Matias Maccelli who spent four years with the Arizona Coyotes/Utah Mammoth now finds himself a new home after being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs during the offseason. The 24-year-old Finnish winger in heading into the final year of the three-year, $10.2 million deal he signed back in Arizona, and will now be playing in a very demanding and competitive market in Toronto in order to earn himself a new deal.
After being one of the Coyotes/Mammoth's most promising prospects despite being out of the fourth round, Maccelli did score 57 points in his third season in the NHL. However, last season he struggled to truly find his game, and became one of the more forgotten players in Utah. After signing that three-year deal, it looked like a bridge towards a big time deal locking him down for the future, but that wasn't the case, and now Toronto is where he will have plenty of options to shine.
It seems that so far through preseason that Maccelli has been getting reps and been tested on multiple lines, including playing with goal scorer Auston Matthews to test his true playmaking ability. During his short time in the NHL it has become clear that Maccelli is a very elite passer and is an out-and-out playmaker who could find a lot more success in a setup which much more depth of talent, and whichever line Maccelli ends up on, his game is bound to progress.
As a versatile winger, Maccelli is capable of playing on all lines whether he is a speedy playmaker, or just a third line energy guy. What he will have now that's different from Utah is more areas for distribution, which will play into his strengths nicely. Having Nicolas Roy on one line, William Nylander and John Tavares on the other, not to mention the likes of Auston Matthews on the top line, the young Finn is destined to find dangerous areas at each level on the ice, and could be set for a big year.
It isn't crazy to suggest that Maccelli could slip onto the top line with Matthews and Max Domi, and if he can find that assisting touch he had a couple of years ago, that is exactly the type of guy Auston Matthews needs on his wing. Needless to say that Maccelli is a very interesting player to keep an eye on this season, and who knows, in a month or two, Maccelli could be Auston Matthews' next go-to guy.