The Toronto Maple Leafs have had mixed results at the start of the 2023-24 season, posting a 5-4-2 record. Besides inconsistent play from their defence, a lack of scoring from the club’s bottom six can also be blamed for this. While speaking with reporters on the matter, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe noted that he is “concerned” about the team’s low production from the bottom six and put a decent amount of focus on Max Domi specifically. Below is the whole clip, and here is a link as well.
The bench boss noted that Domi is a player whom the Maple Leafs “expect more out of” for offence. With that, he specifically addressed Domi’s strong two-point night against the Tampa Bay Lightning as “the kind of contribution” that the team needs from both him and Matthew Knies. Now, Domi’s primary goal is to respond to his coach’s words by getting his production back up.
Domi’s 2023-24 So Far
Hearing Keefe be transparent that the Maple Leafs need more from Domi is entirely understandable. The 2013 first-round pick has had a slow start with his new club, and the truth is seen in his stats. In 11 games so far, the 28-year-old has yet to score a goal and has just four assists. With that, he has not had a point in five straight games and has been held off the scoresheet in eight out of his 11 games thus far.
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When noting that Domi earned a one-year, $3 million contract with the club during free agency, it is understandable that Keefe and the Maple Leafs expect more from Domi. When signed, he looked like he would be an excellent addition to their middle six and power play, but so far, this has not come to reality.
Domi Has Plenty of Time to Heat Up for Maple Leafs
Although the beginning of Domi’s season has not been too hot, I’d argue that he is a clear candidate to bounce back. First and foremost, the Maple Leafs are still only 11 games into the young season. Sometimes, it can take a player a little time to get adjusted to a new team and system, and that has clearly been the case with Domi so far. As he continues to get used to being a Maple Leaf, there is a good chance that we will see his production start to increase.
With that, Domi’s 2022-23 season shows that he can be an excellent contributor to their offence. In 80 games split between the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars last season, the 5-foot-10 forward had 20 goals to go along with 56 points. That is strong production, and it is hard to believe that Domi cannot do that with the Maple Leafs. This is because he has plenty of strong weapons to work with, like Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander.
When playing at his highest level, Domi is an impactful second-line forward, and it will be fun to see if he takes in Keefe’s words and improves his play as the season carries on. Following Domi’s signing with the team, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reported that the former “will do anything to stay a Leaf” and that “he never wants to leave.” For that to occur, he will need to get out of this early-season funk and prove that he fits into their system. Time will tell if he does just that from here.
