VOORHEES, N.J. — In their first deal of Friday's trade deadline, the Flyers moved pending restricted free agent Zack MacEwen to the Kings.
In exchange for MacEwen, the Flyers received winger Brendan Lemieux and a 2024 fifth-round draft pick.
MacEwen, a 26-year-old winger, was just activated from injured reserve Friday after recovering from a fractured jaw that required surgery.
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The hard-nosed fourth-liner had been out since late January after suffering the injury in a fight against the Wild's Marcus Foligno. He fought often over his parts of two seasons with the Flyers, who claimed him off waivers in October 2021.
Through 46 games for the Flyers this season, MacEwen played a career-high 12:19 minutes per game. He had four goals and five assists, which leaves him one point away from a new career high.
"He works his nuts off, he's one of the hardest-working guys," Carter Hart said in late November. "You see him on the ice, just how tenacious he is, like he's relentless."
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As an RFA last offseason, MacEwen avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $925,000 contract. He'll be an RFA again this offseason.
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Lemieux, who turns 27 years old this month, had three assists in 27 games and 8:30 minutes per game for Los Angeles this season.
He is a player who stirs the pot with the opposition and picks up penalty minutes. The Flyers will be Lemieux's fourth team. He made his NHL debut with the Jets and also spent parts of three seasons with the Rangers.
The 2014 second-round draft pick is a pending unrestricted free agent with a $1.350 million cap hit. Giving his expiring contract, it's uncertain if he figures into the Flyers' plans after the final 20 games of this season.
Essentially, the Flyers flipped a waiver claim from last season into a future fifth-round draft pick.
"Brendan's a pending UFA and we can give him a 20-game trial here to see what he can do, but the deal was for the fifth," Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said Friday.
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