Flyers Make Deal with Kings

Philadelphia Flyers  general manager Chuck Fletcher did Zack MacEwen a favor Friday.

He traded the feisty right winger to the contending Los Angeles Kings.

In a deal of grinding players, the Flyers acquired pending free agent Brendan Lemieux and a fifth-round draft pick in 2024.

Lemieux, 26, a left winger, has been scratched most of the season; he had no goals three assists, and 53 penalty minutes in 27 games. His cap hit: $1.35 million.

His dad, Claude, played 21 NHL seasons and won four Stanley Cups.

Kevin Hayes laughs at Brendan Lemieux, who then gets chirped mercilessly by Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton. pic.twitter.com/CnnH8Gkxvv

— Ryan Gilbert (@RGilbertSOP) February 29, 2020

MacEwen, 26, who came off the injured-reserve (fractured jaw) Friday morning, has nine points (four goals, five assists) and 54 penalty minutes in 46 games this season with the Philadelphia Flyers. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound winger has a $925,000 cap hit, and can become a restricted free agent in July.

Both players are accustomed to dropping their gloves and protecting their teammates. Both play with energy and grit.

The 6-1, 215-pound Lemieux was drafted in the second round (No. 31 overall) by Buffalo in 2018-19. In addition to the Kings, he has also played with Winnipeg and the Rangers. He had eight goals in 50 games with the Kings in 2021-22.

In a fight late in the 2020-21 season, Lemieux, then with the Rangers, was leveled by the Flyers’ Samuel Morin. Last season, Lemieux was suspended for five game for biting Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk on his left hand.

Breakaways

The Flyers claimed MacEwen off waivers from Vancouver on Oct. 13, 2001. … Tanner Laczynski also came off the IR list Friday. … The Flyers host Detroit on Sunday, then have a three-game road trip in Tampa, Carolina, and Pittsburgh.

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