MacDonald was placed on waivers for the purpose of reassignment to AHL Hershey on Friday.
MacDonald signed a one-year, two-way contract with Washington during the offseason, and he'll begin the regular season in the minors if he clears waivers. The 33-year-old hasn't made a regular-season appearance in the NHL since the 2023-24 campaign, and he recorded four goals, eight assists and two PIM across 17 regular-season appearances with AHL Colorado last year.