Maple Leafs make dangerous addition to projected third line

The Toronto Maple Leafs are finally getting somewhat healthy and we're getting a taste of what the lineup could look like on October 8 when they open their season against the Montreal Canadiens. And that lineup could feature a deadline third line if Craig Berube sticks to his guns.

During a typical training camp practice on Wednesday morning, the Leafs unveiled some forward lines that feature a returning face. Max Domi is back from his personal leave and is making his first appearance during regular practice this training camp after recovering from an injury before needing to step away from the team briefly.

And in this first practice with the 30-year-old forward, Berube has slotted Domi right next to newcomers Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua to form a fairly balanced third line that could do some extreme damage throughout the season.

We can't take everything from training camp lines -- since they will eventually get changed -- but it is clearly Berube trying to figure some things out.

Domi was named along with Matias Maccelli as the frontrunners to replace Mitch Marner on the first line next to Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, but with Maccelli in Group 1 (on that same line still), Domi is now given this role. But if this sticks together and if Maccelli continues to develop chemistry with those two star forwards, then this should strike fear into the Leafs' opponents almost every night.

The veteran winger with fatherly ties to the Leafs is not the most defensively sound player, or even a player that can adequately attempt to care about the defensive zone, but that's not what he is on this team for. It was more of his role while playing third-line center with the likes of Bobby McMann last season, but with the arrival of Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua, Domi doesn't need to pay attention to that. On this line, he can charge the zone, try to break free and exit the zone a little bit early, and utilize his natural skill to make the most impact; instead of trying to be a player he is not.

Roy and Joshua can do the rest. Roy is one of the better defensive centers in the league and provides enough offensive to grade out as average in the other team's end. If all he does is make sure to recover possession and then send Domi on his way to rush up the ice, with Joshua clearing some space out there, then this line can work perfectly to take advantage of some slower opponents.

But that's just us fantasy booking what this could look like. We're just days into training camp so of course we're envisioning everything to work out and be impactful.