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Devils Trade Kurtis MacDermid To Senators For Zack MacEwen

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The New Jersey Devils have acquired winger Zack MacEwen from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid, per a team announcement.

This trade is a swap of two highly physical, down-the-lineup players. MacEwen, 29, is a 6’4 227-pound winger set to play out the final season of a three-year, $775K AAV one-way contract. He was signed by the Senators before the 2023-24 season and has played in 51 games in Ottawa across the last two seasons. During his stint in Ottawa, MacEwen managed four goals and six points to go alongside 78 penalty minutes and 104 hits.

MacEwen was in a battle to earn an NHL roster spot in Ottawa to start the 2025-26 season, but was not considered to be a favorite to win a fourth-line role. Now, rather than potentially hit the waiver wire and be sent to the AHL’s Belleville Senators, MacEwen has received a new opportunity with the New Jersey Devils.

At face value, it appears the Devils’ primary motivation behind this trade was financial. While both players are highly physical talents, MacDermid is generally considered to be a marginally more imposing player than MacEwen. But MacEwen is making $775k this season, while MacDermid is set to make $1.15MM against the cap and carries an additional year of term. So in swapping the two players, the Devils have managed to save some cap space while replacing MacDermid with a player who is likely to fill a similar (if not identical) on-ice role.

Having just committed $9MM in cap space to Luke Hughes, this move allows the Devils to gain a marginal amount of additional financial flexibility moving forward.

From the Senators’ perspective there are valid reasons as to why they’d agree to pay the higher price for MacDermid compared to MacEwen. Beyond being just a little bit bigger than MacEwen, MacDermid has been a full-time NHL player since the 2019-20 season – he hasn’t played in the AHL over that entire span. (Meanwhile MacEwen played 30 games in the AHL last season.)

As a result, while the Senators have taken on a greater financial commitment, MacDermid very well could prove to be an upgrade over MacEwen. The Senators recent preseason game against their division rivals, the Montreal Canadiens, was a rambunctious, highly physical affair – and it led to some in Ottawa questioning the team’s level of toughness and ability to endure some of the game’s more physical players. (such as Canadiens defenseman Arber Xhekaj) With this trade, it appears the Senators have made an attempt to reinforce their team’s toughness in advance of what is likely to be a set of bitterly-fought divisional matchups over the course of 2025-26.

Seattle Kraken Sign Julius Miettinen To Entry-Level Contract

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The Seattle Kraken have announced that forward Julius Miettinen has been signed to a three-year entry-level contract. Per the team release, Miettinen’s new contract will carry a $975K AAV.

Miettinen, 19, was a second-round pick of Seattle in the 2024 draft, selected 40th overall. Ranked as high as 22nd in the public sphere (TSN’s Craig Button) Miettinen drew appreciation from scouts for his combination of size (he stands 6’4, 207 pounds) and offensive ability. In his draft season with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips, Miettinen scored 31 goals and 67 points in 66 regular-season games, and four points in nine postseason contests.

Last season was an up-and-down affair for Miettinen, as he managed to continue his steady production and earn a silver medal at the World Junior Championships, but did miss some time due to a lower-body injury. Miettinen is currently back in the WHL and has started off well, scoring two goals and four points in his first two games.

It is overwhelmingly likely Miettinen will not factor into the pro hockey equation for Seattle until his final junior campaign ends, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he enters training camp one year from now looking to steal an NHL role. Miettinen was recently ranked as the Kraken’s tenth-best prospect by EliteProspects, with their team noting how it’s “easy to see” Miettinen having an NHL career due to his projectable pro-ready qualities.

He’ll have to step forward and be a top WHL player with the Silvertips for that to be the likely short-term outcome, but regardless of his production, today’s contract signing paves the way for Miettinen to eventually push for a spot in Seattle down the line.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/3/25

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We’re getting into the final few days of training camp. There are only three days until opening night rosters are due, meaning only a handful of teams have significant cuts to make. Otherwise, it’s down to the final few roster battles. We’re keeping track of today’s demotions here:

Boston Bruins (per team announcement)

F Patrick Brown (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
D Frederic Brunet (to AHL Providence)
D Michael Callahan (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
F Riley Duran (to AHL Providence)
F Brett Harrison (to AHL Providence)
F Fabian Lysell (to AHL Providence)
F Georgii Merkulov (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
D Victor Söderström (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)
F Riley Tufte (to AHL Providence, pending waivers)

Detroit Red Wings (per team announcement)

F Carter Mazur (to AHL Grand Rapids)
G Michal Postava (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D William Wallinder (to AHL Grand Rapids)

