The Maple Leafs continued to fill spots on the left side of their lineup by acquiring left winger Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth.
The Leafs sent a conditional 2027 third-round draft pick to Utah in exchange for Maccelli.
Maccelli, 24, has one year left on his three-year contract with a cap hit of $3,425,000. He will be an RFA when his contract expires, making this a solid, cost-controlled addition for GM Brad Treliving and the Leafs.
Maccelli, a 2019 fourth-round draft pick, has scored 37 goals and 130 points over 224 career NHL games.
If the Leafs earn a playoff berth and Maccelli scores at least 51 points next season, the conditional pick will be converted to a second-round pick in 2029.
The playmaker showed his skill continuously during the 2023-24 seaon, when he nabbed career highs in goals (17) and points (57). Yet Maccelli fell out of favour with Utah’s coaching staff in the second half of last season. He played in just six of Utah’s final 31 games and just 55 games total.
Making a buy-low addition ahead of free agency opening on July 1 is an effort from Treliving to get ahead of matters before prices for additions could skyrocket.
While the 5-foot-11 Maccelli doesn’t have the size or physicality that Leafs head coach Craig Berube prefers, he does have the kind of puck skills that should land him a middle-six spot on the Leafs opening night roster. The Leafs finalized another top-six piece on the left side by re-signing Matthew Knies to a six-year extension on Sunday.
The addition of Maccelli could potentially keep Bobby McMann, who struggled to be an effective playoff performer, in the Leafs’ bottom six.
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