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The Boston Bruins just wrapped a three-game road trip during which they earned four of a possible six points, which places them in a tie for second place in the Atlantic Division with a 19-14 record.
The B’s have exceeded expectations in many areas to this point, which is a testament to how well Marco Sturm is doing in his first year as the team’s head coach.
The NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 6, but it doesn’t hurt to start exploring potential deals now.
What kind of player might the Bruins target before the trade deadline? One name in the rumor mill is Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matias Maccelli. The Leafs acquired him from the Utah Mammoth back in June.
“I heard Boston had poked around him last year when he was available. I don’t know if that’s still the case now,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on Friday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts podcast.
“But you always look at who were the other teams that were maybe interested in acquiring him. I know the Bruins were there. I know they’re still looking for a scoring winger. I’m not sure if Matias Maccelli’s going to be their guy still, or they look for someone else.”
Maccelli brings some nice offensive skill to the ice, and he has tallied nine points (four goals, five assists) in 22 games for the Maple Leafs so far this season. The 25-year-old forward hasn’t been able to carve out a consistent role, though, evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t played since Nov. 28. The fit in Toronto hasn’t been great, so it would make sense for the Leafs to look at a possible deal.
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The Bruins were largely expected to struggle scoring goals this season, and yet they rank ninth in the league at 3.24 goals per game. But you can never have too much scoring depth, and Maccelli is still very much in the prime of his career.
Maccelli’s breakout came in the 2022-23 season with the Mammoth when he tallied 49 points (11 goals, 38 assists) in 64 games. He followed that up with a career-high 57 points (17 goals, 40 assists) in 82 games during the 2023-24 campaign. But that trend didn’t continue, and his scoring plummeted to just 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) in 55 games last season.
Could Maccelli get back to being a 40- or 50-point scorer in the right system? If the price is reasonable, taking the risk would probably be worth it for the Bruins. The B’s could use some additional skill on the wing. However, he doesn’t have a ton of size (5-foot-11 and 185 pound) and doesn’t play a physical game.
The Bruins have struggled to defend this season. They rank 31st in shot attempts allowed, 29th in shots on net allowed, 30th in scoring chances allowed and 29th in high-danger chances allowed at even strength, per Natural Stat Trick. Therefore, it’s probably a better idea to make an upgrade on the blue line rather than the wing.
But there’s still plenty of time for Bruins general manager Don Sweeney to assess his roster and figure out which areas are most in need of fixing.