Nashville Predators (per team announcement)

F Zachary L’Heureux (to AHL Milwaukee)
D Tanner Molendyk (to AHL Milwaukee)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

D Scott Morrow (to AHL Hartford)
F Gabriel Perreault (to AHL Hartford)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)

D Sebastian Aho (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
F Danton Heinen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
D Philip Kemp (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
F Joona Koppanen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
G Filip Larsson (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)
F Valtteri Puustinen (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, cleared waivers)

Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)

F Ben McCartney (to AHL Tucson, cleared waivers)
D Scott Perunovich (to AHL Tucson, cleared waivers)
F Gabe Smith (to QMJHL Moncton)
G Matt Villalta (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)

Vancouver Canucks (per team announcement)

F Nils Åman (to AHL Abbotsford, pending waivers)

Washington Capitals (per team announcement)

D Ryan Chesley (to AHL Hershey)
F Andrew Cristall (to AHL Hershey)
F Eriks Mateiko (to AHL Hershey)
D Leon Muggli (to AHL Hershey)
F Ilya Protas (to AHL Hershey)
F Sheldon Rempal (to AHL Hershey, pending waivers)

Panthers Claim Cole Schwindt Off Waivers From Golden Knights

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The Panthers have claimed forward Cole Schwindt off waivers from the Golden Knights, PuckPedia reports.

Schwindt, 24, begins his second go-around with the Panthers organization. Florida drafted him in the third round in 2019, and he made his NHL debut for them a few years later before getting included in 2022’s Jonathan Huberdeau/Matthew Tkachuk blockbuster trade with Calgary. He stuck with the Flames organization for two more years, but only played four games for them before he was lost on waivers to the Golden Knights in preseason last year.

The Ontario native brings 49 games of NHL experience back to Sunrise, 42 of which came in a depth role with Vegas in 2024-25. His career 1-7–8 scoring line works out to 0.16 points per game and isn’t particularly inspiring. He’s only averaged 9:21 of ice time per game, though, and has produced reliable enough defensive results. In addition to recording 41 hits last year, he had a +3 rating and controlled 52.8% of even-strength expected goals despite a defense-oriented workload.

With Florida dealing with a difficult rash of injuries to their forward group, it’s sensible for them to bring back a familiar name. They still need to make a few cuts, and it’s not a guarantee he doesn’t end up back on waivers in the next two days, but he gives them an option with more recent NHL experience than Jack Studnicka, who’s still hanging around in camp and was projected as their 13th forward to start the year before Schwindt’s pickup. PTO invites Noah Gregor and Tyler Motte are still options to sign and potentially push Schwindt back onto waivers, though.

Avalanche Claim Ilya Solovyov

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The Avalanche have acquired defenseman Ilya Solovyov from the Flames via waivers, according to PuckPedia.

Solovyov, 25, is in the second year of a two-year, $1.55MM contract with a $775K cap hit that he signed with Calgary as a restricted free agent in 2024. It carries a one-way structure this year, so even if the Avs managed to have him clear waivers and assign him to the minors, they’re on the hook for that full NHL salary. Solovyov skated in five of his 15 career NHL contests in 2024-25, posting an assist and eight blocks with 12 hits and a -3 rating while averaging 15:40 per game.

The 6’3″ Solovyov commands more intrigue because of his minor-league work with the AHL’s Calgary Wranglers. The Belarusian rearguard is coming off a career-high 6-22–28 scoring line in 59 appearances for the Wranglers, along with a +8 rating. A seventh-round pick back in 2020, he brings four years of professional experience to the Colorado organization that includes an 18-51–69 scoring line with a +33 rating in 229 career AHL games.

Colorado is weak on left-side defensive depth with NHL upside, so it’s not unsurprising to see them make a claim and give Keaton Middleton some competition for the No. 7 job while also providing a backup option if righty Sam Malinski struggles to adjust to playing on his off side, as he’s projected to do alongside Brent Burns. All of Colorado’s projected extra forwards who remain in camp are waiver-exempt, so they could carry 13 forwards and eight defenders to start the year with Logan O’Connor on injured reserve. That would allow them to retain Solovyov and Middleton without risking losing either on waivers.

Wild Claim Daemon Hunt, Release Jack Johnson

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The Wild have claimed defenseman Daemon Hunt off waivers from the Blue Jackets, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports. The club also released Jack Johnson from his professional tryout in a corresponding move and summoned the previously waived Matt Kiersted from AHL Iowa, although that’s a short-term move to give him more preseason action before being returned to the minors.

