Matias Maccelli did not remain a free agent for long. After the Toronto Maple Leafs declined to extend a qualifying offer to the 25-year-old winger, he signed a one-year contract worth $2.25 million with the New York Islanders on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. The deal comes after Maccelli earned $3.425 million in his only season with Toronto.
Disappointing season in Toronto
Maccelli was expected to help fill the void left by Mitch Marner's departure, potentially taking some of his minutes. However, he struggled to find consistency and spent time as a healthy scratch. In 71 games with the Leafs, he recorded 39 points and posted a minus-23 rating, though he was not the worst among Toronto's forwards during a disappointing season for the team's top six group.
The Leafs had hoped that a combination of Max Domi, Maccelli, and other right-side acquisitions would replace at least some of Marner's 100 points, but Maccelli moved around the lineup without settling into a regular role. The Finnish-born forward had spent four seasons with the Arizona/Utah franchise before joining Toronto.
Other former Leafs find new homes
Several other former Toronto players also moved on Wednesday. Scott Laughton, who was traded to the Los Angeles Kings at the 2026 trade deadline, is expected to re-sign there. Bobby McMann recently signed with the Seattle Kraken a few days prior.
Winger Mason Marchment, whom many hoped would return to Toronto with his physical style of play after being dealt by former general manager Kyle Dubas for forward Denis Malgin, signed a five-year, $35 million contract with the San Jose Sharks.
Speedy forward Ilya Mikheyev, who left Toronto in 2022 for Vancouver and later Chicago, has joined the Tampa Bay Lightning, a division rival of the Leafs, on a four-year deal worth $3.850 million per season.
Defenceman Luke Schenn, still in demand at age 36 after beginning his career as a first-round pick of the Leafs and returning once, begins his second stint with the Vancouver Canucks on a one-year contract worth $2.25 million.
