Max Domi is expected to miss training camp and the start of the season for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Nick Alberga reported Wednesday that Domi is still working back from off-season surgery, and the timeline still isn't settled.
Toronto's own files list him as day-to-day with a back issue, tagged questionable for the opener before camp has even started.
Domi finished last season with 36 points in 80 games, and he went minus-29 over that stretch.
He still found a way to matter late, piling up three game-winning goals and six power play assists on a middle six that leans on his energy.
He's not walking into this alone. Chris Tanev carries the same D2D tag, dealing with an abdomen injury that also has him questionable for opening night.
First-year coach Jim Hiller inherits both situations. He was hired in June, and now his first training camp opens with two established veterans already sidelined.
Jim Hiller's first camp opens with two regulars out
Toronto isn't walking in on momentum, either. The Maple Leafs finished 32-36-14 last season, posting a minus-46 goal differential and closing on a seven-game skid.
Over his last 10 games a year ago, Domi managed three points and a minus-8 rating, a flat finish before recovery even entered the picture.
Domi carries a cap hit of 3,750,000, and every game he misses puts more weight on a middle six that already needs scoring depth.
Losing one veteran for camp is manageable. Losing two, right as a new coach tries to build an identity from scratch, is a rough way to open the door.
Alberga was blunt about it. Still lots of uncertainty, he said. And until Toronto gets real clarity on Domi and Tanev, every camp battle down the lineup comes with an asterisk attached.
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Should Maple Leafs fans be worried heading into the season without Max Domi and Chris Tanev?
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