Golden Knights Hoping To Re-Sign Jonathan Marchessault
The Vegas Golden Knights could find a way to re-sign hallmark winger Jonathan Marchessault, per David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period a recent NHL Now segment (Twitter link). Pagnotta shared that both sides have mutual interest in signing a new deal, though Vegas’ slim cap space has kept the team from engaging in any contract talks just yet. Marchessault spoke about these negotiations at the World Series of Poker, telling the Las Vegas Review, “They said they were interested to definitely re-sign me and we’ll see. Technically they have time until June 30, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Marchessault recently concluded a six-year, $30MM contract signed with Vegas in January of 2018. He earned the deal in the midst of a breakout season with the inagural Golden Knights, scoring 27 goals and 75 points in 77 games. The new extension marked Marchessault’s first time earning a salary north of $1.0MM and he’s only become more valuable, posting 165 goals and 342 points across the 437 games he played over the course of the deal. That includes Marchessault’s career-high 42 goals this season, making him just the second Golden Knight to hit the 40-goal mark alongside William Karlsson‘s breakout 2017-18 campaign.
Marchessault has managed the strong scoring while serving a stout role on Vegas’ second line – averaging roughly 17 minutes of ice time in six of his last seven seasons. His modest spot in the lineup has been supplemented by a commanding role on the team’s powerplay, with no other Golden Knight playing more power-play minutes than Marchessault since 2018. And he’s vindicated the minutes, scoring 36 power-play goals and 87 points in a collective 1121 minutes.
Marchessault’s ability to offer consistent goal-scoring from the second line has been a big factor in Vegas’ recent lineup creativity. He’s fully carved out his role in Vegas and will be hard to replace should he enter free agency. But that could be the ultimate outcome, as the Golden Knights currently boast just $897.5K in cap space. They could look into trimming their cap hit on the trade market or through LTIR relief, per Pagnotta, though they’ll likely need to make a series of to afford Marchessault’s next deal.
The same factors that’s led Vegas to their cap constraints are likely also what’s kept them from engaging Marchessault in talks of an extension up to this point. The veteran winger told the Las Vegas Review that he expressed interest to Vegas about signing an extension last summer – sharing, “I asked last summer. I was like, ‘You know what? I would rather do it in the summer before the season.’ And they said they’re not ready to do that…”
The Golden Knights instead spent the season getting as close to the salary cap as they could, even using lucrative trading to acquire Noah Hanifin‘s contract at just 25 percent of its original cap hit and even getting the San Jose Sharks to retain 17 percent of Tomas Hertl‘s cap hit. Timely LTIR relief helped them make the moves without exceeding the salary cap, though Vegas is now paying for the antics with a stressful summer ahead. Pagnotta added that pending free agents William Carrier, Michael Amadio, and Anthony Mantha are each expected to leave the Golden Knights for free agency.
Carrier is notably an original Golden Knight, with the Buffalo Sabres sending Vegas a sixth-round draft pick to ensure they’d select him in the 2017 Expansion Draft. He’s since played in 372 games across seven seasons with Vegas – totaling 53 goals, 99 points, and 183 penalty minutes while averaging just 10:32 in ice time.
Losing the trio of Carrier, Amadio, and Mantha will leave notable holes in the Golden Knights’ bottom-six. With such little money to go around – especially if they re-sign Marchessault – the Golden Knights are likely hoping those holes can be filled by top young players like Pavel Dorofeyev, Brendan Brisson, and Grigori Denisenko.
Latest On The Golden Knights’ Pending UFAs
The Golden Knights won’t be able to re-sign most of their pending unrestricted free agents with a looming salary cap crunch, and they’ve already gone through the process of elimination on who to prioritize. The team has informed forwards Michael Amadio, William Carrier and Anthony Mantha that they won’t be offered extensions before July 1, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported yesterday. All three will hit the UFA market.
