ANDREW MacDONALD - Defenseman - 32 - $5MM Cap Hit - UFA in 2020-2021
LAST UPDATED 8/20/19
After a decent tenure as a New York Islander, Andrew MacDonald has spent the last five seasons as one of the worst contracts in hockey, until he was bought out. He was a favorite of former coach Dave Hakstol, who gave him a long leash and a lot of ice time despite not being a good defenseman. MacDonald isn't that big, sometimes struggles with the physical side of the game, and isn't an impact defensive defenseman. His best trait used to be his puck moving, but the NHL around him has gotten faster, and he's gotten slower, making him a liability on offense rather than a positive. So, MacDonald can't really defend very well thanks to his lack of physicality or high-end defensive tools, and he's not a good enough puck mover to be effective in transition, so what can he do anymore? Well, he can still probably be a fine veteran #7 who brings years of experience more than anything to a team. He's had to settle for a PTO with the Calgary Flames this offseason and I'm not sure he'll be able to stick in North America. Still, after making $5MM AAV for a good amount of time, playing hockey in Switzerland isn't a bad life. There are worse places to be a multimillionaire. Either way, despite how his time in Philly ended, MacDonald has still had an incredible career as a former sixth round pick and I have a lot of respect for him, shortcomings on the ice aside. But he's a #7/8 at best right now.
After a decent tenure as a New York Islander, Andrew MacDonald has spent the last five seasons as one of the worst contracts in hockey, until he was bought out. He was a favorite of former coach Dave Hakstol, who gave him a long leash and a lot of ice time despite not being a good defenseman. MacDonald isn't that big, sometimes struggles with the physical side of the game, and isn't an impact defensive defenseman. His best trait used to be his puck moving, but the NHL around him has gotten faster, and he's gotten slower, making him a liability on offense rather than a positive. So, MacDonald can't really defend very well thanks to his lack of physicality or high-end defensive tools, and he's not a good enough puck mover to be effective in transition, so what can he do anymore? Well, he can still probably be a fine veteran #7 who brings years of experience more than anything to a team. He's had to settle for a PTO with the Calgary Flames this offseason and I'm not sure he'll be able to stick in North America. Still, after making $5MM AAV for a good amount of time, playing hockey in Switzerland isn't a bad life. There are worse places to be a multimillionaire. Either way, despite how his time in Philly ended, MacDonald has still had an incredible career as a former sixth round pick and I have a lot of respect for him, shortcomings on the ice aside. But he's a #7/8 at best right now.
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