The Seattle Kraken and Columbus Blue Jackets swung a trade on Friday night before the Holiday Roster Freeze, sending Mason Marchment to Columbus for two draft picks. The Kraken are heading toward another draft lottery season, and trading away a valuable middle-six forward made more sense to them than waiting around and potentially not accruing any assets for him.
For Kraken general manager Jason Botterill, it was about getting a do-over for the trade from this past summer. He sent two draft picks to the Dallas Stars to acquire Marchment, a third and a fourth round, and was able to obtain a second and a fourth from Columbus. Good asset management, or was he just lucky enough to fix his mistake? Nevertheless, Botterill was complimentary of Marchment on his way out, according to David Pagnotta via X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I’d like to thank Mason for his contributions to our club, and we wish him & his family all the best in Columbus,” Botterill said. “This trade gives us more draft capital and flexibility as we look to improve our team moving forward.”
Marchment had 13 points in 29 games this season for the Kraken, putting him on pace for 35, which would be his lowest since the 2022-23 season. It wasn't able to click in Seattle as it did in Dallas for Marchment, and he hopes there might be a fresher start for him in Columbus.
There is an expectation that Marchment will slot into the third line with Charlie Coyle and Cole Sillinger, but he can move up and down the left side if Boone Jenner falters on the second line.
