It feels a little bit like a rite of passage as a Canadian hockey fan to yell “SHOOT!” from your couch at your favourite hockey team. The Toronto Maple Leafs’ biggest culprit for this is Mitch Marner, who, for as talented as he is, has struggled with leaning too hard on his excellent playmaking on occasion and opted to try and force a pass instead of taking a shot. Whether it was an effect of being without Auston Matthews for nine games, an extra push from head coach Craig Berube, or a combination of both, Marner has, to his credit, upped his urgency to shoot the puck. Marner has ten goals in 27 games to start the season and is on pace to flirt with his career high of 35.
The other player on the Maple Leafs who has struggled with this is Max Domi, who signed a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs in the summer of 2023 and extended it by four years this past summer. Domi quickly established himself as one of the more skilled passers on the team, with 38 of his 47 points last season being assists, but as most skilled passers do, he’s exercised that aspect of his game while seeming to abandon the shooting aspect. He’s projected to return on Tuesday night against the New Jersey Devils, and with no goals and only six assists in 19 games, his head coach has been vocal about wanting to see him shoot more.
“It’s important,” Berube told reporters Monday when asked about getting Domi’s offensive game going again. “I think Max has gotta maybe take a little bit of a different approach and not be such a selfless player and shoot more, just getting to the net and the greasy areas a little more. He’s that type of player who can score goals there. He’s a strong guy, heavy guy.”
Berube went on to compare Domi’s struggles to Nick Robertson, a shooting threat who only has two goals on the season so far.
“A lot like [Nick Robertson], they gotta get in the inside more, get around that net, score some greasy goals. We need them to, we need those guys, we need secondary scoring.”
Domi is no stranger to the slow start to the season. It took him 22 games to score his first goal last season, but he was able to spin it into a hot second half that left him with an admirable 47 points on the season. As somebody who’s been through this before, he’s not letting this slump get to him.
“I wouldn’t say that at all,” Domi said when asked if the slump was bothersome. “I think we would all agree that if the team wins, that’s all that matters. I could care less if I have 90 goals or 0 goals. If you’re on the ice and helping the team win, you’re doing your job and you’re helping out.”
Domi was subbing in and out of the line rushes at Monday’s practice, skating on a line with John Tavares and William Nylander when he did work his way in, so if he suits up against the Devils, it’s safe to assume that’s where he’ll start. If indeed he does return Tuesday night, he’ll be focusing on helping the team win games rather than just busting his own slump.
“There’s always other ways you can help out, but certainly, you want to play your best hockey and keep getting better on a daily basis. So, I’ll just focus on that.”
