When Nashville Predators General Manager Barry Trotz first accepted his position, he made one thing very clear. He wanted this team to win and for the players who were on the roster to give it everything they had every day.
During the first day of free agency, Trotz certainly kept his promise and made the biggest splash of any team during the day. He didn’t just sign one big name, but gained four massive additions to a team that now has the expectations to be major contenders in the 2024/25 season.
One of these additions is former Vegas Golden Knights forward, Jonathan Marchessault, who signed a five year, $5.5 million AAV contract on Monday.
Marchessault was the catalyst for the Golden Knights and will bring that energy to the Preds
During the 2023-24 season, Marchessault was one of few forwards on the Knights that stayed healthy for the duration of the season, and he was able to play in all 82 games. He scored 69 points including 42 goals in these games.
Marchessault is known for being a consistent leader both on and off the ice, and Vegas fans loved him for his consistent positive energy and chatter, as he is quickly able to turn a sour bench bright with one quick shift or speech.
The energy that Marcessault brings is truly unmatched and will be a great addition to the Nashville locker room. A locker room energy that was already astounding for a Predators team that took major steps forward in 2023-24.
Not only was Marchessault great scoring wise for his suffering team during this season, but he also won the Conn Smythe trophy when the Knights took the Stanley Cup in 2023. His ability to show up in hard and high stake situations is something that the Predators seemed to lack at times throughout the season and in their first round series loss to the Canucks. So this skill will certainly come in handy and will be an important addition heading into a season that now seems very high stakes.
Marchessault also has some familiarity with another new addition that Trotz made during free agency in Steven Stamkos. The two played together on the Tampa Bay Lightning during the 2015-16 season. Marchessault even mentioned that he saw that Stamkos had signed with Nashville and that helped increase his interest in coming to Nashville as well.
""I gave him a call and we were like 'yeah we're doing it""Marchessault on calling Stamkos- NHL
It's been nine years, but Jonathan Marchessault and Steven Stamkos are finally teammates again in Nashville. 💛 #NHLFreeAgency pic.twitter.com/L7ETrlFMkm
— NHL (@NHL) July 2, 2024
Both players revealed today that each of their decisions were made because of the influence of each other and the other moves that Trotz was making at the deadline.
The players that all signed with Nashville today, including Marchessault, know just how badly this team wants to win, and they seem very ready to get started and give it everything they can to help get the Nashville Predators contending again and win their first Stanley Cup sooner rather than later.