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Then-GM Kyle Dubas emphasized skill over size by trading Mason Marchment for Denis Malgin. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov)

Maple Leafs’ Mason Marchment Trade Still Stings 5 Years Later

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Ben Fisher | Last updated Feb 20, 2025 11:39 AM ET

On Feb. 19, 2020, days before the 2020 NHL Trade Deadline and weeks before the world shut down on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Toronto Maple Leafs agreed to a minor league transaction that didn’t exactly make waves – even in a city as hockey-mad as Toronto. The club acquired Denis Malgin, an under-sized 23-year-old centre who had spent parts of four seasons with the Florida Panthers, in exchange for Toronto Marlies mainstay Mason Marchment.

Five years later, and we all know what happened. While Malgin never quite panned out with the Maple Leafs, Marchment morphed into a prototypical third-line winger, combining imposing physicality with some scoring punch. He broke out for 18 goals and 47 points in the pandemic-shortened 2021-22 season before signing with the Dallas Stars and improving over every season in Texas. This isn’t quite on the ‘Scott Niedermayer-for-Tom Kurvers‘ level of bad, but it did cost the club the type of player that they’ve struggled to find ever since.

Why Did the Maple Leafs Give Up On Marchment?

In so many ways, Marchment seemed ideally suited to be a Toronto Maple Leaf. Born in Uxbridge, Ontario, he even spent his junior hockey days locally, playing in the Ontario Hockey League for the Hamilton Bulldogs, Mississauga Steelheads, and Erie Otters. Moreover, he was a second-generation Maple Leaf, as his dad, the late Bryan Marchment, was a hard-nosed grinder who spent a season in Toronto late in his 17-year career. From the local roots to the family history to his tough-guy style of play, he had all the makings of a fan favourite in the city.

Unfortunately for Marchment, he came around at a time when the Maple Leafs front office was led by Kyle Dubas, who was widely known to emphasize skill over size. The previous June saw Dubas load up on smaller skilled players, opting for players who were listed at 5-foot-11 or smaller for each of the club’s six selections in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.

To be fair to Dubas, you could certainly have made an argument for Malgin having higher upside than Marchment at the time. Not only did the Swiss speedster already have 28 goals and 184 games under his belt at the time (compared to zero goals and four games for Marchment), but he was roughly 18 months younger than the Maple Leafs prospect. Dubas might have doubted Marchment’s ability to consistently find the back of the net at the NHL level.

Marchment Has Thrived Since the Trade

In the aftermath of the pandemic, it’s safe to say this trade hasn’t worked out in the Maple Leafs’ favour. Marchment broke out as a 26-year-old during the 2021-22 season in Florida before signing a four-year, $18 million contract with the Stars that summer. His 18-goal campaign came at a time when he was earning just $800,000. Meanwhile, Toronto signed Nick Ritchie on a two-year, $5 million deal to fill a similar role, but he managed just two goals in 33 games and was waived and traded away that same season.

Fortunately for Marchment and unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, things have only gotten better for the 29-year-old in Dallas. After seeing his production decrease in 2022-23, he rewarded the Stars’ faith by scoring 22 goals and recording 53 points in 81 games last season, finding strong chemistry alongside Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin on the club’s second line. Marchment has been stellar again this season with 14 goals and 29 points in 37 games, although he missed 17 games after undergoing surgery required upon taking a puck to the face in a late-December game.

What Happened to Denis Malgin?

Now, Marchment is only part of the story when it comes to that ill-fated trade. Had Malgin panned out, Maple Leafs fans likely wouldn’t remain so bothered by what Marchment has become. But just as the player than Toronto traded away rose to prominence, the one they gave up went in the other direction.

Denis Malgin never truly panned out in the NHL. (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

After going pointless in eight games before the NHL was shut down, Malgin played two solid seasons in Switzerland before returning to the club in 2022-23. But while Marchment had already enjoyed his breakout campaign, Malgin struggled to make an impact in Toronto. With just two goals and four points in 23 games, he was flipped to the Colorado Avalanche for forward Dryden Hunt. If you follow the trade tree, Malgin became Hunt who became Radim Zohorna, in what is something of a game of musical chairs of minimal-impact minor-league forwards.

Beyond Toronto, Malgin enjoyed a modestly successful 2022-23 with the Avalanche, scoring 11 goals in 42 games, before returning to Switzerland where he won a league title as part of the 2023-24 Zurich club. Despite some success abroad, however, there have been no signs of a pending NHL return.

The Maple Leafs Could Have Used Marchment

Exactly five years later, what resonates with this trade is how nicely Marchment would fit on today’s Maple Leafs. His physicality would suit head coach Craig Berube’s style of play to a tee, while his 14 goals would still stand as the club’s seventh-highest total despite the 17 games he lost to injury. The front office would have needed to find a way to absorb his $4.5 million cap hit, but surely he’d be providing more value than Max Domi ($3.75 million), David Kampf ($2.4 million) or Calle Jarnkrok ($2.1 million).

Assuming Marchment had stuck around and still realized his NHL breakout as a Maple Leaf, it’s easy to envision two scenarios where he would have thrived in Toronto. He could have helped juice up a third line that has seemingly been in perpetual need of a scoring boost (perhaps never more than this season,) or he could have followed the trend of players like Zach Hyman, Michael Bunting, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Matthew Knies as the physical presence and junk-goal recipient on one of the team’s top lines.

Either way, it’s easy to see a place for Marchment on the Maple Leafs, a teasing indicator of what could have been.

So happy five-year anniversary, Marchment-for-Malgin trade. You may not have been Dubas’ biggest mistake as Maple Leafs general manager, but it’s easy to see now just how costly you were.