Canadiens notes involving Josh Anderson and Max Domi
Eric Engels of Sportsnet: (mailbag) would try to acquire Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson if he were the Montreal Canadiens. He had season-ending shoulder surgery and only scored one goal this season, but scored 63 from 2016-2019. He’s a pending RFA and a year away from being a UFA.
A straight-up trade for Max Domi makes sense but a bit of gamble on the Canadiens side. There is the health issue, and the Canadiens would need to sign him long-term immediately.
The Canadiens need to start making some moves on the blue line that would allow them to cut back on the minutes they give to Shea Weber. He’ll soon be 35-years old and there is six years left on his contract.
Think the Canadiens and Domi will do a short-term deal. Two years ago he scored 28 goals and hit 72 points, but dropped to 17 goals and 44 points this year. They could look at doing a three- or four-year deal at a higher number than if they just did a one-year deal. Believe they’ll do a one-year deal.
Sources are saying that it’s unlikely the salary cap will be dropping, and the owners are not interested in having compliance buyouts this offseason.
50-50 that Pietrangelo re-signs with Blues?
Tom Timmermann of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: (mailbag) When asked about the odds of Alex Pietrangelo re-signing with the St. Louis Blues.
“I’ve said all along it’s 50-50 because I have no idea what will happen, so I won’t be surprised either way. I think his odds of staying with the Blues have gone up slightly because with the cap staying flat, there probably isn’t a huge, big money, long term contract waiting for him. So if he signs a shorter deal, the Blues have a better shot at keeping him. But it only takes one team with a lot of space that really wants him to end that. It will be harder for the Blues to match that. And with everything going on, that may slightly enhance Pietrangelo’s desire to stay put. But who knows?”
If the Blues are able to re-sign Pietrangelo, Justin Faulk could become an expansion draft candidate. It’s possible that they could keep both Pietrangelo and Faulk, but they would need to create salary cap space and would need to trade two players that are well paid.