The next MacKinnon family reunion is gonna be a little awkward.
On Thursday, Utica Comets GM Dan MacKinnon traded defenseman Will MacKinnon — his own son — to the Cleveland Monsters.
As if that weren’t already a rough move in the AHL transaction log, the return for the Comets was future considerations.
That’s right, the elder MacKinnon essentially traded his own son for… nothing.
The younger MacKinnon, 24, is in his third pro season and had four assists in 42 games for Utica in the 2024-25 season.
The move puts him in a position to potentially play more on a Monsters team fighting for a playoff spot.
Cleveland, at 28-18-5, is fourth in the North Division entering Thursday, in prime postseason position in the 32-team league.
The Comets, on the other hand, are in last place in the same division at 23-26-4, eight points behind sixth-place Belleville.
Utica added Austin Strand via trade before the March 14 deadline and have Seamus Casey and Santeri Hatakka returning from injury.
The Comets are the AHL affiliate of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils; the Monsters have the Columbus Blue Jackets as their parent club.
Dan has been with the Devils organization since 2016-17, rising from Director of Player Personnel to his current positions of Assistant GM, Senior VP of Hockey Operations and Comets GM.
On his University of New Hampshire athletics bio, where Will played for four years, he listed the Devils as his favorite team and cited “all the support I get from my family” as what he’s most thankful for.
Whether any of that has changed remains to be seen.