Max Domi May Have a Date With Player Safety After Questionable Hit Causes Injury
Maple Leafs forward Max Domi may face supplemental discipline from Player Safety following a questionable reverse hit on Islanders rookie Isaiah George.
It's been an up and down season for Max Domi in 2024-25, with the 2nd generation Maple Leaf having battled injury, inconsistency and also riding some highs, forming one of the most potent 3rd lines in the NHL.
The line of Max Domi, Bobby McMann and Nick Robertson has been a revelation for the Leafs, with the trio showing tremendous chemistry and productivity in recent weeks, which continued on Thursday against the Islanders.
During the second period, the McMann-Domi-Robertson line opened the scoring, with McMann converting on a nice feed from Robertson to take a 1-0 lead.
If it seems like the Leafs maybe had a bit too much time and space on the play, it's because Isles rookie Isaiah George had been clipped by Domi just seconds before the goal.
Domi, who was in possession of the puck in the Islanders corner, sensed a check coming from the rookie, but rather than moving the puck and spinning off of the hit, Domi posted up and delivered a heavy reverse hit on George, which led to the rookie heading straight down the tunnel with an injury on the play.
My personal feelings on this one are that the hit was clean, and that no supplemental discipline is warranted. Had Domi not delivered the hit, he may very well have found himself taking a hard hit to the numbers a dangerous distance away from the boards.
However, we've seen the NHL's Department of Player Safety hand out some supplemental discipline to Maple Leafs that maybe wouldn't have been issued to a non-Leaf. We've also seen plays that had previously resulted in a 1 or 2-game suspension for a non-Leaf net the Leafs a much lengthier suspension.
The first hope is that Isaiah George will be okay. Beyond that, I'm not sure this even warrants a look from Player Safery. However, we shouldn't be surprised if we see a fine or a phone hearing for Domi announced at some point on Friday.
