Devils obtain Kurtis MacDermid

   The New Jersey Devils are on the outside looking into the playoffs currently and while most of the speculation around the team at the trade deadline has centered around the possibility of acquiring a goaltender, Tom Fitzgerald decided to make his first move at another position.

The Devils have disappointed this season and some of the questions about the team have centered around toughness and Fitzgerald is attempting to do something about that by adding policeman Kurtis MacDermid in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche.

The twenty-nine year old MacDermid scored two goals in twenty-nine games for Colorado this season but is more regarded for his abilities with his fists as one of the league's more adept brawlers and for his offensive skills.

New Jersey traded a seventh round pick in the 2024 draft and prospect Zakhar Bardakov, who is playing in the KHL in Russia in exchange for MacDermid, which isn't an extraorbitant cost but I fail to see the point.

Now I know the Devils have been muscled around a bit this season and perhaps there is something to be said for adding protection for those that decide to push around Jack Hughes but the game has changed and as much as I enjoy seeing the gloves dropped, I'm not sure teams can carry pure enforcers anymore.

MacDermid will be a free agent at the end of the season, so this is a move that is all about pushing any buttons that can turn a disappointing season around.

It's going to take more than this trade to make that happen.