Montreal Canadiens: Another bridge deal is on the horizon for Max Domi
Max Domi is the big restricted free agent for the Montreal Canadiens, but after his drop off from last season, a bridge deal seems to be the likely scenario.
Montreal Canadiens fans were starting to sweat picturing the future contract negotiations for Max Domi. He broke out with his new team setting career highs in goals (28), assists (44), and overall points (72), which led all players. And with the hassle restricted free agents put their teams’ through that offseason, who knows what Domi could’ve demanded if he had another star-labelled season for the Habs.
But that’s the thing with ‘ifs,’ they are far from a guarantee. Domi’s production took a hit while he continued to move around the lineup in favour of a rising Nick Suzuki. His shot generation was cold and improved as the year went on, but the two glaring flags were the fact that the shot attempts were roughly in line with last season.
Domi was hit with the mean, and it saw his shooting percentage fall from 13.8% to 9.5%. His PDO (on-ice shooting % + on-ice save %) fell from 1.04 (getting a lot of puck luck) to 1.01 (normal level of production). The 25-year-old didn’t do himself any favours either with the number of pointless droughts he went on this season.
Three pointless streaks of at least four games and three goalless droughts of at least nine games – one of which was 13 – isn’t going to cut it for a player who was looking on the verge of making top dollar. Not to mention the poorly timed penalties Domi would take that saw Claude Julien stick him to the bench a couple of times this season.
Who knows, perhaps Domi was just having an off season. It happens time and time again to the best players. Despite his deficit, he did go into the NHL pause with 17 goals 27 assists good for 44 points in 71 games. And like the culture of the team, there was never a moment where you could say Domi wasn’t putting effort into his play.
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That said, the future of the NHL complicates things. The salary cap was projected to take a jump next season, and it’s safe to say that won’t be happening. The NHL is going to be struggling to find a way to increase the salary cap, and if that’s the case, the Montreal Canadiens will walk into the offseason with approximately $7.5 million in space.
Victor Mete will need a deal, and that’s a conversation for another time, as will Jake Evans, to name a few who looks like he’s ready for full-time NHL play. There are still names available come free agency, and the Montreal Canadiens will want to be in a position to spend on game-changers, especially if they want to take a run at playoff contention next year and not have circumstances place them in.
Max Domi is getting a bridge deal; there’s no way around it. Forget about what’s coming in the next couple of months, Brendan Gallagher, Joel Armia, and Philip Danault will be up as well. These kinds of situations are why bridge deals are an option for teams in the NHL, and some organizations make the mistake of not making use of it.
Bergevin has to start taking care of how much he is spending and for how long. Age is a factor though, and whatever deal Domi gets will walk him into free agency. At the same time, if the deal goes beyond two years, the Habs must buy up free agency years, which will likely drive the price up.
A contract similar to Vladislav Namestikov’s would be good for both sides. Namestikov signed a two-year bridge deal with the New York Rangers with a $4 million cap hit before being traded to three teams. Bergevin does like his contracts in the 3s so perhaps he could reach an agreement and get it somewhere around $3.9 million.
If both sides want an extra year, that will drive the cap hit up, but I don’t think going anywhere north of $4.25 million benefits the Montreal Canadiens.
It’ll be important for Bergevin to keep the cap hit as team-friendly as possible as you never know what kind of trades are out there. There may be a lot of maneuvering coming for teams in the NHL, and if moving Domi improves the Habs long-term, an affordable contract helps in the motive.
Three Prospects Whose Value Dropped. dark. Next
We’ll see how the rest of the season plays out for Domi and the Montreal Canadiens. Even if Domi lights up the remainder of the year and has an impressive playoff, assuming the Habs maintain the points percentage to make it, I still don’t think it’s in the team’s best interest to commit to Domi long term. Not yet, at least.