The Maple Leafs might have already found their answer to the Mitch Marner void, and they didn’t have to look far.
Matias Maccelli, picked up from the Utah Mammoth this summer for just a 2027 third-round pick, could be exactly what Toronto needs right now.
The Finnish winger, who turns 25 soon, brings the kind of creative playmaking that made Marner so valuable to the team.
"When you look at some of the areas we need to address, playmaking ability was one of them," Brad Treliving, the Leafs’ general manager, told The Athletic in July.
Maccelli’s already showing the right attitude for Toronto’s spotlight. "It’s probably the highest it’s ever been, coming here. I mean, what’s a better place to play?" he said Monday to Sportsnet.
The timing couldn’t be better. While 28-year-old Nicolas Roy could help fill the gap too, it’s Maccelli’s passing skills that really mirror what the team lost in Marner.
Here’s what makes this move so smart: Maccelli comes with a manageable $3.425 million cap hit and he’s in his contract’s final year. Even better, he’ll be a restricted free agent in 2026, giving the Leafs control over his future.
It’s looking like a low-risk, high-reward situation for Toronto. They’ve found a potential playmaking star without breaking the bank or gambling too much on the future.
The real test will be on the ice, but on paper, Maccelli checks all the boxes the Leafs need filled after Marner’s departure to Las Vegas.
