When Max Domi signed a four-year deal to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the expectation was that his play from late in the season and playoffs would carry over this season. Now in his second season with the team and in the first year of his new deal, Domi’s overall play has been uninspiring as he has had little to no impact this season.
With the depth scoring needing an overhaul ahead of the deadline, the Maple Leafs need to get more contributions from their secondary offense. Other players like Matthew Knies (19) and Bobby McMann (15) have scored more and have had more of a significant impact than Domi to this point.
While Domi is more of a playmaker, you would expect him to find the scoresheet more than three times through 44 games. After all, he has hit double-digits in goals five times in his career and the 20-goal mark twice. If he can’t up his goal production, the Maple Leafs might have a tough decision to make and could be a name to move on from and clear some space for a player that could have more of an impact.
Domi’s Struggles Magnified
To say that Domi has been inconsistent as a Maple Leaf is an understatement. Even though his production is of concern, it’s the long cold stretches that’s even more concerning as that has been a reason why he has been a non-factor offensively.
It’s tough to go through a long goalless streak in the NHL, but to do it twice is really head scratching. Domi went through a 22-game goalless drought to start the season, 18 of those games were without a point. After ending that streak and scoring in three straight games where the third line looked to have found some chemistry, he is now in the midst of another stretch of games without scoring a goal in 19 games.
Even when Domi has the puck, he’s been passing up shooting opportunities to pass it instead, his accuracy is off and hasn’t really had great control in the process. When John Tavares was out of the lineup, he struggled to produce anything and it showed. Here’s a breakdown of his on-ice impact at five-on-five over the last six games when he needed to be relied on offensively.
| Opponent | xGF% | SCF% | HDCF% |
| NJD | 46.34 | 42.86 | 14.29 |
| MTL | 22.01 | 37.50 | 0 |
| TBL | 47.45 | 37.50 | 0 |
| CBJ | 48.92 | 70 | 40 |
| OTT | 78.28 | 70.59 | 100 |
| MIN | 44.67 | 53.85 | 40 |
The one game where Domi was noticeable was against the Ottawa Senators. The other games, he has shown little to no impact at all. This alone is concerning that if the Maple Leafs need players to step up, he hasn’t been one of them.
At the start of the season, Berube wanted him to shoot the puck more, something he really hasn’t done much of this season. His 63 shots on goal this season is, at the moment, the lowest total he has on goal throughout his career. Saying that he needs to be greedy and shoot the puck more is definitely something that he needs to do more often and not always elect to pass the puck as his first instinct. If this doesn’t change, it might be best to find a replacement for him at the deadline.
Could Domi be a Trade Asset?
With the trade deadline approaching, it’s clear that the Maple Leafs could look to make some additions in order to strengthen their depth scoring. While we look at the names that could be coming in, it’s also interesting to see who could be on the way out.
With Domi’s play this season, it’s possible that he could be a name to watch and be replaced in the lineup.The Athletic recently published a list of under the radar names to watch ahead of the trade deadline and Domi is mentioned. Considering how the Maple Leafs need more offense than what they’re getting, moving on from Domi is definitely an option. His contract is easy enough to move as he has a $3.75 million cap hit. Even though he has a modified no-movement clause, he has a 13-team no trade list, meaning that moving him could be easier and could find value elsewhere in terms of creating offense and scoring goals. (from, ‘NHL trade candidates under the radar: 10 players who are falling out of favor’, The Athletic NHL – 1/21/25)
Considering he signed a new contract months ago, moving on from Domi to improve in an area that the team desperately needs to address is definitely worth looking into, especially if you’re also looking to move money out in the process. While he can play a tenacious style that fits Berube’s system, not scoring and finding the scoresheet won’t get you further up in the lineup like Knies or McMann.
If Domi was producing and playing like he was in the playoffs, this probably wouldn’t be an issue. However, long stretches without scoring and poor decision-making with the puck, isn’t helping his case to not only move up in the lineup, but his spot on the team overall.
It’s a tough decision to make, but there are plenty of other players that can do more than Domi and probably would be more beneficial.
-1726025211-q80.webp "Best landing spots for Martin Jones ahead of NHL training camp")
