I guess you’re right that I shouldn’t be saying it without knowing it’s true, but Tie’s comments, Max’s connections to big hockey markets/people, and the most recent rumors about him not wanting to stay in Montreal kind of do it for me.
The truth is, you’ll probably never get the truth. As a young player who isn’t necessarily considered a superstar, if you come out and straight up say you don’t want to play in non-traditional hockey markets it doesn’t do you any good. It’s an agent’s nightmare. Other general managers may begin to dislike you as a potential asset and other players around the league who are happy to play anywhere to stay in the league may not take it too kindly. It’s smart of Max to never address it if that’s truly how he feels.
My thoughts: I never thought he would be a life long Coyote (as much as I wanted that.) I don’t think he’ll want to retire a Blue Jacket, and I feel once he becomes a free agent we’ll see him limit his options to teams like the Penguins, Maple Leafs, Jets, and the Rangers. He has connections to all of them and I think he’ll end up making his decision based off of that.
