Montreal Canadiens: Expectations for Max Domi, breakout candidates, and cap space

1) What are your expectations for Max Domi this upcoming season in terms of points and overall team impact?

Wesley Smith: Max Domi is not an elite offensive talent, with that being said, I believe he can have a solid year playing with a new team here in Montreal. It is unlikely Domi will score goals at an unbelievable rate, however, he does poses elite playmaking ability. He is a player who likes to play on the perimeter and doesn’t really have a nose for the net. But he does have a feisty side just like his dad although not to the same extent. If I had to make a “way to early” prediction for Domi, I’d feel comfortable assuming he scores between 10-20 goals and 30-40 assists for a point total between 40-60 points.

Zachary Cook: To me, Max Domi is an above-average second line forward in today’s NHL. Once again, I don’t expect the Canadiens to be an offensive juggernaut this season, and thus expectations should be tempered for what Domi can bring to this version of the Habs. With that being said, I actually expect the Montreal Canadiens to be an entertaining team up front, especially in regards to last years team.

There are a lot of forwards that can push the play and are driven by speed, many of the play-making variety, but the concern up front is going to continue to be which forwards can put the puck in the net and finish plays. Unfortunately for the Habs, that isn’t what Domi specializes in. Alex Galchenyuk fit the mold better in that department, but it seems the two parties were ready for a divorce. Domi will improve the Canadiens 5-on-5 play, and I’m intrigued if he does eventually get a shot down the middle of the ice.

When Domi finished the season as a center in the final 20 games for Arizona, he had 18 points and was a possession monster. Time will tell how desperate the Canadiens are at center, and if they see Domi as a potential solution there for the future. Expect somewhere between 45-55 points for him.

Kamal Rehman: I think Domi will have a positive effect on the team. He will bring his “never take a shift off” style of play, and that is always infectious on a hockey team. I’m thinking this is the attitude Bergevin wants for his club.

Domi’s vision, puck handling skills, and passing ability should help create plays and offense. The question is who will Domi be setting up? Drouin is a pass first guy, Galchenyuk is obviously no longer there, Pacioretty could be gone, and Weber is injured for the first 30 plus games of the year. There aren’t many shooters to pass to. With the lack of offensive weapons on the club, Domi will be one of the players the opposition will be able to focus on, making it more difficult for him to produce.

He’ll get the minutes and the opportunities, but I just think it is asking too much to expect a great amount of production from him. We all know he is coming off two nine goal seasons and last year four of those nine were empty netters. If I have to give numbers, I’m going to say 16 goals and 35 assists for Domi. A 51 point season…yes, the same number of points Galchenyuk produced last year.

Omar White: There’s no doubt that Domi is going to help the Montreal Canadiens moving forward. Although he hasn’t been able to reach the goal total he had in his rookie season, his abilities as a playmaker has improved over the last two years. However, Domi will be as good as his deployment and usage dictate.

A lot of fans expect Domi to play on a line with Jonathan Drouin and given their playing styles, that doesn’t make too much sense. Players who like to shoot the puck like Brendan Gallagher and Artturi Lehkonen are the best fit there. His impact will also be felt on the power play providing both units with a skilled puck distributor along the wall.

I think a fair guess as far as offensive production would perhaps be 12 goals and 35 assists. Another thing that I’m interested to see is whether Domi shifts to centre at any point in the year. The Montreal Canadiens for all intents and purposes have their four guys, but injuries could see the 23-year-old move to the middle.

2) Are the Montreal Canadiens making a mistake by heading into another year with a decent amount of cap space? 

WS: The Montreal Canadiens are not making a mistake not using the entire cap. Leaving some space open might be one of the best moves that they make this season. The extra cap space can allow the Canadiens to take on a poor contract as well as adding picks as the season goes on. Much like Arizona did in the 2017 Draft taking Pavel Datsyuk‘s contract from the Detroit Red Wings for picks. Going into the season with the cap space they have is definitely not a bad move.

