The Bruins are known to be in the market for a winger as they look to gain ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race. According to Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, re-upping a sentiment Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet had first put out earlier in the month, Maple Leafs lefty Matias Maccelli is another name they’ve checked in on.
Maccelli, 25, has displayed top-six playmaking talent in the past but has seen his production take a significant hit since the beginning of the 2024-25 season. The 2019 fourth-round pick of the Coyotes averaged 44 assists per 82 games through his first two full NHL campaigns, but is averaging just 18 over the last two years with Utah and Toronto.
Overall, Maccelli has 251 big league games on his track record, averaging a 14-33–47 scoring line over a full season. His 0.60 points per game since his fourth-place Calder Trophy finish in 2022-23 ranks 122nd in the league among forwards with at least 200 games. His possession impacts have historically been above average, including a career-high 55.2% Corsi share at 5-on-5 with Utah last year.
After falling out of favor with Mammoth head coach André Tourigny last season, he was flipped to the Leafs in June for a 2027 third-round pick. He was one of multiple reclamation project-type wingers Toronto added in the hopes of being able to replace Mitch Marner’s lost production by committee. The 5’11” Finn got off to a slow start with one assist through his first six games and never managed to climb up the depth chart, though. He’s been limited to 27 appearances, largely due to a string of scratches that kept him out of the lineup for 10 of 11 contests between Nov. 22 and Dec. 20.
Maccelli has played in five straight since that run of time in the press box, though, and his production has finally begun to spike. He’s averaged 16:03 of ice time during that stretch with four points (one goal, three assists), stapled to John Tavares’ wing on Toronto’s second line. He’s also seen increased power-play deployment under new man-advantage coach Steve Sullivan, featuring on the top unit in Sunday’s overtime loss to the Red Wings.
Boston’s other known target, Kiefer Sherwood, would be a rental. Maccelli is also on an expiring contract, but would remain under team control as a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. He costs $3.425MM against the cap but is due a $4.11MM qualifying offer as a result of his backloaded contract structure, which includes a $4.25MM base salary for 2025-26. Considering he’s on pace for 39 points this year, that might be a price the Bruins are willing to pay (in addition to the asset(s) required to trade for him), but there’s no guarantee.
Even with Maccelli’s recent spike, the Leafs have continued to slip in the standings – now tied for last in the East – and have been open to moving Maccelli in hopes of clearing up some cap space (and getting out from under his aforementioned QO). His point pace should allow them to recoup the third-round pick they gave up for him but likely not much more than that.