Montreal Canadiens: Is a Busy Offseason on the Horizon for Marc Bergevin?
By Emmanuel D
Max Domi’s Status Currently Unknown
In Max Domi’s first season with the Montreal Canadiens, the forward blew everyone’s expectation as to how he would perform out of the water. In 82 games played, Max Domi had a career year with 28 goals and 44 assists for 72. Domi joined Brendan Gallagher as one of the team’s pests, and many thought he would be a player who was built perfectly for the playoffs.
In his second season, Domi had a season that was a more representative of his time with the Arizona Coyotes and recorded 17 goals and 27 assists for a total of 44 points. Domi also appeared quieter on the ice and did not stir up as much trouble as the previous year. This may have perhaps played a role in the different performances we saw in his two years as a Canadien. In the 10 games played in the postseason, Domi mostly silent with just 3 assists in 10 games played.
On the topic of Domi’s postseason, Marc Bergevin said, “He’s (Domi) better suited to answer regarding his performance,” and that:
"Max has a lot of potential. I can’t speak for his future. He’s an RFA for two more years…"
Given the lack of a clear answer, it is difficult to predict whether Max Domi will receive an extension from the Montreal Canadiens or if they may choose to move him in the offseason.
If one thing is for certain, Domi needs to find the spark he brought to the team in his first year if he is to find that same success.
Where Does Ryan Poehling Rank on the Organization’s Depth Chart?
The 25th overall selection in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft struggled in both the NHL and AHL in his first full season in the organization. In the AHL, Ryan Poehling finished with his 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) in 36 games and 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in 27 games played with the Montreal Canadiens.
With this in mind, it should not be surprising that Poehling did not find his way into the Canadiens lineup as a tough postseason to go with the regular season may have been detrimental to the young forward’s confidence.
When asked about Poehling, Marc Bergevin said,
"We haven’t thrown in the towel on Ryan Poehling. He’s a young player who we expect will come to next camp and earn a spot on the team."
The organization would like to see Poehling succeed with them, but with Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Nick Suzuki, Philip Danault and potentially Jake Evans filling out the centre position, it may be an uphill battle for Poehling to find his place on the team, barring a move to the wing.