It’s no secret that the Toronto Maple Leafs are a mess at the moment. After stringing three straight wins, they fell flat on in two straight. While the loss against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night was of the tough-luck persuasion, Sunday’s was a disaster. The Leafs stopped skating against the Hurricanes, allowing them to get back into the game after leading 4-2.
Now, before pointing fingers and assigning blame, it’s worth underscoring that the Maple Leafs’ top players have been pushing their weight. William Nylander is top five in NHL scoring. John Tavares continues to top up his supply of water from the fountain of youth. Meanwhile, Auston Matthews’ overall game has been grossly underrated.
It’s been the depth that hasn’t quite stepped up. No other player exemplifies that situation than Max Domi. Domi’s role on the Maple Leafs has gradually dwindled. He was the leading candidate to play on the top line this season, seeing his role shrink to a fourth-line afterthought.
On Sunday, Domi played a season-low 8:30 across 12 shifts. The low ice-time numbers underscore how Craig Berube has become increasingly frustrated with his veteran depth. If this trend continues, Domi could face the same fate that David Kampf has endured this season.
While there hasn’t been substantial trade talk thus far, it wouldn’t be a surprise to hear chatter about the Maple Leafs looking to move Domi. However, doing so now would be silly as there wouldn’t be too many suitors lining up to take the 30-year-old off the Leafs’ hands.
If that’s the case, Domi could face another even more painful destination.
Maple Leafs Could Waive Domi
The Maple Leafs could get to a point where they’ll need to waive Max Domi. The move may not necessarily come as a desire to get rid of him. Instead, the move could come as the result of a need to give him a fresh start.
Sending him to the AHL could be a way of giving Domi a chance to regroup. Of course, it’s never glamorous for any player to get a demotion. But some time away from the bright lights could be what Domi needs to recalibrate his game.
The move would also give the Maple Leafs some slight cap relief. The Leafs could bury about $1 million of his $3.75 million cap hit. While not major savings, such a move could be enough to at least bring up another player to take Domi’s place on the active roster.
Domi Will Get Another Chance on Tuesday Night
Domi will likely get another shot to prove his worth on Tuesday night in Boston. The Leafs are down Scott Laughton after he took a vicious hit from Nikita Zadorov on Saturday night. That situation could save Domi’s roster spot for now.
So, Domi will get one more kick at the can. If he can’t convince Craig Berube, who knows what could happen after Tuesday? Unfortunately for the Maple Leafs, they don’t have much depth down the middle. Domi is the failsafe in a manner of speaking.
For better or worse, the Leafs could be stuck with Domi unless they can get someone to take up a crucial spot down the middle.
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