When the NHL announced the unprotected player lists that the Vegas Golden Knights would build their roster from last month, one of the more surprising names that were available was Jonathan Marchessault.
The 26-year-old had a career year in 2016-17 in which he posted an impressive 30 goals to go along with 21 assists. And a forward coming off a 51-point season on a contract with a cap hit of just $750,000 would seemingly have been a lock for protection.
But that wasn't the case.
"I don’t know (why I wasn’t protected). I was surprised also," Marchessault said Wednesday, according to Luke Fox of Sportsnet. "I tried to give everything I had last year. Everyone was asking me if I’m going to get protected or not. My answer was, 'I gave everything I had. I have no regrets.'"
Instead, the Panthers chose to protect defensemen Mark Pysyk and Alex Petrovic - a decision that Marchessault doesn't take personally.
"If you look at the guys who were protected, they’re all great hockey players. It was a hard decision, I’m sure, for them," said Marchessault. "You can’t take it personally. It’s a business. The Panthers are trying to be the best team possible."
Marchessault heads to Vegas with one-year remaining on his two-year, $1.5-million deal.
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