The Columbus Blue Jackets have been a very easy team to play against for a long time. Mason Marchment should change that.
Brandon Dubinsky was forced to retire from pro hockey after the 2019 season, and ever since, something has been missing from the Blue Jackets roster. What has been missing you ask? The pest that every team hates to play against.
Dubinsky was known for getting under the skin of his opponents, with teams within his division being in the crosshairs the most. When he was with the Rangers or Blue Jackets, teams like the Flyers, Devils, and especially the Penguins knew he was going to pester them all game long. Sidney Crosby even got tired of it one night and fought Dubinsky. Probably not the best idea by Crosby, but hey, everyone has a breaking point.
Since Dubinsky's departure, the team has been lacking in the "pest" department. They've had fighters sure, but in terms of someone that gets under the other team's skin, they haven't had that guy.
Mathieu Olivier has emerged as the league's top tough guy who handles the duties of dealing with said pests, but he's not one himself.
On December 20th, the CBJ traded for known agitator Mason Marchment. Marchment has been known to pester the Blue Jackets over the years. But he didn't just get under their skin, he tortured them on the score sheet too.
In 15 career games against Columbus, he scored 4 goals, had 12 points, and is a plus-8. He's also taken 42 shots on Columbus goalies, which is more than he's taken on any other team. He even had a game with the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena where he had 2 goals and 6 points.
But now he's with the Blue Jackets, and in a short 4-game sample, it's clear that he is exactly what the CBJ needed. He has scored 3 goals, has 2 assists, and has 10 PIMs. And he singlehandedly sent an entire team, fanbase, and their media into a complete frenzy when he tripped star rookie Matthew Schaefer last Sunday night, causing Mat Barzal to take a Hank Aaron-like tomahawk chop at his skate tops.
After the game, Marchment admittedly said, "I was never trying to hurt (Schaefer) there in the middle, just get in his way. Probably not smart by me." Would he take it back, though? Probably not.
After that incident, Barzal was dismissed from the game, and the Islanders were never really the same, despite holding a 2-1 lead late into the third period. The Isles would ultimately lose the game 4-2.
Mason Marchment brings something to the CBJ roster that they've sorely missed for seven seasons. Now, while we're not saying he, or anyone, needs to go out there and play dirty, there has to be some grit on the ice every now and then. He brings just that. With a player like him, you take the good with the bad.
The Columbus Blue Jackets have been extremely easy to play against for years. When Olivier took his spot as the league's top scrapper two seasons ago, that closed the chapter on them not having someone to protect the young stars or stick up for the other guys on the ice. Now, they need someone to get under the other team's skin. They have him now and should probably do what they can to keep him.
Mason Marchment has been known to score some goals in his career, so why is he known as a pest? Here's why?
- He's a big body and isn't afraid to play a hard, physical game. He uses his size to try to intimidate other players.
- He's annoying. He will get under players skin easily and isn't fun to play against.
- Marchment is described as a "skilled agitator." He combines his actual skill with his disruptive style, the best he can, to help his team succeed.
Marchment told Geoff Baker of NHL.com/Kraken, "Some guys make it from being drafted high, and some guys make it from work ethic. And that's how I had to make it--through work ethic and physicality. Being that guy that's hard to play against."
Teams like Columbus, who historically have a hard time attracting big-name free agents, need guys like Mason Marchment and Mathieu Olivier. They have both of those now, with Olivier locked up long-term.
The 30-year-old Marchment is in the final year of a deal that paid him $4.5 million per season. If we know anything about GM Don Waddell, it's that he loves big players, and Marchment fits that bill. It's hard to imagine that Waddell would trade for a player he loves so much and not try to extend him. When the trade happened, everyone thought he was just a rental, but Waddell has admitted that Marchment is a player he coveted even when he was in Carolina as the GM.
Mason Marchment literally fits the description of what it means to be a Columbus Blue Jacket. Players need to be hardworking, blue-collar guys who aren't afraid to get dirty.
Marchment is that guy through and through, and the Blue Jackets should do whatever they need to do to lock him up.
Watch this video on Marchment below.
Up Next: The Blue Jackets are back home on New Year's Eve to play the New Jersey Devils.
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