Has Ex-Maple Leafs Matias Maccelli Landed Well?

After a year in Toronto where he never really settled into a consistent role with the Maple Leafs, the Islanders signed Matias Maccelli to a one-year, $2.25 million deal this summer and immediately gave him a bigger opportunity. In the season opener against his old team, that trust showed up in the ice time and the usage.

Maccelli played far more minutes in his first game than he did with the Maple Leafs.

Maccelli started the game higher in the lineup than he usually did with the Maple Leafs, saw plenty of time on the power-play unit, and logged around 17:39 of ice time. That’s a clear step up from the middle-to-bottom-six minutes he often received in Toronto last season, when he finished with 14 goals and 39 points in 71 games.

The Islanders clearly saw something they liked: a 25-year-old with soft hands, good vision, and the ability to create offence, especially with the man advantage. After losing Anders Lee and needing more skill on the wings and the power play, Maccelli checked those boxes at a reasonable price.

Maccelli also made an early statement in preseason, scoring two power-play goals and adding an assist in his first real look with the club. That kind of production is exactly why they targeted him. The Maple Leafs coaching staff never seemed fully sold, and by the end of the year they didn’t even qualify him. Fair enough on their end. The fit just never clicked the way some hoped. But for a hard-working guy who can still play, it’s nice to see a new team hand him the keys to a bigger role right away.

Related: The Maple Leafs Don’t Need Everything to Be Working Yet

It’s only one game, but here’s hoping Maccelli has a strong season.

One game doesn’t make a season, and the Islanders are still figuring out their lines with Mathew Barzal sidelined. Head coach Pete DeBoer has already made some changes. Still, the early trust is encouraging. Maccelli isn’t suddenly a guaranteed top-six star, but he’s getting the kind of opportunity that can help a player rediscover his confidence. At 25, with a career-high 57-point season still on his résumé from his Arizona days, there’s reason to believe he can bounce back.

For Maple Leafs fans who watched him bounce around the lineup last year, it’s easy to root for this player. Sometimes a change of scenery and a coach who believes in you is all it takes. Early returns suggest Maccelli might have found exactly that on Long Island.

Related: "Healthy Scratch" Nick Robertson Scores Two on Crosby's Wing