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Get to Know a Golden Knight: Jon Marchessault

Jon Marchessault

#81 / Left Wing

Height: 5’9” | Weight: 174 | Born: December 27, 1990

Birthplace: Cap-Rouge, QC | Acquired: Expansion Draft (Florida)

Assets: An excellent playmaker and stickhandler, he sees the ice very well and is quite patient with the puck. Is also a natural at putting points on the board. Is versatile up front.

Flaws: A lack of size and strength hinders his overall value at the National Hockey League level. Also, he isn’t great without the puck so he must always put up points.

Career Potential: Skilled, depth scoring forward.

(Via The Hockey News)

Why You Should Know Who He Is: Undrafted, waived, traded and selected in an expansion draft, Marchessault has bounced around quite a bit in his NHL career but has certainly found a home in Vegas and a role as a top-line winger, finishing the regular season with 75 points and leading the team in scoring in the playoffs with 18 more (8 goals, 10 assists). And while you may be wondering how Vegas ended up with a guy who scored 30 goals for the Panthers last season and followed it up with another 27 in the Golden Knights’ inaugural campaign, consider that not only did Florida leave him exposed, but they sent Reilly Smith (60 points this season, mostly on Marchessault’s line) to Vegas in order to ensure that Marchessault was selected in the expansion draft. That’s… some questionable asset management.

Anyway, Marchessault is an undersized skill player (think Tyler Johnson or Brayden Point from last round) whose line ran roughshod over the Caps in their two meetings this season – how does a 72.4 Corsi-For percentage (42 CF/16 CA) and an 84.6 Scoring-Chance-For percentage (22 SCF/4 SCA) at five-on-five sound? Yeah, you should know who he is.

How the Caps Can Stop Him: It’s easy to say “get physical” with any opponent who still gets measured to ride roller coasters, but the key to stopping Marchessault and his line is going to be gap control and disciplined neutral zone play, coupled with sustained possession at the opposite end of the ice from Braden Holtby when they’re out there. The Golden Knights have depth, but stopping their top line will go a long way towards having success in this series for Washington.

Additional stats via Natural Stat Trick

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