The Maple Leafs are heading into training camp with something they haven’t always had enough of in recent years: a real fight for roster spots.
That’s the backdrop after general manager John Chayka spent the summer building out the depth chart, leaving returning players with less room to coast and more to prove. For head coach Jim Hiller, that competition is the point. He isn’t just sorting through names - he’s looking for players who can handle their jobs and give the team something useful every night.
Three forwards stand out in that mix: Max Domi, Steven Lorentz and Dakota Joshua.
Domi’s case is the most layered. His ability to play both centre and wing gives Hiller flexibility, but it also means nothing is guaranteed.
With Gavin McKenna, Jack Roslovic and others in the hunt for top-nine minutes, there may not be an obvious opening waiting for him. Depending on how Hiller uses William Nylander, Domi could even end up battling for a right-wing spot on Auston Matthews’ line.
Health is part of the equation, too. Domi had back surgery this offseason, and there were real questions about whether he’d be ready for the season.
He recently looked healthy and mobile at his charity golf tournament, which obviously isn’t the same as surviving NHL contact, but it was at least a positive sign. If he’s good to go, the bigger question becomes what kind of impact he can actually make.
If Hiller views him as a third-line centre, Domi will need to be better in the faceoff circle after winning 51 percent of his draws last season. And even that role won’t come free.
Nick Paul, Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger and Roslovic are all part of that mix, each bringing something different to the table. Domi’s path is the one he’s walked before: be adaptable, be useful, be hard to move out of the lineup.
But this time, versatility alone may not be enough. He has to make it stick.
Lorentz and Joshua are facing a different kind of pressure, but the stakes are still there. Lorentz looks like a clean fit for the fourth line, thanks to his size, speed and physical style at a $1.3 million cap hit.
He had 154 hits in 71 games last season, and that edge is the part of his game Toronto can’t afford to lose. If Hiller wants a bottom six that’s a pain to play against, Lorentz already has a clear way to help.
Even so, fourth-line spots aren’t safe anymore. Brandon Duhaime and other newcomers and prospects will be pushing for those minutes, which means Lorentz has to do more than show up and blend in.
He doesn’t need to reinvent himself. He just needs to be dependable: play hard, pressure the puck, kill penalties, finish checks and chip in here and there.
Joshua has even more to answer for. He carries a $3.2 million cap hit for the next two seasons and a 12-team no-trade clause, which makes the contract a tough one to move if the production doesn’t follow.
Last season he posted 10 goals and 18 points in 55 games, while still throwing 195 hits despite averaging only 12:14 of ice time. The issue wasn’t effort.
It was consistency. With more bodies competing for ice, he can’t afford another year where his role and impact disappear and reappear.
That’s what makes camp so important for Toronto. Chayka has given Hiller choices, and now Hiller gets to sort out who actually fits the way he wants this team to play.
Domi, Lorentz and Joshua all bring some level of versatility, and that helps. But none of them can treat that as enough.
Domi has to stay healthy and become more dependable in his own end. Lorentz has to make his physical game impossible to ignore.
Joshua has to prove his contract won’t become a problem.
For years, the conversation around the bottom of the Leafs’ lineup has been about availability. This time, it’s about competition.
If Hiller gets that part right, Toronto’s bottom six could become more than just a filler group. It could start to look like an identity.
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Maple Leafs Saw This Roster Problem Coming Long Before This Summer
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Monahan eventually landed with the Columbus Blue Jackets after being traded in February 2024, while Toronto went in another direction and added other pieces to cover similar needs after a management change. The bigger takeaway is how early the Leafs identified the problem, even if the solutions they ultimately chose came from elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]