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."