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Friedman: Leafs’ Matias Maccelli worth monitoring in potential trade
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Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Michael Mazzei
Dec 12, 2025, 10:45 ESTUpdated: Dec 12, 2025, 10:42 EST
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Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matias Maccelli could soon be on the move, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Maccelli was listed as a player to keep an eye on in trades and has not played since November 28. Friedman didn’t specify how close a trade is to materializing, but one can imagine that there will be enough interested parties willing to bet on the talent in him being a better fit in their system.
“Maccelli, unfortunately, hasn’t been a fit for the Maple Leafs. I don’t believe they were the only team who looked at him in the summer, so some of those clubs may circle back,” Friedman wrote.
The Leafs originally acquired Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth on June 30th in exchange for a conditional third-round pick that would have become a second-round pick if Toronto makes the playoffs this year, or Maccelli gains 51 points through the 2025-26 season.
Maccelli is extremely unlikely to reach the 51-point threshold since he only has nine points (four goals and five assists) in 22 games at the time of filing. Some may argue that the Leafs should be doing everything they can to make this work, but it has become painfully clear that head coach Craig Berube isn’t a fan of what Maccelli brings to the table and likely won’t put him back in unless he has no choice.
When Bobby McMann received a one-game suspension, Berube turned to Nick Robertson, rather than giving Maccelli another chance for Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks. That’s not to suggest he has already played his last game as a Leaf, but it remains a mystery when he will next get a crack at the lineup.
“I think he obviously wants to play. We all know that, every player wants to play,” Berube said of Maccelli on December 3. “But he has handled it positively, he knows that he has got to be better. Put him in the Washington game, wasn’t a lot there. I thought he struggled in that game. We won the last couple, so I am not going to change the lineup. We’ll see.”
It is unclear how much Brad Treliving would be able to get back if they decide to move on from Maccelli, though there is a good chance it likely won’t be much more than what they surrendered over the summer. One potential avenue the Leafs could go down is a hockey trade in which they take on another struggling player who they deem a better fit on their team and hope that works out better. Otherwise, they should try to restock their draft picks cupboard and set themselves up for other moves down the line.
Friedman’s report suggests that Maccelli’s time in Toronto could soon be coming to an end and is a name to monitor for the next little bit.

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