The Maple Leafs are burning a top-six asset for nothing as Matias Maccelli prepares to leave

This past summer, the Toronto Maple Leafs parted ways with long-time star Mitch Marner, and while there was no true way to replace him, they tried with the acquisition of Matias Maccelli, whom they acquired from the Utah Mammoth in a trade.

Early on, the belief was that this could be a great trade for Toronto, and if Maccelli could find consistent playing time in the top-six, he could be a very effective player alongside the teams stars William Nylander, John Tavares, Matthew Knies and Auston Matthews.

Unfortunately, the relationship between the organization and Maccelli has quickly soured, with the player not finding consistent time despite producing at a solid level, as he has 14 goals and 33 points in 59 games played this season.

Now, it appears he's on the way out, with James Mirtle and Jonas Siegel both confirming that this off-season, he will not be qualified by Toronto and will then sign elsewhere as a free agent.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to immense criticism of the organization, with some pointing out that this was the only good move the team made this past summer, only for Craig Berube and the lineup decisions of this team to already sour things to the point where the 25-year old wants out.

On paper, Maccelli should have been the perfect fit for this team, and with only Easton Cowan showing promise as a potential future NHLer, Maccelli could have been the perfect piece to play in the top-six for this team moving forward.

Instead, Berube has chosen to prioritize Max Domi in that role, and while he's a respected player, he's simply not going to be the difference maker alongside the team's stars that Maccelli would be.

On top of that, this is a team that's burnt several significant assets such as Fraser Minten and several first-round picks for veterans that haven't worked out, and given that they gave up just a third for Maccelli, he was the perfect cheap option that the team desperately needed.

There's a chance that no matter what happened with the lineup decisions, Maccelli wasn't going to work out in Toronto, but given his age and the potential he's shown, there was a chance, and now, Maple Leafs fans are once again frustrated that an asset is being burned for nothing.

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