Montreal Canadiens: Max Domi suspension leaves bad first impression
Even though Montreal Canadiens center Max Domi won’t lose anything tangible by being suspended for the rest of the preseason, his lack of maturity hurts both him and the Habs.
For approximately 90 percent of NHL players, preseason games are irrelevant. While there could be some competitions for fourth line or third pairing spots, rosters are usually pretty much set in stone. Montreal Canadiens center Max Domi was supposed to be an exception. But this won’t be the case after the NHL announced he has been suspended for the remainder of the preseason.
Domi got suspended for sucker punching Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. He left his counterpart, who was an unwilling combatant and has a significant history of concussions, bloodied.
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Frankly, being suspended for the rest of the preseason isn’t much of a punishment for Domi. He doesn’t have to pay a dime and misses no regular season time. However, for the Canadiens, Domi’s selfish act puts them in a suboptimal position.
First of all, Montreal was using their training camp and preseason to get a long look at Domi as a center. It’s not a secret the Canadiens currently have awful center depth. At the very least, Domi was among the serious contenders to grab the first-line center spot. All his suspension does is create more questions than answers. That’s not a good first impression to make.
Secondly, sucker punching someone is probably not what the Canadiens wanted to see from Domi. What about hitting people, which he’s pretty good at? Or shooting the puck? Maybe even win some faceoffs? Domi will enter the regular season with 12:02 of ice time, zero hits, zero shots on goal, and a 33.3 percent faceoff win percentage at center with his new team.
The Canadiens play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Opening Night. Having to face Auston Matthews, John Tavares, and Nazem Kadri when you have only played a shade over 12 minutes at center isn’t optimal, to stay the least.
There is, however, two bright sides to Domi’s suspension. First of all, opposing players won’t have to worry about getting sucker punched. Always a good thing. But secondly, Domi’s suspension opens things up for some of the Canadiens’ other options.
Nick Suzuki, the crown jewel of the Max Pacioretty trade, could get some more reps in. And even though Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi will both likely be sent back to their respective teams, the absence of Domi could give them some much needed NHL experience (even if it’s only in the preseason).
But the guy who could benefit the most is Matthew Peca. The 25-year-old center signed with the Canadiens after spending the previous three seasons in the Tampa Bay Lightning organization. Peca primarily played in the AHL, notching at least 40 points in each of his three seasons with the Syracuse Crunch. He also played 20 games with the Lightning over two seasons, accumulating seven points.
Peca was a victim of the numbers game in Tampa. They simply didn’t have a spot open for him. The Canadiens, however, do. Peca was already the favorite to grab the fourth line center role. With Domi out, he should get more opportunities to prove himself and potentially cement his NHL roster spot.
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Domi was hoping to leave a good first impression in Montreal. And, as they say, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Domi blew his.