Breaking down the Blue Jackets trade for Mason Marchment

Just as we hoped they might, the Blue Jackets made a trade splash just before the holiday roster freeze, acquiring forward Mason Marchment from the Seattle Kraken.

This one came through just minutes before the deadline. In exchange for two draft picks (2027 2nd round, 2026 4th round), Don Waddell finally does something to help spark his team.

We have been waiting for the Blue Jackets to do something for weeks. As the team has continued to flounder and struggle to earn points in the standings, management has been pretty quiet.

Finally, Waddell has taken action to try to improve his lineup. Of course, he goes out and acquires a player that falls perfectly into the mold that he and Dean Evason have preferred to pursue.

A veteran of 331 career NHL games, the 6'5", 212lb Marchment plays a heavy two-way game. He is exactly what this team should have been looking to add if they were going to do anything up front.

He can chip in some offense, having finished with 22 goals in each of his last two seasons. But it's his experience, reliability, and physicality that is going to help this team. He's a guy who plays in straight lines, and should help this team out in its defensive end.

The cost for Marchment may look expensive at first, but this is actually a pretty inexpensive move. The Blue Jackets give up the pick they acquired in the Jack Roslovic trade, and a second round pick that they hope will be further down the order in 2027.

Best case scenario, Mason Marchment comes in and helps this team climb the standings. Worst case scenario, it doesn't work and they can flip him at the deadline with retained salary; likely recouping these assets.

In that regard, he's honestly a very low risk acquisition. And, I think he is going to help this team.

Where does he fit into the lineup?

I think Marchment slots into the second line for Dean Evason, at least to start. I can see him being used alongside Sean Monahan and one of Kent Johnson, Yegor Chinakhov, or Boone Jenner.

Regardless who plays on the opposite wing, that line will make for an absolute matchup nightmare. Monahan and Marchment are both big, heavy, responsible two-way players. This, along with the team's "identity" third line, will make this team pretty formidable through their middle-six.

In short, a lot harder to get through the neutral zone and score against.

And, it's not like he's a scoring slouch. He should be able to chip in some secondary offense, especially if Evason opts to put Johnson back on this line.

A big part of KJ's offensive game last season was having James van Riemsdyk on his line. Marchment doesn't quite have JVR's hands, but he's a similar type of player that will go to the front of the net and chip in greasy goals.

He should help open up time and space for the playmakers around him. In short, he is the exact ingredient that has been missing from the second line, when comparing last year to this year.

Could this preempt another move?

Something that is worth adding at the end: when healthy, the Blue Jackets have 14 forwards on their roster. This addition creates a little bit of a logjam in their middle six, as it will force one of Johnson, Chinakhov, or Jenner onto the fourth line.

So, it's possible that Waddell acquired Marchment now to assimilate him into the lineup, with his eye towards a larger deal once the roster freeze is lifted. This is something that will bear watching, especially if the team continues to struggle.

For now, I'm just happy to see the team try to do something to move up the standings this season. At the very least, bringing Mason Marchment into the lineup will be a massive upgrade over 8-10 minutes of Zach Aston-Reese or Brendan Gaunce.