The Maple Leafs made a clear decision on Matias Maccelli, and it was the kind that says plenty about where they see their cap space going next.
Toronto passed on giving the 25-year-old forward a $4.1 million qualifying offer before Monday’s 5 p.m. ET deadline, according to a league source granted anonymity to discuss private negotiations. That move sends Maccelli to unrestricted free agency after just one season in Toronto.
The Leafs brought him in from the Utah Mammoth last summer in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick, then got 39 points in 71 games out of him. He showed the touch that made him an intriguing add, but his game never quite settled in. Maccelli had stretches as a healthy scratch because of his uneven defensive play, and his role under now-former coach Craig Berube never really found firm ground.
Toronto gave him the first crack at Auston Matthews’ right wing last fall, but that look didn’t last long. Even so, Maccelli still finished fourth among Leafs with 31 five-on-five points. The issue was fit: a player who can look overextended in a top-six role and a little out of place in a checking-line job can be tough to slot, and the Leafs clearly decided the $4.1 million cap hit wasn’t the best way to spend their money.
While Maccelli is out, the Leafs did keep the rights to three others by issuing qualifying offers to Nick Robertson, Emil Andrae and Jacob Quillan, according to league sources.
Robertson’s QO came in at $1.8 million. The restricted free agent has signed one-year deals in each of the last two seasons and has arbitration rights this summer, so the next contract could turn into a bigger conversation.
He recently changed agents, moving to Andy Scott from Pat Brisson. Last season, Robertson scored 16 goals and 32 points in 78 games, and he could again occupy a depth role for Toronto next year.
The modest price tag on Robertson made that move an easy one for the Leafs.
Andrae, a bottom-pairing defenseman, was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers in a trade earlier this month. Quillan, meanwhile, could again serve in a depth center role next season.
Toronto also moved to keep another depth piece from reaching the market, signing Troy Stecher to a two-year extension with an AAV of $1.35 million, according to a league source. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman first reported the news.
Stecher came to the Leafs on waivers from the Edmonton Oilers in November and ended up playing a real part for the club, dressing in 58 games last season.
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The draft only sharpened that picture. Toronto kept leaning into players who already know how to play together, especially a cluster with Team Canada World Juniors ties, while also making room for a different kind of piece in Yaroslav Fedoseyev. The message is hard to miss: this is not just about stacking skill, it is about building a team that already has some connective tissue, even if the front office is still leaving one more move or two to be sorted out. [Read more 🡒]