NHL trade rumors: 3 teams who should trade for Max Domi
According to the latest NHL trade rumors, Max Domi’s tenure with the Montreal Canadiens is probably over.
Max Domi‘s tenure with the Montreal Canadiens has been an eventful one. He proved himself to be a very capable center, something he couldn’t do with the Arizona Coyotes. Domi even got to play in his first ever Stanley Cup Playoffs, though the Canadiens got eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia Flyers. But according to the latest NHL trade rumors, his time in Montreal could be over.
This report comes from Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette.
Here’s what Stu had to say in a recent column.
It’s certainly looking like Max Domi has played his last game with the Canadiens.
Cowan cites a recent change as a reason Domi could be looking to move on from Montreal. He changed his agent from Pat Brisson, who has a strong working relationship with Habs general manager Marc Bergevin. No word yet on who he will hire to replace him, but that’s certainly not a good sign.
Domi is likely concerned about his future role with the Canadiens. Montreal has Phillip Danault, Nick Suzuki, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi down the middle. Clearly, they can’t have Domi as a fourth-line center. They could always move him to the wing, but Domi’s best times in Montreal have come down the middle.
He’s a restricted free agent, which means he’s due for a fairly substantial raise, even after a relatively rough season, during which he had 17 goals and 44 points in 71 games. Domi could get the Habs quite a bit in a trade, as teams are always looking to improve down the middle.
Let’s take a look at the best fits for Domi.
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Depending on what the Calgary Flames do this offseason, Domi could make sense for them. But I don’t think they currently matchup well for a trade with the Canadiens. Maybe there’s a Max Domi for Noah Hanifin trade to be had, though.
3. Winnipeg Jets
Bryan Little’s injury is concerning for the Winnipeg Jets. They probably want to add someone who can step in as the second line center if need be. Max Domi fits that bill perfectly. Despite his sub-par box car stats, Domi’s a proven player who can drive offense extremely well. He’d fit right in with Winnipeg’s up-tempo offense.
Also, the Jets have precisely what the Canadiens want – wings. Our friends at A Winning Habit seem to think Nikolaj Ehlers could be the target, but I think Kyle Connor would make a bit more sense.
First of all, Ehlers is one of the Jets most important forwards. I don’t think they’re trading him. If they do, they’re probably not getting anything close to fair value, even if the return includes Domi. Ehlers is one of the few wings who can drive a line. Connor has historically struggled away from Mark Scheifele.
For Connor to be traded, the Jets should seek a significant return. One that includes more than just Max Domi. Montreal has a very deep prospect pool and has a lot of draft picks. I think the Canadiens have what it takes to make an offer Winnipeg can’t refuse. Connor would provide Montreal with a wing who can score and Domi would give the Jets more depth.
2. Buffalo Sabres
The biggest problem the Buffalo Sabres have is their lack of center depth. Jack Eichel is outstanding and is a franchise center, but after him, their depth is awful. It certainly doesn’t help that the Sabres traded Ryan O’Reilly and currently have nothing to show for it on their NHL roster. Plus they didn’t even bother replacing him! Max Domi could help them do that.
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Dylan Cozens will likely be an impressive NHL player at some point, but that point probably isn’t right now. At the very least, the Sabres need to not do what they did with Casey Mittelstadt and just hand him the second-line center job. Domi could fill in on the second line until Cozens proves he’s ready.
After Cozens proves himself, Domi could either become the third line center or move to the wing, where he’d be a nice complement to either Cozens or Eichel.
The Sabres have the eighth overall pick, which I’d imagine would be a bit rich for Domi. But if the Sabres can talk the Canadiens into giving up a second-round pick, I think the deal would be a lot more fair. Buffalo’s clearly adding a center this offseason and that center might well be Max Domi.
1. Columbus Blue Jackets
No playoff team needs to add a center more than the Columbus Blue Jackets. Pierre-Luc Dubois had a great regular season and followed it up with a very strong postseason. He’s clearly a number one center. But after him, the Blue Jackets don’t have much. Boone Jenner’s currently their second-line center. That’s not going to cut it.
It should surprise nobody that the Blue Jackets are looking to add some offense. Last summer, they lost Matt Duchene and Artemi Panarin.
To counter this, the Blue Jackets signed Gustav Nyquist, who had a solid first season in Columbus. He didn’t replace Artemi Panarin, but well, how many players could do that? But they never came close to replacing Duchene.
Max Domi would give the Blue Jackets a legit one-two punch at the top of their lineup. Domi is better at driving offense than Jenner, who is better suited in a third-line center role.
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The only issue is I’m not sure the Blue Jackets have exactly what the Canadiens want. David Savard could be an intriguing piece, but he’s right-handed and the Habs need players on the left side of their blue line. Ryan Murray could be an option, but his injury history is long to say the least. Vladislav Gavrikov would make sense, but would the Blue Jackets trade him?