Amadio is a tough loss after being arguably their most cost-effective depth scorer over the past three seasons. After being claimed off waivers from the Maple Leafs early in the 2021-22 campaign, he enjoyed the best run of his career in Sin City. The 28-year-old has played nearly 200 regular-season games in a Vegas uniform, posting 41 goals and 72 points in less than 13 minutes of ice time per game. He’s also been quite the playoff performer, posting 10 points in 16 games en route to their Stanley Cup win in 2023 and logging a goal and an assist in their first-round elimination against the Stars this year. Amadio has made the league minimum salary each season, but he could likely land close to $3MM annually this summer.
Carrier, 29, is an original Golden Knight. Selected from the Sabres in the 2017 expansion draft, the Québec native has been a serviceable fourth-line winger, and his 372 appearances rank sixth in franchise history. He struggled with injuries this season, limited to eight points in 39 games, but had a career-high 16 goals in 56 games the year before. Carrier has shining career possession numbers at even strength – a 53.6 CF% and a 55.9 xGF% – making him one of the better two-way options in the entire league for his role.
He likely won’t land much of an increase, if any, on his expiring $1.4MM cap hit. Still, Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon needs every inch of flexibility possible to keep Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson from heading to market.
Giving up a pair of draft picks for Mantha at the trade deadline may have been a rare ill-advised move from McCrimmon. The 29-year-old winger seemed to fit nicely into their top nine down the stretch in the regular season, posting three goals and 10 points in 18 games. However, he fell out of the lineup once Tomáš Hertl and Mark Stone were ready to return from their injuries and only played in three of their seven playoff games against Dallas without recording a point. He’d been making an average of $5.7MM annually for the past four years on a deal signed by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman in the 2020 offseason, and while he won’t earn that much again on his next deal, he might get close after his first 20-goal season since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Golden Knights are also unlikely to re-sign veteran defenseman Alec Martinez, who likely wouldn’t have been in their opening night lineup next season after Noah Hanifin‘s acquisition. But they haven’t informed him of anything like the others, Pagnotta said, and it’s unclear if he’ll test the market in July. After winning the Cup with Vegas last year and twice with the Kings in the early 2010s, the 36-year-old is “evaluating his options” as the end of his career draws closer.
And while Marchessault is the higher-priority extension target, McCrimmon hasn’t closed the door on a Stephenson re-signing. Pagnotta reports he’ll speak to Stephenson’s camp in the next two weeks to gauge his price. Still, if he heads to market, he’ll have plenty of suitors as the second-best center potentially available after Elias Lindholm. As such, his market value could very well eclipse a $6MM AAV – a prohibitively expensive figure for Vegas unless significant cap-cutting trades are made.
Golden Knights, Marchessault Have Yet To Talk Extension
Heading into the offseason, the Vegas Golden Knights have just shy of $900K in cap space with notable players such as Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson headed for unrestricted free agency in just over four weeks. Unfortunately for Vegas, even if the organization were to free up cap space on the trade market, they would likely be unable to open up enough flexibility to keep both players.
Between the two, Stephenson is not expected to sign for as rich of a contract as Marchessault on the open market, which could entice the Golden Knights to pursue his services instead. Keeping that in mind, Mark Anderson of the Associated Press reported today that Marchessault has still not been approached by Vegas’ front office about a contract extension.
It may be a tough pill for both player and team as Marchessault recently completed the highest goal-scoring season of his career. As one of the original ‘misfits’ still on the Golden Knights, Marchessault has been adamant about finishing his career in Nevada. However, due to the financial constraints the team imposed upon itself at this past year’s trade deadline, Marchessault is expected to be wearing another team’s jersey by the start of next season.
Free Agent Focus: Vegas Golden Knights
Free agency is now just a bit more than a month away and teams are looking ahead to when it opens. There will be several impact players set to hit the open market in July while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign as well. We continue our look around the NHL with an overview of the free agent situation for the Golden Knights.
Key Restricted Free Agents
F Pavel Dorofeyev – Dorofeyev made his long-awaited jump to the NHL this season, spending the entire year on the Golden Knights roster for the first time in his career. And while he missed five weeks of action in February and March due to an upper-body injury, Dorofeyev was still able to slot into a career-high 47 NHL games this season. He made the most of the opportunity, posting 13 goals and 24 assists and working into a routine role on the team’s power-play. The Russian winger has been a go-to pick for the top breakout candidate on Vegas’ lineups since he moved to North America in 2020. He fell just a bit shy of a true
“breakout” this season, but he showed an impressive goal-scoring ability and seemed much more adjusted to the NHL. That likely sets him up for a cheap, short-term deal, though also likely due for a slight raise from the $925,000 salary he carried on his entry-level contract. In a year where Vegas’ cap space is as slim as can be, Dorofeyev seems to be the closest they have to a surefire re-signing. He’ll look to really stamp his mark in Vegas with a healthy year next season.
