Jonathan Marchessault Reveals He Took Over Negotiations On His Own With Vegas

It was a shock to many when the most heralded of the 'Original Misfits' of the Vegas Golden Knights, Jonathan Marchessault, bolted in free agency this summer to the Nashville Predators.

He's now revealed that the stalled negotiations had him so perturbed, he overstepped his agent and just picked up the phone and called Knights GM Kelly McCrimmon himself, and asked, "What's going on?"

Jonathan Marchessault, who took the negotiations over on his own, wanted 4 years from Vegas, they offered three. Full episode avail on all platforms! ⁦@CamandStrick⁩ #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/Pk4PhRUQem

— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) September 10, 2024

Marchessault said it all came down to term. Vegas didn't want to go past three years, but he wanted at least four. 

"At first, it was always the agent that was calling them, but then I said, '(expletive), I've seen those guys for so long, I've talked to them so much, I'm just gonna call them'. 

"I called Kelly on the Friday, and I told him, like, 'What's going on? You know how big of a factor I am not just on the ice, but in your locker room."

"I need to know if you guys are actually letting me go for real,'” Marchessault continued. “Then Sunday showed up, (and) nothing was budging... I'm like, 'ok, that's it.'"

So when the Predators came along with their 5-year, $5.5 million offer, he got what he was looking for. 

In his seven years with the Golden Knights, he scored 192 goals, with 225 assists for 417 points in 514 games. He'll always be remembered in Sin City for his 2023 playoff performance, when he recorded 13 goals and 25 points in 22 games along with a plus-minus rating of +17 to win the Conn Smythe as the playoff's most valuable player.  

Photo:  Jerome Miron-Imagn