The Ottawa Senators head into the offseason still needing more identity in their top six. The skill is there, but the group could really use more size, more edge, and another reliable source of secondary scoring. That’s why Columbus Blue Jackets’ forward Mason Marchment feels like a player Steve Staios should seriously look at if he reaches free agency.
Marchment checks a lot of boxes Ottawa has been missing lately. At 6-foot-4 and around 220 pounds, he brings the kind of power-forward presence that can change the feel of a line. He plays hard around the net, wins puck battles along the boards, and creates a lot of chaos in front of opposing goalies, which is something the Senators didn’t consistently have enough of this past season.
Why Marchment fits within the Senators’ top six
The fit alongside players like Tim Stützle or Drake Batherson is there. Marchment does a lot of the dirty work that opens space for skilled players, but he can still produce offensively on his own. He’s coming off a down season in Columbus, where he only had 15 goals and 17 assists for 32 points.
Depsite the dip in production, he could still be an attractive free agent target for the Senators. Marchment brings a different element because he plays with a bit of bite to his game while still being able to keep up offensively.
This also feels like the type of move that fits where Ottawa is at right now. They aren’t chasing a flashy superstar. They are simply trying to add a player who make the lineup harder to handle over an 82-game season and into the playoffs.
It won’t come cheap, especially with the salary cap continuing to rise, but if the Senators want to take a legitimate step forward next season, adding a player like Marchment makes a lot of sense.
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