![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/maccelli-e1775515270282.jpg\")
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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The Toronto Maple Leafs should re-sign an impending RFA forward ahead of the beginning of free agency this summer.<\/p>\n
The Toronto Maple<\/a> Leafs\u2019 2025-26 season is mercifully winding down. The club has five games to go before the season heads to the dustbin of history.<\/p>\n That said, the work leading up to next season will only begin. The organization will need to find a new President of Hockey Operations, a new general manager, potentially a new coach, and on-ice roster turnover.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a tall order for an organization that was supposed to compete for the Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n Be that as it may, one of the on-ice personnel decisions the Maple Leafs will need to look into is restricted free agents (RFAs).<\/p>\n The Maple Leafs will have several RFAs throughout the organization. Perhaps the most complicated situation is that of Matias Maccelli.<\/p>\n Maccelli, as maligned as he has been this season, has managed to put up decent numbers. It\u2019s the scary Qualifying Offer (QO) that might prompt the Leafs to balk at re-signing him this season.<\/p>\n But given the way the organization is going, Toronto has to re-sign him. The most evident reason is the lack of star power in this year\u2019s UFA class. Beyond Alex Tuch, who could re-up with the Buffalo Sabres and avoid the market, there really isn\u2019t anyone who could replace Maccelli.<\/p>\n Even if the Maple Leafs inked Maccelli to a one-year deal at his $4.1 million QO<\/a>, he would still be cheaper and more convenient than some of the other options out there.<\/p>\n There is, however, another more powerful reason why Maccelli and the Maple Leafs should stick together for at least one more season.<\/p>\n Maccelli Could Thrive under New Maple Leafs Coach<\/p>\n The assumption is that the Maple Leafs will be dismissing Craig Berube<\/a> and bringing in a new coach. If that\u2019s indeed the case, Maccelli could thrive under a new coach.<\/p>\n For reasons that aren\u2019t totally clear yet, Berube lost the room this season. Perhaps it was just the psychological dark cloud that hung over the group following last year\u2019s Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Perhaps the club just needs a new direction after a decade of pretty much running it back and failing to deliver.<\/p>\n Whatever the case, the Maple Leafs could stand to benefit from giving Maccelli another shot. There\u2019s always the possibility that a different environment could help the 25-year-old\u2019s confidence moving forward.<\/p>\n What to read next: Maple Leafs Should Take Flyer on Gritty UFA Forward in Summer<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n A Two-Year Deal Is the Best Way to Go<\/p>\n All told, a two-year deal is more than likely the best way to go for all parties involved. Maccelli is still two years away from becoming a UFA. So, signing him up to his age-26 season would give the Maple Leafs flexibility in keeping him short-term, while giving the player a chance to figure out his game.<\/p>\n If Maccelli thrives, well, the discussion will be much different once Maccelli is set to become a UFA.<\/p>\n If he flops, the Leafs will have Maccelli on the books for just two seasons. The second season may sting a little, but the rising salary cap will help offset that situation.<\/p>\n Ultimately, re-signing Maccelli is a relatively low-risk move that the organization cannot pass up. If the Leafs choose to dump Maccelli now, they risk him becoming a better player on a team that can unlock his skills.<\/p>\n Keep in mind the way that Alex Steeves went from not getting a QO to thriving in Boston.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tNestor Quixtan<\/a> Seasoned NHL analyst and baseball writer focused on covering clubs across each league with news, analysis, and insights. Originally from Toronto, Canada, Nestor’s singular experiences and background have enabled him to bring a different take on the sports world as a whole. Nestor’s fondness for baseball and hockey set the tone for his love and passion for writing about sports. More about Nestor Quixtan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Sports\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty The Toronto Maple Leafs should re-sign an impending RFA forward ahead of the beginning of free agency…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":544497,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5106],"tags":[5,20,5172,4,66,31,5171],"class_list":{"0":"post-544496","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-toronto-maple-leafs","8":"tag-hockey","9":"tag-maple-leafs","10":"tag-mapleleafs","11":"tag-nhl","12":"tag-toronto","13":"tag-toronto-maple-leafs","14":"tag-torontomapleleafs"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116360240408063143","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544496","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=544496"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/544496\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/544497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=544496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=544496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=544496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}