New Player Emerges as a Trade Target for the Maple Leafs Following Healthy Scratch
The Toronto Maple Leafs could add to their forward depth by looking to acquire Matias Maccelli from the Utah Hockey Club after he was a recent healthy scratch.
Brad Treliving is going to make some noise this trade deadline, but if he wanted to make a quieter, though still impactful trade then there are several smaller options he could choose from like Jake Evans or Carson Soucy.
Though another name he should keep an eye on is Utah's Matias Maccelli, who after a recent healthy scratch could be on the move due to some roster changes.
According to Elliotte Friedman on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast, mentioned that Utah is looking to add some big bodies to their lineup, and with Maccelli not fitting the bill; he's one that could be on the chopping block.
That's one to watch. One of the things the Utah has looked at is upfront, they're kind of small.
I think they got some prospects coming who are bigger but they need some bulk up front ... And right now I think Maccelli is one of the guys who's kind of losing out because of that lack of size. So that's one to watch.
Would Maccelli fit for the Maple Leafs however?
Matias Maccelli Could Help But His Size May Draw Concerns
With the Maple Leafs shifting from a smaller, finesse style of play to adding more grit, toughness and size; it's a bit perplexing if Toronto were to go after the 5'11 Maccelli.
However, he has shown a lot of offensive promise, and even though he's struggling this season, has scored in bunches.
This season Maccelli only has eight goals and 10 assists in 52 games however he had 28 goals and 78 assists over his last two seasons with Arizona.
He would be a huge playmaking improvement over Max Domi, and could give Toronto a true third line distributor who could bring a lot of help to Nick Robertson and Bobby McMann (if Robertson stays).
He doesn't block a lot of shots, or throw many hits which would put him in the far off candidates to the Maple Leafs to trade for, but offense is key and he's a cheap option.
At only $3.425M for this season and the next and only 24 years old, he's shown to be a much more reliable option than several players on Toronto including Robertson and won't nearly be as expensive when the cap rises.
If Brad Treliving wanted to change things up a bit and bring in a speedy playmaking winger to essentially replace Max Domi; he could look toward Utah for the help he needs.
![Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Mitch Marner (16) looks on against Team Sweden in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531990.webp "Feb 12, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada forward Mitch Marner (16) looks on against Team Sweden in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) skates against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531875.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) skates against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
