The future of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi is incredibly murky after experiencing complications following surgery.
The Maple Leafs announced on May 25 that Domi was out indefinitely because of complications from offseason surgery. He will be re-evaluated at the beginning of training camp.
Domi will be entering year three of a four-year, $ 15 million deal with the Maple Leafs. In his three seasons with the Maple Leafs, he has put up 29 goals and 87 assists for 116 points in 234 games at just under half a point per game.
Chayka is familiar with Domi from his time in Arizona, where Chayka served as general manager. He traded Domi to Montreal for Alex Galchenyuk in June 2018.
Toronto filled every specialist job around Domi without giving him one of his own
Toronto added Teddy Blueger, Colton Sissons, Jack Roslovic, and Nick Paul, giving head coach Jim Hiller significantly more options through the middle. That reduces the need to use Domi at centre, but it does not automatically limit him to wing before training camp.
Last season, Domi received occasional centre usage, but Toronto now has several players better suited to specialized checking and defensive assignments.
They also have Dakota Joshua as a bottom-six winger, who is more defensively responsible and provides size and athleticism.
Domi's skill set has less of an impact in the bottom six because of the less time on ice and defensive responsibilities. The biggest differentiator in his game is his playmaking ability, with him having around half a point per game.
The big knock on Domi's game is that he is not defensively responsible, does not provide great physicality in his own end being 5'10, and he is not someone you want taking defensive zone faceoffs. So it really begs the question of what his role is if he were to come back to the lineup.
As of Aug. 6, PuckPedia projects Toronto at approximately $ 2.75 million over the $104 million ceiling, with no active IR pool.
Placing Domi on LTIR could allow Toronto to exceed the ceiling if he is medically eligible, but it would not remove his $3.75 million cap hit.
Domi's path back into the lineup now depends on one skill separating him from the crowd
The one thing we know about Domi is that he is an impactful player on offense; he is someone who can play-make and set his teammates up for success.
He has 336 assists in 815 career games. The one thing the guy can do is get you some offense, even if he is a notoriously streaky player.
Now the Leafs might not have intentionally tried to make him redundant, but it might be they don't need someone with his playstyle anymore.
His ability on the Wing and center is good, but the Leafs just acquired Gavin McKenna, who has way more playmaking upside and is his strongest attribute as a player.
Not to mention, looking at the Leafs' left wing depth being Matthew Knies, McKenna, Easton Cowan, Nick Paul, Dakota Joshua, and Brandon Duhaime, all players who are capable of playing left wing. Finding a role for him in there becomes increasingly difficult.
Domi's AAV does not guarantee him a regular lineup position, but calling him a rotation player is premature before he is medically cleared and evaluated at training camp.
He has two seasons remaining through 2027-28 and a 13-team no-trade clause. Toronto has not announced that he will miss all of the 2026-27 season.
A rising salary cpa reduces the relative weight of his contract, but a $3.75-million rotation player would still carry an opportunity cost. Domi's future role will depend on whether his playmaking provides him enough offence to separate him from Toronto's deeper, more specialized bottom-six.
Does Max Domi play for the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2027
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