D Kaedan Korczak – Korczak was Vegas’ go-to call-up when they needed defensive help this season – something that happened plenty frequently, with each of Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Nicolas Hague, and Zach Whitecloud missing significant time with injury. Those absences paved the way for Korczak to appear in 26 games. Playing through his official rookie season, Korczak scored one goal and nine points – recording identical scoring through 26 AHL games as well. Korczak stood tall when he was called upon this season but didn’t do much to warrant an everyday role. That should lead him to another cheap and short-term contract, though he could be the beneficiary of added ice time should any of Vegas’ seven NHL defensemen not return.
Other RFAs: F Ivan Morozov, G Isaiah Saville, F Mason Primeau, D Layton Ahac
Key Unrestricted Free Agents
F Jonathan Marchessault – Marchessault signed a hefty six-year, $30MM contract with the Golden Knights in 2018, after a dazzling 75-point sesaon in his first year with the team. He’s spent the six seasons since that signing establishing himself as one of Vegas’ first true icons, finding a way to make a strong impact in every season and earning the 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy during Vegas’ in first Stanley Cup win. But even after all of those accolades, Marchessault still saved his best for last – recording a career-high 42 goals on his way to 69 points in 82 games this season. He’s just the second Golden Knight to hit the 40-goal mark, joining William Karlsson‘s 43-goal season in 2017-18. That fact maintains Marchessault’s value, even at the age of 33, and should set him up for a hardy raise from his previous $5MM salary. Vegas would need to make some cap-clearing moves if they wanted to bring Marchessault back. But with such an intricately-crafted lineup, Marchessault could be set to finally leave the franchise where he’s built a legacy.
F Chandler Stephenson – Vegas will watch with pain as they pay out the final cheque of Stephenson’s four-year, $11MM contract signed in 2020. The deal priced Stephenson at a $2.75MM cap hit – a price that quickly became one of the most team-friendly contracts in the NHL, as Stephenson solidified his strong role in the team’s middle-six. He’s stayed consistent in every aspect of the game – posting 51 points in 75 games this season after netting 64 and 65 in each of the last two years and remaining a dominant presence on the defensive side of the puck. There’s no telling what price tag he’ll ask on a new deal. At 30 years old, Stephenson still has plenty of hockey ahead of him. That, plus his strong scoring and two-way presence, could warrant a cost as expensive as $5MM, though he could be okay with another team-friendly deal for the sake of sticking with the team where he’s made his mark. But a free agency market is already building for Stephenson – and the promise of a flashier salary could entice him away from Sin City. He’ll be one of Vegas’ biggest losses, should he make that decision.
F Anthony Mantha – Mantha was seemingly an afterthought as the Trade Deadline approached. Even after posting 20 goals and 34 points through 56 games with the Washington Capitals, Mantha couldn’t warrant too rich of a trade return. He was dealt to Vegas for a 2024 second round pick and 2026 fourth round pick just ahead of the Deadline – making his debut with Vegas on March 7th. Mantha proceeded to record 10 points across the final 18 games of the regular season. That brought his scoring up to 23 goals and 44 points in 74 games, Mantha’s highest scoring since his 25 goals and 48 points in the 2018-19 season. That’s not necessarily phenomenal scoring but it was enough for Mantha to look comfortable among a Bruce Cassidy-led offense encouraged his power-forward, shoot-first style. Mantha’s chemistry with the team’s style, and ability to produce in an inconsistent third-line role, could be enough for Vegas to invite Mantha back – though he’ll need to settle for a price cheaper than his previous $5.7MM cap hit. His style may also clash a bit too much with Dorofeyev – the younger, and likely cheaper, option. Mantha will have to market his value to teams, should he enter an open market full of moderately-priced goal-scorers.
