Leafs interested in bringing back Domi and Bertuzzi next season: report
Finishing their season with another disappointing first-round exit, the Toronto Maple Leafs have already begun making big changes.
With a new head coach taking the reigns, additional modifications to the current roster makeup should be expected over the offseason.
Some players, however, appear to already be expressing an interest in sticking around for the Leafs’ next chapter.
According to a new report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, forwards Max Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi, both of whom are on expiring deals, have expressed their desire to return to the team in the fall.
“There’s mutual interest in Bertuzzi returning to the Leafs, but the team is juggling a few things so it’s not clear if it gets done,” LeBrun wrote.
Bertuzzi’s agent Todd Reynolds also confirmed that Toronto management is interested in re-signing the 29-year-old, who came on as a free agent last summer.
“It’s early, but it’s out there that the Leafs want to re-sign him,” Reynolds added on Thursday, as per LeBrun.
After stints with the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins, Bertuzzi joined Toronto on a one-year, $5.5 million deal at the beginning of last year’s free agency period.
The Sudbury native netted 21 goals and 43 points throughout the season, netting four more points throughout seven playoff games.
As for Domi, who became a top-six staple ahead of the postseason, his camp has already begun discussing the prospect of a new contract with Leafs management.
“There’s already been a conversation between the Leafs front office and agent Judd Moldaver of Wasserman expressing mutual interest in getting a deal done,” LeBrun wrote, adding that “no numbers [have been] exchanged yet.”
Domi, 29, logged nine goals and 47 points in his 2023-24 campaign. Playing big minutes during Auston Matthews’ playoff absence due to injury, the centre netted one goal and four points throughout seven postseason games.
The Leafs had a cap hit of $97.6 million this past season, as per CapFriendly. But with 15 deals coming off the books in the summer, combining for a cap hit of $38.5 million, Toronto will have a bit more room to work with to sign new deals.
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