In a move expected by many, the Columbus Blue Jackets traded Max Domi to the Carolina Hurricanes right at the league's 3:00 p.m. Monday deadline.
In exchange, the Blue Jackets receive defenseman Aiden Hreschuk. The 19-year-old defenseman played this season at Boston College, where he had one goal and seven assists in 37 games. The Eagles did not qualify for the NCAA men's tournament, and their season is over.
Hreschuk, a left-handed blue liner, is a 5'11" and 190lbs. EliteProspects describes him as a "high-calibre defender with the ability to defuse the rush high in the defensive zone", adding that the Long Beach, California native plays a physical brand of hockey.
On the season, the 27-year-old Domi has nine goals and 23 assists in 53 games. Eight of those 32 points — 25% of his production — came in his first seven games of the season. He's been on a warm streak again lately, picking up eight more points (all assists) in his last ten games. Scoring goals has been a struggle, though: Domi has just one goal since January 6th, a span of 31 games.
The Blue Jackets acquired Domi in October of 2020 in exchange for forward Josh Anderson. Columbus immediately announced they had signed Domi to a two-year, $10.6 million dollar contract extension that would bring him through the current season, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
With Domi now in Raleigh, the Blue Jackets will finish the season without one of their feistier players on the team. Despite only one fighting major on the season, he's been at the center of plenty of scrums on the ice throughout the season.
Domi's exit isn't out of left field. Last summer, the Blue Jackets exposed the versatile forward to the Seattle Kraken in the NHL Expansion Draft. The Kraken opted for defenseman Gavin Bayreuther instead, though Bayreuther was back in Columbus within a matter of days. With no reported contract extension talks between the two sides, the expectation was that Domi would be moved now rather than losing him for nothing in the offseason.
His upcoming unrestricted free agent status meant a lower return, but Hreschuk was the 94th overall selection in last year's draft and does carry NHL-level potential.
DobberProspects describes Hreschuk as a "do-it-all, two-way defender who can affect the game in all three zones. He plays a smart and efficient defensive game with the ability to move the puck up ice and make plays from the blueline."
