason moves could move the team from playoff contender to Stanley Cup contender. However, a third of the way through the season, they sit seven games below .500 and don’t look like a group that is set to go on a run.  That being said, a run of good play can change things quickly, just look at the Pittsburgh Penguins, who have won five of their last six and are back in the thick of it in the Eastern Conference.

Nashville needs more from Stamkos and Marchessault, who both have just 13 points in 28 games this season. Stamkos’ even strength production has fallen off a cliff as he has just one goal and two assists, while Marchessault has just three goals and three assists at even strength.

Skjei, on the other hand, hasn’t produced near the offense he did last season when he had 47 points in 80 games with Carolina, but the biggest alarm bell on the 30-year-old is the amount he is turning over the puck. Skjei has already matched last season’s turnover numbers with 36 in the first 28 games and could exceed 100 on the year if he keeps up this pace.

Evening Notes: Marchessault, Lambert, Peterka, Puljujarvi

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Predators winger Jonathan Marchessault had his number retired by the QMJHL’s Québec Remparts today, becoming the ninth player in franchise history to receive the honor.

Marchessault, now 33, appeared in 254 games for the Remparts in parts of four seasons from 2007 to 2011. He’s top 10 in franchise history in games played, goals (98, t-ninth), assists (141, sixth), and points (239, eighth). He and Marc-Édouard Vlasic are the only active NHLers to have their numbers retired by the Remparts.

The honor comes just over a year after Marchessault hoisted the Conn Smythe Trophy, helping the Golden Knights to their first championship in franchise history with a league-leading 13 goals and a +17 rating in 22 playoff games. He landed a five-year, $27.5MM deal with Nashville in free agency this summer.

Elsewhere from around the league this evening:

  • A strong showing early on in training camp has Brad Lambert primed to make a real run at starting the regular season as the Jets’ second-line center, writes Sportsnet’s Jacob Stoller. Lambert, 20, was a consensus top-five pick entering his draft year but fell to Winnipeg at 30th overall in 2022 after a disappointing showing. He got fully back on track in his first pro season last year, leading the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in scoring with 55 points (21 G, 34 A) in 64 games. “I think I’ve improved on my attention to detail,” he told Stoller. “Being able to play on the defensive side of the puck, being reliable and being able to react quicker. I’ve tried to evolve every aspect of my game.”
  • Televised hockey is back with the first few preseason games taking place Saturday night. There’s a blowout going on in Buffalo with the Sabres’ mostly NHL roster dressed against some fringe Penguins talent, leading to some wide-open play. Buffalo’s John-Jason Peterka and Pittsburgh’s Jesse Puljujärvi have dueling hat-tricks, marking an especially important early showing for the latter. Puljujärvi, the fourth overall pick in 2016, had just four points in 22 games with Pittsburgh last season and needs a strong preseason showing to avoid landing on waivers.

Golden Knights Notes: Marchessault, Theodore, Hagg

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The departure of Jonathan Marchessault to Nashville in free agency was one of the bigger surprises with many expecting that he’d have re-signed with the Golden Knights.  Team reporter Gary Lawless transcribed a part of a Sirius XM interview with Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon where he indicated that while they eventually went to four years on their offer for the 33-year-old, they weren’t comfortable going to five which is how many he received from the Predators.  Marchessault spent seven seasons with Vegas, recording 192 goals and 225 assists in 514 games, making him the franchise leader in every category.

More from Vegas:

  • One player who will beat at least one of those club records this season is defenseman Shea Theodore who sits just two assists behind Marchessault (while also being 70 games behind that mark). The 29-year-old is entering the final year of his contract and Vegas’ Jason Pothier highlights how it won’t be easy to retain him.  Theodore held out for a pricey post-entry-level contract after being acquired (one that sees him making $5.2MM) and has been one of the more productive blueliners since then, ranking 13th in points by a defender since 2018.  He’ll begin his next deal at 30 and could add $3MM or more to his current price tag.  With Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin already on the books at more than $16MM combined, it might be tough for the Golden Knights to afford a third big-ticket rearguard on their books.
  • Veteran free agent blueliner Robert Hagg inked a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K with Vegas this summer. The 29-year-old told Expressen’s Gunnar Nordstrom that he had an offer from Modo in Sweden this summer which would have been a return to the program he played in before making the move to North America.  However, after a rough 2023-24 season that saw him play in just five NHL games with Anaheim, Hagg wanted an opportunity to show that he can be more of a contributor at the top level and isn’t ready to return to play at home just yet.

