Rumor mill: In Vegas, we could be shopping for Jonathan Marchessault

He did so well that he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff MVP. It’s a good indication of just how good he’s been.

The Quebecer and the Golden Knights will be looking to repeat the feat in 2023-2024, and the task won’t be easy. That said, the line-up at the start of the season will look a lot like the one that lifted the Stanley Cup last June, and that should help.

On the other hand, anything can happen in the NHL. There’s a world out there where the club doesn’t live up to the high expectations placed on it next season…

Because the Quebecer will be as free as a bird in the summer of 2024, and the Golden Knights won’t want to lose him for nothing. Add to that the fact that his value is skyrocketing right now, just after he won the Conn Smythe Trophy:

It would be ironic to see such a scenario unfold, because it’s reminiscent of the Marc-André Fleury story. The Golden Knights traded him to Chicago, just after seeing him win his first career Vézina Trophy.

But it’s true that, on paper, the idea makes sense. Marchessault could bring a lot of good things back to the Golden Knights, and God knows, Vegas has sacrificed a lot of tools to build a club with Stanley Cup aspirations in a hurry.

The club’s leaders have won their bet, by the way.

All this, of course, is in the context of the club no longer being in the playoff hunt at the next NHL trade deadline. After all, the Golden Knights won’t trade the man who led them to the big time for any other reason if they still have a good chance of making the spring tournament.

Tomas Tatar in Pittsburgh?

The Penguins made a big splash on the trade market by picking up Erik Karlsson in San Jose… And sending Jeff Petry to Montreal.

But Pittsburgh still has room to add one or two players for next season… And according to Elliotte Friedman, Kyle Dubas isn’t done shopping yet.

Right now, there’s a lot of talk about the possibility of Tomas Tatar ending up in the Steel City, as he is still without a contract for the 2023-2024 season.

It’s an idea I really like because we know Tatar well in Montreal and we all know he can help a team on one of the first two lines.

The Penguins are looking to add some offensive punch to their line-up and that’s exactly what the Slovakian can provide. He may not be as fast or as electrifying as he was in his younger days in Detroit, but he could be an effective solution for Sidney Crosby’s team.

Breaking news

– All the same.

– It’s amazing how times change.

– Oh, no.

– No surprise there.