It would seem that the ship has sailed on a Max Domi trade for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The news of his untimely surgical complications has pretty much left his future hanging in the balance.
Of course, the most important thing in this entire discussion is Domi’s health. As fans, we want to see him get back on the ice.
But let’s also keep in mind that the NHL is a business. And John Chayka has made numerous business decisions that signal Domi is no longer a part of the organization’s plans moving forward.
If Domi never returns to the ice, at least until his contract with Toronto is up, it won’t really matter. But if Domi were ready to return to the ice, the Maple Leafs would have to find a taker for him. That’s probably the easier path forward.
However, what if Domi can’t play at all? Could the Maple Leafs still trade him? As implausible as it may seem, there is.
Trading Domi at this point would essentially mean trading his contract. That’s something we’ve seen many times before. Teams move players’ contracts, something for virtually nothing, just as part of the day-to-day business operations.
So, who would want to trade for Domi’s contract? That would have to be a team looking to get to the cap floor. This season, the cap floor sits at $76.9 million. As it stands, every team is over the minimum required cumulative cap hit.
There could be teams, nonetheless, that may be looking to shed big contracts. And when they do, they might be looking for cheaper short-term contracts to get over the cap floor.
Maple Leafs could send Domi’s contract out West
Two teams come to mind as parties that may be looking to get over the cap floor: the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.
Both clubs figure to shed some pricey contracts sooner rather than later. That situation may leave each team looking to get back over the cap floor. And Domi’s contract could be a way to make that happen.
In that situation, the Leafs should expect to get any significant return for the contract. Something like a fifth-round pick or a mid-tier prospect might be the most Toronto could expect.
Still, there might be another way the Leafs could maximize the return.
Domi’s contract could look good for teams in need of LTIR money
This next point assumes that Domi will not be playing any time soon. In that event, the Maple Leafs could ship Domi’s contract out to a team looking for LTIR money.
Think of teams like the Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, or Dallas Stars that are right up against the cap. These teams might be willing to pay more than a fifth-round pick to get some LTIR to offset their current contracts.
That move, however, would only work if Domi really won’t be coming back to play, at least this season. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense to trade for Domi’s contract if he could come back at some point.
The only teams that might be willing to do that would be a club like the San Jose Sharks that has space and could take a flyer on Domi coming back. Beyond that, the Maple Leafs might want to hold on to Domi’s contract and use the LTIR money should there be a need for it.
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