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5 Las Vegas Golden Knights Who Left the Team

Ahh, the memories. Let’s count down the top five Las Vegas Golden Knights who left the team.

#5 Max Pacioretty, forward

Everyone loves Patches. That’s Las Vegas Golden Knights fans’ general sentiment about Max Pacioretty. The former Montreal Canadien was traded to Las Vegas in 2018 and instantly impacted the team. He knocked down 22 goals and 18 assists that season. Pacioretty also managed five goals and six assists in seven playoff games.

Patches improved those numbers in 2019 by knocking in 32 goals and 22 assists for a total of 66 points. This was his best year with the Golden Knights, as injuries in 2020 and 2021 impeded Pacioretty’s further progress.

For example, in 2020, Pacioretty played only 48 games. His worst season came in 2021-2022, when he played only 39 games, scoring 19 goals and 18 assists.

These poor numbers were enough for the Golden Knights to trade Patches to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2022.

#4 Reily Smith, right winger

Reily Smith went from hoisting the Stanley Cup to being traded to the Penguins for cap space in 2023. This was a hard loss because he had been a Golden Knight since their inaugural 2017 season.

Smith was an offensive firestorm in his final season with the Golden Knights, knocking in 26 goals and 30 assists. He also played a critical role in their 2023 Stanely Cup victory, scoring four goals and ten assists in 22 games for Las Vegas.

Las Vegas, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Reily Smith,
Source. SPORTSNET

#3 Logan Thompson, goalie

Logan Thompson is an example of a guy who can do everything right and still get dealt to another team like he never mattered. Thompson’s journey with the Las Vegas Golden Knights started in 2020 when he was signed as a free agent. He didn’t make much noise in his first year and only played in a few games.

Fast-forward to the 2021-2022 season, Thompson finally started to see more action. He finished the season with a 10-5-3 record, 569 saves against, and a goals-against average of 2.68. 

Thompson doubled his numbers the very next season with a record of 21-13-3, 1132 saves, and a GOA of 2.65. The problem is that Thompson started to suffer lower body injuries at this time, leaving him in and out of the lineup.

This brings us to the 2023-2024 season when he suffered another lower-body injury mid-year. The injury killed his momentum and made him a somewhat unreliable backup. He was then unceremoniously traded to the Washington Capitals for draft picks.

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#2 Jonathon Marchessault, right wing

Jonathon Marchessault knows he is no longer wanted in Las Vegas, so he signed with the Nashville Predators during free agency in 2024. The Knights claimed they would be in touch, but that never happened. Instead, Marchessault was left in the dark about his future with the team and took action into his own hands.

He accepted a five-year, $27.6 million contract that will keep him with the Nashville Predators until 2029. Marchessault finished the 2023-2024 season with 42 goals and 27 assists for a combined 69 points. He should be a great addition to the Predators’ offense and is a major loss for the struggling Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Marc Andre Fleury, Las Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas sports,
Source. NHL

#1 Marc-Andre Fleury, goalie

Marc-Andre Fleury has the craziest journey on this list, starting before he became a Las Vegas Golden Knight. He won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins after beating the Predators in six games. Despite this, he voluntarily removed his trade protection and was drafted to the Golden Knights in the 2017 expansion draft.

Fleury started 46 games that season and posted a 29-13-3 record, proving that the Golden Knights made the right decision at goalie.

Fleury started 16 straight games for Las Vegas in the 2021 playoffs and finished with a record of 9-7. He also blocked 403 shots and had a goals-allowed average of just 2.04. His 16 starts were the most consecutive by any goalie in the playoffs and earned him the Vezina trophy.

Despite this, Fleury was unceremoniously traded to the Blackhawks in 2021. 

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