SEATTLE (AP) ā Stanley Cup playoff hockey hasnāt been all that common in Seattle since the Kraken played their first season.
However, Mason Marchment already knows full well what it looks like.
Marchment, , played in a few of the Stanley Cup playoff games at Climate Pledge Arena in 2023 when the Kraken and Stars faced off.
Dallas won the second-round series in seven games, but Marchment learned firsthand just how rowdy fans in the Emerald City can get.
āIt was awesome,ā Marchment said Tuesday via Zoom. āFor sure, the fan base sticks out instantly. It was rocking in there for three games. It was a hard building to play in, too. So, itās going to be fun to be on the other side of it.ā
The 30-year-old winger tied a career high with 22 goals last season. Marchment is entering the final year of a contract carrying a $4.5 million cap hit, though, which in part prompted the cap-constrained Stars to deal him.
The Uxbridge, Ontario, native played the first half of his six-season NHL career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. Marchment was hardly slighted by Dallas trading him three seasons into a four-year deal.
āItās a business and I get that. Iāve been in it my whole life,ā Marchment said. āSo, there had to be some changes, and it just so happened to be me. I donāt take it as a knock at all. Thereās teams out there that want you, so itās always a good thing. Itās just part of the business. You go with it as it goes, but Iām excited to start in Seattle and get playing.ā
Marchment could be a reliable top-six scorer for the Kraken. Under new coach Lane Lambert, the Kraken not only expect to be a playoff team in 2025-26, but also to be a grittier team that makes better use of the players already on the roster after .
Marchment enjoys getting involved on the forecheck, defending puck-handlers on the backcheck and looks forward to doing it all for Seattle.
āThatās stuff that I take pride in and like to do well,ā Marchment said. āSo, if I can help out that way, itās going to be great. But getting to the net front and getting in the goalieās eyes, thatās huge. So stuff like that, small things like that are things that help win games and help you get (to) the playoffs.ā
Months away from training camp, it isnāt clear yet which line Marchment will slot in for the Kraken. However, he is already starting to learn a good deal about Seattleās roster through defenseman Brandon Montour, who played with Marchment in Florida.
Marchment is also getting to know Seattle. The Pacific Northwest city will no longer just be an occasional stop on a road trip, but rather a new home for Marchment ā and one in which he is expected to contribute from the jump.
āIām definitely excited to get down there and meet everyone,ā Marchment said. āBut for me, itās going to be a fresh opportunity and a good start, and thatās always exciting. So, Iām looking forward to that, and hopefully we can get better as a team and make the playoffs.ā
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AP NHL:
Andrew Destin, The Associated Press
