There remains a possibility that one of the original members of the Vegas Golden Knights will remain with the team. Jonathan Marchessault, known as one of the ‘Original Misfits’ of the Golden Knights, has completed the final year of his six-year contract that he signed with the team in January 2018, marking one of the early significant signings by the expansion franchise. Since then, he has established himself as a key figure in Vegas. Hailing from Quebec, Marchessault has consistently produced over 50 points per season with the Golden Knights. He played a crucial role in the team’s historic Stanley Cup victory in 2023, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy.
However, there’s considerable speculation that Marchessault may not rejoin the team. PuckPedia reports that Vegas currently has less than $1.2 million in salary cap space. Despite the recent increase in the salary cap, it’s evident that Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon will need to orchestrate some strategic moves to accommodate the 33-year-old in the lineup, or they may have to part ways with him. The Golden Knights are known for their bold maneuvers to acquire desired players, including
On Thursday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the efforts being made by Vegas to secure Jonathan Marchessault’s contract extension.
Frank Seravalli noted, “They are really pushing hard to sign Jonathan Marchessault. It’s been a challenging process due to their cap constraints. They might need to trade away a player or two to make it happen. Chandler Stephenson seems likely to be moved. Vegas has pulled off miracles before, so they might manage to keep Marchessault, but time is running out.”
You can view the full segment and episode [here](link to the episode).
The Vancouver Canucks made a trade yesterday, sending Ilya Mikheyev, the rights to pending unrestricted free agent Sam Lafferty, and a 2025 second-round pick to Chicago. In return, they acquired a 2027 fourth-round pick. This move allowed the Canucks to clear $4 million of Mikheyev’s contract, with them retaining 15% ($712,000). This trade provides Vancouver with crucial salary cap flexibility as they approach July 1.
Today on Daily Faceoff Live, Frank Seravalli discusses the options now open to the Canucks with their newfound cap space.
Tyler Yaremchuk: So the trade yesterday basically boils down to the Canucks move from a second to a fourth-rounder to get off a huge piece of salary.
Frank Seravalli: The Canucks had to swallow hard on the Mikheyev deal, they felt like this is a good enough player that one year away from an ACL tear that he would bounce back in a big way, so they didn’t want to attach a big asset to that. Yes trade the round second-round pick and essentially slide back 60 slots in 2027, but you now have the ability to find another pick in 2027. But way more importantly it allows the Canucks to go hard at re-signing Nikita Zadorov, and take a run at Jake Guentzel when free agency opens on July 1. That’s their game plan. Whether they can pull it off, it was impossible to do with Mikheyev’s $4.75 million contract on the books.
While it was a bit unexpected due to the circumstances, it looks to be the right move for general manager Jim Nill and the Stars.
Suter has been just okay since signing a four-year contract with Dallas in 2021. He was a crucial veteran presence for Dallas’ many young players, but has mostly been a bottom-pairing defender on the ice. When put into a bigger role due to injuries above him, Suter looked out of place. That became apparent in the intensity of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The 39-year-old finished 2024-23 with 17 points (two goals, 15 assists) and a plus-14 rating in 82 games. While the plus-14 looks good, it came on a team with a plus-64 goal differential that had only a few players below even.
“The buyout of Ryan Suter by the Stars provides approximately $2.8 million in extra cap space for next season. This enables them to pursue free agents such as Chris Tanev and Matt Duchene more aggressively. Additionally, it allows Stars coach Pete DeBoer to allocate more ice time to promising younger players.”
Regarding Tyler Yaremchuk’s comment on Ryan Suter:
“If the buyout proceeds, Ryan Suter’s departure from the Dallas Stars marks a turbulent journey with the team. Interestingly, this move would place Suter in a unique category, being subject to buyouts from both Minnesota and Dallas simultaneously. Whether this decision is beneficial for the Dallas Stars is up for debate.”
Frank Seravalli: I think it does for a number of reasons. One, the Stars are scrounging in couch cushions for as much salary cap space as they can find. They’d like to find a way to keep Chris Tanev… They are pinching pennies. Suter was a way to easily save a few million bucks. When you look at Suter’s play in the playoffs, he’s held up fine during the regular season. When it gets to another level, he’s just long in the tooth and he doesn’t have the ability to keep up at this point in time. Could he latch on somewhere as a third-pairing defenseman for minimal money?… Will he call it a career?
LAS VEGAS, Nevada – You couldn’t wipe Zeev Buium’s smile off his face if you tried.
There he was, two hours removed from getting off a flight from back home, and minutes after getting off the ice with a bunch of kids at the Vegas Golden Knights’ practice facility. It was a busy, jam-packed Wednesday afternoon, but he was just happy to be there.
It’s easy to understand why. The on-ice action is done. The workouts are complete. And in just one more day, Buium will become the second sibling in his family to get drafted to the NHL, following in the footsteps of his brother, Shai, back when Detroit took him in 2021. The difference? It wasn’t an in-person draft. They watched the draft as a family in Michigan in the second fully virtual experience.
Vegas is going to be only SLIGHTLY different, with the glitz and glamour that only a city and a location like Sphere can provide. On Friday, Buium could be one of the first players to have their likeness and highlights shown all over the building in one of the most unique drafts in league history.
“I didn’t know about that,” Buium said with a smile. “I think it’ll be pretty cool to see my face up there. It’ll be a special moment.
Buium will have 80 family members in attendance on Friday as he looks to begin the next step in his professional hockey career. Projected to go in the top 10, Buium is one of the top blueliners in a draft class dominated by defensive prowess. There’s no shortage of teams that could use a high-end, puck-moving defenseman with the confidence he possesses, and the results are evident.
It was a special year for Buium, who finished off 2022-23 by being a big part of USA’s gold medal at the U-18 World Championship. He immediately made an impact with coach David Carle, who then made sure to bring the youngster to the World Junior Championship. Buium was one of USA’s top players, helping them win gold in Sweden with three goals and five points in seven games. He returned home for the NCAA’s playoff push, which saw him hit the elusive 50-point mark in just 42 games in one of the most productive seasons by a freshman defenseman in NCAA history. Buium won a multitude of awards, including NCHC Rookie of the Year, NCHC First All-Star Team honors and Best Offensive Defenseman. He was even a Hobey Baker Award nominee as the top male college hockey player
But nothing matched his play in the lead-up to the national championship, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. It was the perfect way to close out a remarkable season, with Buium nabbing an assist in Denver’s 2-0 victory over Boston College in the final.
“I was blown away when I saw him at the Frozen Four,” top prospect Macklin Celebrini said at the 2024 NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo. “I felt like he was the best player on the ice… but don’t let don’t let him know I said that.”
Watching Buium play is reminiscent of watching Josh Morrissey. Buium excels in puck control and stands out as one of the top passers among defensemen in his class. His exceptional hockey sense makes him a top-tier transition defender, evident in his impressive season-long performance. His statistics are particularly noteworthy considering the challenging assignments he handled on Denver’s top defensive pairing, consistently facing off against elite college players like Cutter Gauthier, Will Smith, and Celebrini.
