The next McKinnon family reunion will be a bit troubling.
On Thursday, Utica traded Will McKinnon (his own son), the defensive man who traded GM Dan McKinnon, for the Cleveland Monster.
Comet returns, as if it weren't a rough movement in the AHL transaction log It was a future consideration.
Yes, Elder MacKinnon essentially exchanged his son… nothing.
The young McKinnon, 24, was his third pro season, and he assisted four times in Utica's 42 games in the 2024-25 season.
This move could potentially make more plays with the monster team fighting for the playoff spot.
Cleveland, 28-18-5, is fourth in the Northern division that enters Thursday, where he is in Prime Postseason status in the 32-team league.
Meanwhile, the Comet is in the final place in the same division at 23-26-4, eight points behind sixth place Belleville.
Utica added Austin Strand through trade before the March 14 deadline, with Seamus Casey and Santeri Hatakka returning from injuries.
Comet is an AHL affiliate of the NHL's New Jersey Devils. The Monster has a Columbus Blue Jacket as its parent club.
Dan has been with the Devils organization since 2016-17, and has risen from the director of players to his current position as senior vp of the hockey business and assistant general manager of the Comets GM.
To him University of New Hampshire Athletics Biowhere he played for four years, he listed the Devil as his favorite team and cited “all the support I got from my family” as what he most appreciated.
It remains to be seen whether any of them has been changed.
