VGK originals Mcnabb, Marchessault hit milestones in NHL careers
The Vegas Golden Knights played their 500th regular season game as a franchise last week.
Two of the five remaining original Golden Misfits from the team’s inaugural season, Jonathan Marchessault and Brayden Mcnabb, recently reached their own milestones for games played in their NHL careers; Mcnabb hit No. 700 Jan. 11, while Marchessault played his 600th game Monday.
Many of those games have come in Las Vegas after both were selected by the Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft. Going into Tuesday night’s game against the New York Islanders, Marchessault is the franchise’s leader in games played with 479, while Mcnabb is third at 467. Center William Karlsson, who continues to be out of the lineup with a lower-body injury, has played 470 but could be leapfrogged by Mcnabb by the time the All-star break rolls around beginning Feb. 1.
Mcnabb and Marchessault are two pillars of stability with a franchise that has found consistent success, earning five trips to the playoffs in six years and a Stanley Cup championship.
“I’ve been very fortunate throughout my career to be where I am,” Mcnabb said. “Going from Buffalo to L.A., establishing myself as an NHL player, then getting here and really establishing myself and getting opportunities to play. (I’ve been) very fortunate to be in Vegas for as long as I have been.”
Mcnabb, 32, made his NHL debut Nov. 26, 2011, with the Buffalo Sabres. A night after playing a game for AHL Rochester, he got his first NHL call-up. He frantically packed a bag and made the nearly 90-minute drive from Rochester, N.Y. to Buffalo to play against Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals.
“You don’t feel out of place, but you have energy,” Mcnabb said. “Once the game gets started, you get the first few shifts out of the way, and then you go play.”
He skated 13:42 in a 5-1 win and finished with six hits and one blocked shot. Those two areas have defined Mcnabb throughout his NHL career. This season, Mcnabb leads the Golden Knights with 129 blocked shots, good for third in the NHL; he finished second in the NHL last season with 197, trailing only teammate Alec Martinez.
Mcnabb is one of the last of a dying breed where defensive-minded defensemen rely on physicality to make their mark.
While he’s still capable of punishing opponents with his patented hip-check, Mcnabb has dabbled into the offensive side this season with 16 points (two goals, 14 assists) while playing in every game so far this season. He’s eight points shy of a career high set in 2015 with the Kings.
“Consistency in your game, to be trusted every night, I think that’s No. 1 if you want to play a long time in this league,” Mcnabb said. “Coaches need to know what they’re getting out of you. You’re going to have off nights, but you try to limit those.”
Mcnabb was a third-round pick (No. 66 overall) in 2009 with the expectation that he would be an NHL contributor at some point.
The same can’t be said for Marchessault.
Undrafted after a four-year run with the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from 2007 to 2011, Marchessault had to overcome the difficulty of being a 5-foot-9 goal scorer to make it in the NHL.
He realized that right away in his first NHL game Jan. 31, 2012, with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Marchessault had no shots on goal in 12:50 in a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues.
Two nights later, he played just 9:03 against the Detroit Red Wings and, once again, had no shots on goal. His first NHL run ended shortly after that game.
“I just knew I wasn’t ready for the NHL as much as I thought I was,” he said.
In the years since, Marchessault has turned into one of the most successful undrafted players in the league with 450 career NHL points. Just four active undrafted players — Artemi Panarin, Mats Zuccarello, Mark Giordano and Torey Krug — have more career points.
Last season, Marchessault also became the first undrafted player to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the great Wayne Gretzky in 1988.
“It took awhile. A lot happened,” Marchessault said. “Obviously, I’ve done most of my time here. It’s been good.”
“At first I just wanted to play major junior. After that I wanted to play professional, but every time I was just pushing myself to be a little bit better,” he said. “I always pushed the pace. It’s a long journey, but it’s still good.”
The hope for Marchessault is to end that journey in Vegas. Now 33, Marchessault is in the final year of a six-year extension that began in 2019. His 22 goals lead the team and put him on pace for the third 30-goal season of his career.
“I think it’s one of those things that it’s like a dream. Perfect scenario would be to finish my time here. I think that’d be great, but I think that’s a little bit out of our control,” Marchessault said, noting the business side of hockey. “We’ll see where it brings us. (I’m) definitely proud to put on that jersey every night.”