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Max Domi

Maple Leafs Sign Max Domi To Four-Year Extension

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The Toronto Maple Leafs have reportedly signed forward Max Domi to a four-year, $15MM contract extension, per Chris Johnston of The Athletic (Twitter link). Johnston mentions that the deal will carry an annual cap hit of $3.75MM. These reports come shortly after Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman alluded to a deal coming soon (Twitter link). The new deal will carry Domi through 2028, his age-32 season.

Domi, the son of former Leafs second-round pick and era-defining enforcer Tie Domi, found his groove late into the year, posting 16 points in the last 19 games of the regular season and adding four points in seven playoff games. The inspiration for the scoring came while Domi was filling a top-line role next to superstar Auston Matthews. The two were a great pair of grit and talent – a duo that Toronto is likely set on returning next year.

Domi made quick work of what was his first year brandishing his dad’s old logo, having joined Toronto on a one-year, $3MM contract nearly a year ago today. But Domi could still have untapped upside. He’s proven to be a perennial scorer at the top level, recording 20 goals and 56 points in 80 games between the Chicago Blackhawks and Dallas Stars in 2022-23; and boasting a career-high of 28 goals and 72 points scored in 2018-19. The roles that led to that scoring often placed Domi in much more of a spotlight role, giving him room to showcase strong puck skills and shooting. But he had to lean into a grittier style with the Leafs, supporting the stars rather than standing next to them. That could begin to change if Domi holds on to a top-line next season. A smash season would quickly earn Domi the price of his extension, and give Toronto the top-end, high-scoring utility winger that they’ve been needing.

Snapshots: Domi, Girgensons, Escrow, Draft

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Maple Leafs forward Max Domi told Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun that he knows his agent Judd Moldaver has been in discussions with GM Brad Treliving but declined to comment on the status of negotiations.  Domi signed a one-year, $3MM deal with Toronto last summer but saw his goal total drop from 20 a year ago to just nine this season.  However, his 38 assists were his best since the 2018-19 campaign.  That could still put him in line for a raise this summer on a multi-year agreement.  Toronto has a little less than $19MM in cap room per CapFriendly but they have multiple key pieces to try to sign into that space which could make fitting in a raise for Domi a little harder.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • The Sabres are interested in re-signing pending unrestricted free agent Zemgus Girgensons, relays Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News. The 30-year-old has spent the last ten seasons with Buffalo after they drafted him in the first round back in 2012.  However, Girgensons hasn’t reached the 20-point mark since his sophomore year and while he provides some value in a limited checking role, it could make sense for both sides for the forward to ultimately move on.
  • After years of losing money to escrow, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports that players could receive the full 6% escrow payment back plus potentially a small top-up to their salary to balance the players’ share at 50% of Hockey Related Revenues. If that happens, it will be the first time the players receive a top-up since the 2011-12 campaign.  Any top-up would not affect salary cap calculations for the 2023-24 season.
  • In the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that some agents feel the draft needs to be shortened to as little as four rounds. Most of the players who ultimately don’t sign with the teams that drafted them come from the final few rounds so some believe they should have the opportunity to be free agents earlier compared to waiting for their rights to be relinquished.  The last time the draft was cut was back in 2005 when it went from nine rounds to the current seven.  This is a collectively bargained issue so no changes will be on the short-term horizon.

