Mason Marchment – Florida Panthers
Mason Marchment is such a strange player to evaluate, which is why the Devils will need the postseason to get acclimated to his style of play. Marchment could end up being a massive overpay in the offseason for one team, or he could go for a massive steal. There’s no telling how teams are going to evaluate him from now on.
Marchment had 47 points in 59 games this season. He never had more than 10 prior to this one. He’s 26 years old, and one might consider him an incredibly late bloomer. He didn’t play major junior hockey in Canada until he was 19 years old. He was given a shot with the Toronto Marlies, the Maple Leafs AHL affiliate. He eventually earned himself an NHL contract.
His journey eventually led to the Florida Panthers, when he was traded for Denis Malgin. He grew with the Panthers, and now he’s a big part of the team’s secondary scoring. The Panthers score at will, so it’s hard to tell if he’s someone who is scoring because of the team he’s on or because he’s grown as a player, but the playoffs will be a good chance to see how that works out.
This could be a steal if the Devils get in on a player who is on the cusp of hitting his stride. A lot of teams might be out on Marchment because of his lack of history, but the Devils should be in the market for taking chances at forward. Especially if they are able to trade one of Pavel Zacha, Tomas Tatar, or Andreas Johnsson, they could really afford to take a chance on Mason Marchment.