With trade to Maple Leafs, Matias Maccelli confident he can rebound from down season
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As he lined up to make a putt during a round of golf with pals on June 30, one of the group was scrolling on his phone.
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Suddenly, the friend started to yell with excitement.
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Maccelli had been traded to the Maple Leafs.
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'I didn't make that putt, but still played a decent round,' Maccelli said with a smile on Monday during a Zoom call, his first availability with Leafs beat writers in Toronto since he became a Leaf.
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'It was a pretty exciting round the rest (of the day). I was super-pumped and excited to be part of the Leafs.'
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Speaking from his off-season home in Turku, Finland, the 24-year-old forward said he has been hard at work for several weeks, eager to recover from what was a difficult 2024-25 season with Utah.
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After piling up 106 points in the previous two seasons combined with the Arizona Coyotes, the move to Salt Lake City with the rest of the organization didn't add up to a smooth transition for Maccelli. He had 18 points in 55 games and was scratched for all but three of Utah's final 26 games.
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The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Maccelli was adamant he can prove last season was an outlier.
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'It comes down to ice time and opportunity with the points,' Maccelli said. 'It wasn't the best year for me, but I know I'm a better player (like) I was back in Arizona.
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'I know I have it still in me. Now I just have to show people that again.'
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The Leafs are optimistic that Maccelli — who will wear No. 63 — will rebound. General manager Brad Treliving said last week that the club had him on its radar for a while.
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Leafs advisor Shane Doan worked with Maccelli in Arizona and, when the opportunity came to acquire the latter, Treliving moved on it, sending a conditional draft pick to the Mammoth.
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For now, it's a third-round pick in 2027 that belongs to Utah; it becomes a second-round pick in 2029 if the Leafs make the playoffs in 2025-26 and Maccelli records at least 51 points during the regular season.
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Along the way to earning a spot on the NHL's all-rookie team in 2022-23, Maccelli demonstrated his playmaking skills and the following year he built on that, recording 40 assists and 57 points.
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'I talked to my agent (Ian Pulver), so I knew there was a couple of teams who were showing interest and Toronto was one of the teams who showed the most,' Maccelli said. 'Right from the start, I told my agent that I would love to play for the Leafs.'
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Toronto isn't going to completely fill the offensive hole created with the trade of Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. With a bit of further financial creativity, Treliving, with close to $5 million under the salary cap now, would like to add a top-six forward during the off-season. There's different names linked the Leafs regularly, whether it's Nazem Kadri, Bryan Rust, Jared McCann or fill-in-the-blank.
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Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Tarnasky, who played in the NHL between 2005 and 2010, pounded on and flung into a pond a fellow golfer at the Alberta Springs Golf Resort earlier this month when he and his pals got into a verbal altercation that turned physical. I n a video posted to Facebook and Instagram and shared on X, t he victim, Trevor Ogilvie, apologized for instigating the incident just outside of Red Deer, Alta., and blamed his drinking for the attack. 'Not my finest moment, I know,' said Ogilvie in a selfie-style video . 'Played 36 holes of golf, drank way too much and my mouth ran faster than my brain.' Read More This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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Props for standing tall and admitting your mistake.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A third suggested the two hit the links for a game of golf. ' Would be the ultimate redemption story if these guys played 18 together,' they wrote. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The thrashing racked up millions of views after eagle-eyed NHL fans identified Ogilvie's opponent as likely being Tarnasky. When Tarnasky warns him, 'You're not scaring anybody,' Ogilvie becomes more agitated, hurling his sunglasses on the ground, ripping off his gloves and yelling, 'Let's f—in' go, man. Ho, ho, ho,' before charging the former enforcer. Tarnasky immediately sends him flying into a nearby pond, which should have been the end of it. 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