Possible Maple Leafs Trade Target Gone As Kraken Land Former Prospect Mason Marchment

Any hopes the Toronto Maple Leafs had of re-acquiring Mason Marchment were dashed Thursday , as the Dallas Stars traded the gritty forward to the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round selection in the NHL Draft. The Maple Leafs are in the hunt for more forward depth, and Marchment brings plenty of playoff experience, having played with the Stars in the Western Conference Final for the third consecutive season.

The return that Dallas received may not seem like much, but the Stars were looking to clear salary cap space after signing forward Matt Duchene to a four-year extension worth an average annual value (AAV) of $4.5 million. Marchment, 30, has one more season on his contract, which carries the same $4.5 million salary cap hit as Duchene’s new deal. The forward also had a modified no-trade clause, and his take-home pay will be the same as he moves from one state with no income tax to another.

Had Toronto landed Marchment, it would have been a reunion for the Uxbridge, Ontario native. A late bloomer, Marchment started his professional career with Toronto’s AHL affiliate, the Marlies. Despite success there, he was unable to break out with the Leafs, limited to just four games with the big club where he registered one assist. Marchment, in many ways, has been seen as the Leafs prospect that got away. He was traded to the Florida Panthers on Feb. 19, 2020, in exchange for Denis Malgin. Marchment’s career has flourished since then, having scored 76 goals and adding 112 assists in the 298 NHL games played after his stint with Toronto.

The Leafs have cap space, but committing $4.5 million to Marchment right now could have been a big ask. With free agency set to open on July 1, Toronto has key restricted free agents like Matthew Knies needing new contracts and a potential extension for captain John Tavares to consider, in addition to other prospective free agents.