Atlantic Notes: Perron, Domi, Sobolev

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Red Wings winger David Perron is slated to reach unrestricted free agency this summer after two seasons with Detroit.  However, as he told Sebastien Lajoie of La Tribune, his preference would be to avoid hitting the open market and simply stick around with the Red Wings.  The soon-to-be 36-year-old was a productive secondary scorer this season, notching 17 goals and 30 assists in 76 games, finishing just a point shy of cracking the top five in team scoring.  Perron added that he plans to play for at least two more years which means he’ll likely be looking for a multi-year deal this summer.  His set-to-expire deal carried an AAV of $4.75MM and it’s possible he could land a bit more this time around.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • While there is believed to be mutual interest in an extension for Maple Leafs forward Max Domi, Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (subscription link) that no numbers have been exchanged yet which suggests that talks haven’t really begun yet. The 29-year-old managed just nine goals this season after putting up 20 in 2022-23 but he did record 37 assists, the second-highest total of his career.  Having played for six teams in the last five years, it seems safe to suggest that Domi will be looking for a multi-year after playing on one-year, $3MM contracts the last two seasons.
  • Canadiens prospect Daniil Sobolev has signed a two-year deal with Spartak of the KHL, per a team release. The 21-year-old blueliner was a fifth-round pick by Montreal back in 2021, going 142nd overall.  Sobolev split this season between OHL Niagara and Brantford, notching seven goals and 18 assists in 64 games.  The Canadiens have until June 1st, 2025 to sign Sobolev so he’ll need a big year overseas to have a chance at landing an entry-level deal.

Maple Leafs Notes: Domi, McMann, Järnkrok, Edmundson

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Maple Leafs forward Max Domi is expected to miss the final two games of the regular season, head coach Sheldon Keefe said (via David Alter of The Hockey News). It’s an undisclosed injury that’s been nagging him for a while, Keefe said, although he’s aggravated it slightly in recent outings. It’s not expected to plague him heading into the postseason, so they’ll hold him out now with a playoff spot under wraps and make sure he’s ready to go. The 29-year-old has been a late-season revelation, excelling since being bumped up to the first line alongside Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi. He’s scored just nine goals but has 47 points in 80 games on the year. 37 of his 38 assists have come at even strength, placing him inside the top 15 league-wide.

Elsewhere in Leafland:

  • While there’s still a glimmer of hope for Domi to suit up in the regular-season finale Wednesday against the Lightning, the same can’t be said for Bobby McMann. His lower-body injury will keep him out of both their remaining contests, Keefe said. He also didn’t confirm McMann’s availability for Game 1 of their likely opening-round series against the Panthers, saying, “We’ll see where he’s at as that approaches” (via Mark Masters of TSN). McMann left Saturday’s overtime loss to the Red Wings after skating only four minutes. The undrafted free agent has been Toronto’s most unlikely producer, working his way up from the ECHL over the past few seasons and eventually solidifying his spot as an everyday NHLer this season. He has 15 goals and 24 points in 56 games this season, ranking ninth among Leafs forwards in points per game.
  • Winger Calle Järnkrok’s availability for Game 1 is also in doubt as he continues to recover from a hand injury. Keefe said that his status is “still to be determined, but I think he’s more in a day-to-day situation. Unfortunately, we’re running out of schedule here” (via Masters). Järnkrok was a partial participant in today’s practice and did travel with the team on their regular season-ending road trip to Florida. He hasn’t played since March 14, sustaining his second hand injury of the season after missing over a month with a knuckle fracture in February.
  • Defenseman Joel Edmundson will be re-evaluated by the team’s medical staff ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Panthers, Keefe said (via Masters). The defenseman practiced today as he continues to try and shake an undisclosed injury, which Keefe called a “positive sign” for the trade deadline pickup. He’s been injured for most of his Toronto tenure, missing 10 of 18 games. When in the lineup, he’s averaged 17:56 per game with a +3 rating.

