A father trading his own son might sound harsh, but in professional hockey, it’s just another day at the office.
That’s exactly what happened Thursday when Utica Comets GM Dan MacKinnon sent his son Will to the Cleveland Monsters in an American Hockey League deal.
The kicker? The trade was for “future considerations” – basically nothing.
Will MacKinnon, a 24-year-old defenseman, had been struggling to make his mark in Utica. He managed just four assists in 42 games this season, though he did maintain a decent plus-four rating.
The undrafted player has yet to catch the attention of NHL teams.
But here’s where it gets interesting: This might actually be a father doing his son a favor.
The Monsters are right in the thick of the playoff race, sitting fourth in the North Division with a solid 28-18-5 record. Meanwhile, Utica’s been having a rough go of it, stuck at the bottom of the division at 23-26-4.
“Future considerations is just fancy hockey talk for ‘we’ll figure something out later,'” explained one league source.
Dan MacKinnon, who also serves as assistant GM for the New Jersey Devils, had to put his professional duties ahead of family ties. As the person responsible for managing the Devils’ minor league prospects, these kinds of tough calls come with the territory.
Sometimes the best parenting move is giving your kid a better opportunity – even if it means trading them away.
