NHL Analyst Urges Maple Leafs to Fill Mitch Marner’s Spot with Familiar Face

“Marner played every game but one last year, the one game he missed, I think, it was Max Domi who filled in there beside Auston Matthews, and obviously, they’ve had a good track record in the past playing together,” Masters said.

Mark Masters Wants Max Domi to Take Mitch Marner's Role

Masters noted that coach Craig Berube typically uses Matthews’ line against opponents’ top players, a role requiring experience. That, in Masters' eyes, makes Domi a natural fit to step in.

“Domi did not have a great season last year, but I like the idea of engaging him right away and saying, ‘Hey, big opportunity, let’s hit the ground running here,’” Masters said. “The question, of course, is (that) the Matthews line is likely to get the tough matchups. That’s what Craig Berube likes to do, and that’s a big reason why William Nylander did not get any sort of sustained look on that spot.

"I like the idea of Max Domi there.”

Domi first signed a one-year, prove-it deal with the Maple Leafs before the 2023-24 season. After scoring 47 points in 80 regular-season games, Domi signed a four-year, $15 million contract extension in June 2024 to remain with the Leafs through July 2028. He's coming off a 33-point season.

Maple Leafs' Matthew Knies Highlights His Preferred Option

Outside of Domi, the Leafs could opt to deploy other players in the first-line right wing role, including Nicholas Robertson or any of the offseason additions in Nicolas Roy, Matias Maccelli, and Dakota Joshua.

Knies, who already played on the Leafs' top line last season but is expected to grow into an even larger role after signing a six-year, $46.5 million extension, pointed to Nylander as the best option to fill Marner's void.

“Willy is pretty dynamic,” Knies said. “(Moving Nylander to the first-line gap) wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.