Earlier today, the New Jersey Devils made a trade. No, they did not help someone else complete a trade. That was two days ago. General Manager Tom Fitzgerald did this one to bring in someone to the organization. He sent the Nashville’s 2024 seventh round pick and the rights to Zakhar Bardakov to the Colorado Avalanche for Kurtis MacDermid. He is listed as a defenseman, he has played forward, and he is large.
He is also apparently tough. Mean. Gritty. Those who were whining about how soft the Devils were got someone that Mike Rupp called “the toughest guy in the National.” If you were not aware of him, then I do not blame you as he only played in 29 of Colorado’s 61 games this season and when he did play, he averaged just over 5 minutes per game. MacDermid is apparently good in the room. Which is a safe assumption. Guys who cannot even play regularly and are not well liked by his teammates tend to not stick around. Not that it stopped GM Chris MacFarland from taking very little to ship MacDermid’s expiring contract out of Denver.
To be fair to Fitzgerald, the cost to getting MacDermid is very little. It is rare to find, say, the next Ondrej Palat in the seventh round of a NHL Draft. Bardakov is coming out of contract with SKA St. Petersburg after this season. However, it is unknown whether the 23-year old will decide to come over to North America, never mind make the NHL. It may be reasonable to assume that Fitzgerald gave very little to Colorado for MacDermid. To be fair to reality, though, MacDermid is not likely going to help the New Jersey Devils very much when it comes to winning hockey games.
Again, MacDermid dressed for 29 games this season. He has not suffered an injury. MacDermid was a healthy scratch in the other 32 games Colorado has played so far this season. When MacDermid did play, he averaged 5:05 per game. The lowest ATOI on the team, even behind a total of 6:59 of someone named Ondrej Pavel. Production? MacDermid has 2 goals and 12 shots on net this season. He crossed the ten-goal mark in his career this season now sitting at a total of 11 goals, 30 points, and 169 shots in 249 games. MacDermid does not bring the offense.
He also does not help in the run of play either. All of his ice time this season has been at 5-on-5 hockey. Per Natural Stat Trick, his on-ice percentages for this season with the Avs are 37.07% CF%, 41.78% xGF%, 39.81% SF%, 39.13% SCF%, and a surprisingly even 50% HDCF%. MacDermid has been present for very little offense on a offensively talented Avalanche team, which is remarkable to a point. As is his completely high (and unsustainable) on-ice save percentage of 96.92%. All of those attempts, shots, and chances allowed did not lead to goals against. Not that it led Colorado head coach Jared Bednar to give MacDermid more minutes or games. A quick scan at his past 5-on-5 on-ice rates shows that opponents appreciated playing hockey against MacDermid’s team when he took a shift.
Of course, you may not care about that. You’re not interested in whether MacDermid is good at hockey. You want him to be a man. A tough guy. A protector. A guy to make sure his presence will ensure the monster under the bed and at the end of the book will not come out. You want MacDermid for the tough stuff.
Here’s the thing about that. What tough stuff?
In those 29 games this season, MacDermid has had one (1) fighting major. It was way back on November 13, 2023 against Seattle. A scrap with Jamie Oleksiak early in the first period; 5:41 into the period to be exact. A battle that surely inspired his squad to get going. And they got going – to give up a goal to Brandon Tanev at 6:13. What a lift. I’m sure the Kraken were quaking in their skates. When the Avs got going in playing the game of hockey, they would prevail 5-1. MacDermid was not a part of those five goals. He played in just 3 shifts after his fight with Oleksiak out of 5 total that night. Clearly, the fight did not lead to many more minutes even as the Avs were cruising to a win. Tells you how valuable that fight was.
In MacDermid’s whole career, he has 28 major penalties, putting him tied with Jonah Gadjovich (who has 8 this season) in the entire league since 2017-18. MacDermid is nestled in between Ryan Reaves and Adam Lowry for major penalties. And well, well, well behind the guys who throw down a ton like Nicolas Deslauriers (62 majors and counting) and Austin Watson (53 majors and counting). He also had a not-very-nice 69 minor penalties. Nine (9) of those came with the Avalanche this season. So if you want someone to go to the box for a good fraction of his total ice time, MacDermid may be your guy. If you wanted a guy who throws down a whole lot and intimidates oppositions to wither when they see his name on the roster sheet, then you will be disappointed. Why Mike Rupp thinks this guy is the toughest, I could not tell you. But Rupp can say whatever he wants, it’s not like he made this move or he is responsible for when it does not materialize into the fantasy old fans have about “players” like MacDermid.
What disappoints me is that I will have to see MacDermid play. Since blogging about the Devils in October 2006, I have had to endure same song and dance about enforcers and toughness and grit from the People Who Matter who insist that these kinds of players have value. The evidence has spoken very loudly against that. I have seen it and documented it with the likes of (in no particular order) Cam Janssen, Jordin Tootoo, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Andrew Peters, Eric Boulton, Bobby Farnham, Krys Barch, Kurtis Gabriel, Dalton Prout, Luke Gazdic, John Hayden, and Mason Geertsen (whose presence stopped nothing on October 19, 2021 as I remind you). All guys who were there for being character guys who can punch people in the face and supposedly protect someone. As long as you ignore the reality that they have protected nobody, no opponent showed any fear against not-very-good hockey players, and the guys in the NHL who do bad things (e.g. Marchand, Trouba) still do them even after getting into fisticuffs – if they get into that at all. The argument to me has been, “Well, it would be fine if the player could be tough and good” and these players all stunk on the ice as Devils. Short of MacDermid playing an entirely different game at age 29 in New Jersey, he is locked into joining that list of players who will not help the team win games.
Let me put it in this way: If MacDermid’s “protection” was so valuable, then how come Colorado never dressed him regularly this season and shipped him off to New Jersey for a seventh rounder and a guy selected in the seventh round in 2020?
And yet, he will play because the false need for toughness commands it. Does the team actually need MacDermid? Absolutely not! The Devils claimed defenseman Nick DeSimone off waivers last month and he has yet to appear for the Devils. The Devils have a crowded blueline even with Brendan Smith lining up at wing. They did not need a defender. What is that? MacDermid can play wing? Even after Matt Rempe headshotted Nathan Bastian, the Devils had a spare winger in Brian Halonen. Who was sent down after this trade happened. Sorry, man, you grinded hard in Utica for three seasons to get into one game and now you will not get a second chance because MacDermid needs to get his 5ish minutes somewhere. Take a seat Graeme Clarke and others, you are now behind this dude. Great message to send for the organization: if only you are perceived to “send a message” will you get your foot in the door on this team.
I am sure the comments will proclaim that he is needed for games against Our Hated Rivals. Because that was the issue. No, not the rush plays that the Devils got torched on for five goals against. It must be Rempe and Jacob Trouba existing. He is needed for Philadelphia on April 13 – even though fights were and have not been an issue with them in the three other games this season. He is needed for fill-in-the-blank made-up reason. It will not be because he makes the Devils any better at anything (scoring goals, preventing goals, controlling play, not taking penalties) that helps teams win hockey games. Which is what the Devils actually need right now.
So, Tom Fitzgerald, after months of not doing a whole lot to add to the roster, you brought in another Mason Geertsen-like player that adds nothing of actual value to a team with low playoff odds that has all but been screaming for help at goaltender, in the defensive zone, at center, and arguably in coaching for months. At least you did not give up much of anything for a player worth not much of anything in the NHL. Some of you may think this is great. I think this was needless acquisition.
