The Toronto Maple Leafs will be without a veteran forward for the start of training camp. Max Domi will be unavailable as he continues to recover from an offseason surgery, general manager John Chayka told Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press.
Chayka mentioned that team staff will evaluate Domi during camp and that there is no timeline for his return.
Domi underwent his surgery in late May but no specifics of his injury, procedure, or timeline were revealed by the team. Four months later, he will continue to sit out indefinitely, interrupting the start of his 12th season in the NHL.
The 31-year-old centerman played through a lingering injury for the entirety of the 2025-26 season. He marked the year with 36 points, 95 penalty minutes, and a minus-29 in 80 games.
Soon after Domi’s offseason surgery, Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun reported that Domi was facing a back injury and elected to choose his own surgeon for the operation. Complications arose and the surgery was ultimately deemed unsuccessful, per Simmons, leading to Domi’s indefinite absence.
Those details have yet to be supported by the Maple Leafs.
Domi has faced a long string of injuries over the last five seasons. He underwent surgery to repair a labral tear following the 2020-21 season and sustained broken ribs during the 2021-22 season.
He also sustained a foot injury in 2022-23, an undisclosed injury in 2023-24, and a lower-body injury in 2024-25. Despite those ailments, Domi has not missed more than 10 games in a season since the Arizona Coyotes’ 2016-17 season.
Getting Domi on the track to good health will be pivotal for the Maple Leafs. He fills a key grinder role and has led Toronto in penalty minutes in each of the last three seasons.
That edge could be helpful as Toronto prepares to roll out reigning first-overall pick Gavin McKenna. Domi has also taken at least 400 faceoffs in each of his three seasons with the Maple Leafs and was likely to return to a center role this season.
His absence will leave more room for Colton Sissons, Teddy Blueger, and Dakota Joshua as they fight for a third-line role. It could also present an opportunity for minor-league center Jacob Quillan, who totaled 45 points in 59 games with the Toronto Marlies last season.