Today’s move marks a reunion between Hunt and the Wild, who drafted him in the third round of the 2020 draft. The 23-year-old has only ever suited up for Minnesota in the NHL, but he only played one game for them last year before he was included in the early-season trade that saw the Wild acquire David Jiricek from Columbus. This is his first year requiring waivers to head to the minors, where he spent the vast majority of last season.

Hunt, a 6’1″, 201-lb lefty, will begin his fourth professional campaign in a more familiar environment. Drafted as a true two-way defender, his results in AHL Cleveland after moving to the Blue Jackets organization weren’t what Columbus hoped for. He only managed a 2-12–14 scoring line with a -8 rating in 48 appearances after the trade. That offensive output was down significantly from what Hunt had in the Wild organization with Iowa the year prior, logging 29 points in 51 games on their blue line.

In his 13 prior NHL appearances with Minnesota, Hunt had one assist and a -1 rating while averaging a minuscule 11:14 per game. His possession numbers were good in those limited, albeit sheltered minutes, controlling 54.6% of shot attempts and 57.1% of expected goals at even strength.

As such, he’s now slated for an opening-night job with the Wild. With Johnson released, Hunt is one of seven healthy defenders remaining in Wild camp, not counting Kiersted. Jonas Brodin has long been expected to start the year on injured reserve after an offseason upper-body surgery, and that hasn’t changed.

Johnson, 38, will now look elsewhere to continue his career. The veteran of 19 NHL seasons and 1,228 games was reduced to a No. 7/8 job on the Blue Jackets’ depth chart last year, recording six assists and a -13 rating in 41 games. With that stat line as his platform, interest will be limited.

Hurricanes Sign Givani Smith To Two-Way Deal

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The Hurricanes announced Friday they’ve signed winger Givani Smith to a two-way deal. He had been in camp on a professional tryout. The deal carries a $775K NHL salary and a $140K AHL salary with a guarantee of $250K.

A second-round pick by the Red Wings in 2016, Smith has become a journeyman over the past few seasons. Carolina will be the 27-year-old’s sixth NHL organization in the last four years. He split the 2022-23 campaign between the Red Wings and Panthers, spent all of 2023-24 in San Jose, and then split last year between the Sharks, Avalanche, and Flyers organizations. However, he never made an NHL appearance for Philadelphia.

The 6’2″ enforcer has gone 575 days since recording his last NHL point. He went without one in 13 showings last year and spent the back half of the campaign in the minors after clearing waivers. Since his debut six years ago, Smith has a 9-13–22 scoring line in 168 appearances with a -31 rating, 268 PIMs, and 330 hits. He’s averaged just 8:12 of ice time per game.

It remains to be seen whether the Canes keep Smith around for opening night or opt to waive him and stash him with AHL Charlotte. Considering fellow fringe forwards Juha Jaaska and Mark Jankowski are carrying day-to-day injury designations, it’ll likely be the former. He got a relatively long look in preseason, averaging nearly 13 minutes per game across four contests while scoring twice, adding an assist and 28 PIMs.

Smith beat out fellow PTO invite Kevin Labanc for a job, as well as first-round picks like Bradly Nadeau and Ryan Suzuki – the latter of whom managed to clear waivers this week. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Rangers Reassign Scott Morrow, Gabe Perreault

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As Monday’s opening night roster deadline nears, there are set to be some quite newsworthy demotions in the coming days. The Rangers made one this morning, assigning their top two prospects – defenseman Scott Morrow and winger Gabriel Perreault – to AHL Hartford, according to a team announcement.

Perreault and Morrow were the club’s No. 1 and No. 2-ranked prospects by NHL.com this summer. Neither were locks to make the opening night roster, but both were penciled into a good portion of projections at the beginning of camp.

In Perreault’s case, it’s likely a matter of top-six ice time not being available. Alexis Lafrenière has settled back into a top-line role alongside Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck, as new head coach Mike Sullivan looks to jumpstart the former first-overall pick’s production after a down year in 2024-25. The Rangers’ second line has filled up too, with Mika Zibanejad shifting to wing on a more permanent basis and William Cuylle jumping into a left-wing spot beside him and J.T. Miller following his breakout year. New York would be understandably reluctant to risk stunting their most promising young forward’s development by starting him in third-line duties on a team without a ton of bottom-six depth, so he’ll instead look to play a starring role in Hartford to begin his professional career.

Perreault, 20, was the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 draft and has spent the last two years with Boston College, tearing up the Hockey East conference with 108 points in 73 career NCAA games. He turned pro at the end of last year and got five games with the Blueshirts, although he didn’t get on the scoresheet.

