Will the Montreal Canadiens ever regret the Josh Anderson trade?

Discussing the Montreal Canadiens best move of the offseason, who is on their last legs and whether there will ever be regrets for the Josh Anderson trade.

1) What was your favourite decision of the Montreal Canadiens offseason?

Ken MacMillan: My favourite move of the offseason was the acquisition of Jake Allen. It was finally time for the Habs to admit they can’t ride Carey Price every night of the season and hope he can carry them into and through the playoffs. Marc Bergevin has often been quoted as saying that some players get you into the playoffs, and some players get you through them. It’s finally time they realized this philosophy includes the goaltenders. Allen should be able to help the Canadiens have great goaltending every night of the regular season, but far more importantly, he will carry a big enough load that Price will be rested and at his best in the postseason.

Teddy Eliot: The Jake Allen trade. This move proved that Bergevin finally realized that his $10 million dollar goalie can’t play 60+ games a season and still expect to win in the playoffs. I would argue that he’s Montreal’s most important player this season, as his success or failure will directly contribute to the team’s playoff chances. Allen needs to play well as Price’s backup goalie. There are no other options.

Sebastian: This one is easy, for me, despite the plethora of moves I liked a lot. The signing of Tyler Toffoli is one of those rare low-risk, high-reward moves. Toffoli is only 28-years-old and has scored 20 goals on four occasions and has put up a 30-goal pace twice, hitting that mark in 2015-16 and being well on his way to it last season. The term of four years is perfect, the cap hit of 4.25 million is a bargain if he manages 30 goals and fair value if he pots North of 23, and fair value is a rare find on the free-agent market. While I am a big fan of the Jake Allen trade and subsequent signing, the value that Toffoli will bring to the team is just huge.

The move that was the closest to beating out Toffoli, for me, was the only other A+ grade I gave to one of Bergevin’s offseason moves, which was the Jeff Petry extension. I believe Petry could, quite easily, have gotten a contract for $1.5 million a year more on the free-agent market than the $6.25 million he signed to stay in Montreal for another 4 seasons beyond 2020-21. The value there is excellent. While Josh Anderson may be the acquisition I am most excited to see in a Habs jersey, the risk in his acquisition and signature is just too substantial to have him take the crown in this particular competition.

Scott Cowan: Towards the midway point of this abridged and unexpected off-season, Montreal hadn’t done much to gives fans hope as to any new changes in the team’s prospects. While the acquisitions of Joel Edmundson and Jake Allen were promising, AHL enforcer Brandon Baddock being the only free agent acquisition for the team, did little to raise hopes that things would be different this season. That was until the Montreal Canadiens went and signed Tyler Toffoli, who is my personal favourite decision of the off-season.

Along with the acquisition of Josh Anderson, Toffoli has given Habs fans increased hope in a team that looks more exciting than year’s past. However, unlike Anderson, Toffoli has a proven track record of consistency and success, which, in my opinion, makes him a much more concrete option than Anderson at the moment. Four 20 goal seasons and a Stanley Cup ring have led to Toffoli’s reputation as a consistent and reliable offensive performer, and someone who I believe could produce Tomas Tatar-esque numbers in the right situation.

Omar L: It’s the Jake Allen trade with the Tofolli signing being at a close second. Regardless of the optics of Carey Price needing “help” in net, it was a move that needed to be made. The Montreal Canadiens have had it burnt into their identity that they’ll go as far as Price will carry them, and that’s led to seasons where the goaltender is playing in every single game to obtain a playoff spot. That’s what you’d expect from the highest-paid goaltender in the league, but it’s not a functional system.

Teams nowadays are making more and more use of the platoon system, and it’s helping to keep their number one relatively rested for the moments the team really needs them: the playoffs. Boston perfected it with Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak, Dallas made use of it with Ben Bishop, and Anton Khudobin and Philadelphia ran it as well between Carter Hart and Brian Elliott. The way Price played in the playoffs for Montreal is a perfect example of why you want him as healthy and rested as possible. Allen does that for him.

2) Do you think the Montreal Canadiens will ever regret the Max Domi-Josh Anderson trade?

KK: I think it is far more likely the Habs eventually regret the trade than the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Canadiens took on all the risk here and then decided to sign Anderson long term. Even in a down year, Domi was on pace for 20 goals and 51 points. In a bad year, Anderson had one goal. I don’t expect Josh Anderson to be the next David Clarkson, but there is a small possibility he can’t bounce back and is the next David Clarkson. That would lead to great regret.

TE: The only way the Habs will regret the trade is if Domi suddenly ends up being a consistent 60-point player. That’s not going to happen. Both players are likely in their prime right now, and Anderson is probably a better fit than Domi in the long run. What the Montreal Canadiens might regret are the last three or four years of Anderson’s contract, but by that point, Anderson will be a comforting yet expensive 6’3″, 225-pound safety blanket on the fourth line. Though I still don’t understand why Bergevin hands out no-trade clauses like they’re candy in a classroom, but hey.

S: No… but I do think Habs’ fans might. I think there is a decent chance that Max Domi puts up 15-20 more points a season than Josh Anderson on average over the next seven years and that the nostalgia of Domi’s fire will seduce Habs’ supporters. However, Josh Anderson fills a need, and Max Domi was deemed surplus to requirements. I do believe, though, that Anderson will score more goals than Domi and that he will stay healthy… but that’s a big contract. Bergevin and Julien clearly love what Anderson brings to the table, and he will add another dimension to this team, as well as potentially the deepest right-wing depth in the league. Anderson fits this team quite perfectly: he’s big, he scores, he hustles, he’s fast, and he is reliable defensively and on the PK. So, the Montreal Canadiens will never regret this trade.

