When the Canadiens brought in Josh Anderson from Columbus in October 2020, it was the kind of move that came wrapped in questions. Anderson was trying to bounce back from an injury-ravaged season, and Max Domi had only recently put up a 72-point year in Montreal.
On paper, it looked like a straight-up change of scenery deal. In hindsight, it’s turned into something much more favorable for the Canadiens.
Montreal landed Anderson on October 6, 2020, sending Domi and a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft to the Blue Jackets. The Canadiens were betting on a different kind of forward: a big, fast, physical winger who could tilt the ice with his style. They doubled down almost immediately, signing him to a seven-year, $38.5 million contract shortly after the trade.
That bet hasn’t always been smooth. Anderson has never become the steady 30-goal scorer Montreal may have hoped for, and his offensive numbers have gone through plenty of dry spells.
His contract has also drawn its share of scrutiny. But looking only at the box score misses what he’s actually given the Canadiens.
Anderson brings a blend of size, speed and physical edge that’s hard to find. He can make life miserable for opponents on the forecheck, drive the net and bring a tone to a game that doesn’t show up cleanly in point totals. Just as important, he has a track record of rising to the moment when the games matter most.
That showed up during Montreal’s run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, when Anderson played a key role and scored the overtime winner in Game 4 of the Final to keep the Canadiens alive. Since then, he has continued to fit the mold of a player whose game is built for playoff hockey. For a team that has gradually shifted from rebuilding toward competing, that kind of presence matters.
The other side of the deal never really gained traction. Domi managed 56 points in 107 games with Columbus, a solid return but nowhere close to the production he delivered in his best season in Montreal.
The Blue Jackets later moved him to the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2022 trade deadline, and he left Carolina in free agency a few months after that. Since leaving the Canadiens, Domi has bounced around and never matched that 72-point breakout from 2018-19.
As for the pick Montreal included, it became defenseman Samuel Knazko. He has spent time in the Blue Jackets organization, but he hasn’t grown into a player who changes the outcome of the trade.
That’s why this one feels pretty straightforward nearly six years later. Montreal moved on from a player it no longer wanted and a third-round pick, and in return got years of useful hockey from a power forward who still fills a specific need. The Canadiens may not have landed a franchise-altering steal, but they did come away with the better end of the bargain.
Columbus, by contrast, didn’t get a long-term building block. Domi was there for less than two seasons, and the draft pick didn’t turn into an impact NHL player.
Could Anderson have produced more offensively in Montreal? Sure.
But even with the uneven scoring and the contract debates, the trade has aged in the Canadiens’ favor.
Almost six years on, it’s fair to call this a win for Montreal.
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Canadiens May Go Only As Far As Ivan Demidov Takes Them
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Ivan Demidov is at the center of that bet after a rookie season that put him firmly on the leagues radar and left him second in Calder Trophy voting. He showed plenty of upside, but he also cooled late, and Montreals outlook now hinges on whether he can turn that promise into steadier second-year production. For a team that did not do much to change its ceiling, his next step may end up setting the tone. [Read more 🡒]