Leafs' Max Domi gets maximum fine of $5,000 after game against Panthers. Here's why

National Post
Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers and Max Domi of the Toronto Maple Leafs fight for possession of the puck during the second period in Game Four of the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amerant Bank Arena on May 11, 2025 in Sunrise, Fla.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi has been fined $5,000 for boarding Florida Panthers centre Aleksander Barkov in the closing seconds of Game 4 in the second-round series in Florida on Sunday, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety has announced.

Domi’s hit on Barkov came with just eight seconds left to play in the third period. Domi was also assessed a major penalty for boarding. The Panthers had just about completed what would be a 2-0 win, their second in a row on home ice, tying the series at two games apiece. Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Toronto.

Domi’s move set off a fight amid several other players that led to 10-minute misconducts for Toronto forward Bobby McMann, Florida defenceman Aaron Ekblad and Florida forward Brad Marchand. Barkov was not injured on the play, head coach Paul Maurice said.

The fine is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund , which was set up in 1996 to assist NHL players and their families with mental health, substance abuse or other issues. The league might also have decided to issue a suspension, but chose not to .

Domi signed a one-year, $3-million contract with the Leafs in the summer of 2023. The next year, he signed a four-year, $15-million extension with the team. As a percentage of salary, a $5,000 fine would be equivalent to about $132 for someone making $100,000 a year.

Florida centre Sam Bennett told Sportsnet that he thought Domi’s hit wasn’t out of line, noting: “It’s been a physical series, so I expect more of that.”

Meanwhile, Toronto head coach   Craig Berube compared the action to another play earlier in the same game, telling the broadcaster: “To me, the (Dmitry) Kulikov hit on (Mitch) Marner was 10 times worse.”

That elbow-to-the-head move did not result in a penalty or fine.

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