“This means no Marchand”: NHL fans react as Maple Leafs acquire Matias Maccelli from Utah for conditional third in return

The Toronto Maple Leafs have entered the trade market for the first time this offseason. Toronto acquired forward Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth in exchange for a conditional 2027 third-round pick. That could become a 2029 second-rounder should Maccelli produce 51 or more points in 2025-26 and the Maple Leafs qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NHL fans have started reacting to the trade on X (formerly Twitter).

"LW. This likely means no Marchand," one fan wrote.

"Lost MM and gained MM. What a life," another fan wrote.

"A soft finesse top six F that doesn't shoot? Yep, Marner replacement," another fan added.

More fan reaction has poured in on X.

"My bad, I didn’t realize Toronto might actually be cooking for once," one fan wrote on X.

"This is a confusing move. Doesn’t fit the Tre model. Small player and is too costly for a third line/fourth line guy who put up pretty terrible numbers last year. 2 for 3 now for Tre this offseason," one fan added.

"Oh my!!! Plan the parade," added one last fan.

Maccelli will be entering the final season of the three-year, $10,275,000 contract extension he signed with the Mammoth in 2023. He will become an RFA at season's end, providing the Maple Leafs with the opportunity to extend him for years to follow.

Matias Maccelli could be a low-cost Mitch Marner replacement for the Maple Leafs

While it's almost impossible to replace Mitch Marner and his production, the Maple Leafs are hoping that Matias Maccelli can fill some of that vacancy.

TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger shared the thought process behind Toronto acquiring Maccelli in a post on X.

"Hope is Maccelli can play in the Leafs top six. He can play either wing and is considered a decent playmaker," Dreger wrote.

The 24-year-old racked up 49- and 57-point seasons, respectively, before appearing to fall out of favor in just an 18-point (eight goals, 10 assists) 2025-26 campaign.

Following this trade, the Maple Leafs are now projected for just over $10 million in cap space heading into free agency on Tuesday. However, Mitch Marner, Max Pacioretty, Steven Lorentz, Pontus Holmberg and Nick Robertson all remain unsigned.

It will be interesting to see what else general manager Brad Treliving has up his sleeve to improve the roster in the coming days.