The Dallas Stars’ second line was a crucial part of winning the Western Conference regular season title last year.
Everyone was well aware of top performers like Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin, and Jamie Benn before last season. Yet, the emergence of one unsung team member helped put them over the top.
Mason Marchment, in his second season with the club, put up career numbers across the board. He had his first 20-goal season, finishing with 22 goals and 53 total points.
Mason Marchment’s NHL Career
Marchment began his NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019, but only appeared in four games. Toronto traded him to the Florida Panthers for forward Denis Malgin at the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline. He spent two seasons in Florida, where he put together a previous career-best season with 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) during the 2021-22 season.
That performance led to a four-year, $18 million contract in Dallas, where he has continued to blossom.
The 29-year-old spent most of his first season in Dallas in the team’s bottom six forwards. He often played alongside then-rookie Wyatt Johnston and veteran Jamie Benn while occasionally appearing with Tyler Seguin, Ty Dellandrea, Radek Faksa, and Denis Gurianov as Dallas shuffled its lines.
Breakout Season
Last season, Marchment was moved up to the second line to play with Seguin and the newly signed Matt Duchene and benefitted greatly. All three players registered at least 50 points and scored at least 20 goals each. Duchene even tied Hintz and Johnston for the third-most points on the team in his first season in Dallas.
The trio of Marchment, Seguin, and Duchene played 64 games together in 2023-24 and scored 42 goals, more than any other line combination Dallas used.
Marchment hit his stride in November, December, and January — tallying 11 goals and 20 assists (31 points). His best performance came in a New Year’s Eve rout of the Chicago Blackhawks, where he collected his second career hat trick with three goals and an assist.
Still, the production tapered off, and the line did not show well enough in the playoffs. Part of that may have been due to an injury to Seguin, but their performance is a crucial part of how much success the Stars can have.
Return and the Preseason
All three players return to the Dallas Stars this year and are projected to make up the second line. With more seasoning under their belts, they’ll look to help set the tone for a lineup that went through many changes in the offseason.
Seguin and Duchene showed up in Colorado on Friday night with three goals and three assists. Marchment did not play in the game but has a goal in two appearances this preseason.
“It’s a fresh start for everyone in the league, but I think, with the additions that we’ve made, it’s going to be another good season for us,” Marchment told the media earlier this week. “That’s our expectation.”
What It Means for the Dallas Stars’ Second Line Going Forward
While the trio may spend time with other forwards during preseason play as Dallas experiments with different combinations, the Marchment-Seguin-Duchene line is the only line Dallas brings back fully intact. Radek Faksa is gone from the fourth line. Wyatt Johnston is presumably moving from the third line to the first line. Youngsters Logan Stankoven and Mavrik Bourque are expected to cement their spots alongside Benn on the third line.
“For the most part, it just picks right back up,” Marchment explained of his line’s chemistry. “… It’s just a little bit of talking, and it comes back pretty quickly. I think the best thing about our line is that we communicate really well, and I think that’s a lot of the reason why we have good success.”
Continuity and experience are key factors in building championship teams, and the Dallas Stars’ second line will be a pivotal piece in 2024. They pride themselves on elite skill and communication on the ice, and that has helped Mason Marchment reestablish his NHL career.
The next step is continuing that progress consistently throughout 82 games and however many more may come in the playoffs.
Main Photo: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images
