Rare are the days of the good old one-for-one hockey deals in the modern NHL, but when the Montreal Canadiens shipped Max Domi to Columbus in exchange for Josh Anderson in an RFA swap, many viewed the change of scenery for both players as a good situation for both the Habs and the Blue Jackets.
The subsequent signings, Domi for 2 years with a $5.3M cap hit and Anderson for 7 years with a $5.5M cap hit, may have a similar AAV, but early into the 2020-21 season, the deal has yielded very different results, with one team appearing to have gotten good value, while the other may be regretting their decision.
Anderson, 26, made his Habs debut against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, making an immediate impact for Montreal, scoring twice on 7 shots and landing 3 big hits, much to the delight of Habs GM Marc Bergevin.
Anderson was absolutely buzzing all night, walking defenders, driving hard to the net, staying engaged in all three zones and bringing that physical presence that he's been known to showcase. Simply put, aside from not getting the win, it was the perfect debut for the Habs' new star winger.
On the other end, Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen looked to have pulled off a heist, shipping off the disgruntled Anderson after a lackluster 2019-20 season that saw him score just 1 goal and 4 points in 26 games in exchange for Domi, a top-six center who was just one season removed from a 72-point campaign, playing a full 82 games in 2018-19.
So how did Domi's debut in Columbus shake out on Thursday against the Nashville Predators? Well, on the whole, it was rather forgettable. Domi registered just 12:57 of ice-time, managing to shoot the puck just once, adding one hit and one blocked shot. What was more concerning was that Domi saw his backside cemented to the bench for the final 5 minutes of the game, despite his team being down a goal late.
Now, obviously it's too soon to declare a winner in this deal with just one game being played on each side, but Anderson's dominant play against a very dangerous Toronto Maple Leafs team looks to have tipped the scale in the Habs' favor, at least for the time being.
We'll have to take Max Domi's Blue Jackets debut with a grain of salt and just chalk it up to a bad game in a new environment. Perhaps we'll see Domi settle in and return to his 72-point form from 2018-19. If not, this one has the makings of an absolute homerun for the Habs.
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