Toronto Maple Leafs’ expectations for forwards Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli have fallen short, with both struggling to find their rhythm under coach Craig Berube’s demanding system. Despite their physical potential, they’ve lacked presence and purpose, leading to healthy scratches and raising questions about their future with the team as trade possibilities emerge. The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the season expecting Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli to be role players who could quietly elevate the team’s depth, not transform the team, but push it forward. Instead, the organization has found itself pouring salary cap room, draft capital, time, and patience into two forwards who haven’t found their rhythm.As Jeff O’Neill bluntly remarked, “Joshua and Maccelli have done jack squat for this hockey team since coming here.” It’s not just media frustration, internally, the Maple Leafs expected more purpose and more presence. Now, the club faces a decision: keep waiting, or pivot while the market still holds interest.
Why Dakota Joshua and Matias Maccelli are losing traction in a Berube-built identity
Craig Berube’s system isn’t a mystery, he wants pressure on pucks, physical responsibility, and identity-driven hockey. For Maccelli, the challenge has been philosophical: his finesse-first DNA collides with Berube’s north-south demands.“It’s just trying to play my own game, but at the same time trying to play smart and not have too many turnovers,” he explained, a revealing comment from a player caught between instinct and instruction. The famous OverDrive quip about not being able to “Maccelli this thing” has transcended humor, it’s now a reflection of his crossroads.Joshua presents a different puzzle. At 6’3”, 210 pounds, he looks like the prototype Berube forward; sturdy frame, net-front build, ideal checking body type. Yet visually, he disappears in games. The speed of play seems half a step beyond him, leaving him reacting rather than dictating. His self-awareness is real: “There’s no time to be the new guy anymore.” But with 5 points in 22 games and minimal defensive leverage, urgency hasn’t translated into traction.Toronto’s patience is finite. Both Joshua and Maccelli were recently healthy scratches, a not-so-subtle message. If the Leafs don’t see a shift soon, these two may become classic mid-season assets, not players being developed, but pieces being moved.A trade isn’t guaranteed, but for both players, time is no longer an abstract concept. It’s ticking.Also Read: NHL Trade Update: K’Andre Miller’s move to Carolina becomes a turning point in his career