Stats Suggest the Maple Leafs Could Be Better Off Without Max Domi

There's been a lot of positives to take away from the new depth of the Toronto Maple Leafs as Nic Roy and Dakota Joshua are getting acclimated much better with the team, meanwhile Oliver Ekman-Larsson has quietly put up seven points in nine games.

However not all is great with one particular player, that being Max Domi. Right now, he's stuck on the fourth line as Toronto tries to get their offense going, and would much rather do so without him.

Some new stats show that Domi on the ice is a huge hindrance to the Maple Leafs' offensive chances, and absolutely destroying their defense too:

Toronto actually looks good without Domi on the ice, having a positive goal differential at 5v5, however when he's out there, it's bad.

So far through nine games he's an abysmal minus-7, and while a lot of the team is also negative, at least they are bringing something to the table.

Dakota Joshua is a minus-5 but has scored twice in two games and added 30 hits already. Calle Jarnkrok is minus-5 but has three goals and plays solid defense, and Morgan Rielly is minus-3 but with six points and a really tough defensive partner right now.

Domi has one goal in nine games, six penalty minutes and eight giveaways. His advanced stats don't look too pretty either.

He's in the <50th percentile with both o-zone and d-zone time, and spends nearly 1/5th of his time in the neutral zone. His shot speed is decent, but it's his selection that's awful.

Only four high-danger shots compared to 11 from mid-range or longer. Sure, Domi is a good shot, but he's not Auston Matthews or Leon Draisaitl, and his speed is nowhere near where it needs to be, ranking again in the <50th percentile, and you cannot put him out there when it's close at 5v5.

So where do we go from here? Toronto clearly has to make a decision with Scott Laughton returning, and no amount of goodwill from father Tie is going to make Max endear himself to the fans right now.

They should pull a Nick Robertson and scratch him for the next couple games to see how the team works without him, and he hasn't necessarily earned a spot compared to Robertson, Easton Cowan, Calle Jarnkrok or the returning Laughton.

If not, it's going to lead to more chances for the opposition, a lack of goal-scoring, and give Toronto headaches going forward.

It's a $3.75-million headache that Brad Treliving has to find the remedy for soon.