After a lopsided 5–0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night — a game that featured some one-sided brawls — Senators general manager Steve Staios wasted little time making a move this week.
On Friday, the club announced it had acquired rugged forward Kurtis MacDermid from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for winger Zack MacEwen.
At 6-foot-5 and 233 pounds, MacDermid is considered one of the NHL’s best fighters. One of his most memorable moments came in April 2024, when he squared off with New York Rangers enforcer Matt Rempe during a notorious line brawl that broke out before the opening faceoff between the Devils and Rangers.
Rempe And McDermid Ignite MAYHEM At The Garden 🥊
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Rempe had been running around in the previous game against New Jersey, and the Devils head coach at the time wasn’t happy about it.
That coach was Travis Green.
“None of this would have happened, though we all know why it did happen tonight,” Green said after that game. “None of it would have happened if something had happened in the game before.”
Green was referencing the previous game, where Rempe refused MacDermid’s offer to fight. In that game, Rempe knocked Devils defenceman Jonas Siegenthaler out of the game with a high elbow and was subsequently suspended for four games.
So now Green has MacDermid at his disposal again as his Senators prep for a rematch in Montreal on Saturday night.
McDermid appeared in 23 games for New Jersey last season, getting in just four fights. Part of that modest total is, we’re guessing, because so few players have much interest in tangling with him. Not many are in his weight class.
Previously, while MacEwen was always willing to answer the bell, Ottawa’s best option to counter someone like Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj was probably Brady Tkachuk. That was a problem, because when they both suited up, the two alphas inevitably found each other, smacked each other around for a bit and then got sent off, which was a horrible trade-off for the Sens.
MacDermid now gives the Senators a fighter capable of standing toe-to-toe with the league’s most imposing enforcers. He can play when he’s needed and eat popcorn in the press box when he’s not.
There’s no question that views about true enforcers vary. Some people think that having a nuclear deterrent on your side can send a wave of confidence through a room. Others contend that it’s a waste of a roster spot.
Here’s the tale of the tape from the Sens press release:
MacDermid, 31, 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.
MacEwen, 29, spent the last two seasons with the Senators organization. He played 51 games with Ottawa and 33 games with Belleville.
The Senators and Canadiens meet again Saturday night in Montreal in their preseason finale — and after the vibe from Tuesday’s game, it’s hard to believe MacDermid won’t be in uniform for the Senators… just in case.
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