Maple Leafs Drop Early Hint About Who Skates Next to Auston Matthews
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
The Toronto Maple Leafs might already be giving fans a clue as to who will be on Auston Matthews' wing to start the 2025-26 season as the debate continues.
With Mitch Marner out of the picture, a lot of emphasis is on who the Maple Leafs are going to put on Auston Matthews' wing for the upcoming season. It seems to be a varied cast from rookies to veterans who could earn a shot, but two names have stuck out above the rest.
Both Max Domi and Matias Maccelli are both being looked at as potential linemates for Matthews, and while Domi has the edge due to his experience and past chemistry, Maccelli is motivated to prove he can hang with the top dogs.
it's making for an interesting training camp for sure, and it sounds like Toronto is going to make sure there's a chance for both to succeed with Matthews.
What We're Hearing About the Top-Line RW Spot
According to NHL Insider Darren Dreger, who appeared on TSN's First Up program on Monday, the Maple Leafs are going to try to make sure Maccelli and Domi both get their shots, though the latter might have the slight edge:
They want him [Maccelli] coming into a new organization and starting to feel like he fits. There's no better place to fit than on the top line or in the top six. But he's got to earn it, too.
Dreger also believes that there is more to Maccelli than meets the eye and Toronto is trying to tap into that potential:
It doesn't mean we've seen everything in his game.
But when it comes to Domi, Dreger believes that he gets the edge and that if he earns the spot, it could pay off huge for both Matthews and Domi:
They need contributions from other pieces, including the bottom six. If Domi secures that top-line spot with Matthews and Knies, his game should take off, and that'll mean good things for the Maple Leafs.
Domi makes the most sense from a logical perspective where we know what he can offer and know what him and Matthews are like together. However, that doesn't mean you should count out Maccelli, who is destined to prove he belongs.
How This Competition Could Reshape Toronto's Forward Balance
With the team looking to be a much more balanced and deeper team, it might be a good idea to keep Domi up top and let Maccelli end up balancing the third line with Nic Roy and Dakota Joshua instead.
Nothing against Maccelli but he should probably get his feet a little wet first before having tons of pressure placed upon him, and giving him a playmaker in Roy will give him a bit of a break, and Joshua is more than capable of rushing the net to create chances.
Plus Maccelli's creativity will add a new dimension to a line that is expected to be highly defensive and punishingly physical, and with everyone being pushed around, it opens up space for him to use his creativity.
Domi needs a chance to finally get back to where he was at one point in his career and with a motivated Matthews and Matthew Knies expected to be even better; there's a real shot for him to flourish again.
He'll need to if he wants to make sure his contract value is worth it, as a lot of discussion about his sudden drop-off after an extension led to some minor trade speculation.
The other lines for the most part are generally set, and it looks like Bobby McMann is going to take the second line power forward duties in the meantime. So it leaves it to Domi and Maccelli to fight it out for the top spot.
But you really can't go wrong with either at the end of the day.
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