Just after 5:30 PM today, the New Jersey Devils announced that they have traded Kurtis MacDermid to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Zack MacEwen. While the Devils were expected to look for ways to cut salary after signing Luke Hughes to a long-term extension, this was somewhat surprising. The Devils are expected to have a cushion for their cap situation because of Johnny Kovacevic’s injury, which is expected to keep him out until after New Year’s. With this move, they get a bit of a head start on readying themselves for cap compliance after Kovacevic’s return.
MacDermid and MacEwen are similar players. Over the last five regular seasons, MacEwen has been in 33 fights between the NHL and AHL, while MacDermid has been in 23. In that span, MacDermid has 276 penalty minutes with seven goals and 11 assists in 198 NHL games, averaging 7:41 of ice time per game. MacEwen, by comparison, has 298 penalty minutes with 12 goals and 15 assists in 216 NHL games, averaging 9:22 of ice time per game. In the AHL, MacEwen also has 13 goals, 13 assists, and 37 penalty minutes in 35 games during that time frame. Prior to his signing with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2021, MacEwen also played 155 games for the Utica Comets when they were the affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks. In addition to MacEwen producing a bit more than MacDermid in the NHL, he also grades better in his underlying metrics. In the three-year RAPM comparison on Evolving-Hockey below, MacEwen is shown to have a considerably less negative impact on team offense and a slightly less negative impact on defense.
Of course, advanced stats do not tell the whole picture: both players have negative on-ice results. Over the last three seasons, MacEwen’s teams have been outscored 39 to 28 with him on the ice at five-on-five, while MacDermid’s teams have only been outscored 21 to 19, albeit in nearly 261 fewer minutes played. Since being traded to New Jersey, the Devils had been outscored 7 to 3 with MacDermid on the ice.
With how jam-packed the lineup is beginning to get, though, MacEwen might have trouble consistently cracking the lineup. MacDermid was in that boat last season, when he only played in three games from the month of February to the end of the season, including an appearance in the final game of the season in which several regulars were scratched. That is where the issue with his contract likely came in. Making $1.15 million per season through 2026-27, Kurtis MacDermid had the maximum cap hit that could be completely buried in the minor leagues if he were to clear waivers. However, with the team’s fear that a team would claim him, that move never happened. By comparison, MacEwen makes the league minimum at $775,000 per season, and the Senators were able to send him to Belleville in both of the last two seasons. Regardless of whether the Devils send him down or carry him on the NHL roster, MacEwen or any other player on league minimum salary replacing MacDermid represents savings of $375,000 against the cap ceiling.
I will say, though: Kurtis MacDermid is one of the best fighters I have ever seen on NHL ice. For a heavyweight, he does not tire out very quickly, as I don’t think he’s ever been outlasted in a fight since he was traded to the Devils. From his fight with Matt Rempe (which Rempe unsurprisingly did not want a repeat of) to the one above and several others, MacDermid was as good of a fighter you could ask an NHL enforcer to be. Comparatively, MacEwen has a bit more of a wild side to his fighting style, as was on display when he welcomed Mason Geertsen to the Devils some years ago.
Even in this preseason, MacEwen has shown his ability to throw some thunderous punches. So, I don’t think the Devils should be losing too much in the fighting department, even if I think MacDermid is the closest any player is to being a professional fighter in the NHL. A part of me, even though I argued for MacDermid to be waived to make room against the cap, is still sad to see him go, but I think Devils fans will enjoy having MacEwen around for rivalry games and games against certain other teams like the Panthers, Senators (not even counting MacDermid now being there), Ducks, or any other team that plays things a little more aggressively than average.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the enforcer trade? Are we exchanging the Big Mac nickname right from Kurtis to Zack? How many games and fights do you think MacEwen will have this season? Will Mac and Mac fight each other on December 9? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.