Mason Marchment has arrived in Arch City on an absolute tear and has proven almost immediately why Don Waddell had been trying to acquire the winger for years.
In just 14 games played since his trade to Columbus, Marchment has posted a 9-4-13 line, a +9 rating, and is shooting an otherworldly 36% on net (which is sure to continue to regress, unfortunately).
The trio he's formed with Kirill Marchenko and Adam Fantilli has also posted a team-low expected Goals Against of 1.88 per 60 minutes (minimum 100 minutes on ice), which also puts them 20th in the league in that category of 158 offensive and defensive line combinations.
While their scoring has leveled off a bit since Marchment’s initial surge into Columbus (they are actually a team-low xGF per 60 with a 2.43), the results have thus far spoken for themselves.
I’m likely preaching to the choir here, I know, but the priority for Don Waddell during this Olympic Break is simple: the Columbus Blue Jackets must find a way to re-sign Mason Marchment heading into the future.
Marchment’s current deal, a 4-year, $4.5m AAV contract he signed with the Dallas Stars in 2022, is due to expire at the end of this campaign, meaning he will reach unrestricted free agent status for the first time in his career.
Marchment is 30 years old and will turn 31 this July. He is two years older than Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov, a year younger than Sean Monahan; and several years younger than Boone Jenner and Charlie Coyle.
So, while he cannot be considered part of the team’s “younger core” of players like Adam Fantilli, Denton Mateychuk, Kirill Marchenko, and others, he is smack-dab in the middle of what I would consider to be the team’s “veteran core” instead.
He, very clearly, fits within this team’s expected contention window, and appears to be poised to remain a more-than-serviceable top-6 forward for the Union Blue for years to come. There should be no concern about his age or declining skill set, even if he is “on the wrong side of 30.”
He is a solid complementary winger next to Adam Fantilli and across from Kirill Marchenko, and has proven this. He skates well, fights hard in puck battles, and is a known agitator who uses his impressive 6’5”, 212 lbs frame well. He definitely seems to be a shoot-first winger within Rick Bowness' system, a trait that will continue to suit the Union Blue faithful just fine.
I expect Marchment to ask for something close to what he is already receiving, with a slight pay bump up to $5.5m AAV. If you can get “Mush” for a 5 or 6-year contract at $5.5m annually, I think you sign that confidently headed into next season.
Mason Marchment should remain a critical part of the Columbus Blue Jackets' core headed into the franchise’s 26th season.