Six days before the Ottawa Senators' 2025-26 regular season opener, the team made a one-for-one trade with the New Jersey Devils. The Senators traded away Zack MacEwen in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid.
Both teams swapped a fourth line enforcer with completing the trade. The Senators were eager to upgrade their toughness and the ability to have a player who can win fights with trading for MacDermid at 31 years old.
Tonight, the Senators are playing their second game of the season against the Florida Panthers at 7 p.m. ET at Amerant Bank Arena. However, the Senators may need to give MacDermid more ice time moving forward for one reason.
MacDermid's salary for his ice time needs improvement
In his career, MacDermid hasn't been known for his offense with recording 31 points in 289 career games. MacDermid has made up for it with his physicality and fighting. However, one game into the new could raise concern around MacDermid's salary for his play.
On Thursday night, the Senators won their season opening game 5-4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, but MacDermid didn't contribute much in the win despite getting into a fight 2:26 into the game.
MacDermid played just 2:13 of ice time in the game. For a player making $1.15 million per year until 2027, MacDermid's salary for his play may be one that is too high for the Senators to have on the roster as a fourth line enforcer.
For example, Nick Cousins is better offensively and plays more ice time than MacDermid and is making $325,000 less for a fourth liner. Cousins played over 10 minutes on Thursday night.
However, the contract of MacDermid is one the Senators may have to eat. The salary also may not help the Senators considering MacDermid has never played over 60 games in a season, and MacDermid played in 23 games last season for the Devils in the first year of his contract at a salary of $1.15 million per year.
If MacDermid is in the Senators lineup because of just being an enforcer, he could become a liability to have to play over other players considering his salary. Some players who were solid in preseason that could get NHL experience this season who have a lower salary than MacDermid are Olle Lycksell, Stephen Halliday and Arthur Kaliyev.
If Lycksell, Halliday or Kaliyev prove to be better, MacDermid in the lineup may not make sense for the Senators.
More ice time for MacDermid may need to be something to try early into the season. Over two minutes of ice time for a player making $1.15 million may not b enough from MacDermid to contribute for the Senators.