Devils’ Zack MacEwen to miss ‘considerable amount of time’ due to injury

A veteran grinder is going to be on the shelf for the foreseeable future.

When speaking to the media on Monday, New Jersey Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe revealed that forward Zack MacEwen will miss a “considerable amount of time” with an injury.

“The length we won’t quite know until later on,” Keefe said.

MacEwen exited the Devils’ game on Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning prematurely due to an undisclosed injury. The 29-year-old played just 7:12 of ice time across nine shifts, the lowest on-ice time among any New Jersey player in the team’s 5-3 win. MacEwen had registered a blocked shot, a hit and two shots on goal.

It was MacEwen’s first game with his new team. He was acquired by the Devils from the Ottawa Senators in a one-for-one trade earlier this month for fellow tough guy Kurtis MacDermid. MacEwen was promptly placed on waivers the next day and cleared before being assigned to New Jersey’s American Hockey League affiliate. Yet, the Charlottetown, P.E.I. native was called back up to the Devils a few days later.

MacEwen split the past couple of seasons between the NHL and American Hockey League, appearing in 23 games with Ottawa’s top farm team, the Belleville Senators, last year. He potted seven goals and nine assists for 16 points, totaling 29 PIM. With the big club, MacEwen scored two goals and an assist for three points in 21 games.

In 238 NHL appearances, the 29-year-old has notched 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points, registering 323 PIM. MacEwen is entering the final season of his three-year contract, which he signed with the Sens in July 2023. The deal has a cap hit of $775,000.