Islanders add Matias Maccelli and ex-Blues defenseman in quiet opening to NHL free agency

On what was expected to be a mostly quiet day of free agency for the Islanders, they signed Matias Maccelli to a one-year deal with an average annual value of $2.25 million, according to TSN.Maccelli, a 25-year-old winger with a left-handed shot, spent last season with the Maple Leafs, with whom he collected 14 goals and 39 points before not receiving a $4.1 million qualifying offer.He received an opportunity to skate on the right side of Auston Matthews early in the season, according to The Athletic, but Maccelli was also a healthy scratch at times, too.He’ll become another forward for the Islanders, who are potentially in need of one with captain Anders Lee testing the market as a free agent.A fourth-round pick in 2019, Maccelli has also skated in games for the Coyotes and Mammoth, and in 2023-24, he recorded career-bests in goals (17) and points (57).The Islanders also signed right-handed defenseman Matthew Kessel, who has spent his entire career with the Blues, to a one-year deal worth $850,000, according to Elliotte Friedman....