Player for player trade between Ottawa and New Jersey!

The New Jersey Devils have just announced that they have acquired Zack MacEwen from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid.

Last season, MacEwen split his time with Ottawa and Belleville (AHL). In 21 NHL games last season, he scored two goals and one assist with 21 penalty minutes. In 23 AHL games, he registered seven goals, and nine assists with 29 penalty minutes.

He has played 237 career NHL regular-season games over seven seasons, scoring 34 points (17 goals, 17 assists) while accumulating 323 penalty minutes.

As for MacDermid, the 31-year-old winger has played in 288 NHL games in his career. The 6’5’’, 233 lbs skater has scored 11 goals, collected 20 assists and 391 penalty minutes. Undrafted, he made his debut with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2017-18 season. He joined the Colorado Avalanche at the start of the 2021-22 season before ending up in New Jersey in March 2024.

With the transaction, the Devils clear a bit of cap space with this move. MacDermid had a $1,150,000 AAV, and MacEwen is on a $775,000 AAV contract. The Senators add net $375K hit to their cap.

The Senators might have been looking to get bigger amid a disastrous preseason, one in which the Montreal Canadiens looked way bigger and stronger than anyone on Ottawa's roster. On Tuesday during their preseason clash, Habs' Arber Xhekaj quickly neutralized MacEwen with heavy shots near the benches.

This is a good low-risk, high-reward move.