The New Jersey Devils might be wise to look at Max Domi in the trade market.
The New Jersey Devils are a team that is always looking to improve. Over the years, regardless of their general manager, they haven’t been shy about making big trades to improve their chances of making the playoffs. They haven’t been all that successful since making it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012 but there are so many reasons why. The biggest has been the fact that they can’t score. Well, now they are starting to accumulate these forwards that have lots of skill but they need something else.
A kid like Max Domi would really help out a lot of their young centers reach their potential. He is on the smaller side at 5’10” and 193 lbs. He does, however, play a big game. Some folks might remember his dad Tie Domi, who was one of the best enforcers of his generation. Max is a mix of his dad’s grit and some skill to create a pretty nice top-six forward.
If he came to New Jersey, he would provide an instant boost. He can play both center and left-wing, but he has almost exclusively played left-wing since being acquired by the Montreal Canadiens and has played it well. Coming to the Devils would almost have to be contingent on him being left-wing because they have so many centers.
In his first year with the Habs, he had 28 goals and 44 assists for 72 points. He wasn’t quite as productive offensively this season, with 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points in 71 games. If he was allowed to have a full 82-game season, however, there is no doubt that he would have eclipsed 20 goals and 50 points for the second year in a row.
The Devils would be smart to add him to the mix. At 25, he fits right into their core as far as age and could even provide a bit of valuable leadership. Domi would look really nice on the left side of Jack Hughes as he looks to take the next step in his development. Playing with Nico Hischier is also an option as they try to come up with the best possible combinations for Lindy Ruff. In order to see, these three trade packages might be what it takes to get it done: