NHL analyst urges Vancouver Canucks to sign $18,000,000 Dallas Stars forward after J.T. Miller trade

NHL analyst Rick Dhaliwal has urged the Vancouver Canucks to acquire Dallas Stars forward Mason Marchment.

Dhaliwal made his pitch during the June 2 edition of the Donnie and Dhali show, encouraging the Canucks to make a run at acquiring Marchment amid the Stars' salary cap squeeze.

The Stars head into this summer with a little under $5 million in cap space and have roughly nine UFA/RFAs this offseason, including captain Jamie Benn. While Marchment is not a UFA this summer, he will be entering the final year of his current four-year, $18 million deal.

“The Canucks should go out and get this guy,” Dhaliwal said.

Given the Stars’ precarious cap situation, Mason Marchment could be one of the players on the outside looking in this upcoming season. Stars GM Jim Nil will need to choose which players to keep, particularly considering that star winger Jason Robertson will also need a contract after this upcoming season.

Dhaliwal referred to the upcoming NHL combine, a de facto gathering of all GMs that often leads to trade talk. Dhaliwal underscored how the combine could be an opportunity for the Canucks to strike a deal for Marchment.

He added:

“Dallas is in a cap crunch, Donnie. I’m even hearing Jason Robertson’s name up there. People are throwing names out there.”

It’s worth pointing out that Dhaliwal’s explosive remarks led to the original X post being taken down.

But fans can catch the full episode on Spotify or any of the other streaming platforms the show airs.

As for the rationale behind Dhaliwal’s plea for the Canucks to acquire Mason Marchment, he noted that the Vancouver Canucks still have a hole in the lineup at 2C following the J.T. Miller trade this past season with the New York Rangers.

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It’s Dhaliwal’s belief that Mason Marchment could be the right fit for the Vancouver Canucks, especially with the Stars tight up against the cap.

Vancouver Canucks could fit Marchment under cap this upcoming season

Mason Marchment's cap hit could work for the Canucks this upcoming season - Source: Imagn

According to PuckPedia, the Canucks have a little over $14 million in cap space. The good news is that beyond Brock Boeser, the club doesn’t have any big-ticket free agents.

In addition to Boeser, this season’s breakout star Pius Suter needs a new contract. Assuming that the Canucks sign one of Suter or Boeser, that should leave the club with enough room to fit Marchment’s $4.5 million AAV this upcoming season.

However, Marchment will be a UFA and might command significantly more than $4.5 million. That situation means that the Vancouver Canucks may find it challenging to sign Marchment to a long-term extension.

The Canucks could make such a deal work given the cap ceiling rising over the next couple of seasons. Vancouver still has captain Quinn Hughes under contract for two more seasons, with Thatcher Demko’s $5 million cap hit potentially coming off the books after next season.

Ultimately, trading for Marchment could work for the Vancouver Canucks this upcoming season, providing secondary scoring for new head coach Adam Foote.

About the author

Nestor is an NHL and MLB writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience. Growing up in Toronto, he became an avid Maple Leafs and Blue Jays fan, but also admires the New York Islanders and Los Angeles Dodgers for their dominance in the 80s. Holding an Economics and Education major, Nestor’s passion for writing and sporting events led him to take up reporting about the sport professionally.

Nestor credits the Leafs’ playoff runs in the early '90s as having a lasting impact on him. His favorite players are Doug Gilmour and Mike Bossy, as he feels they were tough, talented leaders, while Pat Burns is his favorite coach of all time for always preaching a fast-paced game.

Growing up in Canada, it was natural for Nestor to become interested in ice hockey and he played Minor Hockey as a teenager, which has given him a unique perspective on the sport. Nestor has mastered the art of how to best present facts and he also has a knack for knowing which sources can be trusted, and which can't for stories.

When he is not writing about Canada’s national passion, Nestor enjoys running and hiking.

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Edited by Nestor Quixtan