As the Toronto Maple Leafs and other NHL go through the opening days of training camp, coaches are looking for chemistry between players. The earlier in camp, you do it, the more time the players have to find some chemistry before pre-season games start.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are trying William Nylander at center with Max Domi on his wing. Head coach Craig Berube said he intends to give Nylander a long look at center. If Nylander and Domi find chemistry, their line will benefit the Leafs.
Other noticeable pairings in the early days of Leafs training camp are Matthew Knies with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, while John Tavares centered a line with Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann. There is no guarantee that these lines will look the same on opening night in October, but we'll see who has chemistry and who doesn't.
The same goes for every team around the NHL, but one ex-Leafs player, Tyler Bertuzzi, has a great opportunity with the Chicago Blackhawks this season. He is starting training camp on a line with Connor Bedard and Taylor Hall. There is plenty of opportunity for that to become a dangerous line for the Blackhawks.
Toronto Maple Leafs chose Max Domi over Tyler Bertuzzi
When the Leafs 2023-24 season ended, general manager Brad Treliving said the team would like to try and keep both Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi. Both played on one-year deals for the Leafs and were looking for something more long-term this offseason.
Treliving re-signed Domi to a four-year deal worth $3.75 million a season. Bertuzzi signed a four-year deal worth $5.5 million a season with the Blackhawks, the same amount he made with the Leafs. However, there was speculation that Treliving was willing to give Bertuzzi the term but wanted the salary to be under $5 million a season. (All salary cap information from puckpedia.com)
Bertuzzi registered 21 goals and 22 assists for 43 points in 80 games last season. He will be counted on to be a big point producer for the Blackhawks, and playing with Bedard and Hall should help him with that. He can reach the 30 goals and 32 assists for 62 points he had in 68 games with the Detroit Red Wings during the 2021-22 season. (All stats from hockey-reference.com)
Domi on the other hand registered nine goals and 38 assists for 47 points last season. The Leafs hope he can score more goals this season. Playing with Nylander or Matthews for the entire season should make him much more effective . We'll see how the season plays out for both Domi and Bertuzzi and see if the Leafs made the right decision to not re-sign Bertuzzi.