Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mattias Maccelli (63) skates with the puck as New York Islanders forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) trails him during NHL game action. A fan in the stands behind them holds up a sign that says “BYE-BYE MATTIAS!”.
The clock is ticking loudly on Long Island right now. With Kyle Palmieri sidelined, the New York Islanders are staring down a massive, creative hole in their top six right. They need scoring, and they need it fast if they want to stay in the tightly packed Eastern Conference playoff race.
According to Ethan Sears of the New York Post, Islanders GM Mathieu Darche has a replacement on his wish list: Toronto Maple Leafs enigma Matias Maccelli.
This makes sense on paper. The Islanders are starving for playmaking, and when he’s right, Maccelli is an elite passer. But here’s the rub: Maccelli has been dreadful in Toronto this season under Craig Berube. He has just 9 points in 22 games, he’s frequently a healthy scratch, and his confidence looks shot. The Leafs are desperate to clear his $3.425M cap hit to restock their bare draft cupboard due to past trades from the 2024 and 2025 NHL seasons.
Darche isn’t about to overpay with a first-round pick for a “distressed asset,” but he also can’t afford to wait. If the Isles stumble in January, they turn into sellers with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee likely on the block. If they want to save the season, they might have to take a gamble on the Leafs’ current problem.
What A Realistic “Picks Only” Trade Looks Like
My take? This feels like the inevitable conclusion of Maccelli’s time in Toronto. It just hasn’t worked stylistically. The Leafs are signaling that they want draft picks, not roster players back. They need the cap flexibility yesterday to activate players from LTIR.
If the Leafs are exclusively looking for draft capital to clear Maccelli’s contract, the return becomes modest. Because Maccelli is currently a healthy scratch with low production, Leafs GM Brad Treliving does not have the leverage to demand a premium pick.
Here is the realistic trade package I believe the Leafs and Islanders could align on:
To Toronto: A Conditional 2026 3rd Round Pick.
To New York: Matias Maccelli
The condition? The pick likely stays a 3rd if Maccelli plays 40+ games for the Islanders or re-signs on the Island, downgrading to a 4th Rounder if he doesn’t meet those benchmarks.
Why is this the price? The Islanders have already traded their 2026 2nd Round pick, creating a gap in their draft board. A 3rd is the absolute “ceiling” for a player with Maccelli’s current stats.
For Toronto, this move is less about the return and entirely about clearing over $3 million in cap space to fix their roster crunch. For New York, it’s a classic “buy low” gamble on a talented player who needs a change of scenery to rediscover his 57-point form.
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