The Florida Panthers ultimately bit the bullet when leaving Jonathan Marchessault unprotected in the expansion draft last season.
It’s true, the Florida Panthers really did bite the bullet when it came to leaving Marchessault unprotected. Because of this, the Vegas Golden Knights ended up selecting little Jonathan, ultimately leaving us empty-handed.
Marchessault’s time here was short (one year) and during his time here he really blossomed. The Panthers signed Marchessault to a team friendly (bargain) deal of two-years, $1.5 million, thus making his annual salary $750K. His deal would end up being “bargain of the year” among the NHL last season.
Not only will his cheap, affordable contract be missed, but so will his scoring presence. Jonathan recorded 30G, 21A and 51 points in 75 games played last season. The 26-year-old took less than two months from matching his seven goal season in Tampa the prior year (2015-16). With the abundance of injuries the Panthers faced upfront, Marchessault received significant playing time on the top line with Barkov and Jagr. Needless to say, he exploded.
What really set Jonathan apart from the others, was his ability to get shots off both quickly and accurately. Numerous amounts of times did we see Marchy find some gap in between the slot, only to be left some time and space to quickly release the puck. Let’s take a look at something similar, which is a goal he scored on the PP against the Buffalo Sabres.
This goal above was just one instance of Marchessault finding the back of the net with a quick release. There are many other examples/times in a game where Jonathan makes the best out tight scoring spaces.
But I know what a lot of you are going to say: “He surely won’t replicate his 30 goal season again this year”. For those of you who think that, you’re probably right and I wouldn’t doubt it either. Marchy’s season last year could very well be a fluke or noted as “one season wonder”.
But even if Marchessault ends up a one season wonder, I still wouldn’t count him out from hitting the 15 goal mark. Even though he’ll probably go through spells (times) of goal droughts, Marchessault will likely be one of the very few Vegas players to even find the back of the net (on a somewhat decent occasion).
Next: Florida Panthers: What to expect from Henrik Haapala this season
The Florida Panthers have been a team who have struggled to score for decades and could have very well used Marchy’s presence during this season. He may not replicate his 30 goal production from last season, but he’ll surely provide any team with another scoring option/presence, which the Panthers could desperately use.