Flyers Trade Zack MacEwen to LA for Brendan Lemieux
The Flyers second trade of the trade deadline season is in. Nope, it’s not JVR. It’s not Kevin Hayes or any of the defenders. It is Zack MacEwen. Mac is heading to Los Angeles and a run at the playoffs. It’s the second move made by Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher this week. Earlier, Isaac Ratcliffe was traded away from “future considerations to the Nashville Predators.
MacEwen, along with Tanner Laczynski, had just been activated from injured reserve. MacEwen had been injured in a fight against the Minnesota Wild last month and broke his jaw.
MacEwen, in 46 games this year, scored four goals (one shy of his career high) and tied a career high with nine points. He has 23 blocked shots and 130 hits this season. He has helped to make the Flyers fourth line a rather formidable one, with Nic Deslauriers and Patrick Brown.
This was a tough group of forwards who have helped to ensure that the Flyers wouldn’t be pushed around, despite their losing ways. As a result, the Flyers lead the NHL in fights this year, with 31 (the next highest is Tampa with 27).
The return for MacEwen is a 2024 fifth round pick and left wing Brendan Lemieux. Lemieux is a 26 year old with three assists in 27 games this year.
He is a year away from having eight goals and five assists. He is more of a scorer than MacEwen, but also has a reputation for being physical as well. He has 79 hits this season so far. Lemieux has also been injured a lot this season, including just coming off of IR for a lower body injury, which has hampered his production so far.
This is not the blockbuster trade that everyone is looking for. MacEwen had two decent seasons as a bottom line guy who was picked up on waivers last season. This, hopefully, won’t be the last move either.