NHL: Nashville Predators at Anaheim Ducks - Source: Imagn — Jonathan Marchessault opens up on ‘challenging’ first season with Nashville Predators post playoff elimination (Image Credit: Imagn)

Jonathan Marchessault opens up on ‘challenging’ first season with Nashville Predators post playoff elimination

Modified Mar 29, 2025 17:44 GMT

Jonathan Marchessault and the Nashville Predators were eliminated from postseason contention after Thursday night's 3-2 loss at home to the St. Louis Blues.

The Predators (62 points) became just the third team in the NHL to have already been eliminated this year, along with the San Jose Sharks (49 points) and Chicago Blackhawks (51 points).

Nashville has undoubtedly been the biggest disappointment of the 2024-25 season. After making major offseason splashes by signing Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei, the Preds appeared to be potential Stanley Cup Contenders. However, the team has yet to gel and never recovered from a 6-11-3 start to the season.

The former Vegas Golden Knight spoke to Golden Knights reporter Willie G. Ramirez in a story for The Hockey News and opened up about the difficult year it's been for him and his family:

"It's definitely been a hard season for me, personally. I didn't expect the move to be that big, in terms of draining my energy, I think it was just a really tough summer, to be honest.

"Not a lot of time for me and my wife to just relax and enjoy life a little bit, so it's definitely been overwhelming, mental health has been challenging this year."

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Jonathan Marchessault is in the first season of a five-year, $27,500,000 contract signed with the Predators in free agency of 2024. He'll look to settle in this summer and come to camp next season ready to bounce back in a big way.

Jonathan Marchessault has had a difficult first season in Nashville

So far, It's been a tough transition going from Vegas to Nashville for Jonathan Marchessault.

The 34-year-old has seen a dip in production, with 49 points (19 goals, 30 assists) and a -25 rating through 72 games on the campaign. This comes after he registered 69, 57, and 66-point seasons, respectively, in his last three years with the Golden Knights.

Marchessault had tremendous success throughout his seven years in Las Vegas, which included winning the Conn Smythe Trophy and Stanley Cup in 2022-23. He never wanted or expected to leave Sin City, but business came first, and the Golden Knights weren't willing to provide him with the contract he felt he was worth.

Jonathan Marchessault will face his former team on Saturday night when the Predators host the Vegas Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena. The puck drops at 6:30 p.m. EDT.

About the author

Jackson Weber is an NHL journalist at Sportskeeda with a Bcomm degree in Business and Sport Management from the University of Guelph.

Jackson has grown up as a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are his all-time favorite players. Watching the Penguins win the Stanley Cup three times is an experience that Jackson will never forget. Years later, you realize how rare it is to see your favorite team win even once, so three championships were just incredible.

When not watching, playing, or writing about sports, Jackson loves to cook and is passionate about health and nutrition.

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