The Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings have made a deal for depth forwards. Going to the Flyers is Brendan Lemieux, and in return, the Kings will receive Zack MacEwen. This appears to be a deal for the Kings to bolster their fourth line as they make a drive in the post-season. For Philadelphia, this will be a chance to see if Lemieux can be a reliable fourth-line player. One disparity between the players is that MacEwen is an RFA at the season’s end, whereas Lemieux has UFA status. This Zack MacEwen trade for Brendan Lemieux isn’t a like for like trade as some think.
LAK trades Bendan Lemieux to PHI for Zack MacEwen
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 3, 2023
Zack MacEwen Trade and the Kings Perspective
For Zack MacEwen, he is currently having a career season. In 46 games played, he has contributed four goals and five assists. This ties his career-high in points from last year in 75 games. However, there is potential for MacEwen. When he came up with the Vancouver Canucks, in 2019-20, he had five goals in 17 games. This is a reward for his solid play this year to help in a playoff run. Another point on this year, for the physical forward, is his ice time is way up this year. So, that is why he is contributing so much. Finally, his hit totals of 159 and 130, for last year and this year, respectively, show the type of game he brings. The Kings will appreciate his services.
How Lemieux and the Flyers See the Trade
Turning to Brendan Lemieux, this will be the fourth team of his career. Another physical forward, he has had three seasons of 97 or more penalty minutes. His career-high in goals came in his second season, which was split between the Winnipeg Jets and the New York Rangers. That year he potted 12 goals and added five assists in 63 games total. In contrast, for this season, his production is down. He only has three assists in 27 games, and only sees 8:30 in TOI. Hopefully coming to Philadelphia will give his a boost in confidence and ice time, and he begin to contribute more regularly.
Main photo by: Matt Blewett-USA TODAY Sports
