Latest news with #MatiasMaccelli
Yahoo
09-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Maple Leafs trade pitch could see them target Chicago star and former Stanley Cup winner to replace Mitch Marner
Maple Leafs trade pitch could see them target Chicago star and former Stanley Cup winner to replace Mitch Marner originally appeared on The Sporting News It's obvious that the Toronto Maple Leafs and GM Brad Treliving want to add one more piece to their identity change puzzle, while also making sure they replace as much of the offense lost by the departure of Mitch Marner as they can. So far they've added a ton of depth with the acquisitions of Matias Maccelli, Nicolas Roy, Dakota Joshua, Michael and Pezzetta while also bringing back guys like Nick Robertson and Steven Lorentz; but there's still something missing. Which is why believes the Maple Leafs should go all-in and make a deal for a veteran winger who could add some serious punch. According to the article, Toronto should target Teuvo Teravainen as a great way to shore up their top-six and make it happen by parting with Robertson, Calle Järnkrok, and 2024 first-round pick Ben Danford. That seems like a bit of an overpayment for the winger but it's really not if you break it down. Danford, the clear centrepiece of the deal is currently stuck in a logjam with Toronto's defense and is still a few years away from making it, but Toronto is built to win-now. The Blackhawks are not going to be doing much, so he'll get time to grow. Plus, it gives Robertson a chance to play in the top-six and get meaningful minutes to help his progression, and Jarnkrok is essentially a free 3/4C who can mentor the younger players. Last season, Teravainen registered 58 points in 82 games last season (15 goals, 43 assists) but finished an unsightly minus-23. With Max Domi likely to slide in on the top spot, Teravainen would be a lock for the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander, and helps give Bobby McMann out by lessening his pressure to perform; a sore spot at times. Toronto would need Chicago to end up either retaining some money or dumping a bunch of cap elsewhere, as it could cost them $5.4-million to bring him in. While the Maple Leafs may be reluctant to part with Robertson after the whirlwind saga of his tenure, and they would love to keep Jarnkrok and Danford has a ton of shutdown potential. But it's time to act now, and for Brad Treliving he's got his perfect piece just waiting.
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jack Roslovic Interested In Reuniting With Toronto's Auston Matthews Says NHL insider
New insider reports indicate Carolina's Jack Roslovic wanting to join former teammate Auston Matthews in Toronto The Toronto Maple Leafs have made some major moves this offseason and according to NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, the team isn't done yet. Advertisement On Sunday's episode of his podcast "32 Thoughts" Friedman explained that the Buds are looking to potentially clear out more of their bottom six forwards like Pontus Holmberg, who left to join the Tampa Bay Lightning. Friedman believes this is because the Maple Leafs are targeting unrestricted free agent Jack Roslovic from the Carolina Hurricanes. The connection makes sense as Roslovic played with Leafs captain Auston Matthews extensively during their time together at the U.S. National Development Program. Toronto will be looking to replace the production lost by star winger Mitch Marner heading to the Vegas Golden Knights and have made headway with some of their adds already. From Utah, the Maple Leafs picked up a solid 40-point player with Matias Maccelli, who could grow into a 50-60 point player when playing in Toronto's top six and is only 24 years old. Advertisement Early projections of Toronto's lineup next season had Maccelli on the top line alongside Matthew Knies and centred by Auston Matthews but he could be moved down to play with John Tavares and William Nylander while Roslovic slides into the top right wing spot. This has been indicated as a possibility to Friedman in the case of free agent Andrew Mangiapane. The Bolton, Ontario native was reportedly interested in returning to his hometown team but Friedman had heard that the Maple Leafs told him that they are looking to move out forwards like David