'He's Been Dealing With Something That's Been Going On For A While': Max Domi Not Expected to Play For The Remainder of The Regular Season
Before Toronto's 5-4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings, Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe indicated that Domi had an injury. But he played anyway.
The Toronto Maple Leafs will not have Max Domi in the lineup when they visit the Florida Panthers on Tuesday and is not expected to be in the lineup on Wednesday against the Tanpa Bay Lightning, either, effectively ending his regular season.
"We'll see where he's at with it. But yeah, I mean, we're not going to give you much this time of year," Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe of Domi, and Bobby McMann, who will also miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury.
Following the team's practice on Friday before they prepared for their game against the Detroit Red Wings, Keefe indicated that Domi had an injury and was a game-time decision. It's not clear what Domi's injury is but the player was involved in a fight with New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec.
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On Saturday morning, Domi took part in the team's optional skate and played in a 5-4 overtime loss. When asked if an injury had flared up in that game, Keefe admitted in a roundabout way that Domi probably should not have played that night.
"I wouldn't say flare up, it was just more so he's been dealing with something that's been going on for a while and he felt it's not going to affect him to play. And I don't think that was necessarily the case," Keefe said. "So not any worse or anything, it's just now about managing it."
With Domi absent, Mitch Marner was placed back on the top line with Auston Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi and the trio appears set to play together when the club visits the Panthers
With Domi McMann also out, the Leafs only have 12 healthy forwards right now so it's unlikely that there will be a lot of flexibility when it comes to load management apart from the odd game of going with seven defensemen here and there.
"You're going to need 16 forwards, 10D, whatever it is. You hope not to, you hope to stay healthy, but that's just not the reality of playoffs," Ryan Reaves said of the club's depth. "And so everybody's got to stay ready, everybody's got to stay positive whether you're in or out of the lineup, and you just got to make sure everybody can contribute when they have to."
Domi has played all around the club's lineup this season but recently found success playing alongside Bertuzzi and Matthews, a scenario that was drawn up when Marner missed 12 games with an ankle injury last month. Signed to a one-year, $3 million deal this summer, Domi has nine goals and 38 assists in 80 games this season.
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