Sheldon Keefe should consider one very cool option for Max Domi and Mitch Marner
Since the Leafs announced the signing of Max Domi, the fanbase has been running wild with speculation over where Domi might fit into the lineup. Given the fact that he can play both center and wing and has been both a top six player and a bottom six player during his 8 years in the NHL, he truly is a bit of a swiss army knife.
Domi may very well be the Leafs' replacement for Alexander Kerfoot, not in that they play a similar game, but just that Kerfoot was a versatile player who played a number of roles for the Leafs during his time there. So too can Domi, though his skill set is just a little bit different. Domi is a vastly superior playmaker to Kerfoot and has a lot of "snot" to his game, as Leafs GM Brad Treliving mentioned earlier in the week.
After inking Domi to a 1-year, $3M deal on July 2nd, Treliving spoke with the media and revealed that the Leafs view Domi as more of a winger than a center, at least to start. That's largely because the Leafs appear to be set at center for the moment, with Auston Matthews, John Tavares, David Kampf and Pontus Holmberg all playing very well for the Leafs there last season.
When you begin to scan through a lot of mock lineups from either Leafs reporters or members of the fanbase, most have the Leafs' top line consisting of Tyler Bertuzzi, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner - and for goood reason. We know that Matthews and Marner have tremendous chemistry and with a player like Bertuzzi, who can contribute on offense, wreak havoc in front of the net and stick up for his teammates during post-whistle scrums, it does make a great deal of sense to try that trio out at some point. However, that's not the route I'd go.
If I'm Sheldon Keefe and I'm sitting down and trying to draw up my lines for training camp, I'm going with an all London Knights 2nd line, slotting Max Domi next to John Tavares and Mitch Marner. Not only would it be cool to have a line of all Knights alumni, but Domi and Marner actually played very well together across two seasons in London in 2013-14 and 2014-15. You can see some of their handy-work below:
The reason I like the idea of reuniting Domi and Marner in Toronto is that, for one, Marner has really taken strides in his shooting game. After averaging a little over 20 goals per season in his first 5 NHL seasons, Marner has really blossomed into a legitimate shooting threat, notching back-to-back 30+ goal seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23. Beyond that, we know that John Tavares is beginning to slow down. He'll be 33 when this season commences and having two legitimate playmakers to create some time and space for him could be crucial.
Another reason why I like the idea of having Domi on that 2nd line is that while Tavares does stick up for himself, he's not really one to drop the gloves in defense of another teammate. Nor is Marner that type of player. Domi, however, is. He's not your traditional fighter. He's not a true enforcer like his dad. He's not a heavy hitter, though he will follow through with his checks when he has the opportunity. However, he is a player who is not afraid to bleed for his linemates. If someone tries to facewash his captain, you can bet your bottom dollar that Domi will go ballistic and that the fists will be flying, or at the very least, there will be some hacking, slashing and a whole lot of words exchanged.
The great thing about having a top six that consists of Auston Matthews, Tyler Bertuzzi, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, William Nylander and Max Domi is that there really are no bad combinations. They're all quality players and I'm sure there's a number of different looks that will work just fine. I just really like the idea of starting an all Knights lineup and reuniting Marner with Domi and allowing the two to begin to rediscover that chemistry that they had in London, because if it works as well as I think it might, that could be a very tough line for the opposition to deal with in the playoffs and still leaves the Leafs with a very formidable top line of Tyler Bertuzzi, Auston Matthews and William Nylander.
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 9 | 466 ANSWERS Sheldon Keefe should consider one very cool option for Max Domi and Mitch Marner Where should Sheldon Keefe slot Max Domi in? | ||
| With Matthews and Marner | 130 | 27.9 % |
| With Tavares and Marner | 199 | 42.7 % |
| With Matthews and Nylander | 22 | 4.7 % |
| With Tavares and Nylander | 115 | 24.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
