Prior to the 2025-26 season starting, the Ottawa Senators made a trade to acquire Kurtis MacDermid from the New Jersey Devils. Trading for MacDermid upgraded the Senators' toughness.
At 31 years old, the Senators were MacDermid's fourth different NHL team. The Senators knew they were going to get a big enforcer, but may have been unsure how he would fit into the team's system.
Early into the season, the Senators weren't getting much out of MacDermid for his salary and style of play. There may have been some prospects in Belleville that may have been worth playing more over MacDermid. Now, having MacDermid in the lineup may actually be beneficial to the Senators.
Senators have been winning when MacDermid is in the lineup
MacDermid has played in six games this season. However, MacDermid's impact has helped the Senators even if it's small.
The Senators are 4-1-1 overall when MacDermid plays. While he hasn't produced a single point offensively, MacDermid makes up for it with being a tough player to play against due to his physicality and strength at 6-foot-5.
This past Monday, Murray Pam of Hockey Hot Stove tweeted about what Senators head coach Travis Green had to say about MacDermid in a very positive way.
Green went on to say how MacDermid is a great teammate, understands that he will only get a few shifts per game, but it will also allow the Senators to double-shift their wingers, which has resulted in two goals.
Some may not know that Green is very familiar with MacDermid. Green coached MacDermid when he was the interim head coach of the New Jersey Devils in the 2023-24 season. So, Green knows the toughness MacDermid can bring to a team's lineup.
MacDermid can bring intimidation to a lineup. During the Senators' last game this past Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, MacDermid was ready to drop the gloves and fight Arber Xhekaj. However, Xhekaj declined to fight.
It seems now that having MacDermid in the lineup is starting to benefit the Senators after a slow start. Tomorrow night's game against the Boston Bruins offers another chance for MacDermid to make an impact in the Senators lineup.