Maple Leafs activate Max Domi from injured reserve

The Maple Leafs announced that center Max Domi has been taken off injured reserve ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Devils. Rookie winger Nikita Grebenkin was returned to AHL Toronto in a corresponding transaction to open up a roster spot.

Domi, 29, will likely return to action after missing the last eight games with a lower-body injury. He last suited up on Nov. 16 against the Oilers and landed on injured reserve a few days later.

Before hitting IR, the Winnipeg native had gone without a goal in 19 games this season, registering six assists and averaging 15:18 per game. The veteran of nearly 700 NHL contests inked a four-year, $15M extension with the Leafs a day before he would have hit the unrestricted free-agent market last summer.

After spending most of the early going down the middle, the Leafs will shift Domi to the left wing alongside William Nylander and John Tavares Tuesday in an effort to kickstart his offensive production, David Alter of The Hockey News reports. That news bodes well for 20-year-old rookie pivot Fraser Minten, who has four points in eight games since being called up in November and will continue to center Toronto’s third line for the time being, now flanked by Max Pacioretty and Pontus Holmberg.

While the Leafs’ roster count remains at the maximum of 23, they gain space in their LTIR pool with the move. They now have roughly $1.5M in flexibility after reassigning Grebenkin with David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok and Dakota Mermis still on the long-term injured list.

Domi’s absence did yield the first seven NHL appearances of the 21-year-old Grebenkin’s career. The 6’2″ Russian winger, who the Leafs drafted 135th overall in 2022, was an effective physical presence in fourth-line minutes with 13 hits in seven games.

Other than that, though, there wasn’t a ton to write home about. Grebenkin didn’t get on the scoresheet and posted a -3 rating while averaging 8:45 per game, and Toronto controlled just 37.8% of shot attempts with the rookie on the ice at even strength. The 2022-23 Kontinental Hockey League Rookie of the Year will look to get back on track offensively in the minors, where he had four goals and 10 points in 13 games before the call-up.