His demotion leaves the Rangers with 15 forwards on their training camp roster and just one cut to make to get down to the 23-player limit by Monday’s deadline. There are two spots up for grabs, meaning the game of musical chairs will leave one of veteran Jonny Brodzinski, rookie Noah Laba, and PTO invite Conor Sheary without a spot. Laba faces the longest odds; he’s waiver-exempt and doesn’t stand much of a chance on the roster unless he usurps Juuso Pärssinen as the Blueshirts’ No. 3 center to open the season.

Morrow’s demotion also comes down to roster math. The 22-year-old righty has Adam Fox, William Borgen, and Braden Schneider ahead of him on that side of the depth chart, meaning he’d either be ticketed for long stretches in the press box or someone would need to shift to their off side to get him playing time. The latter never happened in camp, so he’ll now head to the Wolf Pack to serve as their presumptive No. 1 defenseman until another NHL opportunity comes.

A 2021 second-round pick by the Hurricanes, the offensive-minded Morrow recorded six points in 16 NHL games with Carolina over the last two seasons. He was the headlining piece of the return the Rangers received from the Canes in the K’Andre Miller sign-and-trade this offseason. He had a 13-26–39 scoring line in 52 AHL games last year and will look to build on that in Hartford.

With Morrow gone, seven defensemen remain on the Rangers’ roster. That’s their likely opening-night contingent, meaning Matthew Robertson has all but locked up his first opening-night NHL job. The 6’4″ lefty was a second-round pick in 2019, but the 24-year-old only has bottom-pairing ceiling at this stage of his development. That means a No. 7 role is far less harmful to his development than Morrow’s. Robertson made his NHL debut for New York in a two-game call-up last season and is coming off a career-best offensive campaign in Hartford, where he logged a 1-24–25 scoring line in 60 games with a -5 rating.

Training Camp Cuts: 10/2/25

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There are five days to go until opening night. Only a few teams have sweeping cuts left to make, with the majority of clubs within five or so cuts (or even at) their final rosters already. We’re keeping track of today’s cuts with this article, which will be updated throughout the day.

Anaheim Ducks (per team announcement)

G Calle Clang (to AHL San Diego)
F Nathan Gaucher (to AHL San Diego)
D Tyson Hinds (to AHL San Diego)
D Tristan Luneau (to AHL San Diego)
F Yegor Sidorov (to AHL San Diego)
D Stian Solberg (to AHL San Diego)

Boston Bruins (per team announcement)

F Dalton Bancroft (to AHL Providence)
F John Farinacci (to AHL Providence)
F Dans Locmelis (to AHL Providence)
D Billy Sweezey (to AHL Providence, cleared waivers)

Calgary Flames (per team announcement)

F Rory Kerins (to AHL Calgary, pending waivers)
G Ivan Prosvetov (to AHL Calgary, pending waivers)
D Ilya Solovyov (to AHL Calgary, pending waivers)

Dallas Stars (per team announcement)

G Rémi Poirier (to AHL Texas)

Detroit Red Wings (per team announcement)

F Ondřej Becher (to AHL Grand Rapids)
G Sebastian Cossa (to AHL Grand Rapids)
F Sheldon Dries (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
D William Lagesson (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
F John Leonard (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
F Amadeus Lombardi (to AHL Grand Rapids)
D Ian Mitchell (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
F Dominik Shine (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
D Antti Tuomisto (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)
F Austin Watson (to AHL Grand Rapids, cleared waivers)

Edmonton Oilers (per team announcement)

F Connor Clattenburg (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Cam Dineen (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)
F James Hamblin (to AHL Bakersfield, cleared waivers)
F Quinn Hutson (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Atro Leppanen (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Viljami Marjala (to AHL Bakersfield)
F Josh Samanski (to AHL Bakersfield)
D Riley Stillman (to AHL Bakersfield, pending waivers)

Florida Panthers (per team announcement)

D Marek Alscher (to AHL Charlotte)
D Michael Benning (to AHL Charlotte)
G Cooper Black (to AHL Charlotte)
D Trevor Carrick (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
F Brett Chorske (released from ATO to AHL Charlotte)
F Josh Davies (to AHL Charlotte)
F Jack Devine (to AHL Charlotte)
D Ben Harpur (released from PTO)
D Mikulas Hovorka (to AHL Charlotte)
D Colton Huard (released from ATO to AHL Charlotte)
F Hunter Johannes (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
D Jake Livingstone (released from PTO to AHL Charlotte)
F Anton Lundmark (to AHL Charlotte)
F Ryan McAllister (to AHL Charlotte)
F Liam McLinskey (released from ATO to AHL Charlotte)
F Gracyn Sawchyn (to AHL Charlotte)
F Kai Schwindt (to AHL Charlotte)
F Hunter St. Martin (to AHL Charlotte)
F Ben Steeves (to AHL Charlotte)
F Sandis Vilmanis (to AHL Charlotte)

