Revisiting The Max Domi for Josh Anderson Trade

We were excited to have what should have been our most potent 1-2 punch down the middle in franchise history…

With two players needing a change of scenery, and two teams with different needs, the Canadiens and Blue Jackets made a deal work – swapping the two former junior teammates for one another, with the Jackets securing an extra draft pick in the process:

The Canadiens got their long-awaited power forward, and Anderson was big for them right away. He scored twice in their season opener, but struggled to maintain such a pace over the course of the season (who would?). He scored 17 goals and 24 points in 52 games; adding another 5 goals in 22 games in the playoff bubble, where the Canadiens made a Cinderella run to the Cup Finals before bowing out.

In the three seasons post-trade, Anderson has totaled 40 goals, 62 points and 124 minutes in penalties in 135 games played. Unfortunately for Josh and the Habs, he’s missed time due to both injuries and suspensions, while the entire team has struggled with consistency.

Domi signed a 2-year $10.6 million dollar contract and was immediately penciled in to center the second line by many Jacket fans. We were excited to have what should have been our most potent 1-2 punch down the middle in franchise history, with Dubois and Domi leading the way.

But that 2021 season was not what we hoped for. Dubois, disgruntled for still unknown reasons, essentially quit on the team, forcing his trade to Winnipeg. Domi was quickly in John Tortorella’s doghouse, stubbornly relegated to depth minutes on the wing because of undisciplined play and two-way struggles. He played in 54 games, scoring 9 goals and 24 points for the Blue Jackets.

Max’s second year in Columbus was better, but only slightly. Again he scored 9 goals, but this time he added 32 assists in 53 games before being dealt to Carolina at the 2022 trade deadline. In return, the Blue Jackets get prospect defenseman Aidan Hreschuk, originally selected by the Canes in the third round (#94 overall) at the 2021 NHL Draft.

While Anderson has stuck with Montreal and been an important player, neither guy really became what either team hoped for when this trade was made. The return for the Blue Jackets will not be known for several years – the draft pick they acquired in the trade became defense prospect Samuel Knazko. So, we’ll have to see if one of Knazko or Hreschuk become NHL players in the future, to get a full idea of how this trade worked out.