Atlantic Notes: Husso, Motte, Maple Leafs, Highmore

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Ville Husso’s conditioning stint isn’t exactly going as planned.  The Red Wings sent the netminder down to AHL Grand Rapids earlier this week to get him some game action.  However, as MLive’s Tyler Kuehl details, Husso left during the pregame warm-up on Friday night and ultimately didn’t dress for the contest which suggests he either re-aggravated his lower-body injury or sustained some other injury.  There was no update on Husso’s status following the game but at the moment, it’s fair to say that Detroit can’t be counting on the 29-year-old to return down the stretch.  Husso has struggled when he has played with the Red Wings this season, posting a 3.55 GAA with a save percentage of just .892 in 19 appearances.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Lightning winger Tyler Motte is listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury, relays Eduardo A. Encina of the Tampa Bay Times. He left Thursday’s game after blocking a shot and did not return.  While he might not be back for Tampa Bay’s final regular season contests, the injury is not expected to prevent him from being available for the playoffs which kick off next weekend.  Motte has played in 69 games this season, notching six goals and three assists along with 97 hits.
  • Despite missing Friday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, Maple Leafs center Max Domi will play tonight against Detroit, notes David Alter of The Hockey News (Twitter link). The 29-year-old is just one of two Toronto players who have played in every game this season (William Nylander is the other).  Domi has picked up 47 points in 79 games so far.  Meanwhile, Alter adds that defenseman Joel Edmundson won’t play tonight; head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that “something popped up” regarding the veteran.  Edmundson has been limited to just eight appearances with Toronto since being acquired last month at the trade deadline.
  • Senators forward Matthew Highmore took part in a full practice today, reports Sportsnet’s Wayne Scanlan (Twitter link). The 28-year-old has missed a little more than a month with an upper-body injury.  Highmore has played in seven games with Ottawa this season, picking up two assists but won’t suit up tonight despite having the full game-day skate.  The pending unrestricted free agent also has 29 points in 40 appearances with AHL Belleville.

Atlantic Notes: Domi, Harris, Hutson, Mitchell

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While the Maple Leafs have done well in the standings since moving Max Domi to center last month, Jonas Siegel of The Athletic suggests (subscription link) that the third center spot should still be a key priority for GM Brad Treliving as he looks to add to his roster.  Domi is up to 14 points on the season now after a slow start but it’s his defensive concerns that could be problematic come the postseason when mistakes become more magnified.  David Kampf is a better fit on the fourth line than the third so if Domi isn’t able to shore up his defensive play, adding another middleman could be required by the trade deadline in March.  Of course, Toronto is deep into LTIR so finding the money to do that and shore up their back end will be more difficult.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • Canadiens defenseman Jordan Harris took part in a full game day skate for the first time since suffering a lower-body injury last month, notes TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie (Twitter link). The 23-year-old has played in 16 games so far in his second full NHL season, picking up three assists and 28 blocks while averaging a little under 19 minutes a night.  Earlier this week, Montreal indicated that Harris was still 10-14 days from returning so he’s still likely a game or two away from being available to suit up.
  • Still with Montreal, GM Kent Hughes made an appearance on The Sick Podcast (video link) where he indicated that they plan to sign prospect Lane Hutson after his college season comes to an end. The 19-year-old was a late second-round pick in 2022 and has been quite productive offensively with Boston College, notching 68 points in 54 games over his first two seasons so far.  The Canadiens are likely going to use Hutson down the stretch which means he will burn the first year of his entry-level deal this season even if he only plays in a handful of games.
  • The Bruins made a pair of paper transactions, assigning and subsequently recalling defenseman Ian Mitchell, per the AHL’s transactions log. The 24-year-old was brought up on an emergency recall back on December 5th but has played just twice since.  The paper moves may have been simply to stall his waiver clock by a day; after a player clears waivers, he’s exempt until he plays in 10 games or has been on an NHL roster for 30 days.

Snapshots: Nylander, Dumba, Domi

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Chris Johnston reported on The Chris Johnston Show that the Toronto Maple Leafs and forward William Nylander remain far apart in extension talks. Johnston said that he believes that the 27-year-old is looking for a contract that pays him over $10MM annually while the Maple Leafs offer is in the range of $8MM-$9MM per season.

Nylander’s ask is reasonable given that he has put up back-to-back 80+ point seasons and is a pending unrestricted free agent. The trouble for the Leafs will be managing a potential Nylander extension with the cap hits of Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and whatever number Auston Matthews signs for. Couple that with the Morgan Rielly extension and a salary cap that hasn’t budged much in recent seasons, and it could create a very top-heavy team in Toronto going forward.

Nylander had a career year last season putting up 40 goals and 47 assists in 82 games and has silenced critics in recent years who doubted his ability to score in the postseason. Nylander has been a point a game player in both the regular season and the playoffs the past few years and would generate a ton of interest if his name were to be floated in the trade market.

