The Columbus Blue Jackets Acquire Max Domi and a Third-Round Pick from the Montreal Canadiens for Josh Anderson

Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen found a home for Josh Anderson and in the process, added Domi, an offensive-minded center for the Montreal Canadiens, to his roster.

Canadiens acquire forward Josh Anderson in return for Max Domi and a third-round pick in 2020 (78th overall).
#GoHabsGo | @RONAinc pic.twitter.com/oxqHvOGrd6

— Canadiens Montral (@CanadiensMTL) October 6, 2020

Domi, 25, has the ability to play center and wing for the Blue Jackets, though he's expected to play the former for head coach John Tortorella. In 2019-20, he posted 17-27-44 in 71 games for the Habs. The season prior, he tallied a career-high 28-44-72 in 82 games. He is a pending restricted free agent and was paid $3.15M by the Canadiens last season.

“It's on to the Columbus Blue Jackets and that's a hell of a hockey team,” Domi said about the Blue Jackets when meeting with the media Wednesday morning. “I have a chance to win a Stanley Cup now and that's very exciting for me. It's all about winning. I've been in the league long enough now to know that when you come into [Nationwide Arena], it's going to be a tough night.”

The 12th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, Domi started his career in Phoenix, where he saw three seasons of action for the Coyotes before being traded to Montreal on June 15, 2018. In his five seasons of NHL play, he has 81 goals and 170 assists in 375 games.

Interestingly, Domi and Anderson share the same agent, Darren Ferris. Domi said he found out about the trade while on the golf course with Anderson, his good friend from his junior hockey days with the London Knights.

“It's great for both of us. I'm going to a team where I'm wanted for sure and I'm going to be put into a position to succeed, so I'm looking forward to that,” Domi said. “Likewise with Josh. He'll love playing in Montreal. He'll really thrive off of that.”

Domi has Type 1 Diabetes and regularly checks his blood glucose levels during games. His father, Tie, was an agitator for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and Winnipeg Jets over a 16-year NHL career.

Anderson, also a pending RFA, was long thought to be a player Kekalainen was looking to move. The team's 95th overall pick in the 2014 draft is a big, physical winger, and had a career year in 2018-19 with 27-20-47, but a shoulder injury led to just 26 appearances in the Blue Jackets lineup last season, and a meager one goal in those 26 games.

Josh Anderson (to Montreal) is a decent play-driver with weak finishing impact recently. pic.twitter.com/c5i04zxMnN

— Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) October 6, 2020

As part of the trade, the Blue Jackets will receive a third-round selection from the Canadiens, the 78th pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.