Photo credit: Imagn Images
Craig Berube has made it clear where Matias Maccelli fits in the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup.
Having been acquired as a potential top-six option for Toronto, Matias Maccelli was viewed by some as a replacement for Mitch Marner, at least a replacement in the lineup on the right wing.
Having been a 57-point scorer in 2023-24, Maccelli regressed to just 18 points last season, but Toronto had hoped for a return to form for the 25-year-old next to Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies.
Things have been somewhat inconsistent for Maccelli, who has had just four goals and nine points in 22 games this season for Toronto, and at times has been a healthy scratch for the Leafs.
Maccelli was scratched for Toronto’s two most recent games, indicating that Maccelli’s inconsistent play has left the team wanting more.
Now, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube has made clear his plans for Maccelli, and explains what he wants to see more out of from the winger.
How Craig Berube described Matias Maccelli’s game after scratching him
Craig Berube has defended Matias Maccelli, but said that he still expects more out of Maccelli in order to re-insert him back into the Leafs lineup.
Speaking on Maccelli’s scratches, Berube told reporters that Maccelli has to earn his way back in the lineup, but says that the main reason for him being out is that the lines Toronto are running have been working.
I think he obviously wants to play. We all know that – everybody wants to play – but he has handled it positively. He knows that he has to be better. We put him in the Washington game, and there wasn’t a lot there. I thought he struggled in that game. We won the last couple, so I am not going to change the lineup. We’ll see. – Craig Berube (via Maple Leafs Hot Stove)
The quote from Berube doesn’t suggest he’s given up on Maccelli, but that the team the way it is works and there isn’t a reason to change right now, but it doesn’t mean he doesn’t want more from the scratched winger.
Berube didn’t shut the door for Maccelli to return to the lineup, but as he stresses, it will be up to Maccelli to earn it, and he’ll have to prove himself by producing more but also being more of a physical presence rather than a one-dimensional scoring option.
Analytics suggest that Maccelli has been a net positive overall, but the variation from game-to-game has been a question mark even as the numbers indicate the good has outweighed the bad this season.
If Maccelli returns to the Leafs lineup, it might not be back up on the first line, or even the second, but Maccelli will have to prove himself as being able to earn his way back in.
Matias Maccelli being out of the lineup may not mean the end of the line for him, but does suggest that he needs to play better the next time he’s in the lineup, or he’ll begin to raise real questions over his future as a Leaf, going from potential Marner replacement to replaced himself.
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