New Jersey Devils front office member trades his son for "future considerations"

The Utica Comets announced on Thursday that they were trading defenseman Will MacKinnon to the Cleveland Monsters. The 24-year-old played 82 games with the Comets over two seasons. He hasn't been in the lineup for the past few games, playing his last game for Utica on March 7th against Syracuse. Ironically, he got his fourth point of the season in that game, ending his career here on a high note.

This move is ironic because the person likely facilitating this move is Dan MacKinnon. He is the Devils' assistant general manager, which comes with the title of GM of the Utica Comets. We'd imagine all moves still eventually go through the Devils' general manager Tom Fitzgerald, but MacKinnon likely has the ability to get trades over the hump before final approval (or he might have complete autonomy over players who are expected to be career AHLers).

MacKinnon is also Will MacKinnon's father. The Devils made some moves that added new names to Utica, including Austin Strand through trade and Seamus Casey and Santeri Hatakka returning from injury. That left MacKinnon without a distinct spot in the lineup. So, a father likely had to call his son and tell him that he was off to another franchise.

Will MacKinnon was traded to the Cleveland Monsters for future considerations

Of course, trades after the NHL Trade Deadline are rare, but they do happen, and they often involve AHL players. Last season, the Comets made a trade with the Springfield Thunderbirds to get defenseman Austin Osmanski. Since it's after the trade deadline, there are some eligibility questions.

The AHL roster deadline is Friday, March 14th this season, so the Comets and Monsters got this trade in before then. There could be another AHL trade, but it's unlikely.

We're not sure if this is going to make Thanksgiving at the MacKinnon household an awkward one or if this was an example of a father finding an opportunity for his son elsewhere. Either way, the Comets are making a final playoff push after a dreadful start to the season under a new head coach. MacKinnon wasn't a part of that plan, so now he gets a chance to continue his hockey career.