John Tavares shows some love to an unsung hero for the Maple Leafs
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports
Maple Leafs captain John Tavares knows that the team wouldn't be where they are, with a chance to force Game 7 with a win tonight, without this one player.
As Tavares continues to try to combat and overcome the limitations of age in an attempt to win hockey's greatest prize, the Stanley Cup, which has evaded him for 14 years prior to this one, he knows that the Leafs would not be where they are right now without another one of the Leafs' veteran players.
Tavares, a true leader, has been around the block in the NHL and he knows the true value of role players. Hell, he spent the better part of his career elevating role players to star status on his wing on Long Island before landing in Toronto and having the luxury of playing with guys like Mitch Marner and William Nylander.
When Max Domi's name came up during an interview this week, Tavares was quick to celebrate his accomplishments and credit him for embracing what it is to be a Leaf, carving out a unique role for himself and pulling the team together.
Tavares on Domi: "I think Max has been great all series [with] his playmaking ability and I think he really enjoys and thrives [on] this time of the year, this type of hockey.
I really feel over the last two or three months he's really become a big fabric of the team on & off the ice and really has kind of found how he impacts things in many different areas, but certainly he's got high end talent.
He sees the ice extremely well and I thought he made a lot of good plays [on Tuesday]... Everyone's just stepping up a little bit and I thought Max really did that with playing his game at a really high level."
I really feel over the last two or three months he's really become a big fabric of the team on & off the ice and really has kind of found how he impacts things in many different areas, but certainly he's got high end talent.
He sees the ice extremely well and I thought he made a lot of good plays [on Tuesday]... Everyone's just stepping up a little bit and I thought Max really did that with playing his game at a really high level."
Domi assisted on Jake McCabe's first period tally for the Leafs on Tuesday night in Boston and was a huge contributor for the Leafs all over the ice in Auston Matthews' absence in Game 5. Domi played nearly 19 minutes in the game and did everything from winning faceoffs to creating chances for himself and his linemates and even blocking shots when needed.
In a series where it's been tough for the Leafs to produce goals, Domi has managed to rack up 4 points to lead his team in playoff scoring. It's great to see Domi having such a solid playoffs for the team he grew up watching and you can really see the passion that he has for this franchise.
Hopefully, the Leafs will continue to work and can make things difficult on the Bruins tonight with the goal of forcing a final and deciding Game 7 back in Boston later this week. If the Leafs can pull off the comeback and get past the Bruins in Round 1, Domi will have been a key contributor to their success in the series and a huge reason why they'll be moving on to Round 2.
| POLL | ||
MAI 2 | 423 ANSWERS John Tavares shows some love to an unsung hero for the Maple Leafs Would you be okay with the Leafs offering Max Domi a 5-year deal at $4.5M-$5M per season? | ||
| Yes, that's a good deal for Max | 254 | 60 % |
| No, that's too much term | 64 | 15.1 % |
| No, that's too much money | 58 | 13.7 % |
| Let's wait and see how far they go first | 47 | 11.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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