Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Brayden McNabb was asked Tuesday if he could imagine not having Jonathan Marchessault in the club's locker room next season.

"No," he said succinctly, letting that word hang in the air before fully answering the question two days after the Golden Knights were eliminated in the first round of the NHL playoffs by Dallas.

Seeing their bid for a consecutive Stanley Cup end in the first round wasn't the only pain the Vegas Golden Knights felt this postseason.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said there were nine players who went through surgeries this season, the second-year bench boss shared Sunday after his team's 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinals.

"Nine guys. Your roster is only 23, so nine players," Cassidy explained. "Two of them internal surgeries. You never know how those are going to play out. Some other ones were a little more defined, but I give our guys a lot of credit."

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone has been cleared to practice while he continues to recover from a lacerated spleen, the team said Friday.

Stone, who has 16 goals and 53 points in 56 games, hasn't played since Feb. 20 when he was initially ruled out with what was then designated as an upper-body injury. He's expected to participate in morning skate while wearing a noncontact sweater.

There was no timetable given by the defending Stanley Cup champions for when Stone could return to the lineup.

Noah Hanifin and the Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to an eight-year contract extension worth $7.35 million annually, the team announced Thursday.

Re-signing Hanifin, who was set to become a pending unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, to a long-term deal comes a little more than a month after the defending Stanley Cup champion Golden Knights acquired the 27-year-old defenseman in a three-team trade with the Calgary Flames and the Philadelphia Flyers just days before the NHL trade deadline.

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson and New York Rangers left wing Alexis Lafrenière have been named the NHL’s “Three Stars” for the week ending March 31.

FIRST STAR – CONNOR McDAVID, C, EDMONTON OILERS

McDavid led the NHL with 3-5—8 in three games to propel the Oilers (45-23-4, 94 points) to a perfect week and four-point cushion for second place in the Pacific Division. 

The Vegas Golden Knights have agreed to acquire Tomas Hertl, a 2025 third-round pick and 2027 third-round choice from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick and forward David Edstrom (Vegas' first-round draft choice in 2023). 

Hertl has six seasons remaining on an eight-year, $65.1 million contract he signed in March 2022.

Hertl has been sidelined since having surgery Feb. 12 to clean out loose cartilage in his left knee. Expectations are that he will be ready to return in time for the playoffs.

Hertl has 15 goals and 34 points in 48 games this season.

The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired Noah Hanifin from the Calgary Flames. Hanifin was ranked No. 2 on ESPN's NHL trade deadline board. 

Hanifin's contract carries a $4.95 million cap hit. He was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Hanifin is the second key player the Golden Knights have added ahead of Friday's NHL trade deadline. Vegas acquired Capitals winger Anthony Mantha on Tuesday, with Washington retaining 50% of his salary.

In need of a winger, the Vegas Golden Knights landed one Tuesday when they traded for Anthony Mantha with a 2024 second-round pick and a 2026 fourth-round pick going to the Washington Capitals, the teams announced.

Getting a top-six winger was thought to be a priority for the defending Stanley Cup champions only to become a reality on Monday. That's when they moved captain and left winger Mark Stone, who is out with an upper-body injury, to long-term injured reserve.

The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that veteran winger Phil Kessel will work out this week in Abbotsford, British Columbia, where the team's AHL affiliate team is located.

Kessel has not played since last season, when he won his third Stanley Cup, as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. The 36-year-old finished with 14 goals and 36 points in 82 regular-season games while scoring two points, both assists, in four playoff games.

Golden Knights center Jack Eichel will miss an undetermined amount of time after suffering an injury in Thursday's game against the Boston Bruins.

The Golden Knights, who have lost seven of 10, host the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.