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Islanders add Matias Maccelli and ex-Blues defenseman in quiet opening to NHL free agency

Add The New York Post on Google On what was expected to be a mostly quiet day of free agency for the Islanders, they signed Matias Maccelli to a one-year deal with an average annual value of $2.25 million, according to TSN.

Maccelli, a 25-year-old winger with a left-handed shot, spent last season with the Maple Leafs, with whom he collected 14 goals and 39 points before not receiving a $4.1 million qualifying offer.

Toronto Maple Leafs left wing Matias MacCelli (63) is greeted by his teammates on the bench after he scores a goal in the first 13 seconds of the first period. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post He received an opportunity to skate on the right side of Auston Matthews early in the season, according to The Athletic, but Maccelli was also a healthy scratch at times, too.

He’ll become another forward for the Islanders, who are potentially in need of one with captain Anders Lee testing the market as a free agent.

Matthew Kessel #51 of the St. Louis Blues skates with the puck in the third period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center on March 06, 2026 in San Jose, California. Getty Images A fourth-round pick in 2019, Maccelli has also skated in games for the Coyotes and Mammoth, and in 2023-24, he recorded career-bests in goals (17) and points (57).

The Islanders also signed right-handed defenseman Matthew Kessel, who has spent his entire career with the Blues, to a one-year deal worth $850,000, according to Elliotte Friedman.

Read original at New York Post

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