THE APEX TIMES
A veteran heavyweight’s uncertain role has become a talking point in Ottawa as the NHL’s offseason buyout timing approaches, prompting questions about whether Kurtis MacDermid fits the Senators’ direction going forward.
Ottawa Senators fans are turning their attention to a familiar name again, Kurtis MacDermid, after renewed talk about whether the veteran heavyweight will be back with the franchise next season. The conversation was sparked by a Yahoo Sports report focusing on MacDermid’s limited impact in the second half of last season and what that might mean for his future in Ottawa.
MacDermid has been used by the Senators as a heavy, physical presence over multiple seasons, and in the role of enforcer-type depth, his value is often measured differently than a typical forward. But the offseason speculation described by Yahoo centers on a narrower question, whether the team’s current needs and roster construction make it worth keeping a player whose playing time dropped after the midway point of the season.
Yahoo’s framing also ties the MacDermid discussion to the NHL’s summer buyout period. That timing matters because it gives teams a formal financial tool to change course with contracts that no longer align with ice-time realities, especially once coaches and general managers have a clearer view of what their lineup will require in the next training camp.
For Ottawa, the key issue is less about whether toughness is useful, and more about whether the team can carry the right combination of roles at full strength. Heavyweight depth can be a niche option, but if a player’s minutes shrink because other skaters are filling similar jobs or because the team’s style evolves, that can quickly turn into a roster math problem.
At the moment, the Yahoo report does not present a confirmed decision one way or the other. Instead, it highlights the kind of reasoning fans typically apply during the buyout window, starting with on-ice usage and asking whether the contract profile still matches the team’s priorities. In that sense, MacDermid has become a stand-in for a broader Ottawa question: how much of the roster’s older construction stays intact, and how much is adjusted to match the current competitive plan.
What to watch next is whether Ottawa’s offseason activity clarifies the team’s intended depth structure. If the Senators add or reconfigure the bottom of the lineup in a way that overlaps with MacDermid’s traditional role, the case for a return becomes harder. Conversely, if Ottawa indicates it wants to keep a heavyweight presence while still maximizing player availability and transition needs, MacDermid’s future could look more stable.
Until there is team confirmation, the safest interpretation is that the issue is still open. The only concrete element reflected in the reporting is that MacDermid’s second-half playing time was limited, which has fueled the question of fit in Ottawa’s next-season roster plan. For now, supporters should treat the buyout talk as speculation rather than a conclusion.
