The Dallas Stars signing Matt Duchene to replace the Maple Leafs' Max Domi turned out to be part of exceptional roster-building in Texas. What can the Maple Leafs learn?

As the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs play each other on Wednesday, it's a good time to see how Matt Duchene and Max Domi are doing.

Last season, the Stars acquired veteran forward Domi near the NHL trade deadline to buttress their core of talent up front. Domi became a solid contributor for Dallas, generating 10 assists and 13 points in 19 Stanley Cup playoff games. Domi cost the Stars a second-round draft pick and salary cap ballast in goalie Anton Khudobin, but the trade worked out about as well as Stars GM Jim Nill could’ve hoped for.

Despite Domi making a good case for Dallas to keep him around when he became a UFA last summer, GM Jim Nill went out and signed a veteran replacement for the same $3-million cap hit that Domi wound up securing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. That veteran was Matt Duchene.

As we reach the 50-game mark of the 2023-24 regular season, it’s clear that Nill did very well in bringing in Duchene. The center has generated 18 goals and 46 points in 49 games while averaging 16:56 of ice time per game.

Domi, meanwhile, has 20 assists and 24 points in 48 games with the Maple Leafs while averaging 12:47 per game. That's not a terrible showing from the 28-year-old, but certainly not as good as Duchene thus far this year. It’s another example of how exceedingly great Nill is as a judge of elite NHL talent. If the Maple Leafs get anywhere close to the success Dallas has enjoyed under Nill, Toronto fans are going to be absolutely thrilled.

This season, the Stars have again shown themselves to be a top team in hockey’s best league. Dallas has had at least three straight wins five times this season, and they also average the second-most goals per game by forwards in the NHL (3.14), trailing only Vancouver (3.36) and just barely leading the Leafs (3.08). But only star winger Jason Robertson averages at least a point per game on the team. 

The Stars also have the most total points by forwards, with 386 compared to Vancouver's 382. Dallas is the top team in the Central Division, and the second-best team in the Western Conference. None of this is by accident.

When you look at most teams near the top of their division and conference, you see organizations that have suffered for years slowly rebuilding their program to include first-rate talent. But that’s not how Dallas has evolved into a force in the Central over the years. The highest draft pick they’ve had since 2013 was the No. 3-overall pick that got them star defenseman Miro Heiskanen in 2017, but otherwise, they’ve never picked higher than 10th overall in that span.

Time and again, Nill’s draft and development team has come through with Grade-A talent – Roope Hintz at 49th overall in 2015, Jake Oettinger at 26th overall in 2017, Robertson at 39th overall in 2017, Wyatt Johnston at 23rd overall in 2021 – at depths of the draft many teams struggle to produce top talent from. 

As a result of their internal improvement, the Stars used their cap space to augment their lineup with productive veterans including Joe Pavelski, Ryan Suter and former Maple Leaf Mason Marchment. Nill didn’t need to spend a ton of money on retaining Domi last summer, because Dallas’ overall mix of young and older talent is so impressive.

The Leafs have also tried to mirror Dallas’ success balancing their lineup, but there’s been a bigger carousel of talent that’s moved through Toronto – Domi, Tyler Bertuzzi, Joe Thornton, John Klingberg, Wayne Simmonds and numerous others. The Buds have not been able to go on the type of deep playoff runs the Stars have gone on in recent years, including a Western Conference final appearance last season and the Cup final in 2020. 

The Leafs have gone the more traditional route of building through the very top of the draft, landing skilled stars including William Nylander, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner, but it’s in the secondary level of talent where Toronto management hasn’t had nearly as much success as Nill has enjoyed in Texas.

Dallas’ excellent results up and down their lineup has also allowed Nill to retain most of his draft assets in the foreseeable future. The Stars have their top two picks in 2024 and 2026, losing just a 2025 second-rounder in the Domi trade. That gives Dallas’ scouts more than enough chances to find more gems to add to the mix. 

That also positions them to perhaps add another important veteran if they do feel like surrendering a first-round pick by this year’s trade deadline. Nill doesn’t waste picks on just anyone, and that’s one of the reasons why he was able to land Domi last season. It was a calculated gamble, and one that paid off quite well.

Domi hasn’t earned himself a raise for his next contract this summer, but there’s still time for him to prove his value to the Leafs. However, Duchene has played so well for Dallas, the Stars have to find a way to retain his services beyond this season. He was another calculated risk for the Stars, and Nill’s instincts about Duchene have been well founded.

The Leafs could do well to follow Nill’s lead, and whether it’s Domi or another veteran who pushes Toronto to new playoff levels, the entire point for the Buds should be to be like Dallas. They’ve shown how to make it to the Cup final and how to continue keeping their roster fresh and competitive, year in and year out. And Nill has proven to once again be one of the best hockey management minds in the sport.