Maple Leafs surprisingly scratch skilled winger vs. Penguins

The Toronto Maple Leafs are hosting Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins and as they continue to shuffle the lineup to try and find some offense this season, head coach Craig Berube has made the decision to make winger Matias Maccelli a healthy scratch for Monday night's game.

It wasn't announced before the game or was even really clear during morning skate earlier in the day, but Maccelli was not on the ice for warm-ups just minutes before puck drop.

During morning skate, Bobby McMann was shuffling in and out of the lineup and it was Maccelli that was actually next to Dakota Joshua and Nicolas Roy on the Leafs' third line. But Berube must have had a change of heart and instead of scratching the gutsy homegrown winger, he has decided to scratch the recent trade acquisition that was supposed to provide an ofefnsive boost to this team.

Maccelli was acquired by the Leafs from the Utah Mammoth for nothing but a conditional third-round pick this summer and it was seen as a very shrewd move from Toronto general manager Craig Berube. The 25-year-old Finnish winger has already scored 57 points and was seen as someone that can eventually bounce back and reach that production again.

But unfortunately, his career in Toronto is off to a rocky start. First, he didn't win one of the winger jobs in the top six as players like rookie Easton Cowan and Nick Robertson have been able to secure those positions ahead of Maccelli. So now on the third line for a solid amount of time, averaging 13:40 time-on-ice, Maccelli has two goals and five points in 12 games -- a 34-point pace in a full 82-game season. Not the best rate from someone who had the potential to provide at least some of the offense that the Leafs lost when Mitch Marner decided he wanted to go to the Vegas Golden Knights.

We doubt that this lasts long, but it's not a good sign that Maccelli is already being sidelined.