With star forward Mitch Marner’s departure to the Vegas Golden Knights, it looks like Max Domi is going to get the first crack at playing on the first line on the right side of No. 34 and Matthew Knies. Despite having a bunch of new depth forwards, it’s clear why Domi is getting this first shot.
When Marner missed roughly six weeks toward the end of the 2023-24 season, it was Domi who moved up to fill the spot on the top line. To say it was effective would be a massive understatement. At even strength, the Leafs had an expected goals share of 66 percent, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. No. 34 had nine goals and 10 assists in the 12 games Marner missed, and the Leafs liked what they saw so much that they kept Domi in that spot through the end of the regular season and most of their playoff series against the Boston Bruins.
Domi also has chemistry with Matthew Knies. Earlier in that 2023-24 season, Knies bounced around the lineup, but there was one memorable switch on Oct. 21, 2023, that showed what Knies and Domi could do together. Down 3-1 to Tampa after two periods, then-head coach Sheldon Keefe made an adjustment, having Knies and Domi play as wingers alongside David Kampf. Domi would then set up Knies for a pair of third-period goals before John Tavares completed the comeback win in overtime.
The Leafs acquired Matias Maccelli in a trade with the Utah Mammoth. The offensive winger could be a great fit on that top line down the road, but given the magic Domi saw in 2023-24, it makes sense to give the player the first crack. It was that 2023-24 performance, where Domi scored nine goals and added 38 assists in 80 games, that gave the Leafs confidence to extend him to a four-year deal worth $3.75 million per season.
Domi was a bit of a slow starter last year, going the first two months of the season without scoring a goal before finally finding the back of the net on Dec. 15 in a game against the Buffalo Sabres. Entering the second year of a four-year contract, the Leafs need more from a player like Domi, and putting him on a line with two players he’s had success with could possibly be the key. But with top-line assignments comes a deeper responsibility and a tougher matchup, and he’ll have to show he’s up to that task.
Beyond the top line, the new additions could help form the rest of the lineup. From there, a player like Maccelli could fit on the second line on the left side of John Tavares and William Nylander. The left-handed shot finished fourth in Calder Trophy voting in 2022-23 after scoring 11 goals and adding 38 assists in 64 games with the Arizona Coyotes. Dakota Joshua (acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks) and Nicolas Roy (acquired in the Marner sign-and-trade with Vegas) could make for an interesting third-line combination.
From there, it will be a fight for the remaining depth spots on the right side. Can Nick Robertson find a role to become an everyday player with the Leafs? And then, of course, there are the questions about if Easton Cowan can make the Leafs this season, or if he’s better off in the American Hockey League with the Toronto Marlies? It’s going to be an interesting September trying to find the right mix. But there is one thing that feels certain about this season: It will have a different feel.