The Nashville Predators have signed forward Jonathan Marchessault to a 5-year deal worth $27.5 million, according to Pierre LeBrun.
Marchessault played 740 NHL games in his career split between the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Columbus Blue Jackets. He was selected in the 2017 Expansion Draft by Vegas and won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2023.
Marchessault on the Wing
Marchessault has played the right wing for the majority of his career, and it is where he is best suited. He spent some time as a center with the Panthers but broke out as a right wing for Vegas and has not looked back. He frequented Vegas’ power play throughout his seven-season tenure with the team, and is sure to play the power play for the foreseeable future in X. He scored a career-high 42 goals this past season with Vegas and has been a reliable 25+ goal, 60+ point performer when healthy. However, health has been a struggle in the past for the 33-year-old.
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Marchessault played 82 games in the 2023-24 season, but that was the first time he has played in all of his team’s games since the 2018-19 season. However, he appears to be in full health, so there should be no concern moving forward.
Marchessault is one of the smaller forwards in the NHL, standing just 5-foot-9, and he uses it to his advantage. He is a speedy winger who tends to set the pace in the offensive zone. He has elite vision and hands, making nifty plays on a routine basis. He is best around the net but is able to drive offense from anywhere.
As a small forward, Marchessault’s defense is understandably a weakness. He is fast on the backcheck and in the neutral zone, but he struggles to keep pace while moving side to side, leading to occasional giveaways in the defensive zone. He makes aggressive plays with his stick to force turnovers, so it is a relatively equal exchange. Nevertheless, he is not getting brought in for his defense, so that should not be the focus.
Fit with Predators
After a successful 2023 offseason of signing Ryan O’Reilly and Gustav Nyquist, the Predators bring in Marchessault on a team-friendly deal. Just like O’Reilly, Marchessault is a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner, providing Nashville with more playoff experience.
He will join Nashville’s top six on the wing, likely on the second line. O’Reilly and Nyquist are settled in on the first line alongside Filip Forsberg, but Marchessault could join Tommy Novak and recently signed Steven Stamkos on the second line. Nashville is making moves so their roster next season is far from determined, but Marchessault is bound to have an important role in their forward core, regardless of his linemates.