In other snapshots from around the NHL:

  • Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports is reporting that the Arizona Coyotes have been in pursuit of free agent defenseman Matt Dumba since the start of free agency on Saturday. Dumba picked a very unfortunate time to have the worst offensive season of his NHL career as he put up just four goals and 10 assists this past season in 79 games with the Minnesota Wild. The 28-year-old Regina native has been a 25-point defenseman for most of his career but regressed offensively last year and saw very little in the way of power play time. Arizona has been aggressive in free agency thus far signing Jason Zucker, Alexander Kerfoot, and retaining Nick Bjugstad while trading for defenseman Sean Durzi.
  • Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet mentioned this morning that newly acquired Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi would like to remain with the team well beyond the one year he signed on for. Domi was inked to a one-year deal that will pay him $3MM this season, but as Friedman puts it Domi wants Toronto to be his long-term home and it’s easy to see why. Domi’s father Tie Domi was one of the most popular Maple Leafs in recent history and Max spent much of his childhood in Toronto while his father was still playing. He will now get the chance to put on the same jersey he watched his father wear and play in front of the same fans who cheered his Dad on for 12 seasons.

Maple Leafs Sign Max Domi

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07/03/23: Toronto has now made their signing of Domi official.

They’ve also added depth center Dylan Gambrell on a one-year, $775k one-way deal, per PuckPedia. Gambrell, a 2016 second-round pick, scored four goals and 10 points in 60 games for the Ottawa Senators last season.

07/02/23 8:40 PM: The Maple Leafs and Domi are closing in on a one-year contract worth $3MM, Chris Johnston of NorthStar Bets and TSN reports (Twitter link).  PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that the deal will contain a 10-team no-trade clause.  Friedman tweets that the deal may not be made official until Monday.

07/02/23 6:26 PM: After adding Tyler Bertuzzi earlier today to help shore up their top six, it appears that the Maple Leafs aren’t necessarily done with their summer spending.  Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports (Twitter link) that Toronto and Max Domi are in discussions about a contract for next season.

Considering that the Maple Leafs are staring down the cost of two pricey extensions that will be kicking in next season (Auston Matthews and William Nylander, or perhaps Bertuzzi himself if talks with Nylander stall out), it seems likely that the team would want to keep any agreement with Domi limited to a single season which they have accomplished here.  That would allow them to have as much flexibility as possible for those upcoming extensions.

The 28-year-old had to settle for a one-year contract last summer, inking a one-year, $3MM deal with Chicago.  That proved to be a wise decision for Domi who was moved back to center and responded with his second-best offensive performance, putting up 18 goals and 31 assists in 60 games before being dealt to Dallas at the trade deadline.  It took Domi a little while to settle in with his new club; he had just seven points in 20 games following the swap but was more productive for them in the playoffs, tallying 13 points in 19 games.

That was good enough to earn him the 11th ranking in our Top 50 UFA list last month with an expectation that he could finally land at least a medium-term agreement, something that has proven elusive for Domi lately.  Since his entry-level contract expired back in 2018, Domi has signed three separate deals, none longer than two seasons while playing for five separate teams during that stretch.  However, with this deal with the Maple Leafs, that streak of short-term contracts will continue.

In terms of where Domi might fit on Toronto’s depth chart, it seems like he could wind up taking the place of last year’s deadline acquisition Ryan O’Reilly, who inked a four-year contract with Nashville on Saturday.  That could see him centering the third line at times or moving up onto the second line, either as a winger or pushing John Tavares to the wing.  That type of versatility could certainly come in handy for the Maple Leafs while also giving Domi a chance to play in an offensive-minded environment in the hopes of bolstering his market for next summer when the salary cap is set to rise.

Fitting in a contract for Domi would appear to be tricky within Toronto’s current cap situation.  Per CapFriendly, the Maple Leafs have less than $600K in remaining LTIR room, assuming that Jake Muzzin is out for all of next season as expected.  That’s less than the league minimum salary and Domi will cost considerably more than that.

