The Toronto Maple Leafs have received a terrible update on Max Domi and his injury.
A few hours ago, news broke that the 31-year-old forward would miss the preseason and the start of the upcoming season. While that is certainly bad news, at the end of the day, these are things that can happen and are completely manageable for any NHL franchise.
However, on Thursday’s edition of The Leaf Morning Take, Nick Alberga revealed that what he has been hearing is that Domi’s injury could be more serious than initially believed, to the point that he may have already played his final NHL game.
“I can tell you that there is not a lot of optimism right now with Max Domi. I can tell you that he’s not expected to be in camp and start the season, and that’s at the very least,” Alberga began saying.
“But I double, triple, quadruple-checked with a variety of different people who would be in the know. A lot of gray area on Max Domi. Like, I don’t know if or when we’re going to see this guy wear a Maple Leafs uniform again. That’s what I’m driving at. There’s been no confirmation of that, but I can tell you he will start the season, I believe, on LTIR (Long-Term Injured Reserve) again.”
Max Domi’s Long-Term Future With Maple Leafs in Doubt
To that comment, former NHL player Jay Rosehill responded, in the form of a question, “and are you getting vibes that this is a long-term thing?” to which Alberga responded in an alarming way: “I’m getting vibes that he’s played his last NHL game, unfortunately.”
Rosehill added, “Oh, s—, man. That’s devastating. Say what you want about the contract or the production or the consistency. Like, there’s, by all accounts, a really nice kid, really nice guy, really nice, really good hockey player. And I don’t care what team or who you are, for a young man to potentially lose his career over a surgery that you’re trying to get to get yourself better and healthier is devastating.”
The former player also said he still hopes it is not an injury of that magnitude, as the 2026-27 season could be forgotten in terms of waiting to see Domi.
He said, “I hope that’s not the case. Again, they’re pretty coy about these things, and they don’t like to give a lot of details. But as you said, when you’re a little bit plugged in, and you talk to enough people and read between the lines, this does not sound very good. I had my hopes that it would be a little bit more positive than it was when it initially came out, and you’re hearing that he can’t feel his extremities and can’t move his toes and a lot of nerve.”
“I was hoping, okay, maybe that’s just the initial shock of it and things are going to progress and get better. And now we’re starting to get towards camp and the season, and a little bit of light is being shone on the fact that this might be a serious deal.”
“So I hope that’s not the case. Obviously he’s going to be on LTIR, and he needs to be for the Leafs to be under the cap, but long-term, personally, for Max Domi and his family and everyone around him, that’s just as bad news as you can get.”
Maple Leafs Get Terrible Max Domi Update as Career Seems in Jeopardy