Rangers weigh pros, cons of signing free-agent forward Mason Marchment
Mason Marchment has suited up for three NHL teams in the past two seasons and five since making his NHL debut six years ago. It looks like the late-blooming, soon-to-be 31-year-old forward will have the chance to make it six when free agency begins on July 1 – but should it be with the New York Rangers?
The son of longtime NHL defenseman Brian Marchment didn’t play major junior hockey until he was 19, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2016 and spent parts of five seasons in the minors before making his NHL debut with the Leafs at age 24 in January 2020. He spent the next two seasons with the Florida Panthers and two more with the Dallas Stars before being dealt for cap considerations. Marchment split 2025-26 between the Seattle Kraken and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Along the way, he turned into a useful complementary scorer, putting up 22 goals in each of his two seasons with Dallas and 19 last season – 15 of those in 39 games with the Blue Jackets after an early December trade. Marchment also finished at least plus-15 in four of the past five seasons.
Impact forwards are scarce in this year’s class of free agents. Marchment, a gritty guy who can score 20 goals and record 40-plus-points, is a productive pest who should have plenty of offers. But will the Rangers, who have about $26.6 million in available cap space, according to PuckPedia, be among the bidders? And should they?
The 6-foot-5 forward plays with an edge and should be good for at least 20 goals per season. Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell said he’d like to bring back Marchment back – but he recently re-signed center Charlie Coyle to a six-year deal with an average annual value of $6 million. Waddell, who rented Marchment and saw his effectiveness during Blue Jackets’ failed playoff push, also has to save some money for restricted free agents Adam Fantilli and Jet Greaves.
Marchment is coming off a four-year, $18 million contract ($4.5 million AAV) and is likely to want a hefty bump in pay. Potential employers must weigh the salary number (likely with an AAV of at least $6 million) and term against Marchment’s age and the question of whether he’s hit his ceiling or still has room to grow his game.
Why Rangers should sign Mason Marchment
The Rangers need offensive help after finishing 23rd in the NHL this season with 235 non-shootout goals. Mika Zibanejad’s 34 goals led the team, but Alexis Lafreniere (24) and Will Cuylle (20) were the only other players to reach the 20-goal mark. Marchment would give the Rangers’ second or (more likely) third line an offensive boost.
He’s not a tremendously physical player (84 hits in 68 games last season) and doesn’t kill penalties (less than 2:00 total shorthanded time in 2025-26), but Marchment can be a Grade A pest. He’s also defensively responsible – plus-67 in the past five seasons. His ice time trended up; he averaged a career-best 17:41 with Columbus after averaging 16:57 with Seattle before the trade.
Marchment would fill a need for depth scoring on Broadway. As a side benefit, adding him would weaken a division rival.
Why Rangers should pass on Mason Marchment
As with weighing whether to sign other potential free agent forwards such as Alex Tuch and Bobby McMann, Marchment is a useful player but not one who’s going to make a big impact. He’s a middle-six guy who would be joining a team that needs top-line talent.
Term figures to be a big issue for Marchment because this is likely to be his one shot at a big deal in free agency. GM Chris Drury has plenty of money to play with — but does he want to give him, say, a five-year or six-year contract with an AAV of $6 million-$6.5 million? That’s a big commitment for a player whose ceiling is probably 25 goals and 45-50 points, doesn’t kill penalties and would be under contract through his age-36 season.
Drury would also likely be bidding not only against the Blue Jackets, who say they’d like him back, but against several other teams, including the Pittsburgh Penguins — whose general manager, Kyle Dubas, admitted on the Spittin’ Chiclets Podcast in April that the one player he regretted trading during his time as GM in Toronto is Marchment.
The verdict
The NHL’s salary cap for 2026-27 is $104 million, and it rises to $113.5 million for 2027-28, so money shouldn’t be an issue for the Blueshirts. The question is how much a useful 31-year-old middle-six forward is worth – and for how long.
Taking a player like Marchment away from a division rival would be a positive. But doing it with the kind of contract he’s likely to command should dissuade Drury from making the deal. Retooling teams (that’s what Drury told fans in January that the Rangers are going to be) can’t be making major commitments to non-impact players.
Marchment is a fine complementary player. However, the Rangers don’t have enough talent for him to complement.
