Shane Doan Reportedly Plays a Key Role in Bringing Top-6 Forward to Maple Leafs

The Toronto Maple Leafs' off-season hasn't been as jaw-dropping as many had hoped for, but they still made a few moves to address their wing depth, which should come in handy next season.

Outside of the Mitch Marner sign-and-trade with Vegas, their biggest transaction to date has been the acquisition of Matias Maccelli from the Utah Mammoth.

The trade came almost out of nowhere with no one really having Maccelli on Toronto's radar and it sounds like it might not have come to fruition had it not been for former Arizona Coyotes executive Shane Doan, at least according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

The top insider believes that Doan had a helping hand in the Maple Leafs being able to acquire the middle-6 forward as the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins were gearing up trade offers themselves.

Doan is a Phoenix and Arizona Coyotes legend, who spent his entire 21-year playing career with the organization.

Once he retired at the end of the 2016-17 season, he returned in an executive role in 2020-21 and remained there until the end of the 2022-23 before accepting a role with the Leafs as special assistant to the general manager.

That timeline coincides with Maccelli's time with the Coyotes as he made his professional debut in 2021-22 at both the NHL and AHL levels.

He then came onto the scene in 2022-23 with 49 points in 64 games before improving to the tune of 57 points the following season.

Maccelli had a bit of a down year in 2024-25 with just 8 goals and 18 points in 55 games, but the hope is that he can turn back the clock to his 2023-24 season in Toronto with a lot more help from star players like Auston Matthews and William Nylander.

Doan definitely doesn't make the headlines as the special assistant to the general manager, but moves like this could solidify his standing in Toronto, especially if it works out this season with the club needing secondary scoring.