Acquiring MacDermid tells me two things about the Devils
1) Devils are being proactive in having a guy like this that they can insert when needed
2) They are probably going for the playoffs, and that means that they probably intend on trading for a goalie shortly, or they just won't make it
Getting guys like this is always a bit of an arms race. You don't really need one, but then suddenly the teams around you all have a guy like this, so now you need a guy like this. Rempe already ran over Bastian, and the Rangers are their rival and a contender. Leafs are a potential team that they have to get through, and Reaves loves to catch guys in the corner on the forecheck. There are a surprisingly large number of these tough guys in the east, so I don't really blame the Devils for making this trade. You don't really need a guy like this on your team... unless the teams around you all have guys like this. The Eastern Conference is looklng more and more like the Wild West that the Western Conference has been for ages.
FWIW, MacDermid was probably the 2nd toughest guy in the league last year. Lucic caught him in their fight, but many thought that MacDermid was the toughest in the league up until that point. MacDermid has one loss in the last 3 seasons, and that loss happened in one of the two fights with Lucic. He is one scary dude. A lot of guys out east aren't going to be sleeping well tonight.
|