Bobby McMann — not Max Domi — to the top line: 4 thoughts on the injury-plagued Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still waiting to see what a fully healthy version of their lineup looks like.

They wont get that chance Saturday in Ottawa, with Matthew Knies set to join Max Pacioretty , John Tavares , Connor Dewar , Anthony Stolarz , Jani Hakanpaa and Calle Jarnkrok on the long (and continually lengthy) list of injured Leafs.

Advertisement I dont know how long it will be, Leafs coach Craig Berube said of Knies injury timeline.

Knies already missed two games in November, over about 10 days, with a concussion.

His absence against the Senators (and beyond that perhaps), on top of all of the other injuries, has had a trickle-down effect on the rest of the lineup.

Lets explore whats especially interesting there.

1.

This felt like (and could still be) the perfect opportunity for the Leafs to spark the struggling Max Domi by giving him a shot alongside Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner on an increasingly dominant No.

1 line.

Berube went with Bobby McMann instead.

Domi played his best hockey on Matthews right wing last season, filling in there when Marner was out with a high-ankle sprain.

He could use a lift of some sort.

The 29-year-old has gone 16 straight games without a goal and has only three goals all season, which came in three consecutive games in December.

Berubes attempts to get Domi to shoot the puck havent been realized: Domi has been held without a shot in five of his last 10 games and registered only one shot last game against Columbus .

Just about every attempt he does get these days is coming from the perimeter, another area of desired improvement for the Leafs head coach.

None of that is all that surprising.

Domi is a pass-first, second and third kind of player.

His best work comes as a passer.

Which is what makes him such an alluring fit with the Leafs captain.

Domi logged just over 200 five-on-five minutes with Matthews down the stretch last regular season from about mid-March to the end of the regular season and produced 13 points, which amounts to a monstrous 3.8 points per 60 minutes.

Most of those points, no surprise, were assists.

Domi had 2.8 of those per 60 in his minutes with Matthews 11 in all.

Advertisement For context, Sean Monahan is leading the NHL right now in producing three points per 60.

Marner is tops with 2.1 assists per 60.

All of which is to say that Domi and Matthews cooked .

So far this season, the two have logged a total of nine minutes together at five-on-five.

Nothing essentially, with Domi stuck playing centre until recently.

Knies unfortunate absence gave the Leafs and their coach an opportunity to give it another go at a time when Domi really needs it.

2.

But theres also this to consider: McMann has earned a promotion like this.

McMann, playing mostly on the third line this season, has pumped in 12 five-on-five goals, third among Leafs.

Hes done that in about 540 minutes.

Which makes him one of the most productive scorers in the league this season, with 1.34 goals per 60.

Ninth, in fact, among all NHLers who have logged at least 400 such minutes.

Sitting just ahead of him in eighth? That would be Knies (1.37).

McMann also ranks among the league leaders with nearly 10 shots per 60 at five-on-five.

Hes been a force and deserves this opportunity.

Berube figures that McMann (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) can provide a Knies-like element to Matthews and Marner.

He should be doing the same thing that (Knies) did: Get in there on the forecheck, create loose pucks, go to the net, the Leafs coach said.

It could be a good fit.

Domi will remain on left wing for the time being, this time with Pontus Holmberg and William Nylander .

McMann did play some of his best hockey all year on a line with Marner and John Tavares.

But if, for whatever reason, the chemistry isnt there with Matthews and Marner against the Senators, the Leafs and their coach should give Domi his shot.

3.

Thats another noteworthy development from the last week: Domi is suddenly back on the wing, where he started the season but has hardly played, and doing so at a time when the Leafs are down a centre in Tavares.

Advertisement Its the right move for him.

And barring a trade that sends him elsewhere, its where hell end up if the Leafs do end up acquiring a centre.

Tavares injury does reinforce the obvious: The Leafs really do need that centre.

One injury and the team is suddenly having to use Holmberg, who has played better of late but still has only seven points all season, as their No.

2 behind Matthews and some combination of Fraser Minten and David Kampf as their three and four.

Its one thing to try to get by like that in January.

Its another in the postseason.

Fail to add a centre ahead of the March 7 trade deadline, lose one to injury, and the Leafs could be looking at a 1-4 of Matthews, Holmberg, Minten, and Kampf down the middle.

4.

Down yet another forward and PP1 member in Knies, the Leafs could have pivoted to a defenceman ( Morgan Rielly or Oliver Ekman-Larsson ) to round out that unit but opted instead for Domi.

Hell claim the bumper position in Knies absence.

I think thats a good spot for him, Berube said.

And hes got to understand that when theres shots taken, get to the net and find some loose pucks and rebounds and things.

If not top-line left wing, I like the idea of getting Domi onto a power play thats going to play a lot.

Domi has two power-play points all season, both assists.

He hasnt scored a power-play goal in more than a year: Dec.

21, 2023 was when the last one came.

Maybe this helps boost his production and thus, his confidence.

Stats and research courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Hockey Reference (Top photo of Max Domi: Patrick Smith / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.