The diminutive hockey winger Jonathan Marchessault lights up the Stanley Cup finals for the club that once let him leave without a replacement. He’s doing so well that he’s in the running for the Conn Smythe Trophy for the NHL’s playoff MVP.
“Vegas Golden Knights select Jonathan Marchessault from Florida Panthers.”
With these words on Twitter pinned Vegas Florida after taking a 2-0 lead in the finals series. It referenced the 2017 expansion draft, in which the Panthers protected eight players but did not protect Marchessault. And so they lost him to a league rookie from the Nevada desert.
At the same time, the Canadian had a breakthrough season. Even thanks to Jonathan Huberdeau’s serious injury, he got a place in the elite line next to Jaromir Jágr and ended up scoring 30 goals, the most in the team.
It was rumored that Florida resented Marchessault because of his small stature (he’s “only” 175 centimeters) and weaker defensive skills.
Perhaps she believed that the striker, who never went through the draft and spent many years mostly in the farm AHL, would not repeat the 30-goal regular season, or even come close to it.
But in Vegas, Marchessault continued to grow, and now Florida didn’t seem to know how to stop him in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Although it dropped to 1:2 in the series, it has already received four goals from its former employee, at least one in each contest. She scored seven of them herself, just three more than a single player.
Still, Florida forward Ryan Lomberg denies that Marchessault is worth the extra attention. “He’s not Connor McDavid or anything, but a normal opponent,” he noted.
At the start of the playoffs, that may have been the case. Marchessault collected only two assists in the first seven games. But then he took off in such a way that he has 23 points from a total of 20 games, including 13 goals. No one has scored more times in this year’s elimination games.
“He’s a real scorer. Moreover, goals are not like goals, he also scores the important ones in the most tense moments. It’s nice to see that he’s doing well,” said defenseman Alec Martinez about his teammate.
“Marchy has been incredible all season,” Vegas goalkeeper Adin Hill added to the address of the striker, who flashed 28+29 in the regular season. “I have to face his shots every day, so I know what I’m talking about when I say he’s unbelievable. When he gets close to you, he’s one of the most dangerous players in the league. He doesn’t score so many goals by accident.”
Marchessault himself makes no bones about the fact that he is doing well against Florida. General manager Dave Tallon, who once “sacrificed” him, no longer works in the club, and only captain Aleksander Barkov and defender Aaron Ekblad remain from the hockey players. Otherwise, it’s a completely different team.
However, the French-speaking Canadian may enjoy a chance at the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player of the playoffs.
If the finals ended now, he would probably get the prestigious award. That’s how center Jack Eichel and goalkeeper Hill still have a chance. And if Florida turns the series around, the individual trophy will likely go to either forward Matt Tkachuk or goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
On this list, the 32-year-old Marchessault (along with Hill) is the most surprising name. In his childhood and for a long time afterwards, he heard that he would never even win a permanent place in the NHL, let alone win individual awards…
