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Watch This: Maple Leafs’ Domi About to Surprise Everyone

Originally posted on NHL Trade Talk | By Old Prof | Last updated Feb 1, 2026 6:33 PM ET

Watching Max Domi these days, there’s a sense of déjà vu. Not exact, but familiar. When I watch Domi play with Auston Matthews on the Toronto Maple Leafs first line, the player who keeps coming to mind is Nazem Kadri.

After Kadri Left the Maple Leafs, He Blossomed

Kadri was traded out of Toronto at 29 with a mixed bag. Sometimes he was brilliant — skill, grit, fire in the belly. Other times? The game ran him over, and his temper flared more than a few times.

Finally, Toronto moved on. After a couple of seasons in Colorado, Kadri exploded. He put together a playoff run for the ages, a Stanley Cup, the works. He didn’t reinvent himself; he just finally stitched together the pieces that had always been there.

Domi Is 30 Now, And Is Still Finding His Way

Domi is 30, and while his path is different, the pattern has echoes. He’s bounced around, had peaks and valleys, moments where his game felt a little too raw or unfocused. He, too, sometimes thinks with his emotions and not his intellect.

But put him alongside Auston Matthews, and the story starts to shift. Matthews quietly organizes the game around him; Domi moves faster but with purpose. Small gaps become chances. The flashes start to look like something more — something that might be what he’s always been capable of.

A Late-Career Breakout for Domi Isn’t Out of the Question

It’s not out of the question to think a late-career breakout is still possible. Players find themselves at odd times. Sometimes it’s a stable role, sometimes it’s a coach who gets them, sometimes it’s just the right mix of experience and opportunity. Domi has some of that now. He’s got the hockey IQ, the playmaking, the edge, and the comfort of playing beside elite talent. The ingredients are there.

This season probably isn’t the one where it all clicks. Toronto is still in flux, Domi’s role shifts too often, and the team hasn’t yet delivered the kind of coherent hockey that allows a player to build something lasting. But that’s fine. Not every late bloom happens on schedule. Some guys take the long route. Some bloom when the safety net disappears.

In an Odd Way, Marner’s Leaving Has Forced the Maple Leafs’ Hand

Mitch Marner‘s leaving is part of that story. It stripped away the illusion that the Maple Leafs’ core was still intact, forced a reckoning, and maybe nudged players like Domi to find themselves sooner rather than later. He might not become “Kadri 2.0,” but he could have his own version of that arc ahead of him — a second act waiting to be written. And if it happens, you’ll see it in how the game opens up around him, the little moments turning into big ones, the edge turning into impact.

Hockey isn’t linear. Sometimes the story takes its time. And Max Domi might just be on the cusp of the chapter nobody saw coming.

This article first appeared on NHL Trade Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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