Matias Maccelli's Comments About Joining the Maple Leafs Read Like a Shot at Mitch Marner

Matias Maccelli was not a player on the radar of Toronto Maple Leafs fans just a couple of weeks ago. As a member of the Utah Hockey Club, Maccelli mostly went under the radar.

Furthermore, after a season in which he had 57 points, Maccelli was only able to muster eight goals and 18 points last season. To be fair to the kid, his linemates weren't exactly top tier.

With the winger's value lower than ever, the Leafs were able to acquire him for a conditional third-round pick. If his production goes back to where it was in previous seasons, then general manager Brad Treliving will look like a genius.

On Wednesday, Maccelli spoke to the Toronto media for the first time, and it was here that he got to talk about joining the Maple Leafs. Of course, as a winger, some see him as a move to replace Mitch Marner in the aggregate. Simply put, he has big shoes to fill.

In his response to the media, the forward acknowledged that it is going to be difficult. However, he also stated that he is a passionate player who is full of confidence in his abilities.

If there was one knock against Marner while he was in Toronto, it was that he never came across as truly passionate. In fact, the word "passion" became a bit of an inside joke within media circles.

Having said that, one could see Maccelli's choice of words as a bit of an attack on Marner, even if he didn't mean to do so.

Either way, fans are ready to start this new era in Toronto with a bang. If Maccelli improves as a player and gets back to the 50-point mark, that will be seen as a win.

Hopefully, he takes his new role in stride, and continues to showcase his passion, night in and night out.