Kampf, Calle Jarnkrok and restricted free agent Nick Robertson. Mangiapane ultimately decided not to wait on the Maple Leafs roster decisions and instead signed with the Edmonton Oilers. Roslovic is a notable player that teams are interested in yet he has not signed with any team yet and it could be that he is waiting to play with Matthews according to Friedman. The 28-year-old has found his way into being a regular 40-point player and has be unable to truly tap into his elite upside that many projected when he went 25th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft to the Winnipeg Jets. Advertisement This would be a massive boost for the Maple Leafs next season as their top six would be more balanced and could contributed the same level of offence as last season and could make them a steal at +2500 to win the Stanley Cup next season. Odds to certainly look at for the Maple Leafs would be to make the playoffs at -300 and to win the Atlantic division for the second straight season at +390 behind the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning. More NHL: 2026 Stanley Cup Odds: Oilers, Panthers Lead Early Contenders But One Unexpected Favourite Emerges
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NHL Rumors: Bruins Targeted New Maple Leafs Forward
The Boston Bruins made several new additions to their roster so far this summer. While this is the case, they were also reportedly interested in a recently acquired Toronto Maple Leafs forward. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Bruins were one of the teams interested in Matias Maccelli before he was traded by the Utah Mammoth to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Advertisement "I heard there were three or four teams that were in on Maccelli," Friedman said. "I think Boston was one, and I think Edmonton was one." With Maccelli being a 24-year-old winger who has had past success in the NHL, it is not particularly surprising that the Bruins had him on their radar. It is no secret that their forward group needs more offense, and landing a winger like Maccelli could have helped things a bit on that front. While Maccelli posted just 18 points in 55 games last season with Utah, he is a prime bounce-back candidate heading into 2025-26 with the Maple Leafs. Just back in 2023-24 with the Arizona Coyotes, he recorded 17 goals and 57 points in 82 games. He also recorded 11 goals and 49 points in 64 contests with Arizona back in 2022-23, so there is no question that he can be an impactful forward when playing at his best. Nevertheless, Maccelli would have had the potential to be a strong addition to Boston's middle six. However, the Bruins will instead be facing him more often now that he has been traded to Toronto. NHL Rumors: Bruins Were Interested In New Oilers Forward NHL Rumors: Bruins Were Interested In New Oilers Forward The Advertisement Boston Bruins brought in several new players this off-season. While this is the case, they were reportedly interested in another unrestricted free agent (UFA) who ended up signing with the Edmonton Oilers. Photo Credit: © Rob Gray-Imagn Images
National Post
07-07-2025
- Sport
- National Post
With trade to Maple Leafs, Matias Maccelli confident he can rebound from down season
Matias Maccelli's mind started to race. Article content 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. Article content Article content Suddenly, the friend started to yell with excitement. Article content Maccelli had been traded to the Maple Leafs. Article content '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. Article content Article content 'It was a pretty exciting round the rest (of the day). I was super-pumped and excited to be part of the Leafs.' Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Maccelli was adamant he can prove last season was an outlier. Article content '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. Article content 'I know I have it still in me. Now I just have to show people that again.' Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content Article content 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. Article content 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. Article content '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.' Article content 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.
