Toronto Maple Leafs: Max Domi Can Be Instant Fan Favorite

The Toronto Maple Leafs made a bunch of moves in the offseason, including adding Max Domi.

One of the newest members of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Domi is a strong player who possesses some vital attributes to a team. However, he is far from perfect.

Domi has been fairly inconsistent in his NHL career so far, as well as earning himself the odd suspension.

Even with all of this, Domi has a chance to be an instant fan-favorite with the Leafs if he sticks to his game and avoids becoming a liability.

Here’s how Domi can accomplish this.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Max Domi Can Be Instant Fan Favorite

Max Domi is coming into Toronto with a warm welcome from almost every Leafs fan. Not only is he coming off a strong season last year, but he’s only been given a single year on his contract, so the risk is minimal.

At the 2015 World Juniors, which were held in Toronto, Domi was electric. He scored 5 goals and 10 points in just 7 games en route to being named the tournament’s top forward and winning a gold medal with Team Canada.

On top of this, Domi has a not-so-secret connection to the Leafs.

If you’re not already aware, Max’s dad, Tie Domi, was a former Leafs player for over a decade.

Tie Domi, while not the most talented player ever, was a strong enforcer who could rack up penalty minutes, including a whopping 365 in 1997-98.

Tie was a fan favorite among Leafs fans during the 1990s and into the early 2000s for his fights, hits, and (as mentioned before) his ability to go to the penalty box.

His son Max can also become a fan favorite, but for slightly different reasons.

Max is clearly a lot more skilled than his dad was, and while Max can still fight decently well, it’s clear he’ll be used in a scoring role as opposed to being an enforcer.

Max reminds me of Nazem Kadri and Michael Bunting, all of whom are talented players but slightly inconsistent and sometimes cross the line.

When they’re on their game, they are loved by the whole community, but when they aren’t, they can sometimes be liabilities.  Though it must be pointed out, Domi has never had a season anywhere close to either Kadri or Bunting’s best two years.

If Max Domi sticks to his game and plays the way he knows how, I have no doubt he’ll be loved by the entire fanbase.

Let’s see if he can do it.