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Zack MacEwen

Ottawa Senators Recall Roby Järventie, Zack MacEwen

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The Ottawa Senators have added two players to their NHL roster, forwards Roby Järventie and Zack MacEwen. These recalls give the Senators a full roster of 23 players, while increasing their number of rostered forwards from 11 to 13.

While both players are wingers and bring decent size to the Senators, that’s about where the similarities between the two end. Järventie is a 21-year-old prospect who was the 33rd overall pick at the 2020 draft. Järventie played a season in Liiga after he was drafted and then one in the AHL before he authored a breakout AHL campaign last season.

The Tampere native scored 16 goals and 30 points in 40 games last season, which is a 54-point pace across a full 72-game AHL season. Although Belleville struggled as a whole last year, Järventie made significant strides in his play and began to show more of an ability to leverage his size and strength to survive the immense physicality of the North American game.

Now recalled to Ottawa, Järventie has a chance to make his NHL debut for head coach D.J. Smith’s side. The Senators don’t appear to have any vacancies in their top nine, although Järventie could fill in on the fourth line due to Mark Kastelic’s injury.

As for MacEwen, the 27-year-old is a more familiar face for NHL fans, as he’s played nearly 200 career games in the league. Owner of a contract lasting through 2025-26, MacEwen is a true grinder, a six-foot-four, 240-pound wrecking ball capable of dealing some serious hurt to the opposition while also racking up quite a few penalty minutes in the process.

MacEwen appears the more conventional choice to take the fourth-line winger role vacated with Kastelic out, although it’s likely that Järventie offers more offensive upside in the role.

Ottawa Senators Return Jacob Bernard-Docker To AHL

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Saturday: Following their game against Detroit, the Senators announced that Bernard-Docker has been returned to Belleville.  With Ottawa off until Tuesday now, the move will allow them to bank a little bit of extra cap space between now and then.

Friday: The Ottawa Senators have announced that defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker has been recalled from the club’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators. In a corresponding move, Zack MacEwen, who cleared waivers earlier today, was reassigned to Belleville.

Earlier today, we covered the fact that Senators blueliner Artem Zub’s status for the team’s Saturday game is currently in doubt. If Zub ends up missing Saturday’s contest, the Senators will need an extra defenseman on their roster to dress in his place. With this recall, Ottawa has positioned Bernard-Docker as that player.

Bernard-Docker, 23, is a 2018 first-round pick who cleared waivers near the start of the season. The owner of a $805k cap hit through next season, Bernard-Docker has so far skated in two games this season at the AHL level. Last season, he scored six points in 41 AHL games, and got into 19 contests with the NHL Senators.

Since Zub is currently slotted into the Senators’ second pairing on defense next to Jake Sanderson, it’s possible that Bernard-Docker will end up on that pairing due to this recall.

Should Bernard-Docker end up slotted directly into Zub’s role, this recall will serve as a major opportunity for Bernard-Docker to showcase his skills in front of an NHL audience, as Zub averages nearly 18:00 time on ice per game.

Senators Place Zack MacEwen On Waivers

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The Ottawa Senators are waiving forward Zack MacEwen today for the purpose of assignment to AHL Belleville, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.

This is certainly not the start MacEwen, 27, envisioned for himself in Canada’s capital after signing a three-year, league-minimum salary deal this summer. Offering long-term deals to enforcers nearly always results in a waiver placement over the life of the deal, but rarely does it come just two games into that player’s tenure with the team.

An undrafted free agent, MacEwen got his NHL start with the Canucks, who signed him to an entry-level contract in 2017. He may be solely in the NHL as an enforcer, but he did flash decent offensive promise early on in the minors and got his first look with Vancouver the following season.

Since then, he’s scored 13 goals, 16 assists, 29 points, and added 245 penalty minutes in 188 NHL contests between Vancouver, the Flyers, Kings, and Senators. His last AHL appearance came when the Flyers waived him at the beginning of last season, and he potted three points in two contests with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms before the Flyers brought him up for the rest of the season.

MacEwen has one assist in two contests with Ottawa, as he was banged up for the team’s season opener and was a healthy scratch in last night’s decisive 6-1 win over the Capitals. While defenseman Artem Zub sustained an injury that’s not expected to keep him out long-term, he may still miss time, and assigning MacEwen to Belleville would free up the cap space to recall a defenseman in his stead.

Atlantic Notes: Norris, MacEwen, Mittelstadt, Brown

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Injury troubles have been a persistent issue for Ottawa Senators center Joshua Norris, as since his 35-goal breakout campaign he’s only managed to play in eight NHL games. Despite undergoing shoulder surgery all the way back in January, Norris’ status remains in question as the Senators prepare for an extremely important 2023-24 season.

Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan relays word from Senators head coach D.J. Smith that there is currently still no timeline on Norris’ recovery, though the hope remains that he will be back shortly. At this point, no LTIR placement is being considered and Scanlan adds that Norris will travel with the team to Carolina for its game against the Hurricanes. The Senators’ center depth is currently in somewhat rough shape, as Rourke Chartier and Ridly Greig are the team’s projected middle-six centers (they combine for just 39 games of NHL experience) so getting Norris back in action is going to be a major priority for the team as they look to start the season on the right foot.

Some other notes from the Atlantic Division:

  • Another Senator currently battling injury is winger Zack MacEwen. Scanlan reports that MacEwen is currently unavailable on a day-to-day injury timeline, and as a result, the Senators may be forced to start the season with an opening-night lineup short a player. Ottawa currently does not possess the necessary cap space to recall a replacement player from the AHL’s Belleville Senators, so the club could be forced to play with just 11 forwards tomorrow in Raleigh.
  • According to The Buffalo News’ Mike Harrington, Buffalo Sabres forward Casey Mittelstadt “tweaked something” in his upper body yesterday and as a result sat out of practice today. Head coach Don Granato reassured reporters saying that Mittelstadt’s absence is not expected to extend into the team’s opening-night contest Thursday against the New York Rangers. Mittelstadt is an important cog in the Sabres’ offense, and is coming off a breakout 2022-23 season where he scored 15 goals and 59 points.
  • Just shortly after he cleared waivers and was assigned to the AHL’s Providence Bruins, Boston Bruins forward Patrick Brown was recalled back to the NHL roster today. The 31-year-old veteran forward will likely be in the TD Garden press box for the Bruins’ opening-night contest against the Chicago Blackhawks, though he could end up claiming the fourth-line center role on the team should rookie John Beecher fail to carry over the momentum he built in the preseason into regular-season action.

Ottawa Senators Agree To Terms With Zack MacEwen

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The Ottawa Senators have added some physicality to their bottom six, signing forward Zack MacEwen to a three-year contract worth $2.325MM. It’s a one-way deal, which carries the league-minimum average annual value of $775K.

MacEwen, 26, split his playing time between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings during the 2022-23 season. After being acquired by the Kings prior to the trade deadline, he recorded 10 points (four goals, six assists) and 66 penalty minutes in 56 regular-season games with both teams. He also played 6:44 in his lone playoff appearance in Game 3 of the first round against the Edmonton Oilers. He also played two games on assignment to start the season with the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, recording a goal and two assists.

Senators general manager Pierre Dorion gave a statement on the signing:

Zack’s a player with strong character who adds increased physicality to our lineup. He’s a hard-nosed, competitive player who’s a tenacious forechecker and who demonstrates a routine willingness to go to the hard areas.

MacEwen may be an enforcer at the NHL level, but he’s shown heaps of offensive upside in juniors and in the AHL. In his 186-game NHL career to date, he’s accumulated 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points and 245 penalty minutes.

His journey to the NHL was unconventional, going undrafted after playing in the QMJHL for the Moncton Wildcats and Gatineau Olympiques. Despite not even seeing extended QMJHL action until his age-19 season, he quickly made an offensive impact which he parlayed into an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks in 2017. MacEwen’s professional career began with the Canucks’ AHL affiliate, the Utica Comets, where he broke out for 33 points in 66 games during his rookie pro campaign before making his NHL debut in 2018-19.

MacEwen went on to spend four seasons in Vancouver before being claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Flyers in October 2021. He was dealt to the Kings for another enforcer, Brendan Lemieux, in March.

He provides a much more affordable replacement at the bottom of Ottawa’s lineup for Austin Watson, who remains an unrestricted free agent after making $1.5MM per year over his three seasons with the Senators. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

Philadelphia Flyers Acquire Brendan Lemieux

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The Philadelphia Flyers and Los Angeles Kings have made a trade ahead of the deadline, swapping Zack MacEwen and Brendan Lemieux. The Flyers are also receiving a 2024 fifth-round pick.

In a move that doesn’t really move the needle for either club, the Kings clear $425K in cap space and add a big, physical fourth-line option in MacEwen. The 6’3″ forward has racked up 233 penalty minutes in his 176-game NHL career, willing to drop the gloves with any opponent.

MacEwen, 26, has matched a career-high with nine points this season through 46 games, but won’t be asked to score much for the Kings. He may not even play every night, as he enters a much more talented group that is headed for the playoffs.

The Flyers are adding a player in Lemieux that isn’t all that different—low scoring, high penalty minutes, fourth-line grinder—and might not even be with the organization very long. The 26-year-old is on a one-year, $1.35MM contract, leaving him an unrestricted free agent in the summer.

Lemieux’s offensive game never did materialize in the NHL. He hasn’t scored a single goal this season, and has just 63 points in his 257-game career. Still, perhaps he’ll find a home in the Philadelphia bottom six if he can impress head coach John Tortorella down the stretch.

More than anything, this is eating some cap space for a fifth-round pick. The Flyers need to change the trajectory of their team, and draft capital is one way to accomplish that.

Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic broke the news on Twitter. 

