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Brady Tkachuk’s True Stance on Kurtis MacDermid Trade Revealed

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Antonio Losada | Last updated Oct 5, 2025 1:45 PM ET

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk and coach Travis Green both endorsed the team’s decision to trade for veteran enforcer and former New Jersey Devils forward Kurtis MacDermid.

MacDermid, 31, joined Ottawa from the Devils in exchange for winger Zack MacEwen, and both Tkachuk and Green believe it's a move that will strengthen the Senators' lineup while adding a missing edge entering the new NHL season.

The trade was made just days after the Senators’ physical preseason matchup against the Montreal Canadiens reignited concerns about the team's toughness entering the season.

Green, who previously coached MacDermid in New Jersey during a brief time in the 2023-24 season, said the addition brings the type of presence the Senators need.

TRADE: We have acquired Kurtis MacDermid from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Zack MacEwen.

Les #Sens font l'acquisition de l'ailier Kurtis MacDermid du New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/NLELcfqA0a
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) October 3, 2025

“He’s one of the tougher guys in the league,” Green said, per The Athletic's Julian McKenzie. “He’s a tremendous teammate. He sticks up for his whole team. He’s a smart individual. He understands the game.”

Tkachuk echoed his coach's sentiment, going even further and calling MacDermid one of the top enforcers in the NHL these days.

“He’s a top-five, top-three heavyweight in this league,” Tkachuk said. “Not just that—I've heard he's one of the best teammates around. So, you know, his Stanley Cup experience and just the presence he has in the room, on the ice, it's going to be so valuable to our group, and (I am) really looking forward to getting to know him and (I) know he's going to be a big piece of our team moving forward.”

MacDermid has built a reputation as one of the league’s most physical players, totaling 391 penalty minutes over 288 career games in eight seasons playing NHL hockey.

Ottawa Senators left wing Brady Tkachuk (7) during a stoppage in play.Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images

MacDermid's size and experience give Ottawa an additional layer of protection as a bottom-line enforcer for its skilled forwards, including Tkachuk, who said he’s learning to pick his spots better when it comes to physical play.

“I've never shied away from it, and I think over the years, I’ve done a better job of picking spots,” Tkachuk said. “I’m not just fighting anybody. I feel like starting to realize the importance that I have of being out there.”

Green, meanwhile, has emphasized team-wide toughness, not just having individual fighters and enforcers buried down the lineup, as a core part of the Senators’ identity entering the new season.

“If you’re not tough and you’re not hard, you’re not winning,” Green said. “You watch playoff hockey and how hard it is, how physical it is,” Green said. “And that’s the exciting part of our game. The physicality is part of the excitement, winning the puck, getting in front of the net, scratching and clawing to score, scratching and clawing to win. Sacrificing, being courageous.

“That’s team toughness. And we’ve taken a step in that area.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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