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Golden Knights Analysis

OG Golden Knight Jonathan Marchessault Still The Team’s Most Reliable Goal-Scorer

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2 years ago

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Welcome back to Vegas Hockey Now’s season in review series where we look at every player on the Vegas Golden Knights and their 2021-22 season from Michael Amadio to Zach Whitecloud.

You can catch up on the series here: Michael Amadio, Reilly Smith, Jonas Rondbjerg, Keegan Kolesar, Robin Lehner, Alex Pietrangelo, Nolan Patrick, Shea Theodore, Jake Leschyshyn, Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, Laurent Brossoit, Mattias Janmark, William Carrier, Jack Eichel, Nicolas Roy, and Chandler Stephenson.

Today’s second player is Jonathan Marchessault.

JONATHAN MARCHESSAULT

Jonathan Marchessault Vegas Golden Knights official 2021-22 headshot

Stats: 76 GP 30-36-66 pts
Contract: Two years left at $5 million (M-NTC)
Games Missed: 6
Status: Healthy
VHN’s Grade: A+

Overall Thoughts

Jonathan Marchessault is my runner-up for the Golden Knights MVP in 2021-22. Marchessault is already an established goal-scorer in the NHL, but Chandler Stephenson emerged this past season with a 60+ point season.

Still, Marchessault’s season was nothing to scoff at as he led the team in scoring and hit 30 goals for the second time in his career. He was one of the few Golden Knights who was not hit by injuries and only missed a handful of games due to COVID-19.

If you want goals, then Marchessault had them and was the VGK’s most consistent offensive weapon all season. He rarely went through scoring droughts, but when he did, he would emerge out of them in a dramatic way. Marchy had four game-winning goals, five powerplay goals, and led the team in shots.

With the Golden Knight’s injury situation, he was up and down the lineup frequently playing with centers as far and wide as William Karlsson, Nolan Patrick, Nicolas Roy, Chandler Stephenson, and Jack Eichel.

Marchessault still leads the Golden Knights in every major statistical category all time. He’s a Misfit at heart but only has two years left on his current contract. And with Reilly Smith potentially leaving this offseason, he remains as one of just a small group of original Golden Knights on the roster.

Highlights

Marchessault scored 30 goals for the second time in his career in 2021-22 but didn’t need a single hat trick to do so. He had four two-goal games against the Senators, Canucks, Kings, and Rangers.

Perhaps the biggest goal Marchessault scored this past season came late in a game against the Ottawa Senators which tied things up for Shea Theodore to win it in overtime.

Like we are used to by now, the chemistry Marchessault has alongside William Karlsson and Reilly Smith on the Misfit Line is unmatched. At times it looked like the three merged into one as one collective being as their awareness of each other was other-worldly.

Marchessault was also one of three Golden Knights players who appeared at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas. After he forgot how to read, he competed in the Accuracy Shooting Competition.

 

What’s Next?

If there is one player that signifies what it means to be a Golden Knight it is Marchessault. He is the definition of a heart-and-soul player who will willingly sacrifice anything he can to make the team better. No other player, outside of maybe #ExpressiveMarkStone shows emotion and passion for the Golden Knights like Marchessault does.

There is a reason why he’s an alternate captain and the VGK’s all-time leading scorer.

Even with his contract nearing its end in just two years, I see Marchy staying with the Golden Knights as long as they are competitive. Seeing his long-time linemate Reilly Smith possibly leave this offseason could sting. But I believe there is nothing else Marchessault wants to do more than win a Cup in Vegas.

Expect Marchessault to remain as a leader both on and off the ice in 2022-23. He needs more recognition as one of the better wingers in the entire National Hockey League.

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