Max Domi's Ideal Role with the Leafs Becoming Reality After Craig Berube's Comments
While he hasn't had the season expected of him, Max Domi gets the chance to spark his offense on a line with Auston Matthews and his coach is 100% supportive.
Coming off a crucial win against Edmonton to snap their three-game losing streak, the Maple Leafs didn't come out unscathed. Not only did they lose Oliver Ekman-Larsson to injury, but Mitch Marner was absent at practice on Monday leading to some big concerns about his health.
This led to a big lineup change that saw Max Domi slide up in Marner's spot and while Domi has struggled, the two do have chemistry together. Craig Berube knows this, and wasn't shy about how he thinks Domi will do alongside the captain:
He's got to continue to do that because he has all the abilities. He's got a real good shot. He's obviously a very good playmaker."
Craig Berube's Comments Hopefully A Positive Sign For Max Domi
Toronto desperately needs Domi to pick things up because if he doesn't it's going to continue to be rough. He only has three goals and 16 assists and is on pace for some of the worst numbers of his entire career.
Berube needs him to shoot more and it was the topic of some earlier discussion where the head coach implored Domi to act more aggressively.
He's on pace for his lowest shot total since 2020-2021, but clearly has a good shot. In the seasons he scored 18, 28, and 20 goals he had 156, 203, and 179 shots respectively showing that he can not only shoot a lot, but actually score on those attempts.
If Toronto keeps Jake McCabe and Chris Tanev on the first pairing, Domi has to worry less about defense and can focus a bit more on offense and creating those chances. Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies are more than capable in their own end, so the onus doesn't lie on Domi like it does on the third line.
There were some small rumblings that Domi might not even make it through the rest of the season with the team, as he is a improbable, but not impossible trade candidate.
Though it's a possibility Mitch Marner plays on Tuesday night, if he can't, then expect Domi to come out firing and trying to prove he can be better than he's shown fans he has been.
