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Montreal Canadiens Trade Rumours: Is Max Domi for Jonas Brodin worth it?

By Omar L

MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 07: Ryan Suter #20 of the Minnesota Wild and Max Domi #13 of the Montreal Canadiens skate against each other during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on January 7, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Minnesota Wild defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - JANUARY 07: Ryan Suter #20 of the Minnesota Wild and Max Domi #13 of the Montreal Canadiens skate against each other during the NHL game at the Bell Centre on January 7, 2019 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Minnesota Wild defeated the Montreal Canadiens 1-0. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Wild are selling, and it seems like the Montreal Canadiens want in on Jonas Brodin and are willing to part with Max Domi to make it happen.

The Montreal Canadiens continue to be an odd team ahead of the Trade Deadline. Being out of a playoff spot makes selling the easiest route to take, but Marc Bergevin has leaned on the reluctant side of that in hopes of having a competitive lineup for next season. That’s left the other option of buying and selling simultaneously a possible route, and the latest thought piece revolves around Max Domi and Jonas Brodin.

According to TSN’s latest TradeCentre piece, the Wild aren’t done selling off players after trading Jason Zucker to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Teams are calling on Brodin as well as right-handed defenceman Matt Dumba, and the Habs are willing to make an offer on the former.

Michael Russo of The Athletic is the source of this information as he says the Montreal Canadiens would likely part with Domi in a deal for Brodin. With other centres in the system (Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Ryan Poehling, to name a few), Domi is expendable. At the same time, he hasn’t had a season anywhere close to the one he had last year.

Domi has 13 goals and 23 assists for 36 points in 59 games. A pace like that will have him finish with 50, which is a massive downgrade from the 72 he had at the end of the 2018-19 season. That level of production saw his next deal sit in the realm of the $8 million cap hits given the market, but Domi hasn’t done himself any favours.

At the same time, the Wild are in a rebuilding stage of their own and need young players with speed.

Brodin is a left-shot defenceman who doesn’t put up a lot of points but is steady defensively. With Victor Mete not working out as the top pairing partner they needed for Shea Weber, he could be an option in some capacity. Additionally, Brodin has one more year left on his deal at $4,166,667, which is far from a cap-crippling commitment.

Who knows where this story goes. If a deal of this nature isn’t done ahead of the deadline, it could surely be revisited over the summer. However, as Russo stated, the Montreal Canadiens aren’t the only team interested in the Swedish defenceman.

Domi will be part of an eventual deal, but I doubt he’ll be the only part. The Wild managed to get a first-round pick and a top defensive prospect from the Penguins for Zucker. And even though Alex Galchenyuk was the cap dump, who knows what he’ll bring to the team by the end of the season.

Next. Domi is Costing Himself Millions. dark

Bergevin may need to change his stance on giving up prospects and prioritize those he sees a future with and those the organization can afford to walk away from. At the same time, the Habs must be sure Domi’s down season isn’t as much as a one-off as his career-high season was. That can dictate the price of making the Brodin trade.

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