The Islanders made their choice early on July 1, and the message was plain: a new era was coming after Anders Lee’s departure. While Lee left for the Utah Mammoth on a three-year, $18 million deal, New York had already locked in his replacement on a one-year pact with unrestricted free agent Matias Maccelli.
That signing gives Mathieu Darche a younger, different kind of forward to work with. Lee spent 14 seasons on the left side for the Islanders, wore the captain’s “C” for eight of them, and left behind a major footprint. But with the roster turning over and the years piling up, the Islanders went looking for speed and upside.
Maccelli fits that search. He’s a 25-year-old Finnish winger who broke in with the Coyotes in Arizona and flashed early before taking off.
After making his NHL debut late in the 2021-22 season, he followed with a 49-point rookie year. Then came his best stretch in the desert: 17 goals and 40 assists for 57 points in Arizona’s final season, mostly in middle-six minutes next to Nick Bjugstad and Lawson Crouse.
That combination didn’t survive the move to Utah. The line lost its punch to open the 2024-25 season, and the production followed.
Bjugstad dropped from 45 points in Arizona to 19 in his first year in Utah, while Crouse went from 42 to 18. André Tourigny eventually broke that group apart, and Maccelli’s role shrank fast.
He was scratched 25 times over Utah’s final 31 games.
Utah shipped him to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a future third-round pick just after the draft, and Toronto gave him a fresh look right away. He opened the season on a line with Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, though that arrangement didn’t stick for long.
Maccelli settled into a steadier middle-six role with former Islanders captain John Tavares and responded with a rebound year: 14 goals and 25 assists in 71 games. Even so, his qualifying offer came with roughly a $4 million cap hit, and Toronto let him walk to unrestricted free agency.
The Islanders got him at $2.25 million.
Darche has already indicated he wants to see what Maccelli can do in the top part of the lineup, with a possible start in the top six. The appeal is obvious.
Maccelli is a pass-first forward with energy and skill, though his size can show up defensively when he gets worn down. That description sounds familiar in Islander circles.
There’s also the bigger lineup wrinkle to consider. With Pete DeBoer planning to use Mat Barzal at center this year, Barzal and Bo Horvat are no longer expected to stay together. That opens the door for Maccelli to land somewhere else among the top forwards, and one logical fit is with Horvat rather than Barzal.
A Horvat-Maccelli-Simon Holmstrom line makes a lot of sense on paper. Horvat and Holmstrom both bring full 200-foot games, and the trio could give the Islanders a balanced look with enough skill to matter. Maccelli also showed last season that he can work with a center like Tavares, whose game is closer to Horvat’s than Barzal’s.
Another possibility is Barzal opening with Cal Ritchie and Kyle Palmieri. However it shakes out, Maccelli should have a real chance to carve out a role. He’s also expected to get time on the Islanders’ second power-play unit, which only adds to the opportunity in front of him.
The pressure is real, too. Victor Eklund and Cole Eiserman are waiting in the wings, and that internal competition makes this a pivotal season for Maccelli.
For a young player trying to reset his career, Long Island offers a new setting and a fresh runway. He picked the Islanders on July 1, and now it’s on him to make the move count.
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Islanders New Era Is Taking Shape Without Feeling Like A Rebuild
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Gold also made clear why this was a place he wanted to be part of. Peter DeBoers arrival behind the bench and Golds existing relationship with general manager Mathieu Darche helped sell the opportunity, and together those pieces suggest an organization trying to stay competitive while it builds forward. The balance is tricky, but for now the Islanders seem intent on becoming something new without ever looking like they are starting from scratch. [Read more 🡒]