The Seattle Kraken are in an odd position. They’re trying to semi-rebuild/tweak their roster to get back to the playoffs as soon as possible, and in doing so they traded for big forward Mason Marchment five days ago.
Seattle gave up a couple of low draft picks to the Dallas Stars in the deal.
“From what I’ve heard they have great staff and great people in the room, so I’m definitely excited to get down there and meet everyone,” Marchment said Tuesday morning via zoom. “For me it’s going to be a good opportunity and a fresh start and that’s always exciting. I’m looking forward to that and hopefully we can get better as a team and make the playoffs.”
Great answer. The intrinsic dilemma for both the player and the club is the fact that the 2025-’26 season serves as a try-out for both sides. Marchment is slated to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
“We’re up against the calendar year where he’s going to play it out and see what happens and if (Seattle GM) Jason Botterill and his group in Seattle, (asst. GM) Ricky Olczyk want to speak to us, we’ll be open to speaking, but the first step is getting in there, it’s gonna be a new spot for him, and we’ll see where it goes,” Marchment’s agent Paul Capizzano told Seattle Hockey Insider on Tuesday afternoon.
So the Kraken traded for a 30-year-old late bloomer who won’t be signing a new contract anytime soon.
Why? Because it doesn’t make any sense for either side.
Yes, the Kraken hope the 6-foot-5, 215-pound left wing will help create offense, add grit, help create an identity and make the team harder to play against. All organizational needs at this point. But they’re not 100-percent sure if he’ll fit in or if he’ll want to stay.
If he does and is productive, great. He’ll have leverage in negotiations with an NHL salary cap that continues going up.
“I like to get in on the forecheck, get inside, get pucks back, strip guys on the backcheck,” Marchment said. “That’s stuff I take pride in, I like to do that well, and if I can help out that way, it’s gonna be great.”
But what if he’s not crazy about the systems? What if he doesn’t fit in? What if his relatively new bride and the baby the couple’s about to have in September aren’t exactly comfortable?
What if an injury limits his season or if he wants at age-31 to get back to a club with more immediate Stanley Cup potential?
The Kraken can look at it as if it didn’t really cost them anything. It was a deal worth making, a risk worth taking, and a player who could definitely work out in the long run.
If it doesn’t end up in a happy marriage, the Kraken can recoup an asset or two at the trade deadline. In that case however, it’s unlikely his value would have gone up.
If he bails, they’ll lose the chemistry and identity elements and it’ll be somewhat of a twelve month setback.
The intangibles are numerous.
It’s called inherent risk, and in this case, in making this deal, the Seattle Kraken had no choice.
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