For the first time since the trade, Max Domi and Josh Anderson faced off against each other in a game. The best friends were traded for each other before the late start of the 2020-21 season.

On Sunday night, Domi’s Blue Jackets got the best of Anderson’s Canadiens by a score of 6-3. Neither player scored a goal but both were certainly noticeable in the game.

Domi seemed motivated and played the game with his usual speed. Anderson seemed just as motivated and played his usual physical style blended with his speed. He even had a breakaway but was unable to beat Joonas Korpisalo.

With the win, the Blue Jackets won consecutive games for the first time since November. With the loss, the Canadiens have now won just eight times in 44 games this season.

Checking In on the Trade

Over 15 months after the trade, the Blue Jackets and Canadiens are getting what they wanted out of the trade while realizing similar results. But is there a clear winner?

The answer is no. We won’t know who won this trade for many years. Even though Domi and Anderson are in different positions with their status and their contract situation, the story is only starting to unfold with many layers yet to go through.

Anderson’s Side

Let’s start with Anderson. He’s exactly as advertised. He is the rare power forward that can play with speed and can score 20 goals or more in a season. Although this season for the Canadiens has not gone as expected, Anderson is under contract for five more seasons after this one at a cap hit of $5.5 million.

On a better Canadiens’ team in the future, he should enjoy more success. You got to see what he could do in a long playoff run. Players like him don’t come along everyday.