Throughout the Ottawa Senators history, they've employed more than their share of tough guys. Mike Peluso was their first, and still holds the club record with 318 penalty minutes in a single season. Chris Neil was their greatest – one of the few NHL tough guys ever to have his number retired by his team.

Then you have the likes of Dennis Vial, Brian McGrattan, Denny Lambert, Andre Roy, Matt Carkner, Matt Kassian, Mark Borowiecki and several others.

Kurtis MacDermid is now their latest policeman, acquired from the New Jersey Devils late last week for fellow tough guy Zack MacEwen, who spent parts of the past two seasons with the Sens.

MacDermid's acquisition is a clear response to the irritation the organization felt when the Senators lost 5-0 in Montreal last Tuesday. It wasn't so much the scoreboard beatdown; it was the physical one. So they went out and got MacDermid, who brings another Cup ring into the room (Colorado), has played for Travis Green (New Jersey), and on the nights they need him, he really is one of the game's true heavyweights.

"I mean, obviously, he's one of the tougher guys in the league," head coach Travis Green told the media after the game on Saturday. "He's a tremendous teammate, sticks up for this whole team. He's a smart individual, and he understands the game."

MacDermid didn't play for Green for very long in 2024, but it was probably long enough to fully understand his expectations. MacDermid has been toiling at the Devils camp again this year, getting ready for their season, so it was a unique experience to suddenly drop into Ottawa's preseason finale in Montreal. 

"It's been a whirlwind," MacDermid told the media on Saturday. "I got in here, just tried to relax and enjoy the experience. The guys are great, the staff is awesome, so it was a really easy transition."

After the two clubs met on Tuesday and combined for over 150 penalty minutes, many wondered if the game might get out of control. But it didn't. The rematch had just 14 penalty minutes, and by comparison, it might as well have been played in a library. Did MacDermid's presence have a hand in that? Hard to say.

But before this deal went down, both MacEwen and Hayden Hodgson, MacDermid's old junior teammate, were hoping to lay claim to the Sens' tough guy role. But Friday's trade ended those hopes, and MacDermid hopes he made a good first impression on Saturday night.

"I hope so," MacDermid told the media after the game. "I just go out there and try to create space for the guys, stick up for them when I need to and just play my game and help the team in any way."

After having Connor McDavid's back for a couple of years with the Erie Otters, MacDermid eventually entered the NHL as an undrafted free agent – first with Los Angeles, where he spent six seasons. hen as part of the 2022 Colorado Avalanche team that won the Stanley Cup. Although he didn't dress for any playoff games, he played 58 regular-season games for the Avalanche during their championship season, so his name is on the Cup.

Saturday was the first time he'd played an NHL game with so little preparation, just one day after arriving.

"Yeah, I haven't done that before. You're just looking to go there and have fun and enjoy it. There's a lot of adrenaline, so that always works in your favour. So yeah, it was awesome and I'm glad we got the win."

At 6-feet-5, 233 pounds, the 31-year-old has played 288 games in the league. He's the latest in Ottawa's long line of sons of former NHL players. MacDermid’s dad, Paul, played in 690 NHL games.

The Sens now have three players, Jake Sanderson (Geoff), Ridly Greig (Mark), and now MacDermid, who top up the "My Dad Played For the Hartford Whalers" Club, filling the void left by Mark Kastelic (Ed) last year.

On the nights that he plays, what the Sens gain in toughness, they'll lose in secondary scoring potential. MacDermid had zero points in 23 games with the Devils last season and will be deployed strategically.

There's not much chance, for example, that he misses any of the four games this season against the Montreal Canadiens. The Battle of the 417 has become a matchup that's even more heated than the Battle of Ontario, but the Sens are now better equipped to deal with shenanigans.

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