G Jiri Patera – Jiri Patera is Vegas’ sole Group VI free agent this summer, after being leaned on for six NHL games this season. He posted a modest .893 save percentage in those appearances, bolstering his 11 wins and .903 save percentage in 25 AHL games. Those stats should be enough for Patera to earn a deal close to league-minimum, to once again serve as an AHL starter vying for an NHL roster spot. That could come with Vegas, though the team already has Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, Jesper Vikman, and Carl Lindbom signed to their goalie room. That room could be just a bit too crowded for Patera, who would otherwise be bound for unrestricted free agency.
Other UFAs: F Michael Amadio, F William Carrier, D Alec Martinez, F Sheldon Rempal, F Byron Froese
Projected Cap Space
The story of Vegas’ offseason is a story of slim-to-no cap space. They’re entering the summer with just shy of $900K in available cap space. That’s largely thanks to Noah Hanifin‘s eight-year, $58.8MM contract extension kicking in, increasing his cap hit by nearly $6MM from his prorated $1.2375MM cap hit with Vegas this season, after 75 percent of his salary was retained in his Trade Deadline move. It seems the endless adding of expensive, star talent is finally catching up to Vegas – though fans have been fooled into thinking that many times before. The Golden Knights are likely set to lose one of their two notable UFAs – Marchessault and Stephenson – though they could move a depth defenseman like Brayden McNabb, or a pricey forward like Nicolas Roy, to build enough cap space to sign the other.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Latest On Jonathan Marchessault
- If Jonathan Marchessault is able to re-sign with the Golden Knights, don’t expect it to be on a huge discount. In a mailbag Thursday, Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Review-Journal says Vegas is prepared to dole out a raise on his current $5MM cap hit to get him to stay. They’ll need to make some significant roster moves to accommodate him, though, as the Golden Knights have less than $1MM in projected cap space next season with a roster size of 20. Moving the final season of injured goaltender Robin Lehner‘s $5MM cap hit to long-term injured reserve will give them some much-needed flexibility, but they’ll still likely need to move out one contract to keep their 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner around. Evolving Hockey projects a Marchessault extension in Vegas to come in at roughly $7.2MM per season for four years.
NHL-Affiliated Prospects Playing In 2024 Memorial Cup
The field for the 2024 Memorial Cup, the top club tournament in junior hockey, is set. The QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs, the OHL’s London Knights and the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors all swept their respective league championship series within the last two days to advance to the CHL championship tournament, joining the host Saginaw Spirit of the OHL.
This year marks the first Memorial Cup held in the United States since 1998, which was hosted by the WHL’s Spokane Chiefs. The Spirit will attempt to become the first U.S.-based team to win since the Chiefs in 2008, and they have a strong chance. They’re stronger than a typical host team, finishing second in the league in the regular season with a 50-16-2 record and trailing London by just two points. They were eliminated by London in six games in the Western Conference Final.
The Knights lead the way with 10 NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster, including two first-round picks in Flyers defenseman Oliver Bonk and Maple Leafs forward Easton Cowan. The latter was named the OHL playoffs MVP after leading the Knights in scoring with 10 goals, 24 assists and 34 points in just 18 games. He had 15 points in four games in their championship sweep over the Oshawa Generals.
If you’re looking for some non-Stanley Cup Playoff hockey to watch, check to see if your favorite NHL team has prospects suiting up in the tournament, which begins May 24:
Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL champion)
D Mikaël Diotte (Devils, free agent signing)
RW Ethan Gauthier (Lightning, 2023, 37th overall)
RW Alexis Gendron (Flyers, 2022, 220th overall)
D Vsevolod Komarov (Sabres, 2022, 134th overall)
NHL Utah 2022 first-round pick D Maveric Lamoureux is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in March.
