The Toronto Maple Leafs have kicked off the post-Mitch-Marner era with a trade Monday that brought in left winger Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a conditional third-round draft pick. The pick could turn into a second-rounder if Maccelli produces at least 51 points in 2025-26 and the Leafs make the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The deal was a solid gamble for the Leafs, who are adding Maccelli’s $3.425-million salary cap hit for the next season. After that, the 24-year-old Finn is an RFA, so if things don’t work out as hoped, Toronto GM Brad Treliving can walk away from Maccelli next summer and not have to worry about paying a high price for a relatively distressed asset.
The Leafs now have approximately $10.14-million left in cap space, so the Maccelli move may take them out of the Brad Marchand sweepstakes. However, don’t discount the possibility that Treliving frees up more cap space by trading or buying out the contracts of center David Kampf, right winger Calle Jarnkrok and winger Ryan Reaves. That would free up a few more million dollars and allow the Leafs to offer Marchand a bid that could be enough to sign him.
However, even if the Marchand pitch doesn’t pan out, you can clearly see what Treliving is trying to achieve here. Without Marner’s $10.9 million in cap space, the Leafs have shown in the past few days that they still intend on being one of the best teams in the ultra-competitive Atlantic Division. And Treliving is being proactive in acquiring a player in Maccelli, who will help Toronto in terms of their depth on the wing.
Indeed, re-signing center John Tavares and left winger Matthew Knies to long-term contract extensions strengthens Toronto’s offensive punch, and they’re taking a low-risk, high-reward gamble on Maccelli, who had a down season last year with only eight goals and 18 points in 55 games with the Mammoth.
Maccelli had more success in the previous two seasons, posting 40 assists and 57 points in 82 games in 2023-24, and putting up 38 assists and 49 points in 64 games in 2022-23. Given that Maccelli is still quite young and is entering a contract season, Treliving is betting he’ll bounce back and provide the Leafs some of the offense that’s departing with Marner.
It’s safe to say Toronto isn’t done making moves, either on the trade front, the free agent front, or both. The Leafs are going to feel the punch that’s coming with Marner’s departure, but Treliving is trying to mitigate the blow by acquiring hungry players who have a history, however brief, of doing good things at the NHL level.
Landing Maccelli is Toronto’s first notable move close to the start of free agency Tuesday, but it’s all but guaranteed that it’s not going to be the only move Treliving makes. The Maple Leafs aren’t going to sit idly by as the post-Marner era unfolds. Instead, they’re going to add as much talent as the cap ceiling will allow and focus on being the Atlantic’s top regular-season team for the second-straight season.]
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