Matias Maccelli is hitting the open market. The Toronto Maple Leafs opted not to extend a qualifying offer to the 25-year-old restricted free agent winger before the June 29th deadline. Therefore, making him an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Due to the way his 2023 deal was structured, Maccelli was due a $4.11 million qualifying offer for the Maple Leafs to maintain his rights.

Which was a number; the front office clearly wasn’t prepared to pay for a middle-six winger when they are trying to reshape the roster and want to use as much cap space as possible.

Acquired last June from the Utah Mammoth, he had a bit of a rollercoaster regular season. He struggled to lock down a permanent home in the top six, and at one point before the calendar flipped to 2026, he was a healthy scratch on a nightly basis. He eventually found his footing and stayed in the lineup in the new year. but despite the inconsistent ice time, the skilled Finnish playmaker still managed to put up 14 goals and 39 points in 71 games.

It is unfortunate news for Maccelli; however, there will likely be a few teams that will line up to sign him when the market opens.