MAPLE LEAFS REPORTEDLY CLOSING IN ON EXTENSION WITH PERENNIAL SCORER
The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly closing in on a four-year contract extension with forward Max Domi, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Friedman mentions that the deal will come in just shy of $16M in total value or $4M every year.
Domi was set to become an unrestricted free agent on Monday. The rumored deal would carry him through 2028, his age-32 season.
Domi, the son of former Leafs first-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 Max 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.
Max Domi made quick work of what was his first year brandishing his dad’s old logo, having joined Toronto on a one-year, $3M contract nearly a year ago today. But Max 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 Max 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 Max Domi holds on to a top-line next season. A smash season would quickly earn him the price of his extension and give Toronto the top-end, high-scoring utility winger that it's been needing.
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