Kraken general manager Jason Botterill used the first trade of his new posting to address a couple of key areas he’d first outlined in an introductory press conference.
In acquiring veteran Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment on Thursday for a pair of draft picks, Botterill made the Kraken better both in terms of scoring ability and net front toughness. The 6-foot-5, 212-pound power forward is coming off successive 22-goal seasons on the second line of a powerhouse Dallas squad that’s made it to three straight Western Conference Finals.
“I think Mason has a unique combination of size, skill and strength,” Botterill said in an interview Thursday, shortly after acquiring Marchment in exchange for a third-round pick in 2026 and a fourth rounder in next week’s NHL Draft in Los Angeles. “He works well down in the corners and around the net and that’s an element we want to continue to add to our group here.”
Botterill added that Marchment’s playoff experience in recent seasons also can’t be overlooked.
“He’s been in three conference finals in a row,” he said. “He knows the intensity of playoff hockey.”
Marchment has one season remaining on a four-yeal deal signed with Dallas, counting as $4.5 million against the salary cap.
At his introductory press conference back in April, Botterill outlined key areas he hoped to address.
“If you look at the areas for improvement, I’m not going to say ‘size’ I’m just going to say ‘strength’,” Botterill said at the time. “We have to find ways of doing a better job in front of our own net and find a way to do a better job of getting to the opposition net.
“And when I say ‘strength’ it’s because a (5-foot-10) player like Jaden Schwartz finds a way to get there and be one of our top players with a net front presence.”
Schwartz was indeed highly successful for the Kraken last season during a 26-goal campaign.
And for a Kraken team looking to get stronger and more proficient across all four lines, adding Marchment’s considerable heft to a forwards group that already has Schwartz accomplishes new head coach Lane Lambert’s goal of deploying a depth-fueled roster next season.
Marchment, an undrafted major junior player who first broke in with Toronto for four games in 2019-20 after several AHL seasons, later moved on to Florida ahead of joining Dallas three years ago. Beyond his net front ability, he also excels – as Botterill alluded to — in winning puck battles along the boards and has a very strong backhand shot as well that’s helped him beat goalies in close.
“Mason’s really evolved as a player,” former Stars coach Pete Deboer said of Marchment midway through last season. “Even over the time here in Dallas, he’s just getting better and better.”
Along with his improving ability to “finish” chances at the net, Marchment is also well-known as an agitator with a mean streak in terms of on-ice presence — having compiled 258 penalty minutes in addition to 189 points over 302 career games.
His late father, Bryan, racked up 2,307 penalty minutes as a hard-nosed defenseman over a 15-year NHL career.
Beyond his regular season totals, Marchment also appeared in 59 playoff games in five seasons for the Stars and Panthers – scoring 11 goals and adding eight assists. He became a key part of Dallas runs to the Western Conference Final the past three seasons, including against the Kraken in 2023 when he scored twice and added an assist in that seven-game, second round series won by the Stars.
His former Panthers linemate, Sam Reinhart, said of Marchment in a 2022 ESPN story: “The first thing I think of with him is how he was in the room. He’s a personality. He’s going to be himself no matter what, and guys are drawn to that. He’s such a popular and likable guy. It’s an unbelievable trait to have. No matter how he’s doing on the ice, off the ice, he’s the same. He just carries himself in such an awesome way.”
And Kraken GM Botterill is banking on Marchment making a similar impact both in the Kraken room and on the ice.
“He’s going to make a good addition to our group, for sure.”
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