New York Times
07-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Matias Maccelli eyes top-six role in a fresh start with the Maple Leafs
Matias Maccelli would rather not look back on last season, when the up-and-coming playmaking winger saw his production stall with the Utah Hockey Club. 'It wasn't obviously the best year for myself,' Maccelli said from Finland. Maccelli is blessed with hands and vision that can see him turn opposition defenders on their heels. In 2022-23, Maccelli finished with 49 points in 64 games. That was good for second in rookie scoring and fourth in Calder Trophy voting. The future looked bright: Maccelli turned his rookie season into a three-year contract extension with an AAV of $3.425 million. Advertisement Yet when the calendar turned to 2025, he wound up playing just six of Utah's final 31 games last season. The Toronto Maple Leafs sent a conditional 2027 third-round draft pick for Maccelli, 24, ahead of free agency opening in June. It was a low-cost bet for Leafs GM Brad Treliving with Maccelli entering the final year of his contract. It's a bet everyone involved is hoping will pay off. 'I still know I'm a better player than I was. I know I still have it in me. Now I've just got to show people again,' Maccelli said in his first media availability as a Leaf on Monday morning. On a young Arizona Coyotes team with their better players — particularly Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley — still coming into their own, it felt likely Maccelli would enjoy a top-six role throughout his contract. Things didn't go as hoped last season. He fell out of favour with Utah head coach Andre Tourigny. 'It comes down to ice time and opportunity,' Maccelli said of why his production dropped. Maccelli can point the finger at a lack of opportunity, but he also acknowledged he fell short when he was on the ice. He wasn't delivering his high-end skill consistently enough. 'His A-game has not been as productive as it has been in the past,' Tourigny said of Maccelli in March, adding that the forward had been handling his time in the press box like a professional. But with the way the Leafs roster is currently constructed, his new coach Craig Berube can't afford to laud Maccelli's attitude alone. The Leafs have lost a 100-point, playmaking-first player from their lineup in Mitch Marner. They've seen a drop-off in that kind of playmaking production from Max Domi, as well. '(Maccelli) is a dynamic playmaker,' Treliving said. 'When you look at some of the areas we need to address, playmaking ability was one of them.' Advertisement Yes, the Leafs are making a bet on Maccelli. But they need that bet to pay off in a real way. There are two gaping holes in the Leafs' top six, one on each wing, assuming John Tavares slots in as the second-line centre. Treliving hasn't been shy about his desire to add an additional top-six winger to his roster. And so it feels likely that given Berube's predilection for checking-heavy lines lower down the lineup, Maccelli will get runway in the other open top-six role to start the season. 'We think there is a bet here on a player we think can rebound from the season he had this year,' Treliving said. 'With some of the players we have, ultimately it will come down to the fits and matches and where they all go. You play around with it on the board, but we just felt that at the price it cost us, this was a chance for a young player who has some dynamic skill and ability. It was certainly worth the bet.' Maccelli's name has constantly popped up in trade rumours going back to last season's trade deadline. Heading to Toronto could be the fresh start he needs. 'Definitely right from the start, I told my agent that I would love to play for the Leafs,' Maccelli said. Now it's time to show it. Through his time as a Coyote, Maccelli found his best chemistry with Nick Bjugstad and Lawson Crouse. Both scored 20-plus goals in 2023-24 thanks in some part to Maccelli feeding them with his creative vision. Berube could slot Maccelli alongside Tavares and William Nylander for an offence-first, oft-sheltered second line. The idea of a gifted, pass-first Maccelli meshing with Nylander and Tavares doesn't seem far-fetched at first glance. Nylander and Tavares both have shoot-first tendencies and finished first and second in Leafs goal scoring last season. Adding a playmaker to the mix to start the season with lower defensive expectations feels like a plug-and-play option for Berube. Advertisement There's no guarantee Maccelli will work in a top-six role in Toronto. But it sort of has to. Bobby McMann's game lagged late last season and in the playoffs. Domi and Nick Robertson don't appear to be viable candidates for a top-six role as things stand. And Maccelli's playing style, combined with his 5-foot-11 frame, doesn't make him all that compatible with a regular bottom-six role under Berube. Maccelli said he's hunkering down this summer to improve his game, 'more than maybe in previous years.' He's trying to add size to his frame and explosiveness to his stride; Maccelli appears to have an understanding already of the increased physicality expected of him, even higher up in Berube's lineup. But how long will his adjustment take? Maccelli is coming from a team that never made the playoffs during his tenure, and a franchise that doesn't have the eyeballs and expectations he will find in Toronto. He is coming to just his second NHL franchise with legitimate expectations of him and his game — and, as Maccelli himself noted, he's going to a city that's new for him 'without really knowing anyone.' If the Leafs want the trade to pay off, management and coaching staff have to at least be patient with his adjustment period. Doing so could exponentially increase the odds that the fit both sides are hoping for is a success. 'I really don't even have much expectation. I don't really know,' Maccelli said. 'It will for sure be different than it was in Utah and definitely different than it was in Arizona.'