Ducks Notes: Marchessault, Stamkos, Gibson, Gudas

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Anaheim was also one of the many teams making serious pitches for star forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos during their brief stints on the free agent market earlier this summer, said Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet on today’s “32 Thoughts” podcast. TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported at the time that the Ducks were among the top five teams making competitive offers for Stamkos, but Marchessault wasn’t linked to Anaheim until now. Many expected Anaheim to be a major player in free agency after picking up veterans Gudas and Alex Killorn in last year’s frenzy, especially with ample cap space to spend, but their offseason moves ended up being more conservative after Marchessault and Stamkos opted to both sign deals with the Predators instead.

There’s more from Friedman on Orange County:

  • The Ducks haven’t given up on trying to move goaltender John Gibson and are still shopping him with three years left on his contract, Friedman said. But there hasn’t been any significant progress, and no deal appears close with less than two weeks to go until training camp. They’ve been in trade discussions regarding the 31-year-old, who posted a career-worst .888 SV% in 46 appearances last season, for the entirety of the offseason, per Friedman.
  • With trade rumors now surrounding the Ducks’ longest-tenured player, Cam Fowler, expect them to name Radko Gudas their next captain before the season starts, Friedman said. The hulking 34-year-old defender was Anaheim’s best defensive player last season by a wide margin after signing a three-year, $12MM deal in free agency, leading the team with a +14 rating, 128 PIMs, 154 blocks, and 232 hits. The captaincy in Anaheim has been vacant since Ryan Getzlaf retired in 2022.

Central Notes: Marchessault, Levshunov, Jiricek

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After forward Jonathan Marchessault signed a five-year, $27.5MM contract with the Nashville Predators at the start of free agency, one of the main questions surrounding his departure from the Vegas Golden Knights is how hard the team tried to retain him. Nick Kieser of 102.5 The Game reports that Vegas offered Marchessault a similar salary but the years offered were well off his expectations.

Questions will surely arise about why the Golden Knights were unwilling to offer one of the original ’misfits’ a five-year term; especially if they were willing to compete with other teams on salary. Marchessault had spent the last seven years of his career in Vegas where he’s recorded 192 goals and 417 points in 514 games while scoring another 36 goals and 75 points in 95 playoff games en route to a Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup Championship in 2023.

In the end, Marchessault decided to join former captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Steven Stamkos in Nashville for the next several seasons. In an article from Stephen Whyno and John Wawrow of WFTV9, Stamkos and Marchessault called each other regarding Nashville as the two were hoping to land in the same destination.

Other Central notes:

  • There has been some speculation about the future of the Chicago Blackhawks’ first-round pick, Artyom Levshunov, on whether he will stay another year at Michigan State University or start the year in Chicago. If Levshunov decides to turn pro, the Blackhawks are leaning towards having Levshunov start with their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs according to Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago will certainly not want to rush Levshunov’s development as he is coming off a 35-point season in 38 games for the Spartans and the Blackhawks do not appear ready to contend for the playoffs quite yet.
  • Another Central Division team will take it slow with their first-round selection of the 2024 NHL Draft. Matthew DeFranks of the St. Louis Dispatch reports the St. Louis Blues are leaning towards sending Adam Jiricek, the 16th overall pick, to the Ontario Hockey League instead of staying in Czechia. Jiricek only played 19 games for HC Plzeň this past season due to injury and would join the Brantford Bulldogs if he moved to North America.

