Max Domi speaks candidly about the challenges of getting traded in-season

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi knows better than most what it is like to be traded in the middle of the season.

Before arriving in Toronto, Domi went through a four-year stretch that saw him suit up for five different teams. Two of those instances of uprooting his life occurred during the regular season around the trade deadline with varying degrees of team success. Although he had been used to moving around a lot during this time, being dealt mid-season presented its fair share of challenges.

That’s why Domi understands what Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo are going through as they adjust to being members of the Leafs.

“ I honestly believe it’s one of the hardest things in our sport is getting traded at the deadline,” he said to reporters ahead of the morning skate on Tuesday. “From top to bottom of the challenges that come with that – not even anything hockey, just away from the rink – it’s not easy. [Laughton]’s doing a great job,  he’s just an unbelievable human being. He’s  only going to get better and by the time playoffs start, he’s gonna start being even more and more comfortable, which is gonna be great.”

Leafs fans have been feeling frustrated that Laughton has yet to produce offensively since being acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline. After all, the team gave up quite a package to get him. But Domi knows that getting acclimated to life with a new team involves more than just the system of the coaching staff: it also involves changes to your everyday routine that can throw a player off for a loop at first.

“ In the past, I think that anything from just driving to the rink or showing up and seeing different security people. All those little details that you never think of,” he said. “Breakfast. How do you get to the airport from the practice rink? Or how do you get to the airport from the game rink or your house? It sounds kind of dumb,  but when you’re so driven by all these rituals and routines that we have, it throws you off a little bit. I think that was probably the biggest challenge, but it’s also a really cool opportunity to grow not just as an athlete, but as a human being really, you know?”

Carlo has started getting settled in while getting more comfortable with his new team with each passing day. As for Laughton, the adjustment has been a different experience given that he had been involved in trade rumours for years before being dealt to the Leafs. Because of how much time he had spent in Philadelphia, Laughton admitted that it was emotional going through the process of leaving behind the only team he had ever known.

“ It’s the first time that you go through it, so it’s just, it’s a lot different. It’s a whirlwind,” he said. “ Going on the road and then being in the hotel again and just everything that goes into it of being with the same place and having that comfortability with everyone and in the room and things like that. These guys have been great with me, but it’s different and  it’s different going out there.”

Laughton added that his wife, Chloe, had arrived in Toronto this week so it has helped him get more comfortable in his new surroundings.

Domi felt grateful to have gotten the security that he had long craved after the aforementioned stretch of packing his bags a lot. So he has a good sense of how to make his new teammates fit right in at home as quickly as possible knowing how fickle one’s place on a team can be.

It all boils down to supporting the new arrivals as best they can and helping them get comfortable with their new home, regardless of whether that is for a few months or a few years. Domi said that, to them, it doesn’t matter.

“ That stuff we don’t even care about honestly,” he said. “If you’re on our team, you’re on our team. That’s the way we look at it as players. I know you guys are always gonna look at it differently, but you’re on our team, you’re our team, and that’s all we think about.”

The Leafs will look to get back into the win column on Tuesday night when they host the Flyers.