When Max Domi signed a four-year deal to stay with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the expectation was that his play from late in the season and playoffs would carry over this season. Now in his second season with the team and in the first year of his new deal, Domi’s overall play has been uninspiring as he has had little to no impact this season.
With the depth scoring needing an overhaul ahead of the deadline, the Maple Leafs need to get more contributions from their secondary offense. Other players like Matthew Knies (19) and Bobby McMann (15) have scored more and have had more of a significant impact than Domi to this point.
While Domi is more of a playmaker, you would expect him to find the scoresheet more than three times through 44 games. After all, he has hit double-digits in goals five times in his career and the 20-goal mark twice. If he can’t up his goal production, the Maple Leafs might have a tough decision to make and could be a name to move on from and clear some space for a player that could have more of an impact.
Domi’s Struggles Magnified
To say that Domi has been inconsistent as a Maple Leaf is an understatement. Even though his production is of concern, it’s the long cold stretches that’s even more concerning as that has been a reason why he has been a non-factor offensively.
It’s tough to go through a long goalless streak in the NHL, but to do it twice is really head scratching. Domi went through a 22-game goalless drought to start the season, 18 of those games were without a point. After ending that streak and scoring in three straight games where the third line looked to have found some chemistry, he is now in the midst of another stretch of games without scoring a goal in 19 games.
Even when Domi has the puck, he’s been passing up shooting opportunities to pass it instead, his accuracy is off and hasn’t really had great control in the process. When John Tavares was out of the lineup, he struggled to produce anything and it showed. Here’s a breakdown of his on-ice impact at five-on-five over the last six games when he needed to be relied on offensively.
| Opponent | xGF% | SCF% | HDCF% |
| NJD | 46.34 | 42.86 | 14.29 |
| MTL | 22.01 | 37.50 | 0 |
| TBL | 47.45 | 37.50 | 0 |
| CBJ | 48.92 | 70 | 40 |
| OTT | 78.28 | 70.59 | 100 |
| MIN | 44.67 | 53.85 | 40 |
The one game where Domi was noticeable was against the Ottawa Senators. The other games, he has shown little to no impact at all. This alone is…
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