The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a more than inconsistent to start this season, but have quietly won four of their last five games, climbing back up to third in the ever-competitive Atlantic Division.
After a slow start to the season, head coach Craig Berube began shuffling the lines up front in an effort to get Auston Matthews back to his 60-goal form. It took some time, but the Leafs forward group may have found their answer.
Enter Nick Robertson, once the Leafs top prospect who never quite found his footing as a regular NHLer. Until now, when a new opportunity opened up in the top six and gave him a chance to finally shine.
But Robertson moving up in the roster means one player must move down, and it's starting to look more and more like that player is Matias Maccelli.
Matias Maccelli is bound to be shuffled down the Leafs' lineup
In Monday's crazy come-from-behind win over the Pittsburgh Penguins, Matias Maccelli watched from the press box. Many of the Leafs depth forwards have taken turns doing so, and this was Maccelli's first time all season being a healthy scratch.
But many (myself included) projected Maccelli to be a key contributor in the top-6, not being even considered as a potential healthy scratch.
However, the Finnish winger has been just OK this season, only registering 5 points in 12 games, far off the 50-60 point pace many projected him to have.
On top of this, many other Leafs forwards have taken advantage of their opportunity in the lineup to prove themselves, with Bobby McMann, rookie Easton Cowan, and the previously mentioned Robertson all outplaying Maccelli this season.
Especially Robertson, who has been on a tear recently (3 goals, 6 points in his last 5 games).
While being scratched just one time doesn't mean Maccelli has lost a spot at the top of the lineup, he has a lot of ground to make up if he was more consistent minutes in the top-6.
I still believe he can turn his season around, but it'll be interesting to see how he does in the coming weeks.