The Ottawa Senators should be on the hunt for more forward help this offseason. While they recently acquired forwards William Eklund and Andre Burakovsky, they would benefit by adding another forward to help improve their top nine.
One interesting pending unrestricted free agent who could make sense for the Senators to sign because of this is Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matias Maccelli. The 25-year-old forward was recently not given a qualifying offer, and he will be a UFA on July 1 if he does not sign a new contract with Toronto by then.
If Maccelli ends up hitting the market, the Senators would be wise to make a push for him. The 2019 fourth-round pick could be a strong fit on Ottawa's roster, as it is clear that they could use another forward with good offensive upside.
After a tough 2024-25 season that saw him post eight goals and 18 points in 55 games with Utah, Maccelli had 14 goals and 39 points in 71 games for Toronto in 2025-26. With this, he bounced back nicely this season, and he could be worth taking a flier on.
Where Maccelli could fit in the Senators' lineup if signed
When taking a look at the Senators' current forward lines, it is fair to argue that Maccelli could slot very well in their middle six. He could work on their third line with Shane Pinto and Warren Foegele but also could even fight for a spot on Ottawa's second line. In either scenario, the Senators' forward group would get a bit of a boost if they brought in Maccelli this summer.
Maccelli could also work on their power play, whether that is on their first or second unit. His strong passing ability makes him a useful player to have on the man advantage, so he could help the Senators in this area.
With this year's free agency class not being the strongest, Maccelli is a player who the Senators should strongly consider pursuing. Let's see if they do just that from here.
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