London Knights (OHL champion)
C Denver Barkey (Flyers, 2023, 95th overall)
D Oliver Bonk (Flyers, 2023, 22nd overall)
C Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs, 2023, 28th overall)
D Jackson Edward (Bruins, 2022, 200th overall)
D Isaiah George (Islanders, 2022, 98th overall)
RW Kasper Halttunen (Sharks, 2023, 36th overall)
C Jacob Julien (Jets, 2023, 146th overall)
C Kaleb Lawrence (Kings, 2022, 215th overall)
C Max McCue (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Landon Sim (Blues, 2022, 184th overall)
Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL champion)
RW Jagger Firkus (Kraken, 2022, 35th overall)
D Denton Mateychuk (Blue Jackets, 2022, 12th overall)
D Kalem Parker (Wild, 2023, 181st overall)
D Vojtech Port (Ducks, 2023, 161st overall)
LW Martin Rysavy (Blue Jackets, 2021, 197th overall)
C Matthew Savoie (Sabres, 2022, 9th overall)
C Brayden Yager (Penguins, 2023, 14th overall)
Saginaw Spirit (host)
C Owen Beck (Canadiens, 2022, 33rd overall)
LW Josh Bloom (Canucks, acquired from Sabres in 2023 trade for Riley Stillman)
D Rodwin Dionicio (Ducks, 2023, 129th overall)
D Jorian Donovan (Senators, 2022, 136th overall)
C Hunter Haight (Wild, 2022, 47th overall)
C Ethan Hay (Lightning, 2023, 211th overall)
G Nolan Lalonde (Blue Jackets, free agent signing)
C Matyas Sapovaliv (Golden Knights, 2022, 48th overall)
C Joseph Willis (Predators, 2023, 111th overall)
Golden Knights Notes: Marchessault, Hague, Lehner
The Vegas Golden Knights met with the media today to discuss their season and the future of the franchise. One player whose future is unclear is Jonathan Marchessault, a player who has been with the organization since the beginning in 2017. According to Jesse Granger of The Athletic, Marchessault told the media that he and Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon met earlier in the day with both sides saying that they have a mutual interest in working out an extension to keep the 33-year-old in Vegas.
The Conn Smythe Trophy winner from last year’s Stanley Cup run is one of just five players remaining from Vegas’ inaugural 2017-18 season and he is the Golden Knights all-time point leader with 417 points in seven seasons with the team. While both sides have mutual interest in an extension, the Golden Knights are pushed right up against the salary cap and have several key free agents including Chandler Stephenson, William Carrier, Alec Martinez, and Anthony Mantha.
In other Golden Knights notes:
- Vegas defenseman Nicolas Hague reportedly has a lower-body injury that will not require surgery (according to SinBin Vegas). Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon told the media that the 25-year-old should be healthy and available for the start of next season. Hague suffered the injury in game 1 against the Dallas Stars and did not play for the rest of the series. Hague took his physicality to another level this season, dishing out 153 hits in just 73 games. The Kitchener, Ontario native doesn’t put up much in the way of offence and struggled down the stretch going scoreless in the final 20 games.
- SinBin Vegas also reported that Kelly McCrimmon offered an update on the status of goaltender Robin Lehner. McCrimmon told reporters that if Lehner can’t play next season he will remain on the long-term injured reserve. McCrimmon went on to add that it might very well be the case that Lehner can’t play and the news isn’t overly surprising given that Lehner missed the last two seasons and hasn’t played since April 2022 after undergoing hip surgery. Lehner has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $5MM and if he remains on LTIR it would allow Vegas to exceed the cap by that amount.
William Karlsson Played Through Hamstring Injury
Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff is reporting that Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko will be out of the lineup through at least game 4 of the Canucks second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. The netminder is making progress and is back on the ice skating, but his earliest return would be for game 5.
The 28-year-old hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury in game 1 of the Canucks first-round series against the Nashville Predators. His work in practice thus far has consisted of skating sprints, working side-to-side, and some work on his butterfly. The Vezina Trophy finalist hasn’t taken part in any live drills as of yet, but if he continues to progress it could happen sooner than later.
