Carolina Hurricanes Acquire Max Domi In Three-Way Trade

Happy trade deadline day! In a shocking turn of events, the Carolina Hurricanes did end up making a move in the 11th, hour, and a pretty big one at that. The Hurricanes have acquired forward Max Domi from the Columbus Jackets in a three-way trade also involving the Florida Panthers.

Max Domi carries a 5.3 million dollar cap hit and is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Domi has 9 goals, 23 assists, and 32 points through 53 games for the Blue Jackets so far this season.

Max Domi is well-known around the league for being a bruiser, similar to his father, Tie Domi, but Max also has a bit of skill to his game. Domi started his career as a member of the Arizona Coyotes, being drafted 12th overall in the 2013 entry draft. Max was traded to the Montreal Canadiens prior to the 2018 season.

Max Domi had his best offensive season with the Canadiens, shattering all of his previous career highs with 28 goals and 44 goals for a total of 72 points through 82 games. After regressing to his mean during the 2019-20 season, with only 44 points in 72 games, which still is not shabby at all.

Domi was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets during the 2020 offseason where he has spent the last two seasons, until now. Max has fallen out of favor in Columbus, with his deployment now down to just 13 minutes a game. The 27-year-old winger has 56 points in 107 games as a Blue Jacket.

As for fit, Max Domi will most likely slot into the Hurricanes’ middle-six, but Brind’amour could theoretically place him anywhere in the lineup. Max Domi struggles defensively but has a lot of give on offense. Although he is tough, we won’t be seeing him killing penalties anytime soon.

With a little bit of grit and a good amount of finishing, this is a very interesting move by the Hurricanes that could work out very well for the team. The biggest win here is making an addition that doesn’t disrupt the lineup too much, but can still make an impact.

We are still waiting on what the return will be, but we do know that the Canes gave up their 2021 third-round draft selection, Aidan Hreschuk in the trade. It is possible the Hurricanes had to give up more for salary retention reasons.

Question for Cardiac Cane readers: Where do you see Max Domi fitting into the lineup?