The Toronto Maple Leafs have their sights set on making a deep run into the playoffs this season but will have to soon shift their focus to re-signing some of their pending free agents. While they shouldn’t have a problem making a decent postseason run, the Maple Leafs’ depth is in question after a questionable 2024 Trade Deadline. One player who has played well and been a welcomed addition to the team this season since signing a one-year contract in the offseason is forward Max Domi, who needs a new contract before the 2024-25 campaign. It’s fair to assume the Maple Leafs will want to bring him back after a solid first season as a Maple Leaf.
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At 29 years old, Domi provides stability to the Maple Leafs’ bottom-six forward group. His offensive production has been a pleasant surprise and they have gotten their worth out of the decision to bring him in before the season started. With eight goals and 33 assists for 41 points through 71 games, he has proven his worth to the team since signing a deal worth $3 million. Last season, he split the season between the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars after a trade deadline move sent him to the Stars, and he came into the 2023-24 campaign looking to prove himself and find a permanent home.
Domi, who is the son of NHL legend and well-known fighter Tie Domi, has spent time with the Arizona Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Carolina Hurricanes, Stars, Blackhawks, and now the Maple Leafs. Before joining the NHL, he played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the London Knights where over four seasons, he scored 126 goals and added 205 assists for 331 points through 244 games which comes out to a 1.36 points-per-game average. The Coyotes ended up selecting him 12th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft after an insane 2012-13 campaign with the Knights where he had 87 points in 64 games.
While the Maple Leafs don’t have their sights solely set on bringing Domi back as they look to make a playoff push, it would be nice to bring back someone whose been solid at all ends of the ice. He brings physicality, defensive stability, and scoring opportunities to a team that was often criticized for not being tough enough to play against. While the addition of power forward Ryan Reaves has silenced those criticisms, it’s been nice to see Domi elevate his game and help the Maple Leafs be tough to play against this season. His style of play is going to be needed come the postseason, and teams are not going to like playing against them.
What Will Domi’s Next Contract Look Like?
Looking past this season, Domi will likely be looking for a pay raise as his play has earned him a bit more money on his next contract. While the Maple Leafs shouldn’t be looking to break the bank on a new deal, they should be willing to pay him what he deserves. I would assume a new deal comes in between the $4 million – $4.5 million range on a short-term two or three-year contract, making him the fifth-highest-paid forward on the team should they opt to let Tyler Bertuzzi walk in the offseason, as he is making $5.5 million this season and will likely be looking for a similar deal.
The Maple Leafs will have some tough decisions to make this offseason, but one of their main goals should be to bring back Domi. He has proven to be a great fit and it would hurt the forward depth if they happened to lose him to the open market. Hopefully, they can go on a deep run in the postseason, bring back everyone they want to, improve the roster, and have a really strong 2024-25 campaign.
