Second Generation Leaf Max Domi's Future With the Maple Leafs is in Serious Jeopardy

Signing a four-year deal to remain with the Leafs last off-season, Max Domi didn't score his first goal of the season until December 15th, which kicked off a three-game goal-scoring streak before he went until March before tickling the twine again.

While he was brought in to be more of a playmaker and an agitator, Domi has struggled to define a role for himself, often being shuffled from the wing to centre and back again, and playing with a litany of different line-mates, making chemistry hard to form.

A lack of consistency in production, an undefined role and a post-season filled with untimely penalties led to immediate questions about his future in Toronto at the end of last season.

Entering this season, Domi has an opportunity to finally define a role for himself and earn a spot on the Maple Leafs' top line.

Many reporters have newcomer Matias Maccelli penciled in on the top line to replace Mitch Marner, but it may be the ideal position for Domi to find a level of consistency and thrive in the role, given his past production with Matthews during the second half of the 2023-2024 season.

With the likes of Maccelli, and rookie Easton Cowan expected to make a push for a top-six role, the former first-round pick will have to come out of the gate firing on all cylinders and keep his emotions in check, to an extent. If he is unable to do so, or goes months without scoring or producing consistently to begin the season, Domi may find himself back where he started, being shuffled throughout the lineup and potentially even shipped out of town.

As training camp quickly approaches, the hope is that the opportunity being presented to him at five-on-five, and potentially on the power play, will give Domi an added incentive to focus more on being the offensive contributor everyone knows he can be instead of just an impulsive agitator with a short fuse.