Senator dangerously overreacts trade with McDermead – Hockey Writer – Ottawa Senator

The Senators weren’t a weak team, but they looked helpless against the Canadians that night, so they added a player to make sure that it didn’t happen again. However, the entire collapse is an overreaction to the preseason incident that has nothing to do with the rest of the season and now there will be dangerous clashes in the Senators when they meet Montreal next.

MacDermid has no seat in Ottawa

There is no doubt that MacDermid is one of the toughest players in the NHL right now. At 6-foot-5 and 234 pounds, he is one of the dominant NHL heavyweights who has made a name for himself by standing up with other Giants. His inclination with New York Ranger executor Matt Rempe made headlines, both on the violence on the ice and on both sides’ comments before and after the event.

But that’s what all MacDermid does now. During his nine-year career, MacDermid averaged only 32 NHL games per season, with injuries or healthy scratches most of the time. The reason is likely that players like him no longer have a place in the NHL. Gone are the days of hiring law enforcement officers on the fourth line to protect star players. The battle went bankrupt throughout the league, and despite occasional return executors like Rempe or Arber Xhekaj, the team prioritized skill and speed throughout the lineup. Having the executors in regular time makes a team worse overall.

Just look at McWinn. Over his seven-year career, he is 6-foot-4 and weighs 236 pounds and has an average of 33 games per season, almost the same as MacDermid. In his two seasons in Ottawa, he played only 51 games and summed up 78 minutes of free throw minutes, the same as New Jersey’s MacDermid. However, the Senator did not need him at the bottom six, but turned to cousins ​​Michael Amadeo and Ridley Greg. The addition of Lars Eller and Arthur Kaliyev further pushed Macewen’s in-depth table in the offseason, making him destined to compete in the 2025-26 American Hockey League (AHL).

If MacDermid and Macewen are basically the same players, it is not expected that the Senators’ latest player suddenly finds a regular roster this season. This is not the lack of resilience among the senators. Even though Macewen rarely played, the Senators were still in the first half of the free throw minutes (PIM), and while Brady Tkachuk almost doubled the team’s second-highest PIM total, Ottawa has never seen a physical comparison. Apart from the bigger players, there is no deal that isn’t a different player than a player who is leaving.

Preseason is not a regular match

Over the years, there have been countless examples that, in a few games, the competition for easier competition and strong teams are staggering in a few games before the regular season begins. Just look at who led the NHL scoring competition so far; Josh Norris of the Buffalo Saber Center has already scored five points in four games, with players like Sonny Milano, Hendrix Lapierre and Noah Philp finishing behind him. Although all are talented players, no one is expected to lead their team to score this season. Instead, all benefited from competing with more inexperienced players and exaggerating their statistics.

The same is true for Ottawa. While fans want teams like Tkachuk or Tim Stutzle to lead the team to score, the preseason ended with three-pointers from Greig, Kaliyev and David Perron, who all had two points. Meanwhile, Stutzle and Tkachuk merged an assist between them.

Related: Canadians have emerging competition with senators

This is expected in the preseason; star players will rest in the regular season, with in-depth players and young players having the opportunity to show coaches and management how to adapt to the organization. Meanwhile, Kaliyev, Donovan Sebrango, Olle Lycksell and Nikolas Matinpalo led the Senators to four games. All are strong, but even with their production, even if Sebrango is still with the team after the latest layoffs, it is unlikely that he will spend a lot of time in Ottawa this season.

Minors can cause significant harm

Like Lycksell and Sebrango, Xhekaj is unlikely to play a role in the NHL game this season. The younger brother of Canadian defensive player Arber proved that he could throw the gloves with the best gloves, but did nothing else in three games this season. So when he saw a chance to scrap with Yakemchuk, he was a higher prospect, he (literally) took the chance. If he can prove his strength against a skilled big player, he will certainly be one of the names of people who will be when management needs to call from the farm team.

Yet, Yakemchuk has a real chance to become a Senate this season. The rookie performed well in training camp last season, taking the bottom of the opening night lineup in Ottawa after jumping to professional this season. On the Devil, he showed some very good displays on both ends of the ice. But nothing was done to help his career in response to the collapse of Montreal. When asked if he learned anything from the game, head coach Travis Greene bluntly replied: “Not real, no” (‘from another chaotic preseason game, the Canadians found value that the Senators didn’t have,’ sports – 1/10/2025).

The match against Montreal on September 30 doesn’t make any sense. Not only does it have new insights into players or line combinations, but non-fighters are forced to interact with stronger opponents, risking potential damage. Thankfully, no senator made the game feel hurt, but for Canadians, star rookie Ivan Demidov, who was not seen, was cut by Cousins ​​and later left the game, with their frequently injured center Kirby Dach being punched by Sebrango.

Injuries are an inevitable part of the hockey game, but there is a direct correlation between the number of games someone plays and the likelihood of their injury. That’s why the NHL decided to shorten the preseason from next season. However, their treatment of events in preseason and many encourage characters and deep participants to enjoy freedom with other team stars. Podcaster and commentator Steve Dangle were fired in a series of injuries, saying in a recent episode: “The NHL has communicated this article for months and years and years: Injuring your opponents, breaking bones, scrambling eggs, shortening their eggs, shortening their careers and careers, and the punishments, and the results are worth it.”

Senators saw Xhekaj’s move as an attempt to hurt Yakemchuk and were embarrassed that they could not fully react to their strong bodies, so they went out to catch one of the toughest players in the NHL. As of October 5, MacDermid, Sebrango and Cousins ​​are still in the main squad, which means the Senators want to make a very clear statement early in the season – you can’t push us. But someone will have to pay the price for that position. Is it a rookie like Demidov or a veteran like Durchi? Sebrango and MacDermid will then return to minors and the senators will return to business as usual.

But if the Senators just stick to their own game, they don’t need to waste time proving to the rest of the league that they are as strong and mean as everyone else. Now, instead of picking up the key points in a tight Atlantic division game, they need to set the tone whenever they face the Canadians, the maple leaves or the infamous Florida Panthers again. These are bruised self-actions, not attempts to make the team better, but the MacDermid trade could cost the senator far more than its reputation.