Flyers Notes: Van Riemsdyk, Couturier, Hayes, Injuries

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Winger James van Riemsdyk is one of the more prominent names left on the board heading into the trade deadline.  However, with a cap hit of $7MM, not many teams can get involved in the bidding, at least without the possibility of double retention.  To that end, Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN reports (Twitter link) that the current asking price for the 33-year-old is a third-round pick.

Johnston adds that the Golden Knights, Jets, and Kraken are among the teams that have inquired about van Riemsdyk so far.  Notably, none of those teams have enough cap space to take on his contract outright while Vegas would need either a third team to get involved to be able to add him.  The veteran has nine goals and 14 assists in 41 games this season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

More from Philadelphia:

  • Center Sean Couturier skated before practice today as he works his way back from his back injury, relays Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The veteran has yet to play this season but GM Chuck Fletcher acknowledged last month that there was a possibility Couturier could return before the end of the season.  At this point, the goal of a return would simply be to try to remove any questions about the possibility of the injury lingering into 2023-24.
  • The Flyers are open to offers for center Kevin Hayes, reports Sam Carchidi of Philly Hockey Now. The veteran is having a nice season with 17 goals and 32 assists in 61 games which would be appealing to many buyers.  However, his cap hit of $7.143MM through 2025-26 will make the 30-year-old difficult to move without considerable salary retention.  A trade involving Hayes is likely easier to make in the summer when other teams will be more willing to move a roster player back to help match salary.
  • Philadelphia has activated wingers Zack MacEwen and Tanner Laczynski from IR, notes Charlie O’Connor of The Athletic (Twitter link).  MacEwen has missed more than a month after undergoing surgery on his fractured jaw while Laczynski has missed the last three months with a lower-body injury.  If the Flyers wind up moving out some forwards today, MacEwen and Laczynski should be their replacements in the lineup, meaning no recalls would be needed from AHL Lehigh Valley.

Philadelphia Flyers Make Several Roster Moves

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The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Kieffer Bellows and goaltender Samuel Ersson have been recalled from the team’s AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In addition, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Olivier Reiner notes that Zack MacEwen has been placed on injured reserve.

These moves bring Bellows back to the Flyers’ active roster just days after he was placed on waivers by the team. Bellows played one game in his stint in the minors, tallying an assist and three shots on goal in Lehigh Valley’s 3-0 win over the Bridgeport Islanders.

Bellows now has ten points in 12 AHL games this season, although he has found NHL success harder to come by. He has just one goal in 16 total games this season, but will at least bring some size and grit to reinforce the Flyers’ forward corps for their road trip.

In Ersson, the Flyers add a third goalie to their active roster. The 23-year-old 2018 fifth-round pick has had a strong season serving as the Flyers’ number-three goalie. At the AHL level, he’s played in 26 games and boasts a 15-10-1 record, a 2.58 goals-against-average, and a .911 save percentage.

In the NHL, Ersson has won five of his six starts with strong overall numbers: a 2.37 goals-against-average and a .918 save percentage. While teams typically don’t like to carry three goaltenders, it’s possible this recall is designed to give the Flyers a chance to use a contest on this four-game road trip to further evaluate Ersson.

The final move, putting MacEwen on injured reserve, comes as no surprise. The forward underwent surgery to repair a broken jaw in late January, and was given a five-week timeline to return to the ice. His placement on injured reserve frees a roster spot for the Flyers to work with, allowing them to bring extra bodies on their road trip.

MacEwen is on an expiring $925k AAV deal and will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer. He became an NHL regular with Philadelphia last season after he was claimed off of waivers from the Vancouver Canucks, and he ended up skating in 75 contests, where he registered three goals, nine points, and 110 penalty minutes.

Zack MacEwen Undergoes Surgery

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The Philadelphia Flyers won’t have Zack MacEwen in the lineup for a while, announcing that he underwent surgery today to repair a broken jaw, according to Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer. His recovery timeline has been set at five weeks.

MacEwen likely suffered the injury during his fight against Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Foligno on Thursday, one of the three-straight fights that the two teams were involved in. He didn’t see a shift after that, and now will be out through the trade deadline.

Claimed off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks in 2021, MacEwen has established himself as one of the identity players that the organization is relying on to try and turn things around. He has played 121 games since the start of last season, racking up 164 penalty minutes in the process. While he doesn’t offer much offensive production – just nine points so far this season – head coach John Tortorella has significantly increased his ice time from a year ago.

MacEwen now averages more than 12 minutes a night and has even seen some powerplay time as the net front option on the second unit. On a contender, that likely doesn’t happen given his lack of scoring. But Tortorella is trying to install a culture that rewards hard work, something MacEwen has never lacked.

Undrafted he fought his way up the Canucks depth chart and debuted in 2018-19 in just his second professional season. Now with 176 games under his belt and a regular spot in the Flyers lineup when healthy, he heads into RFA negotiations this summer with a chance at a multi-year extension. The 26-year-old is one year away from unrestricted free agency, and currently carries a $925K cap hit.

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