Predators Sign Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault, Brady Skjei

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The Predators and star free agent forward Steven Stamkos are nearing an agreement on a four-year contract that will be worth $32MM, sources tell Pierre LeBrun of TSN. LeBrun also reports the Predators are close to finalizing a deal with 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault that would pay him around $27.5MM over five years. The respective cap hits would be $8MM for Stamkos and $5.5MM for Marchessault. Nashville keeps their roll going by signing defenseman Brady Skjei to a seven-year, $49MM contract, per LeBrun.

The Predators have become the team of the summer, adding three of the market’s top names in one fail swoop. Their group is headlined by Tampa Bay Lightning legend Stamkos, who’s decided on Nashville in the first trip to free agency of his career. Stamkos has accomplished everything he could have as a Lightning, holding the franchise record in games played, goals, and points – in addition to captaining the team to two Stanley Cups over his decade wearing the team’s ’C’.

Stamkos should immediately become the team’s top option at center next to Filip Forsberg, giving the Predators flexibility in moving Ryan O’Reilly down to the second unit. Not only will the former first-overall pick assist Nashville on their already above-average 3.24 GF/G during the 2023-24 regular season, but he will also help the team increase their 21.56% powerplay percentage. Banking on repeat performances from the rest of the forward core — the Predators are poised to have one of the deadliest offenses in the league next season.

The former captain of the Lightning will not be the only 40-goal scorer Nashville will add to the lineup today. Marchessault was one of the many players to break out in Vegas’ first year of action, scoring 27 goals and 75 points – the latter still a career-high. But Marchessault’s goal-scoring upside held strong, since totaling 192 goals across 514 games with Vegas, including a career-high 42 goals this season. On a five-year contract, the Predators hope Marchessault can continue his recent work of averaging 55-70 points in a season while keeping up his status as a hard-nosed player.

General Manager Barry Trotz was not content with singularly upgrading the team’s offensive prowess as they added Skjei on a long-term contract. Skjei similarly found his stride after a move, emerging as a true top defender with 39, 38, and 47 points across the last three seasons. Skjei averaged nearly 22 minutes of ice time over that stretch while adding strong value to both special teams.

The only reason for skepticism on behalf of Skjei’s contract is how well he will operate outside the Carolina Hurricanes’ system. Nashville deploys a similar system as Carolina but does not bring the same pedigree as a possession-dominant team. Because of this, Skjei’s possession metrics increased dramatically since his time with the New York Rangers, and the Predators should be confident he can add value to the team in this department rather than revert to his previous numbers.

These moves go a long way towards boosting Nashville’s top end, as they find one of the best top-line additions to the market in Stamkos while rounding out their second lines with Marchessault and Skjei. With all three of these deals considered, the Predators still boast $5.846MM in cap space, with two holes on defense. Those could be filled by call-ups Spencer Stastney or Marc Del Gaizo, though, potentially giving Nashville just enough space for one more addition.

Jonathan Marchessault To Hit Open Market

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It appears the Jonathan Marchessault era in Vegas is over. The Golden Knights’ 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner didn’t agree to an extension as of last night and is set to find a new home in free agency today, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports.

Getting a Marchessault extension done in Vegas was always going to be a difficult proposition without a significant cap-clearing move, something that hasn’t happened to date. He’s likely to command upward of $6MM annually on the open market, a figure that would have swallowed up all of the Golden Knights’ remaining space, even with goaltender Robin Lehner’s $5MM cap hit projected to remain on long-term injured reserve next season.

Among the teams expected to express interest in the 33-year-old today include the Devils, reports The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. They’re on the hunt for a top-six winger, especially after parting ways with prospect Alexander Holtz via trade to the Golden Knights and with Dawson Mercer and Ondřej Palát coming off underwhelming seasons.

Both Vegas and Marchessault were intent on a reunion, but today’s news isn’t the most surprising. LeBrun had indicated last week that Marchessault was preparing to move on from Sin City without an agreement in close reach.

