The Toronto Maple Leafs fifth highest-paid forward is Max Domi. He’s in the first year of a four-year contract totalling $15M.
He is also a net-negative defensive liability with four goals in 54 games this season.
It’s not a secret that the Leafs are cap-strapped, as they have been for ages. They just waived Ryan Reaves to add about $1M in room but still find themselves with under $2M in space. This is a team that simply cannot afford bad contracts. And yet they seem to have a few of them.
Brad Treliving has made some good moves as GM, but he has also left the Leafs with no depth and about $13M in completely wasted cap. Almost $4M is being paid to a guy who doesn’t belong in the lineup. And he just signed the contract this year!
Max Domi needs to be traded. Here’s why.
He can’t be trusted
Other than when he played alongside Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi at the end of last year, Domi has not found a spot where he fits in the Leafs lineup. He’s not a reliable centre, but he also can’t play on the wing with John Tavares and William Nylander.
He isn’t defensively strong (at all) which means he can’t be part of a checking third line. He needs to play with better offensive threats to make his playmaking stand out, but he isn’t good enough in other areas to earn a spot with them.
This is what Max Domi has always been, which makes the contract even more frustrating. This is a guy who has never found a home, and the Leafs decided to give him a sizeable contract because of a 20-game sample where he looked good.
Max Domi cannot be on the third line of a playoff team. He can’t be a centre on a playoff team. He can’t be a top-six winger on a playoff team. He does not fit.
Craig Berube knows this, which is why he’s being thrown out there with Nicholas Robertson and Bobby McMann. Does anyone actually think this will be Toronto’s third line come playoff time? I sure don’t.
Why not with Matthews?
There really seems to be a disconnect between the coach and the GM when it comes to Domi, which makes sense as Berube wasn’t the bench boss when he Domi signed his extension. But Domi earned his payday because of his play with Matthews, and now he doesn’t sniff the ice with him.
The Domi–Matthews-Bertuzzi line was really good last year, and played just as well in the playoffs. If Domi was to find success again, it would be beside Matthews. But Berube doesn’t trust his defensive game enough, so I guess that’s not happening.
It just seems like Berube doesn’t like the guy, which makes sense. But Treliving should have considered this when negotiating.
Sweetener?
To get rid of Domi, the Leafs will certainly need to attach a pick. But at this point, get it done.
You cannot pay Domi this much for him to do nothing. This team is not constructed to have any room for bad value contracts. His is easily the worst on the team, and he needs to go.
Anyone who takes Domi knows what they are getting, and will have to be rebuilding. With three more years left, it will probably take a significant pick to get rid of him. But simply ridding themselves of a $3.75M anchor will make the Leafs a better team now and in the future.
Screw a third-round pick for Luke Kunin. Send Domi with a third to Anaheim and call it a day.
