Kavan Young

The Montreal Canadiens kicked off the 2020 NHL Entry Draft in style on Tuesday, sending Max Domi and a third-round pick in 2020 to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for winger Josh Anderson. Anderson is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he played just 26 games and scored only once. However, he scored 63 goals in 223 games over his last three seasons.

The fact that we’re speculating on Patrik Laine and his cost of acquisition is crazy. The fact that he actually seems to be available is almost unthinkable. Drafted second overall, Laine is a 6’4″, 205-lb. power forward who scored 138 goals before his 22nd birthday. In a good year, Laine is a game-changing sniper capable of 50-60 goals. In a down year, as many consider this to have been for him, he’s still a 30-goal scorer. So why is he available?

The Montreal Canadiens have a busy offseason ahead and one of the biggest decisions to make is regarding Max Domi. Rumours have surrounded the 25-year-old forward for the better part of the last year and were amplified earlier this week when he removed references to the Canadiens from his social media profiles. On its own, a subtle change to an Instagram profile is hardly enough evidence to signal an impending trade but it isn’t the only factor that could indicate Domi is on his way out.