Letting Maccelli walk would be the Maple Leafs' most predictable mistake of the summer
Photo credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images
If Toronto lets Matias Maccelli walk, it's yet another case of them getting rid of a young player too early while not taking into consideration what they paid for him.
Although it took him awhile to get into the swing of things, Matias Maccelli has looked like a much more comfortable player in the Maple Leafs lineup and has started to ramp up the scoring with 12 points in his last 13 games (7 goals, 5 assists).
But he is a restricted free agent and there have been reports that Toronto doesn't see Maccelli as someone who factors into their future plans according to James Mirtle on Monday's Leaf Report.
Toronto keeps giving away cost-controllable forwards and wondering why the cupboard's empty
Now, that's all well and good but it would follow a pattern that the Maple Leafs have fallen into with no one to blame but themselves.
This summer the team lost a great prospect in Pontus Holmberg who has thrived with Tampa Bay. They let Alex Steeves go to Boston and traded Fraser Minten there as well. Bobby McMann's return was less than stellar, they traded Mason Marchment for peanuts - it's not just one bad move it's a consistent streak.
They paid a 2027 third-round pick, which isn't a huge asset but it is something that come next summer could have been a part of the solution. If Maccelli walks, you're giving Utah a free prospect for nothing.
Maccelli's 25 years old. How that age doesn't fit into a rebuild makes no sense because it's not like he's 31 and teetering on his career being in a decline; he hasn't hit his prime yet.
The $4-million offer isn't the right price and the Maple Leafs know it
This is a guy who can be your creative powerhouse who drives the offensive side. For all the lifeless hockey, Maccelli constantly tries new things and whether it's a behind the back pass, or an extra deke - there's at least an active mind working.
He's eligible for arbitration, and the team could extend a qualifying offer of $4-million, but they can just wait out the deadline and try to re-sign him to a cheaper deal. It's more of an extended audition. We know what you can be, now show us what you will be.
It's why they haven't extended him yet, but that doesn't mean they don't like what he offers.
A two-year deal at $7-million would give him essentially the same deal now, but now you can backload it with bonuses for points etc, and give him a lot more incentive to get those points.
Obviously Toronto values him somewhat, as they refused to deal him to Edmonton for Andrew Mangiapane earlier this season. So, you want him to stick around, but you don't want to extend him yet?
It's a weird hold-up, but the hope is Maccelli doesn't get signed to an offer sheet though that's a best-case scenario for losing him.
If so, Toronto at least gets some compensation and it essentially works as a proto-trade where a team gets Maccelli's rights and Toronto is in turn given something to incentivize letting him go.
But instead of betting on a draft pick, there's a young, creative player already in the mix with Matias Maccelli. He's better than you think and Toronto knows it. But when they bring him back, they have to make sure the price is right.
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Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 17|748 ANSWERS Letting Maccelli walk would be the Maple Leafs' most predictable mistake of the summer Do you think the Maple Leafs should trade Matias Maccelli, re-sign him, or let him walk? | ||
| Trade Him! | 230 | 30.7 % |
| Re-Sign Him! | 433 | 57.9 % |
| Let Him Walk! | 85 | 11.4 % |
| List of polls | ||