Max Domi's health is the biggest wild card in Jim Hiller's plans for the Maple Leafs this summer.
Toronto built its 2026-27 roster this offseason without knowing when, or if, he would be ready to play. That uncertainty still hangs over the whole lineup.
Domi underwent surgery toward the end of April. Complications from that procedure left him briefly unable to walk, and the team announced he'd be out indefinitely.
He's set for reevaluation at the start of training camp. Nothing is locked in yet.
But if he clears that hurdle, Hiller inherits a completely different set of options up front. And that's where things get messy for Toronto's middle six.
Right now the center depth chart already runs deep: Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger and Jack Roslovic. Domi doesn't need to play center to matter, though.
His game bends. He can slide to wing, he can play center, he can go top line or fourth line depending on what Hiller needs on a given night.
Domi's versatility creates a real problem in Toronto's top nine
That flexibility is exactly why a healthy Domi complicates things instead of simplifying them. Think of him like a spare key that fits three different locks.
Useful, sure. But somebody still has to decide which door actually needs opening.
One version of Hiller's lineup slots Domi with Matthews and Matthew Knies on the top line, banking on the chemistry they already share.
That would likely push a young player like Gavin McKenna down to a second line beside Tavares and William Nylander instead.
Would that actually help McKenna, or just delay the tougher assignment? That's the kind of call Hiller has to live with all season.
Easton Cowan looks like the roster casualty in that scenario, sliding to a third line with Roslovic and Nick Paul.
He posted 29 points in 66 games last season, so it's not exactly a demotion into nothing.
Domi still has real offensive value here. He put up 36 points last season, including 12 goals, six power play assists and three game-winning goals, in 80 games.
His underlying numbers weren't pretty, a minus-29 rating over the full season and a minus-8 mark across his last 10 games.
That's the tension Hiller has to sit with if Domi walks back into the room healthy.
Handing him a top-six role purely on name value and past chemistry would be a mistake if the results don't back it up early.
Hiller needs to see it on the ice before committing long term.
There's also the cap piece. Domi carries a $3,750,000 cap hit, and Toronto only gets LTIR relief if he starts the season on that list.
If he's ready to play instead, the Maple Leafs need to be cap compliant with him active, all while trying to keep flexibility for moves later in the season.
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None of this gets settled until camp opens. Domi's comeback story is a good one. Whether it actually improves Toronto's lineup is a completely different question.
Should Jim Hiller give Max Domi a top-six role right away if he's healthy for camp?
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