ZC: Absolutely not. This is a developmental season for the Montreal Canadiens, and come the trade deadline, they can use their available cap space to help a contending team in need of space. In exchange, the Habs can receive assets that will potentially help shape the future of the club. In 2018, cap space is one of the biggest assets that a team can have, and the Canadiens need to strategically use it to their advantage this season.

KR: No. It doesn’t make sense to commit dollars to players who aren’t going to help your team just to get closer to the cap. Having the cap space is an asset for the Habs because they can potentially take on bad contracts for picks – although this didn’t happen at last season’s trade deadline. There just aren’t any free agents out there who can significantly upgrade the club. It’s best to let the young Habs play, give them some valuable NHL experience and see what they can become. This year is all about development and handing out bad contracts is not the way to go.

OW: Everyone is interested to see how Armia does on the Habs this upcoming season. Well, that trade probably doesn’t happen if the Habs don’t have the space to take on Mason’s deal and buy it out. In this day and age of the NHL, cap space is a weapon just as much as it is a luxury. Teams will be looking to make trades down the line, and if they need some help, Montreal can happily extending a hand for the right price.

Whether it’s a similar situation to deal with Winnipeg or being the third-party on a larger move, the Montreal Canadiens can benefit in the long run from having that extra wiggle room.

3) Who is your breakout candidate for the 2018-19 season? 

WS: I think this is a no-brainer, Victor Mete. Mete skates as well as anyone on the Canadiens roster and has the potential to be an elite offensive blue liner. Mete skates with such ease he makes it look easy. Similar to Erik Karlsson, P.K. Subban and Drew Doughty, his feet get him out of so many tough situations in his own end. Mete will have a great opportunity with Weber out of the lineup to play some tougher minutes in the earlier part of the season. If he reaches his potential that will make the Canadiens a better team.

ZC: It’s an interesting question. You’re going to hear this a lot from me and, probably get sick of it, but this is a developmental year for Montreal. Although we might not see a ton of “breakout” players, progress is the key. I still think this signing went under the radar, but I’m very excited to see what Matthew Peca brings to the Canadiens. I think with his speed, he can really cause some havoc on teams, especially in transition from the neutral zone. Ideally, Peca can play the role of a smart third-line center, potentially flanked by Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Armia.

KC: I’m going to go with Charles Hudon. Maybe I should ask what qualifies as a breakout season because what I’m going to predict for Hudon won’t exactly get fantasy players jumping over each other like it’s Black Friday at Walmart. Hudon always had a bit of an offensive game through junior and the AHL, and has shown some skill with the big club.

I remember him being snake-bitten a bit so perhaps he’ll have a bit more luck this upcoming season. Improving on last year’s very low 5.6% shooting percentage and I’ll say we can see Hudon increasing his totals to 15 goals and 25-ish assists.

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OW: I’m on Team Nikita Scherbak for this one. The skilled forward has put up points at every level he’s played at, and although he had a few sputters in the AHL, he proved this past season that he’s ready to fill into a higher role. Scherbak is nearly a lock to make the team in my opinion, but it’ll most likely start on the third line with the number of wingers on the roster as it is.

That may hurt his point production at 5v5. However, Scherbak has the skill to set up linemates as well which could see him contribute offensively if he starts on a line with say Tomas Plekanec and Paul Byron.

I think the 22-year-old will have the biggest impact on the power play. There’s an open spot on the top unit with the Alex Galchenyuk departure, and if it’s not Lehkonen fills it, he should get minutes on the second unit. Moments like the power play is when Scherbak will be able to use his tools to the fullest. Not only does he have a great shot, but he has quick hands to get things going that could lead to scoring chances.

There’s no reason why Scherbak shouldn’t be able to score at least ten goals this upcoming season, maybe even 15 if he’s able to click with his linemates on the man advantage. But if he continues on the path he laid out for himself in the latter half of the year, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him surpass that.