On the last day before free agency began, the Toronto Maple Leafs made a move to acquire 24-year-old forward Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth. The deal sent just one conditional third round selection in 2027 to the newest member of the National Hockey League.
Maccelli might be a new name for the average hockey fan, and that is because he only played in about two thirds of the Mammoth games last season. He recorded just eight goals and ten assists. Even still, The Athletic’s Joshua Kloke thinks the Finland native could slide right into the top-six rotation.
“Berube could slot Maccelli alongside Tavares and William Nylander for an offence-first, oft-sheltered second line,” Kloke writes. “The idea of a gifted, pass-first Maccelli meshing with Nylander and Tavares doesn’t seem far-fetched at first glance. Nylander and Tavares both have shoot-first tendencies and finished first and second in Leafs goal scoring last season. Adding a playmaker to the mix to start the season with lower defensive expectations feels like a plug-and-play option for Berube.”
Maccelli is a playmaker through and through. He has sharp edges and an innate passing ability. After losing a pass first forward in Mitch Marner, and experiencing a down tick in playmaking from Max Domi, Treliving says Maccelli’s playmaking is why the team wanted him in Scotiabank.
“(Maccelli) is a dynamic playmaker,” general manager Brad Treliving said. “When you look at some of the areas we need to address, playmaking ability was one of them.”
GM Brad Treliving Speaks On ‘Betting’ On Bounce Back Year
General manager Brad Treliving thinks, despite a down year from the young wing, his best hockey is still ahead of him.
“We think there is a bet here on a player we think can rebound from the season he had this year,” Treliving said. “With some of the players we have, ultimately it will come down to the fits and matches and where they all go.
You play around with it on the board, but we just felt that at the price it cost us, this was a chance for a young player who has some dynamic skill and ability. It was certainly worth the bet.”
Maccelli was a fourth round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He had an impressive AHL career and eventually made his debut in the NHL in 2022. As a rookie, he recorded 49 points on 38 assists in 64 games for the Arizona Coyotes.
Matias Macceli Speaks On Fresh Start In Toronto
According to Joshua Kloke of The Athletic, Maccelli has been involved in Toronto trade talks since last season’s trade deadline. Macceli himself admitted that Toronto has been his desired destination since the jump.
“Definitely right from the start, I told my agent that I would love to play for the Leafs,” Maccelli said Monday morning.
He says that this offseason he is hitting the ice harder than he ever has. Focusing on putting weight on his frame and adding explosiveness from the waist down.
“It wasn’t obviously the best year for myself,” Maccelli said from Finland. “I still know I’m a better player than I was. I know I still have it in me. Now, I’ve just got to show people again.”
He seems to have an immense amount of confidence in himself. When asked about why his production dropped last season, he answered simply “it comes down to ice time and opportunity.”
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