Jonathan Marchessault relieved to join Golden Knights

OAKVILLE, Ontario -- Jonathan Marchessault of the Vegas Golden Knights insists his feelings were not hurt when he was left unprotected in the NHL Expansion Draft by the Florida Panthers, and the forward says he is glad there is no more uncertainty regarding where he will be playing this season.
"I knew the Panthers were trying to make a deal (to keep me) but I didn't know what was going to happen," Marchessault said at the NHL Players' Association golf tournament at Glen Abbey Golf Club on Wednesday. "It's not always fun to not know where to go, but when (Golden Knights general manager) George McPhee called me the day before the draft, it was a relief and I'm really happy to be a part of it."

Marchessault, 26, had a breakout season with the Panthers in 2016-17, his fourth NHL season, scoring 51 points (30 goals, 21 assists) in 75 games. That was a significant increase in production after he frequently had been a healthy scratch during 2015-16, when he scored 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 45 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"It was huge, coming off of a season in which I played only 45 games and was a healthy scratch, the next year I just wanted to be established in the NHL and play in all the games and that's what I did," Marchessault said. "I think I've improved as a player every year. Just the fact I played more helped. I knew I was in the lineup every game and I knew if I got the minutes, I'd be able to do what I do best. I'm a guy that's confident in my abilities."

Marchessault, who signed a two-year contract with the Panthers on July 1, 2016, was selected by Vegas in the Expansion Draft in June. After a strong season and with one year remaining on his contract with an NHL salary-cap charge of $750 000, according to CapFriendly.com, Marchessault was among those surprised that the Panthers left him unprotected.
"I was surprised also but it is part of the game and if you look at all the guys Florida protected, they're all great hockey players," Marchessault said. "It was a hard decision I'm sure for them, but it's part of the game. You can't take it personally, it's a business. Everybody was asking me if I was going to be protected or not and my answer was I gave everything I had and after that, I had no regrets. I'm just happy with my season."
Marchessault, who will be an unrestricted free agent following this season, said he is hoping to take on a bigger role with the Golden Knights and build on his success with the Panthers.
"That's my goal, I want to go there and improve every year," Marchessault said. "I just want to help my team win every night. Now it's up to me to respond."

Marchessault said he was excited about a lot of the players on the Golden Knights roster, most notably former Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup winner.
"He proved what he's had to prove in the NHL," Marchessault said. "He's a winner. It's amazing we can start off the first year of the Golden Knights with a goalie like that. When you have a good goalie, you always have a chance to win every night."
Marchessault did not make any bold predictions, but said there is no reason the Golden Knights cannot be competitive right away during their inaugural season, which begins at the Dallas Stars on Oct. 6.
"We have good players, they're all NHL players and I think we'll be well-coached and well-organized," Marchessault said. "Everything is set up to be successful. Hopefully we can bring our A-game right off the bat and surprise the hockey world."