Matias Maccelli’s road to where he is right now with the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn’t smooth, but it’s starting to look like it might finally be going somewhere. Just a season ago, he was coming off a 57-point campaign, looking like a player who had figured out the league.
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Then things changed in Utah. Coaches changed, and trust changed with it. By the spring of 2025, Maccelli was spending more time in the press box than on the ice. Eighteen points in 55 games doesn’t tell the whole story, but it tells you enough: this was a skilled player who had lost his footing in a place that had moved on.
That made him available. Toronto noticed.
Why the Maple Leafs Took the Chance
The Maple Leafs acquired Maccelli in June for a third-round draft pick, just days before moving on from Mitch Marner. That timing matters. It suggested Maccelli wasn’t just depth insurance—he was part of a broader attempt to replace some lost offence without chasing a headline name. At 24, with skill, vision, and recent production on his résumé, he looked like one of the more intriguing pickups of the offseason.
On paper, it made sense. A Finnish winger with playmaking instincts, just one season removed from real numbers, stepping into a lineup that still values puck movement and intelligence. If he could grab a top-six role and some power-play time, there was reason to believe he could be more than a quiet addition.
The only iffy thing was that he didn’t quite fit what Maple Leafs general manager Brad Treliving had vaguely called the new Maple Leafs DNA. As the season started, that began to look like a genuine concern.
Maccelli Had a Careful, Uneven Start in Toronto
Early on, Maccelli’s play didn’t hurt the Maple Leafs. He moved the puck cleanly, didn’t take penalties, stayed on the right side of the plus/minus, and hovered around 14 minutes a night. Coaches trusted him to handle the puck and play smart. But the offensive danger was missing.
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During one stretch, he put up only two shots in five games. For a player with his hands and vision, that wasn’t enough. You could see him thinking his way through shifts—maintaining possession instead of creating, choosing the safe play over the assertive one. Maybe it was learning a new structure. Maybe it was not wanting to make a mistake. Either way, it felt like there was more there.
Before the team’s recent uptick, he wasn’t the only player who looked afraid to make a mistake on the ice. In early December, the entire team seemed lost. Maccelli felt the brunt of the coach’s pushback. Then came the healthy scratches. Then the illness. Maccelli spent long stretches upstairs watching. For a while, it looked like Utah all over again.
Maccelli Began to Find His Legs After Christmas
Then, things shifted. Looking for a spark, head coach Craig Berube added Maccelli to his lineup. Since returning to the lineup around Christmas, Maccelli has started to look settled. He’s put up five points in his last five games. He’s put up two goals and three assists, including a couple of power-play helpers. The shot volume still isn’t high, but the timing is better. The reads are quicker. He looks more dangerous.
That goal against the Winnipeg Jets on New Year’s night tells the story. Matthew Knies gave him a no-look pass, and Maccelli ripped it high blocker from the right dot. No hesitation. No second-guessing. He looked like a player who regained the confidence to know where he was supposed to be again.
What stands out isn’t the points as much as the pace. Although he still has to hold fast during the long haul, Maccelli doesn’t look like he’s chasing the game anymore. He’s letting it come to him.
So What Is Maccelli Now, and What Could He Be?
Maccelli might still be the trickiest Maple Leafs player to judge. He still hasn’t hurt the team, and lately he’s helped it. The question is whether he starts creating more rather than maintaining possession. If he does, there’s a role for him here in Toronto as a flexible winger who can slide up the lineup, help a reworked power play, and quietly support players like John Tavares and Knies with smart puck movement.
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He’s probably not an elite star. But he might not need to be with this lineup. Currently, his play feels less like a hot streak and more like a player finally finding his legs in a new city. Sometimes the transition takes time. Sometimes it takes patience from both him and the coaching staff.
The Maple Leafs took a second look at Maccelli last summer. Right now, it looks like he’s finally showing the team he was worth it.
