The Dallas Stars added unrestricted free agent forward Mason Marchment, who signed a four-year contract worth approximately $18 million, or $4.5 million per season. This contract carries him through the 2025-26 season.
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UFA Mason Marchment Signed Contract after Breakout Season
Over his three-year NHL career, Marchment played for the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs to-date. The 27-year-old went undrafted but worked his way up from the lower levels of minor hockey in North America. He finally broke into the league at 24 years of age, appearing in four games with the Leafs in 2019-20. They dealt him to Florida soon thereafter, where he posted ten points in 33 games in 2020-21.
Then came last season. In 2021-22, Marchment’s game took massive strides forward. He exploded for 18 goals and 29 assists, totalling 47 points in only 54 games played. Marchment did all that despite receiving a modest 14:07 in average ice time per game, as a staple on the Panthers third line. He even finished 18th in Selke Trophy voting, with a career-high 7.1% Relative Corsi-for and 114 hits. Again, this was the same player who collected 11 points in his first 37 career outings. Now, Marchment’s career totals sit at 58 points in 91 games, 81% of those coming just last year alone.
What This Means for the Future
Unfortunately for the Panthers, Marchment’s breakout took him out of their price range for retention. With only $3 million in cap space entering this summer, they must part with most (if not all) of their UFAs. They must also keep Jonathan Huberdeau in mind, as their star winger hits UFA status next summer too. For Florida, figuring out something with Sergei Bobrovsky looks imminent. His $10 million cap hit handcuffs the team pretty aggressively, especially for a goalie posting only marginally better numbers than the 20-year-old backup behind him. Spencer Knight becomes an RFA next summer too, so if the team can shed at least some of Bob’s salary, they could sure do a lot more with their roster.
For his new team, Marchment brings the kind of game that every championship team needs. His physicality, size and tenacity go a long way, especially in the postseason. An injury limited him to just four playoff games this past season, but he still managed to score one goal. He also found the net twice the year prior in six playoff games. In both of those small samples, his possession metrics improved in the playoffs compared to the regular season. He isn’t afraid to throw his weight around, and his scoring touch keeps the bottom six of any lineup dangerous offensively. If he scores like he did last season, it won’t be long before he cracks into the top six either.