There’s also the matter of re-signing starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov who will be eyeing a considerable raise on the $1.8MM he made last season.  Having him file for salary arbitration to trigger a second buyout window would allow them to buy out Matt Murray but the $4MM in savings is likely to be needed to afford Samsonov’s next contract.  Accordingly, GM Brad Treliving is going to have to get creative to make the math work as he brings Domi into the fold to help bolster Toronto’s attack.

Free Agent Notes: Lucic, Halak, Domi/Glendening

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Veteran grinder Milan Lucic still has some hockey left in the tank and will be looking for a new home in 2023-24. While reports had connected him to playing for his hometown Vancouver Canucks, it now appears he’ll be joining another nostalgic franchise for him, per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal – the Boston Bruins.

Coming off a monster seven-year, $42MM deal, Lucic won’t command much on the open market and isn’t suited for anything above a fourth-line role, especially for a team with playoff aspirations. Boston is in need of cheap forward depth, but it’s fair to question the use of precious cap space on a veteran who can provide little offense, especially with hard-nosed Trent Frederic already occupying the token bottom-six grinder role. It would be a nice career bookend for Lucic, though, who won a Stanley Cup in Boston in 2011 and had 342 points in 566 games there between 2007 and 2015.

More tidbits before the free agent market opens on Saturday:

  • One of the longest-tenured netminders in the league is looking to extend his career in 2023-24, but it could be with a new team. Player agent Allan Walsh said today his client, Jaroslav Halak, will hit the unrestricted free agent market on July 1 and won’t re-sign with the New York Rangers before then. Halak, 38, is now sorely planted in “serviceable backup” territory, but there are certainly worse options for the No. 2 spot on your depth chart. The veteran of 17 NHL seasons posted a 10-9-5 record, .903 save percentage, and one shutout in 24 starts (and one relief appearance) with the Rangers this season.
  • The Dallas Stars don’t have a lot of cap flexibility this offseason, and it was expected they’d only be able to re-sign one or two depth forwards hitting the open market. That’s holding true, as after the Stars signed Evgenii Dadonov to a two-year extension yesterday, The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reports both Max Domi and Luke Glendening will hit the open market. The Stars have $5.1MM in projected cap space, per CapFriendly, and still need an extension for pending restricted free agent Ty Dellandrea.

Stars Unlikely To Bring Back Both Domi And Dadonov

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Saad Yousuf of The Athletic wrote today that the Dallas Stars will be hard pressed to bring back both Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov. Both forwards are unrestricted free agents who came over to the Stars in trade deadline moves and they were able to fit in well in their new environment. Dadonov had three goals and 12 assists in 23 games after coming over in a trade from the Montreal Canadiens while Domi had two goals and five assists in 20 games after the trade from the Chicago Blackhawks.

Both players had a similar journey to end up in Dallas, albeit at much different points in their careers. The 34-year-old Dadonov spent six seasons in Florida where he was quite productive putting up 202 points in 280 games before he signed with the Ottawa Senators as a free agent. He was traded three times in the span of a year before ending up in Dallas where he played quite well down the stretch.

28-year-old Domi on the other hand spent three seasons with the Arizona Coyotes where he posted 135 points in 222 games before he was dealt to Montreal, then the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Carolina Hurricanes. He signed a one year contract this past offseason with the Chicago Blackhawks before he was traded to Dallas at the deadline.

Yousuf writes in the article that Dallas general manager Jim Nill would love to have both players back, but cap space will likely be an issue. Dallas has just $7.4MM available for next season and based on the projections of Evolving Hockey Domi figures to get a contract around $4.4MM per year while Dadonov is projected to get $2.7MM. Those numbers would leave Nill with $300K to fill out two roster sports, not something that would be possible.

Yousuf sums up his article by saying that he expects Dadonov to be the likelier or the two to return to the club but doesn’t dive too deep into his logic. While cost is always a factor, Dadonov has struggled to fit in with previous clubs and really thrived under head coach Pete DeBoer. Given that close relationship between player and coach it is possible that Dadonov will select comfort level over money on his next contract. Especially after he was dealt four times during his previous deal.

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