On top of being a capable goal scorer, even as he turns 40 years old, Perry did a terrific job getting under the skin of opponents. When accounting for Evander Kane, who was traded to the Vancouver Canucks last off-season, the Oilers didn’t really have a player who could do that.

Getting a player with the sole intent of getting under the skin of the opposition isn’t something the Oilers should be doing. But adding a 20-goal scorer who fits in the middle six who is also a pest, now we’re talking.

Enter Mason Marchment, as the 31-year-old ranks as Daily Faceoff’s 11th-best free agent available.

Mason Marchment’s fit in the Oilers’ lineup

Marchment has had a weird career. After spending two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, the winger went undrafted and toiled in the ECHL and American Hockey League for his first four professional seasons.

Aside from four games with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019-20, the Uxbridge, Ont. product didn’t get his big break in the National Hockey League until 2020-21 with the Florida Panthers. Playing 33 games, he scored twice and added 10 assists, then scored two more goals in the playoffs.

Suddenly, all the pieces fit after that, as Marchment went on to score 18 goals and 47 points in 54 games with the Panthers in 2021-22. The Dallas Stars came calling in the summer of 2022, with the winger signing a four-year deal that is about to end.

In 2022-23, he scored 12 goals and 31 points in 68 games, with four goals and six points in 18 playoff games. The following season, he scored a career-best 22 goals and 53 points in 81 games, with three goals and five points in 13 playoff games. Marchment scored another 22 goals in 2024-25, doing so in just 62 games. He added 25 assists, giving him 47 points, with a goal and five points in 18 playoff games.

Needing to clear cap space, the Stars sent him to the Seattle Kraken before the 2025 draft. Marchment wasn’t a fit on the Pacific Coast, scoring just four goals and 13 points in 29 games, so before the holiday roster freeze, they sent him to the Columbus Blue Jackets. In Ohio, Marchment scored 15 goals and 32 points in 39 games, making him one of the best free agent forwards in this class.

In the last three off-seasons, the Oilers have had a tendency to sign middle six forwards. The 2024 off-season saw them sign Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner, two players that didn’t fit with the team. It was the same case for Andrew Mangiapane, who signed with the team last off-season. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks before the 2026 trade deadline.

But adding a player like Marchment is different. He’s consistently scored 18 or more goals since the 2021-22 season, failing to reach that mark just once in that span. He can play up and down the lineup as well, including on the third line that grinds.

Marchment wouldn’t hurt the Oilers defensively like Skinner, and he’ll get under the skin of players, something neither Arvidsson or Mangiapane did in their Oiler tenure.

Of course, there are a few concerns. Marchment has gone over the line in years past. Against the Oilers alone, he injured Zach Hyman in the 2025 Western Conference Finals (a fluke injury), and blindsided Darnell Nurse in a regular season game last November (not a clean hit). He’s finished with 50 or more penalty minutes since 2021-22, and has accumulated 60 penalty minutes in 59 playoff games.

Speaking of the penalties, he’s never been a penalty killer in his career, which is something that makes him just a tad bit less valuable for the Oilers.

Additionally, while he’s always had a good goal share and expected goal share in the regular season, his team has been out-scored 20 to 35 with him on the ice during five-on-five in playoff games.

All that being said, is Marchment a player that the Oilers should be pursuing this offseason?

Should the Oilers pursue Marchment?

Signing Marchment has its pros and cons. He’s great at getting under the skin of opposition, but also crosses a line at times. Marchment can chip in offensively with more than 15 goals a season, but he has just 11 postseason goals in 59 games while his team has been out-scored heavily with him on the ice. He’s solid defensively but doesn’t kill penalties.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to how much cap space they have whenever Darnell Nurse is traded, as well as how much Marchment wants. If he’s willing to play a middle-six role with a contract on a three or four-year term, making less than $5 million, it should be something that the Oilers entertain.

That said, there may be better options out there. Ilya Mikheyev is a better fit in their bottom six and kills penalties (and does it well). If they want scoring, the Oilers are just better suited to trade for a top-six winger if they can find a way to do so. Even then, they have bigger issues to address than middle-six scoring.