SC: I’ll be honest; I was one of the people who were skeptical of this trade when it first happened. The thing is, while Domi was frustratingly inconsistent this past season, his 72-point campaign in 2018-19 gave him a ceiling that few players have, especially with his reputation as more of a two-way player than a strictly offensive powerhouse. Going back to the original trade for Domi, the Habs have won that trade regardless of this current one, with Alex Galchenyuk now on his fourth team in the past three seasons after being shipped from Arizona, to Pittsburgh, to Minnesota, then to his signing with Ottawa.

Josh Anderson has the distinction of having a similarly high ceiling to Domi, though I still won’t be convinced of his abilities until I see him play. Despite his large frame and 47-point season in 2018-19, his shoulder issues and unimpressive performance last year leave me unconvinced, especially with the high cap hit he now carries. However, I still think it will be a while before Montreal truly regrets this trade if they ever will, as Domi’s bridge deal with Columbus could mean he signs elsewhere after its conclusion. If that happens, Montreal wins this trade; if he doesn’t, it remains to be seen.

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OL: Anderson brings enough intangibles to his game where I don’t see the Montreal Canadiens organization regretting the trade (openly). He’s big and has a physical presence, which Marc Bergevin has wanted to add. Yes, the team is filled with scrappy characters headed by Brendan Gallagher, and no one is willing to take on Shea Weber head-on despite his age, but Anderson is a tough player to play against.

That said, the justification for the contract was that Anderson brings that’s physical edge while having the offensive skill to score as well. Gallagher will be the highest-paid forward on the Habs when the 2021/22 season begins, but as of now, Anderson and Jonathan Drouin have the biggest ticket. Because of that, the Habs need goals from him.

Perhaps Bergevin sees Anderson as a Tom Wilson type on the team. No, not skating around injuring people, but a heavy hitter who can play with skilled guys and put up 20 goals a season. If Anderson can do that consistently, there should be no regrets, even if Max Domi lights up his first year in Columbus. The fan base, on the other hand, is a different conversation.

SC: In the midst of the current hype around prospects Cole Caufield and Alexander Romanov, the Montreal Canadiens track record in regard to drafting has been shaky, to say the least. Because of this, for as long as he’s been with the Canadiens organization, I believe Trevor Timmins is on less solid ground than he’s been in year’s past. While the Canadiens pipeline is rife with promising prospects at the moment, the lack of true first-round talent from the team has left the Canadiens just that, promising prospects, rather than proven ones. Aside from Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who rebounded from a mediocre performance in the regular season with a strong showing in the playoffs, most of the Habs’ top players at the moment are comprised of veteran acquisitions or products of other team’s scouting departments.

Even still, the question remains whether the Habs ultimately made the right choice in selecting Kotkaniemi, instead of already proven stars like Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes or Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk. Timmins comments on not selecting QMJHL prospects has also led to criticism, as while I can agree with why he personally chose not to select from the league in this year’s draft, his previous track record of missing on proven players like Samuel Girard, Anthony Beauvillier and Nicolas Roy leaves Habs fans questioning both his selection processes and future with the Canadiens organization, especially with Montreal putting more focus on drafting than ever before.

OL: I’m taking my answer on two fronts: management and player personnel.

The Montreal Canadiens did their best to add more scoring this offseason with Toffoli and Anderson. Additionally, another year of Nick Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi will do nothing but good for either. This will address their 5v5 production, but all eyes are on the powerplay, which hasn’t been consistent for years. Bergevin handed these toys to Kirk Muller, and if the powerplay puts up the same results next season, it’ll be tough to see him remain behind the bench. Special teams are key in the NHL, and in a year where the Habs may be playing against Canadian teams, they’ll need to be able to convert. If they don’t, I could see the temperature turned to critical on Muller. However, he stepped up in a big way for Claude Julien when he was in the hospital.

When it comes to personnel, it starts with acknowledging the Habs’ future salary cap situation. The days of weaponizing cap space are over. Gallagher has been paid (deservingly so), and Petry will be paid (deservingly so while doing the organization a favour). Anderson and Tofolli nearly make $10 million between the both of them, while Kotkaniemi and Poehling are due this upcoming summer, with Suzuki expiring in the next.

Money will need to be moved, so there’s room for all of this. That could see players such as Armia, Lehkonen, Drouin or even Phillip Danault moved. Armia has been on bridge-deals for some time and may be looking for a long-term deal with a decent payout, and with the upcoming commitments, the Habs will have, I don’t think Bergevin will want to do it. Lehkonen, I could see sticking around at a lower number if the expectations of him breaking out as a 20-goal player subside. Drouin and Danault are different stories.

The idea of moving Drouin should completely disappear if the magic between him and Suzuki continues. The two were in-sync against the Philadelphia Flyers, and that over the course of the regular season would be an interesting experiment. That could keep Drouin here, especially if he returns to that 50-60 point range with Suzuki.

Danault is a very underrated player and doesn’t get enough credit. The Montreal Canadiens don’t want to move him, but I feel there will come a time when it will happen. There are already signs of separation as Danault doesn’t want his role to change and may see how Gallagher was compensated for his time in the organization wanting the same thing. However, Suzuki and Kotkaniemi are the future one and two of this team, which will leave Danault as the third-line centre.

Danault may not want that, but the writing is on the wall. If he doesn’t want to accept the reality and the fact that he can’t cash out as high as he’d like in that role, that may see him part ways with the Montreal Canadiens.