Montreal Canadiens get: C Max Domi
Arizona Coyotes get: C Alex Galchenyuk
Montreal Canadiens: B-
Exactly one year after he orchestrated a deal for Jonathan Drouin with the Tampa Bay Lightning, GM Marc Bergevin was at it again. A summer splash, to the tune of a player-for-player transaction, is now becoming a signature for Bergevin, who two years ago at this time shipped P.K. Subban to Nashville in exchange for Shea Weber.
There was a sense Bergevin was looking to make some moves this offseason as the building plan for the Canadiens has stalled. Captain Max Pacioretty, who has a palatable $4.5 million cap hit and enters free agency next summer, was a popular name being circulated -- and he still might be moved. But for now, Bergevin unloaded a one-time 30-goal scorer in Galchenyuk, whose production has dipped in the past two seasons.
Galchenyuk, saddled by a center-or-wing identity issue, never fully flourished in Montreal. It felt like he was on the cusp of putting it all together after some time relegated to a fourth-line role. Instead, Bergevin decided Galchenyuk can find his game somewhere else, and instead takes on Domi -- who is a year younger than Galchenyuk and, like his trade counterpart, has proved to be an elite scorer at several levels before the NHL and in international competition.
Domi can plug in right away as a second-line center for the Canadiens. Bergevin is banking on the idea that he's getting a young player with all the right tools who just needed a fresh start in order to break out. Yes, Domi set career lows last season in terms of points per game and shooting percentage. But the potential is there. He also provides a little more team control than Galchenyuk, as he's a restricted free agent who now needs to work a new deal with Montreal.
For Bergevin, who may be feeling some pressure about job security, it's a risky move that could yield great results -- or totally backfire. But he needed to take the chance. Unsettling in the back of every Canadiens fans' mind: After trading Subban to Nashville, the Predators made the Stanley Cup Final. And after sending Mikhail Sergachev to the Lightning, Tampa Bay had a terrific season. All the while, the Canadiens have stumbled. Maybe, just maybe, this trade will buck that trend.
Arizona Coyotes: B
It was no secret Max Domi was on the market for some time. Coyotes GM John Chayka wasn't actively shopping the young center, but gauging off the number of calls he was getting, the GM was definitely listening.
There was a fear Chayka might have to sell low if Domi was moved this year. The 23-year-old tallied nine goals and 36 assists in 82 games -- essentially his same production as a season earlier, when he suited up for only 59 games. Neither season matched the expectations Domi set as a rookie, when he put up 16 goals in 2015-16. The Pittsburgh Penguins were a potential destination for Domi, but instead, Chayka found a partner in Bergevin. And he didn't need to sell too low at all.
There's no question Galchenyuk, the No. 3 pick of the 2012 draft, has talent. He's eclipsed 20 goals twice in his first six seasons and, like Domi, might benefit from a change of scenery. Galchenyuk is under contract for another two seasons with a $4.9 million cap hit. This is fine for the Coyotes to take on, as they have the room and the cap will rise this summer. With the coup of keeping elite defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson around, this is a significant next step for Chayka.
Though Domi was billed as a cornerstone young player to build around, the truth is, Galchenyuk can fit that mold also. And the Coyotes seem to envision Galchenyuk as a center, which is important, because of the difficulty identifying and acquiring capable centers in this league. Galchenyuk's arrival doesn't make the Coyotes a worse team at all. And for a group that finished the 2017-18 on a very high note, expectations for next season are that they can build off of that.