After playing parts of six seasons in the NHL, Max Comtois will play for Dynamo Moscow in the KHL in 2024-25.
A second round pick of the Ducks in 2017, Comtois showed lots of promise while playing in the QMJHL for the Victoriaville Tigers and Drummondville Voltiguers.
Comtois made a quick impact at the pro level as well, scoring in both his AHL and NHL debuts. His first NHL goal came just 49 seconds into his debut.
Comtois’ first full season as a pro in 2019-20 saw him split time between the Ducks and the San Diego Gulls. He had 24 points in 31 games for the Gulls.
It was the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season which saw Comtois have an offensive breakout as he led the Ducks in points with 33 points in 55 games.
While perhaps that’s nothing to scoff at since the Ducks finished with the second-lowest points total (43) in the league that season, the hope was that Comtois could take the next step and provide secondary scoring at the least alongside players like Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell.
A strong showing with Team Canada—six points in 10 games—that summer which culminated in them winning the gold medal also provided belief that there was more to come for the Québec native.
However, Comtois’ points total dipped to 16 in 2021-22 and a second consecutive points total under 20 followed in 2022-23. A restricted free agent in the summer of 2023, he was not extended a qualifying offer by the Ducks and his time was Anaheim was over.
The Vegas Golden Knights signed Comtois to a player tryout (PTO) last September and while Comtois did show enough to perhaps earn a fourth line spot, he did not make the team and was released.
Comtois spent a majority of this past season in the AHL with the Chicago Wolves before signing a two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes for the remainder of the season. He appeared in one regular season game and one playoff game for the Hurricanes.
A restricted free agent once again, he was not tendered a qualifying offer by Carolina and became an unrestricted free agent for the second time in his career.
It’s fair to say that Comtois didn’t quite reach the heights that some might have expected him to after having a successful CHL career—along with several successes at the international level. At one point, he was even considered a piece for a potential Jack Eichel trade when Eichel was still playing for the Buffalo Sabres.
Perhaps a change of scenery will do him well and he finds a job in the NHL again once his contract with Dynamo Moscow is done.