Did Seattle Kraken trading away Marchment key their red-hot streak?

On Dec. 19, the Seattle Kraken made the tough call to trade away Mason Marchment, their biggest offseason addition, after losing 10 games in an 11-game stretch and falling into a tie for last place in all of the NHL.

In the nine games since, the Kraken have gone 8-0-1, moving back into playoff position and putting themselves just a single point back of Vegas and Edmonton for first place in the Pacific Division.

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It’s hard not to believe there’s some correlation to the subtraction of the 30-year-old Marchment and the Kraken immediately catching fire.

Kraken TV play-by-play broadcaster John Forslund shared his view of the situation Wednesday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, saying it seemed that the 6-foot-5 winger wasn’t filling the role he was brought in to play.

“It’s a striking coincidence how this has worked out,” Forslund said of the Kraken’s play since the Marchment trade. “I’m not going to speak to what goes on inside the (locker) room, I’m not there and it’s not my deal, but I can speak to what I saw. And when you trade for a player and you bring him in and he is supposed to change your dynamic and how you play, he’s supposed to make you grittier, edgier, he’s supposed to get to the interior of the ice, he’s supposed to be that type of player with the ability to score 20-plus goals to give you a player that the Kraken did not have. … So you bring in Mason Marchment, he’s supposed to change all of that, and what you’re trying to do as a coach is you’re giving him every opportunity to do it, and he wasn’t doing it.”

Forslund, who also calls NHL games nationally on Prime Video and TNT, was critical of Marchment’s play in his 29 games with Seattle following his offseason trade from the Dallas Stars and complimentary of other players who have stepped up this season.

“He was guilty of playing on the outside. He was guilty of bad turnovers. He was guilty of, at times, in my opinion, selfish play,” Forslund said of Marchment. “And so that has an effect. Even if the players like him and like to be around him… at some point, your respect drops off because you’re getting catered to but you’re not doing it. So other players are aching for that opportunity, aching for that slot.

“Maybe a guy like Eeli Tolvanen, he’s not going to say anything to anybody, but Tolvanen since he’s joined the team back in ’22 plays a complete game, can score some goals, leads the team in hits every year – and that’s understated, no one even recognizes that. And now he gets to bump up in the order once Marchment is gone. It awakens the team. It gives a kid like Berkly Catton an opportunity to play more. It gets everybody in the proper mindset, and then you get back to team. You don’t get back to trying to fit one guy. And then the coach doesn’t have to worry about it anymore.”

There’s also something to be said that the Kraken didn’t let any potential issues with Marchment’s play linger, striking a deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets for a 2027 second-round pick and 2026 fourth-round pick over two months before the March 6 NHL trade deadline.

“I’m sure the coach is having conversations with the GM about this, saying, I can’t work with this guy, do something. And the GM’s probably saying, I just traded for him, I gotta justify it a little bit here. I’m not sure I’m going to get a return,” Forslund said. “Well, it all worked out because I think (Kraken general manager) Jason Botterill pulled the trigger at the right time, enhanced the return in terms of draft picks.”

The move seemed to be a positive for both teams involved. Marchment already has more goals in seven games with Columbus (five) than he had in 29 with Seattle (four), while the Kraken have taken off with homegrown players including Matty Beniers, Shane Wright, Jacob Melanson and the aforementioned Catton all contributing.

“Columbus got a good player (in Marchment). He’s got everything to gain in a contract year to be a better guy. He’s off to a good start with that team,” Forslund said. “But you know, his total team game, it didn’t fit what (the Kraken) are trying to do. So he didn’t fit the puzzle here. Fine. Move on. And it’s the timing of it. A lot of GMs would hang onto that and wait until the trading deadline. You can’t wait until the trading deadline this year. So good on the Kraken for doing that. They moved on, team moved on, and they haven’t lost (in regulation) since.”

Hear the full Brock and Salk conversation with Seattle Kraken broadcaster John Forslund in the podcast at this link or in the player below. Catch Brock and Salk live from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.

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• Are the Seattle Kraken back on track after a nearly month-long slide?

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