Troy Stecher is staying put in Toronto, while Matias Maccelli is headed for unrestricted free agency.
The Maple Leafs locked up Stecher on Monday with a two-year, $2.7 million contract, keeping the defenceman out of the open market ahead of free agency.
Stecher, 31, arrived in Toronto on Nov. 15 when the Leafs claimed him on waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. He went on to post three goals and 14 points in 64 games between Edmonton and Toronto, while logging 19:11 of ice time per night.
The 5-foot-10 right-shot blueliner had been playing on a two-year, $1.575 million deal that carried a cap hit of $787,500. Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent with the Vancouver Canucks in 2016, he has compiled 25 goals and 131 points in 624 NHL games with Vancouver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Arizona, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto.
Stecher also has a pair of medals from international play with Canada, winning gold at the 2021 World Hockey Championship and silver in 2019.
Maccelli, meanwhile, was not given a qualifying offer and will become a UFA on Wednesday.
Toronto acquired the 25-year-old winger in June of 2025 from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a draft pick, and he finished last season with 14 goals and 39 points in 71 games for the Maple Leafs.
He was coming off a three-year, $10.275 million contract with a $3.425 million cap hit. Drafted 98th overall by the Coyotes in 2019, Maccelli has 51 goals and 169 points in 295 career games with the Coyotes, Mammoth and Maple Leafs.
The Turku, Finland native also played for his country at the 2020 World Juniors, where Finland finished fourth.
The Leafs also extended qualifying offers to forwards Nicholas Robertson, Jacob Quillan and Ryan Tverberg, plus defencemen William Villeneuve and newly acquired Emil Andrae. Defencemen Henry Thrun and John Prokop, along with forward Braeden Kressler, were not qualified.
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With free agency opening, Edmonton is still looking for a middle-six forward who can bring some offense without boxing the club into another expensive mistake. The Oilers have room to work with under the cap, and Matias Maccelli fits the sort of swing they can realistically take: a 25-year-old winger with real playmaking touch and the kind of offensive profile that stands out on a roster built around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
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A Major Oilers Blue Liner Is Suddenly At The Center Of Trade Buzz
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Nurse is being discussed alongside other high-profile players such as Dylan Larkin, Connor Hellebuyck, Jason Robertson and Zach Werenski, a sign of how much movement could still come before the offseason fully opens. For Edmonton, the immediate question is not just whether there is real momentum, but how far those discussions can go if the situation remains fluid and the list of workable landing spots stays narrow. [Read more 🡒]
