The Buffalo Sabres should be in the market for an impact top-six forward after dealing winger JJ Peterka to the Utah Mammoth for defenseman Michael Kesselring and winger Josh Doan, but the opening weeks of free agency did not provide GM Kevyn Adams with an opportunity to replace Peterka’s production, and with the two-year deal signed last week with defenseman Bowen Byram, Adams will have to try to acquire a scoring forward with younger players, prospects, and/or draft picks.
Mason Marchment’s name was being floated out in trade rumor land before July 1, as the Dallas Stars were looking to move the big winger to clear cap space and re-sign Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn. The Stars found him a home, sending the veteran forward to the Seattle Kraken for a 2026 third round pick and a 2025 fourth rounder, but his stay in the Pacific Northwest may not be lengthy, since he is in the last year of a four-year contract.
The 30-year-old was an undrafted free agent signing of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who won a Calder Cup in 2018 in Toronto, but never got a chance to show his talents with the Leafs, as he was traded to Florida just before the league COVID shutdown in 2020. After an 18-goal season with the Panthers in 2022, Marchment signed with Dallas as an unrestricted free agent and has scored 56 goals over three seasons.
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Marchment a has 10-team modified no-trade list in the final year of his deal, something that is always a big hurdle for the Sabres, but he is from Uxbridge, ON (NE of Toronto), which could make him more willing to accept a trade to the Sabres.
What Would It Cost?
The Kraken are in a transitional phase from a team that added veterans in expansion and signed free agents for a playoff pursuit to a group centered around younger core players like Calder Trophy winner Matty Beniers, and center Shane Wright. Former Sabres GM Jason Botterill has four veterans (Marchment, Jordan Eberle, Jaden Schwartz, and Jamie Oleksiak) on expiring contracts, which makes the Kraken a potential big player early in the season or before the trade deadline in the seller’s market if they start slow.
The Kraken are flush with draft capital and are likely to be looking for young NHL-ready players if they choose to move a forward like Marchment early next season. As it gets closer to the deadline, Botterill may be willing to deal the big winger to at least recoup the draft picks he gave up in June. The Sabres already gave up their 2026 second round pick in the Josh Norris deal, so they would have to be willing to give up picks in 2027 or 2028 if they want to add some offensive punch to their forward group.
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