Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils Swap Enforcers in Unexpected Trade

With less than a week to go before the NHL season, fans have been conditioned to expect some surprise changes to rosters, and with so many players being placed on waivers, there's plenty of change for change.

On Friday however, we saw a surprise trade that no one saw coming, with the Ottawa Senators and New Jersey Devils coming together to swap enforcers ahead of potential Stanley Cup Playoffs seasons for both teams.

Out of the blue, it was announced by the Senators social media team that they have sent Zach MacEwen to the Devils in exchange for Kurtis MacDermid, a move that makes little sense for both teams.

On paper, neither team exactly improves from these deals, but perhaps with a change of scenery, both players can improve and find a new role that allows them to thrive in a new home.

Last season, neither did much beyond playing a role as an enforcer for their team, but with both teams having so much talent that takes care of scoring, they'll settle into their new teams and look to bring the energy, the intensity and the physicality for their new teams.

Ultimately, it's unclear if either team got better in this deal, but with two post-season contenders looking to change things up ahead of the new season, we'll wait and see whether or not this move can inspire either of these teams to a deep playoff run in 2025/26.