NHL Rumors: Blackhawks Forward Hoped to Sign Elsewhere

According to Nick Kypreos, when Max Domi was a free agent this offseason, the 27-year-old approached the Toronto Maple Leafs with interest in signing a one-year deal with them at a notably lower price than his current $3 million cap hit. However, that did not occur, and Domi then settled and inked a deal for the season with the Chicago Blackhawks.

This is a pretty interesting story. Domi wanted the chance to be a Leaf just like his father, but even at a cheap price, Toronto decided against this. Yet, when looking at his hot start to the season thus far, GM Kyle Dubas may end up regretting this decision. Domi has four goals and seven points in seven games so far. The Leafs could certainly have used that kind of scoring to help with their somewhat slow start to the year.

Meanwhile, two forwards who the Leafs chose over Domi have not done much to start the season. Calle Jarnkrok has two points in eight games, while Nicolas Aube-Kubel is pointless in five games. Yes, the sample size is small ,but one has to wonder if this decision to pass on Domi at such a cheap price will come back to haunt them. Nevertheless, if Dubas changes his mind, he certainly could snag him at the deadline.