The Boston Bruins' 6-2 loss to Quinn Hughes and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night underscored a crucial element: The club needs more scoring.
That’s precisely the point that insider Elliotte Friedman discussed in last Friday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast.
Friedman brought up the point regarding the Bruins’ search for another top-six winger. In particular, Friedman honed in on a specific target: The Toronto Maple Leafs Matias Maccelli. Friedman stated the following:
“I know they're (Bruins) still looking for a scoring winger; I'm not sure if Mattias Maccelli's going to be their guy still, or they look for someone else.”
This point is highly interesting. There’s little doubt that the Bruins are looking to add. They could use another scoring winger to complement their middle-six. However, Maccelli is an intriguing name.
The 25-year-old Finnish forward was the Arizona Coyotes’ fourth-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He made his way through the ranks, scoring a career-high 17 goals and 40 assists for 57 points in 2023-24. However, injuries held him back last season. He managed just eight goals and 18 points in 55 games for the Utah Hockey Club.
That situation prompted Utah to trade him to the Maple Leafs for a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. Maccelli joined Toronto with high expectations. Unfortunately, he hasn’t quite fit in. He saw some time on the Maple Leafs’ top unit, but then fell off the radar. He’s been a healthy scratch at times this season.
So, could Maccelli be a fit? Considering the current state of affairs in Toronto, the Maple Leafs would be happy to get a draft pick in return for unloading Maccelli on someone.
Bruins could do better than Maccelli
Based on what we’ve seen this season, the Bruins could do much better than Matias Maccelli. However, therein lies the issue. There may not be better options on the market. GM Don Sweeney can wait until someone more suitable pops up on the market. But that may take longer than anticipated.
So, Sweeney may get trigger-happy and pull off this deal with the Maple Leafs. Assuming the return would be a late-round pick, it’s a worthwhile gamble. The Bruins would lose nothing by sending something like a sixth or seventh-rounder to Toronto.
If Maccelli works out in Boston, it could be another fleecing for the Bruins. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be an expensive experiment.
The smart money would be on Sweeney and the Bruins pivoting right now. They’ll most likely kick the tires on everything that’s out there, and potentially circle back to Maccelli if prices are too high elsewhere.