The Toronto Maple Leafs will enter their first season with new head coach Craig Berube. We know that Auston Matthews will be the team's top centre, but will the new coach go back to the classic Marner/Matthews combination or stick with Sheldon Keefe's extremely successful Max Domi/Auston Matthews experiment?
The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed Domi this summer to a four-year contract worth $3.75 million a season. Domi registered nine goals and 38 assists for 47 points in 80 games with the Leafs last season. However, he spent a lot of time playing on the third line. (Salary cap info from puckpedia.com)
(All stats from hockey-reference.com)
Domi has proven that he can score 20 goals, but he is a pass-first type of player. Playing on a line with Matthews would offer Domi many opportunities to pick up an assist, even more so if Nylander is on the same line. The 29-year-old Domi could also find himself on the receiving end of some great setups by those two linemates.
The chance to play with Matthews will be an incredible opportunity for Domi. Matthews would be the highest-skilled player that Domi has ever played on a line with. The chances of having a career year are very high. Trying to top the 28 goals and 44 assists for 72 points he registered with the Montreal Canadiens during the 2018-19 season won't be easy, but playing with Matthews gives him a great chance to do so.
What to Expect from Max Domi
The expectations for Domi should be high if he finds himself playing with Matthews for most (if not all) of the season. There is a real possibility that he will score between 20-25 goals and pick up 50 assists or more. Having a player on the Leafs roster who could potentially record 70-80 points on a deal that pays less than $4 million is a win.
I'll admit that those stats seem far-fetched right now, but re-signing with the Leafs could be the best thing for Domi and the team. Last year in 209 minutes paired with Matthews, Domi scored at an incredible 3.77 points per 60 minutes of 5v5 ice-time. That is a Connor McDavid-level scoring pace, and while Domi obviously isn't going to score at that rate over 82 games, anywhere close to that would give the an incredible amount of scoring depth and options.
Having a top six group of Matthews, Nylander, Domi, John Tavares, Marner, and Knies will be fun to watch. I only see Domi coming off the top line if Tavares gets hurt, and Domi has to fill in as the second-line center.
I look forward to seeing what Domi will do this season, especially if he's playing on the top line with some of the best players in the league.