Maple Leafs Trade for Matias Maccelli: Why Toronto Acquired Winger From Utah Mammoth

The Toronto Maple Leafs have acquired Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a conditional third-round draft pick in 2027, which will convert to a second-round draft pick in 2029 if Maccelli record at least 51 points in the 2025-26 NHL season.

The 5-foot-11 winger had eight goals and 10 assists in 55 games last season. He’s a play-maker who broke out into the NHL in 2022-23 when he led all rookies in assists. He also received Calder Trophy consideration and ultimately landed on the NHL’s all-rookie team that same season.

In acquiring Maccelli, the Leafs are betting that they are buying low on a season that saw the Finnish player have a dip in production. Some of that was attributed to dips in production from his linemates. If paired with elite talent in Toronto, there is certainly potential for the player to see a rebound next year. A deeper dive into the analytics of his season showed a player where contributed 1.78 shot assists above average per 60 while leading the NHL in generating chances off the rush.

Other critics of Maccelli's style focus on his play away from his puck, which could use some improvement. It's believed the lack of hard-nosed physical play led to him falling out of Utah's top-six forward group and that will be something he will need to get better at under Craig Berube, who demands a hard-nosed, heavy north-south game. But with a skilled player like Mitch Marner seemingly on his way out of Toronto, a play-making winger was needed. He isn't Marner, but there was a good reason for Toronto to give this a shot, given the low cost.

The 24-year-old Maccelli carries a salary cap hit of $3,425,000 for next season. After that, the player will be a restricted free agent.

Macccell first exhibited his skillset when he moved to the United States to play in the USHL beginning in 2017. In his second season, he scored 31 goals and 41 assists in 62 games. The Arizona Coyotes selected him in the fourth round (98th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft.

In his first season in professional hockey, he scored 13 goals and 27 assists in 43 games with Ilves Tampere, winning the Liiga rookie of the year award. The Coyotes subsequently signed him to a three-year entry-level contract at the end of that season 2019-20 season.

Leafs salary cap situation following trade

After acquiring Maccelli, the Leafs have $10,145,581 in salary cap space, according to PuckPedia.com as they get set to enter the feee agency period, which opens at noon E.T. on July 1.

(Headline Photo Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images)