Toronto Maple Leafs trade Mason Marchment for Denis Malgin
By James Reeve
The Toronto Maple Leafs have today announced that the club has acquired versatile forward Denis Malgin in a trade.
Five days before the trade deadline, the Toronto Maple Leafs have made a move that sees them acquire Denis Malgin from fellow Atlantic Division rivals, the Florida Panthers, in exchange for Mason Marchment.
The 23-year-old Swiss forward, who is capable of playing as either a centre or right wing, was originally selected in the fourth round (102nd overall) of the 2015 Draft by the Panthers.
Malgin was selected from the ZSC Lions of the Swiss NLA and was a teammate of current Leafs superstar Auston Matthews during his draft campaign in 2015/16.
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Malgin moved over to North America ahead of the 2016/17 NHL season and had become a regular performer for the Panthers, making 184 regular-season appearances in the Sunshine State before today’s trade.
During that time, Malgin has largely played in a bottom-six role, averaging 12:38 while on the ice, scoring 28 goals and earning 60 total points.
His ability to play at centre understandably made him an intriguing asset for the Toronto Maple Leafs organisation, who could do with having some extra depth through the middle – with Alexander Kerfoot stepping out to the wing more frequently.
Malgin is an impending restricted free agent this summer, meaning that the Leafs will retain his rights and could potentially extend him if they view him as a longer-term contributor.
His current cap hit of $750,000 is also virtually identical to Marchment’s $767,500.
This deal does see Marchment’s time with the Leafs disappointingly come to an end, with the 24-year-old having worked hard and fought his way through the organisation to make his NHL debut earlier this season.
Marchment went undrafted after playing for the Erie Otters, Hamilton Bulldogs and Mississauga Steelheads in the OHL, moving to the Orlando Solar Bears in the ECHL and the Toronto Marlies in the AHL, winning the Calder Cup with the Leafs’ minor affiliates.
This season saw Marchment make four NHL regular-season appearances, registering an assist against the Edmonton Oilers in early January.
On paper, this deal seems to work in the Leafs’ favour, with the Canadian team acquiring a regular NHL player in exchange for a predominantly AHL player. In the long-term, however, it will be interesting to see how Marchment works out with the Panthers.
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What do you think Leafs fans? Are you happy with this trade? Did it catch you off-guard? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!