The Québec native immediately becomes one of the most attractive goal-scoring options on the market and will almost certainly have a new home within hours. He’s coming off a career-high 42 goals for Vegas while also playing in all 82 games for the second time in his career. He added 27 assists for 69 points, six short of his career-high of 75 set with the Knights back in 2017-18. Some regression should be expected, though, as he shot 4.2% higher than his career average of 11.6% last year.

LeBrun’s Latest: Guentzel, Skjei, Stamkos, Kane, Marchessault, Askarov

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The 2024 NHL Draft is mere hours away, but this year’s compressed schedule means we also only have three days until the opening of the UFA market. That means for most of the usual insiders, there’s a lot of reporting tidbits coming out on the fly. That was the case today for Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic, who has more than a few notable updates about some of the top pending UFAs and some ripple effects of this week’s moves:

  • While things have seemingly been trending in the wrong direction between the Hurricanes and trade deadline pickup Jake Guentzel for weeks, LeBrun writes the Hurricanes have upped their offer in a last-minute bid to retain his services. Their last pitch comes in at around $64MM total on an eight-year deal, working out to an $8MM cap hit. That’s close to what Guentzel’s camp was asking for at the beginning of negotiations with Carolina, LeBrun writes, but with his name still available this close to going to market, there are likely other teams willing to offer more annually. It is worth pointing out that the Hurricanes still hold an advantage by having the ability to offer him an eighth year of term, allowing them to sign him for the same amount of total cash for a slightly lower cap hit. A seven-year, $9MM AAV deal that he’s rumored to be able to land on the open market would leave him $1MM short of the total compensation he’d get from Carolina.
  • There’s still “a chance for Carolina” to retain defenseman Brady Skjei, who checks in as the top left-shot option available should he remain unsigned come Monday. But it still appears unlikely at this stage, especially considering he could command in the $7MM AAV range on the open market. LeBrun expects the Predators to be one of the most aggressive teams in pursuit of Skjei should he not ink a new deal with the Canes.
  • Following up on a statement from Steven Stamkos’ agent earlier today that the longtime Lightning captain projects to hit the open market, LeBrun said Tampa GM Julien BriseBois is trying to make his tight cap situation work by offering Stamkos a low-AAV deal at the maximum eight-year term. He speculates they’ve offered him a deal with a $3MM cap hit, working out to a total value of $24MM. On a four-year deal, something the 34-year-old is much more likely to land on the open market, that would be twice the cost against the cap ($6MM annually). It’s something BriseBois has tried and failed to do before, with LeBrun confirming that was his strategy to attempt to keep winger Alex Killorn from departing in free agency last year. He ended up rejecting an eight-year, $20MM deal ($2.5MM cap hit) from Tampa to sign a four-year, $25MM deal ($6.25MM AAV) with the Ducks.
  • If Patrick Kane moves on from the Red Wings next week, don’t expect him to travel very far. LeBrun reports the future Hall-of-Famer’s preference is to stick in the Eastern Conference as he signs what could be the final contract of his career.
  • The Golden Knights remain hard at work trying to retain 2023 Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault, but they’re not on the verge of an extension, his agent Pat Brisson told LeBrun. Vegas has around $6.2MM in projected cap space with Robin Lehner on long-term injured reserve, which they’d likely use all of on a Marchessault extension. More moves are needed for financial flexibility, and LeBrun reports Marchessault is “readying himself for the realistic possibility that he might have to move on.“
  • Lastly, Predators top goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov is all but officially on the trade block with yesterday’s report that Juuse Saros is nearing an eight-year extension to stay in Smashville. There’s still a strong chance Askarov remains with Nashville last season and enters his first full-time NHL campaign as Saros’ backup, but LeBrun reports the Preds are leveraging him to try and move into the top five of tonight’s draft. It’s not the first time they’ve done this – we wrote the exact same piece last year about the Preds trying to send him to the Canadiens to acquire the fifth-overall pick. Montreal holds the same selection this year.

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