The Toronto Maple Leafs will start their training camp without forward Max Domi, who is sidelined with a lower-body injury. General manager Brad Treliving announced the news during a media session on Wednesday at the Ford Performance Centre. Domi, a potential replacement for Mitch Marner on the first line, is considered day-to-day.

"Unfortunately, we had a tweak here leading up to camp," Treliving said. "We anticipate he’s probably not going to start fully tomorrow, but hopefully soon after he’ll be ready to go."

With Domi out, Mattias Maccelli is among the candidates to join Auston Matthews and left winger Matthew Knies on the first line. Head coach Craig Berube indicated that the team will likely experiment with different line combinations throughout the season.

Most of the 73 players scheduled to begin workouts on Thursday have been training intensely in the days leading up to camp. Domi is the only player projected to miss the start of training.

Auston Matthews, who dealt with a suspected back injury last season, reported that he is feeling 100% as he prepares for the upcoming season. The second-year captain expressed his hopes of playing in the Olympics and advancing past the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career with Toronto.

"Health-wise, I had a good summer," Matthews said. "I did a lot of things that put me in position to come to camp feeling really good."

The absence of Marner, who was traded to Las Vegas in a sign-and-trade deal, marks a significant change for the team. Matthews reflected on the departure, saying, "It was a tough conversation to have. But, at the end of the day, you’re still friends and he’ll be one of ours for life. He made his decision, we wish him the best and we’re moving on."

Matthews also expressed optimism about the new players acquired this summer, including forwards Nicolas Roy, Maccelli, Dakota Joshua, Michael Pezzetta, and defenseman Henry Thrun.

Treliving addressed rumors regarding forward Dillon Dube, a free agent who was found not guilty in a high-profile sexual assault case. He acknowledged the potential public backlash if Dube were pursued, despite the legal outcome.

"I’d say we’re focused on the 73 players we have here right now and figuring out where that fits," Treliving said. "I don’t normally talk about any player not under contract. Obviously, there are special circumstances around those players. We’d have to go through a process. I’ve had Dillon as a player, I know him, but we have too many guys and too few chairs right now. We’re excited to get going. It has been a long summer. Tomorrow begins the process of building a team."