Mason Marchment Becoming Trade Candidate for Dallas Stars

Mason Marchment is becoming a trade candidate for the Dallas Stars, per an insider

After a disappointing playoff performance, and with just one year remaining on his four-year, $4.5 million AAV deal, it appears that sizeable forward Mason Marchment's days in Dallas might be nearing an end.

Insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period has suggested that he could be one of the casualties of the Stars' need to free up some cap space and make some changes after yet another earlier-than-hoped playoff exit.

It is still very fresh, and a lot of people are still dissecting Pete DeBoer's goalie decision and post-game comments, but the Dallas Stars have less than $5 million in salary cap space this off-season. Some league sources believe Mason Marchment and his $4.5 million cap hit will be in play.

The Stars once again fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals, this time in five games, and Marchment was pretty much a non-factor, with just one point and a minus-4 rating. In fact, over the Stars' 18 playoff games this spring, the 6'5" forward found the net just once, and had only five points. His postseason performance throughout his career has been uninspiring, with just 11 goals and 19 points in 59 games.

Is Mason Marchment a trade candidate for the Dallas Stars?

In the regular season, Marchment is coming off his second straight strong 22-goal campaign, with 47 points in 62 games with a +15 rating.

The 29-year-old undrafted forward was signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs to a two-year entry-level deal in 2018, but after just a four-game trial in the 2019-20 season, he was dealt to the Florida Panthers, where he established himself as a solid two-way forward, and earned himself the four-year free agent deal with the Stars coming off that 18-goal breakout season with Panthers in 2021-22.

He carries the exact type of qualities that the Leafs and GM Brad Treliving are looking for to "change the DNA" of the team, with physicality, grit and the ability to make an impact on both sides of the puck. (Of course, he also seems to carry the same type of playoff disappointment that Toronto is trying to shake.) Would they be interested in bringing him back?