John Chayka just got incredible news, and it could become his worst nightmare

Max Domi is walking into training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs carrying one of the worst plus-minus marks on the roster.

Domi finished last season at minus-29 through 80 games, with 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points. That number stands out on a team that finished minus-46 as a group.

This Saturday, the numbers are still sitting there for new head coach Jim Hiller to sort through before puck drop on a new season.

Toronto closed last year on a seven-game losing streak. The Maple Leafs finished 32-36-14 for 78 points, dead last in their division.

Domi's production faded right along with the team's. Over his final 10 games he had just three points and was a minus-8. Over his last five, one point and a minus-5.

None of that erases the fact his $3,750,000 cap hit is fully locked in for this season. Hiller doesn't get to wish that number away.

And that's the tension heading into camp. A rebuild-adjacent roster with a declining middle-six piece still drawing top-six money on paper.

Why Domi's fourth line minutes could become a real storyline

Domi still chipped in two power play goals and three game-winners last season, so he's not without value in specific spots.

But when a $3.75 million forward posts a minus-29 on a team that finished minus-46 overall, the eye test and the box score start telling the same story.

Is that a fourth line profile now? Is it a trade chip Toronto tries to move before the season even starts? Hiller hasn't tipped his hand yet.

What's clear is the Maple Leafs can't keep bleeding goals against the way they did last year and expect a repeat usage pattern from every veteran on the payroll.

Domi has been a full go in Toronto for two seasons now, so there's no absence angle here. He's healthy, he's signed, and he's expensive relative to his recent output.

That combination puts pressure on Hiller before a single exhibition game gets played. How he deploys Domi will say plenty about what this new coaching staff actually values.