NY Islanders' Matias Maccelli Proving To Be a Great Signing So Far

The New York Islanders have seen some excellent production from Matias Maccelli so far.

Sep 30, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; New York Islanders forward Matias Maccelli (63) skates with the puck past Toronto Maple Leafs forward Nick Paul (20) in the third period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders were able to pick up a win against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night to move back to the .500 mark at 3-3. In the win, they saw one of their offseason acquisitions continue to play well. 

Through six games, the Islanders have been able to survive without one of their key players in Mathew Barzal. While the talented forward has started to skate, there is still no timeline for his return. 

As one of the best offensive players on the team, the Islanders performing how they have so far is encouraging to see. New York is a team that has some uncertain expectations for the year coming off a relatively quiet offseason. 

The Islanders weren’t in a great cap situation when it came to trying to make a major splash this summer, and the goal seems to be to be more aggressive next year when some veteran contracts come off the books. 

However, one player that the team did add was forward Matias Maccelli. At a very reasonable one-year deal, Maccelli elected to come to New York, and the contract was seen as one of the better steals of the offseason. After a quiet couple of games to start the year, he has now been playing at a very high level. 

Maccelli Proving to be an Excellent Signing

Oct 13, 2026; Elmont, New York, USA; New York Islanders left wing Matias MacCelli (63) celebrates with his teammates after scoring a goal in the first period against the Vancouver Canucks at UBS Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After not recording a point in the first two games for New York, Maccelli is now on a four-game point streak for New York. Overall, he has totaled one goal and four assists for five points in six games. For a player who is making just 2.25 million for this season, that production is excellent so far. 

On Tuesday, in a game that the Islanders were certainly expected to win, Maccelli played a big part. Against the Canucks, Maccelli totaled both a goal and an assist, while being very aggressive on the ice by taking five shots. With a +2 rating, it was a strong performance. 

So far, Peter DeBoer has bounced him around a little bit on the lines. However, Maccelli’s good play got him moved up to the first line on Tuesday with Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat. 

With Maccelli being a very good passer of the puck, having him with two of the team's top goal scorers makes sense. Whether or not he will still be on the first line remains to be seen; however, he has been really good so far for the Islanders and is proving to be a strong signing early on.