Nashville Predators (per team announcement)

D Andreas Englund (to AHL Milwaukee, cleared waivers)

New York Rangers (per team announcement)

D Casey Fitzgerald (to AHL Hartford, cleared waivers)

Philadelphia Flyers (per team announcement)

F Karsen Dorwart (to AHL Lehigh Valley)
F Lane Pederson (to AHL Lehigh Valley, cleared waivers)

Pittsburgh Penguins (per team announcement)

D Scooter Brickey (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Mathieu De St. Phalle (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
G Taylor Gauthier (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
F Aidan McDonough (released from PTO to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)
D Chase Pietila (to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton)

San Jose Sharks (per team announcement)

F Patrick Giles (to AHL San Jose, cleared waivers)

Seattle Kraken (per team announcement)

F Ben Meyers (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)
F Mitchell Stephens (to AHL Coachella Valley, pending waivers)

Utah Mammoth (per team announcement)

F Ben McCartney (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
D Scott Perunovich (to AHL Tucson, pending waivers)
G Jaxson Stauber (to AHL Tucson, cleared waivers)

Washington Capitals (per team announcement)

F Louis Belpedio (to AHL Hershey, cleared waivers)
F Graeme Clarke (to AHL Hershey, cleared waivers)
D David Gucciardi (to AHL Hershey)
F Henrik Rybinski (to AHL Hershey, cleared waivers)
F Bogdan Trineyev (to AHL Hershey, cleared waivers)

Snapshots: Luukkonen, Portillo, Paper Moves

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The Buffalo Sabres are once again uncertain about the short-term health of their starting goaltender, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The team pulled Luukkonen after just one period of action in Wednesday night’s preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. After the game, head coach Lindy Ruff said that Luukkonen was still feeling some discomfort with the lower-body injury he recently returned from, per Michael Aguello of The Hockey News.

Luukkonen returned to Buffalo’s practices last week, after missing the start of training camp due to a late-summer injury. He described his injury as a, “flare up” and told reporters that he had no concerns with being ready for opening night. One week later, it appears Luukkonen is still in need of a bit more conditioning. He’ll be headed for a major workload when he does reach full health. Luukkonen played at least 50 games in each of the last two seasons. He’s posted a cumulative .899 save percentage in 109 games since taking the reigns as Buffalo’s starter. The goal will be to push that average above .900 with a return to the starter’s crease this season. First, he’ll need to ease himself back into the role. Should Luukkonen be unavailable for opening night, the Sabres will turn towards Alexandar Georgiev, who posted a .875 Sv% in 49 games last season.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Los Angeles Kings have recalled goaltender Erik Protillo from the AHL. He will get a chance to continue his preseason action, after being assigned to the minors on Wednesday. Los Angeles also placed goaltender Pheonix Copley on waivers for the purposes of an AHL move, but the Tampa Bay Lightning submitted a claim to prevent that from happening. With Copley now out of the organization, Portillo is one of only fourt Kings goaltenders with an NHL contract, alongside the team’s top tandem of Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg – and top goalie prospect Carter George, who is on his entry-level contract. That standing will earn Portillo a bit more attention as Los Angeles’ training camp comes to a close. He hasn’t yet made his prseason debut, but posted . 966 Sv% in his NHL debut last season, and a .889 Sv% through 24 AHL games. Expect Portillo to get a hardier look in the Kings’ final preseason matchups, before vying for the Ontario Reign’s starting role out of the gates.
  • The Kings would have been unable to make the swap with Portillo that they did had it happened after next weekend. The NHL has altered their use of “Paper Loans” for this season, and will now require that players assigned to the AHL play in at least one game before being called back up, per PuckPedia. However, the league clarified to teams that the new rule won’t take effect until October 10th, which could allow teams the opportunity for some cap gymnastics at the start of the regular season. PuckPedia points out that, under this rule, teams could assign waiver-exempt players to the minors and submit an eligible opening night roster, then place injured players on in-season, long-term injured reserve, and recall their waiver-exempt players. An example could be the Edmonton Oilers assigning winger Isaac Howard to the minors, placing Zach Hyman on LTIR, and then recalling Howard before their first game on October 8th.

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