In other Pacific Division notes:
- Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson told reporters today that his hamstring bothered him through the first round of the playoffs and caused issues with his skating. The lower-body issue didn’t keep Karlsson out of the lineup, but it certainly limited the 31-year-old’s effectiveness as he posted just two assists in seven playoff games after registering 30 goals and 30 assists in 70 regular season games. Karlsson has three years remaining on his eight-year $47.2MM contract and will likely continue to be a middle-six option for Vegas next season.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times writes that the Seattle Kraken ownership group continues to discuss a new umbrella company that would encompass the Kraken, major projects, as well as a potential NBA team in Seattle. The NBA is eyeing expansion in the near future and the city of Seattle as well as Las Vegas are reportedly among the frontrunners to land an expansion team. Seattle has been without an NBA team since the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City back in 2008, but with the Kraken making moves to form an umbrella company it would put them in a good position to enter into NBA expansion.
Nicolas Hague Out For Game 7
Brossoit’s return to the Jets last summer for his second stint with the club was a surprise. The 31-year-old’s stock was at an all-time high after posting a .927 SV% in 11 games down the stretch for the Golden Knights after returning from injury, and he was serviceable in eight playoff appearances as Vegas won the Stanley Cup. Some believed he would be able to land a role as a tandem netminder and eclipse his previous career-high of 24 appearances, but he instead opted to return to a familiar role backing up Connor Hellebuyck on a one-year, $1.75MM deal.
- The Golden Knights won’t get defenseman Nicolas Hague back for Game 7 against the Stars tomorrow, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via The Athletic’s Jesse Granger). The bottom-pairing fixture sustained a lower-body injury in Game 1 and hasn’t yet returned to practice. Hague, 25, also missed eight games with a lower-body injury early in the season. He finished the regular season with two goals, 10 assists, 12 points and a -5 rating in 73 games while averaging 18:33 per contest.
West Notes: DeSmith, Namestnikov, Kiviranta, Hague
Casey DeSmith isn’t on the game roster for Canucks in today’s Game 4 against the Predators, forcing Vancouver to turn to third-string Arturs Silovs for his first playoff start with Thatcher Demko already hurt. It doesn’t appear the Canucks expect DeSmith out for long, however, as he was only termed day-to-day with a lower-body injury. There was further evidence to the fact shortly after the game started, as The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reports DeSmith was still the Canucks’ designated emergency backup for today’s game.
The 32-year-old would only be eligible to play if Silovs and backup Nikita Tolopilo suffered in-game injuries. Otherwise, holding DeSmith out of game action points to his absence as being more precautionary than anything else, hoping to avoid aggravating whatever he’s dealing with. Assumedly, he’ll be back in action for elimination games later in the series after putting up a .911 SV% in two postseason games thus far.
Elsewhere in the Western Conference:
- Jets forward Vladislav Namestnikov left today’s Game 4 loss to the Avalanche after a Nate Schmidt slapshot hit him in the side of the head in the middle of the third period. He remained on the ice for nearly a minute and was able to skate off with the assistance of trainers, not requiring a stretcher. He’s still been transported to a Denver hospital for evaluation, reports Guerilla Sports’ Jesse Montano. Winnipeg head coach Rick Bowness had no update on Namestnikov’s health postgame other than confirming he was taken to a hospital. The 31-year-old had a goal and a -2 rating in the first three games of the series, which the Jets now trail 3-1.
- The Avalanche were without winger Joel Kiviranta in today’s win, paving the way for 24-year-old Nikolai Kovalenko to make his NHL debut after being recalled from the AHL less than an hour prior to puck drop. Speaking with reporters postgame, Avs head coach Jared Bednar confirmed Kiviranta’s absence was injury-related, calling him day-to-day with a lower-body issue (via NHL.com’s Ryan Boulding). The 28-year-old had worked his way into a third-line role, a domino effect due to Jonathan Drouin being out for the series. He started the season on a PTO and subsequent AHL contract but inked a major-league deal with Colorado in November. He has one assist and a +2 rating in three games against the Jets this postseason.
- The Golden Knights expect to be without defenseman Nicolas Hague again in tomorrow’s Game 4 against the Stars, head coach Bruce Cassidy said (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Danny Webster). He sustained a lower-body injury in the third period of Vegas’ Game 1 win and has yet to return to practice. The 25-year-old’s third-pairing duties have been assumed by veteran Alec Martinez, who began the postseason on the outside looking in after the Golden Knights’ trade deadline acquisition of Noah Hanifin pushed him down the depth chart. Hague made 73 appearances in the regular season, accumulating two goals and 12 points.