Max Domi is starting the season with a massive opportunity. It appears that when the Toronto Maple Leafs open their season on October 8 hosting the Montreal Canadiens at Scotiabank Arena, Domi will be on the right wing of Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies -- but that doesn't mean that he can continue being the same type of player.
While speaking with the media, Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube stressed that what they have seen so far in Domi is great but he wants to see a different element brought forward. Something that he needs to do to keep his spot on that line.
“With Max, we’ve got to let him play his game — what he does and what he’s good at," Berube said. "But at the same time, he’s got to change a little bit, like we talked about. I need him to get inside more. I need him to shoot more. It can’t be all about looking for Matthews or Knies with plays. We need him to make plays, but at the same time, he’s got to shoot pucks.
"He’s got to use his shot. We need him to be a bulldog out there. And I need him to be responsible defensively, just like I need every player to be responsible defensively.”
That makes a whole lot of sense. Yes, Knies will be tenacious on the puck and be able to potentially be the crashing-the-net player among that trio, but to take full advantage of the space he creates, Domi will need to be confident enough to make plays and finish plays. It's almost as if sure, while down in the middle six, Domi was able to coast along on his natural talents while relying on the other players on his line to fill the gaps in his game -- Berube doesn't want that to happen anymore. It's now on all three players on that top line to do whatever is necessary.
Previously, with Mitch Marner in that spot, that was not the case. Each player essentially had their role and while it worked well, it wasn't perfectly optimal. Now, while we appreciate Domi, it is a downgrade in raw talent and ability on that top-line right wing and all three players will need to be relied upon to do as much as they can in all aspects of the game.
That's simple, right?
We'll see it in action (potentially), when the Maple Leafs play their penultimate preseason game Thursday night hosting the Detroit Red Wings.