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Max Pacioretty is still looking for a National Hockey League home with training camps set to open in just over a week — and he may have found one with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Just minutes after TSN's Darren Dreger reported that forward Nick Robertson had been signed to a one-year, $875,000 contract extension by the club, the hockey insider said that the veteran is “next in line” to sign.
“I would expect Pacioretty and Hakanpaa to be next in line as Leafs adds,” reported Dreger. “It was important to get Robertson done to avoid the possibility of an offer sheet.”
Dreger also shared his thoughts on the Robertson contract:
“Well played by the Leafs. Opportunity here for Robertson to stake a claim on the left side. He wanted out. Treliving explored the market while staying in touch with Nick through the process. New coach and a fresh start for Robertson.”
Pacioretty spent last season with the Washington Capitals, appearing in 47 regular-season contests and adding four goals and 23 points in that span.
He also suited up for all four of Washington's postseason games, registering an assist as the Capitals were swept by the New York Rangers in Round 1. The Blueshirts would go on to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes before falling to the eventual champion Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final.
Although the 35-year-old is certainly past his prime — and coming off two torn Achilles he suffered as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes — he was once a star NHL player.
Max Pacioretty is a former game-changing player
Pacioretty has been in the league for nearly two decades after being drafted by the Montreal Canadiens No. 22 overall in the 2007 NHL Draft.
The New Canaan, Connecticut native was excellent for the Habs, putting together five 30+ goal seasons over his tenure with the club. In September of 2018, he was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights in the deal that brought Nick Suzuki to Montreal.
Pacioretty was also a standout player on the strip, most notably scoring 66 points in 71 games in 2019-20 and following it up with another 51 in 48 the next year — his first time scoring at above a point-per-game clip.
But injuries began to derail his career in 2021-22; he was excellent again with 37 points in 39 games for the Knights, but dealt with a broken wrist and foot that season.
After signing with the Hurricanes in the summer of 2022, he suffered a Achilles tear in training camp, and only played five games before devastatingly sustaining a second Achilles tear in January of 2023.
Following those brutal injuries, Pacioretty isn't the player he once was. But he proved with the Capitals that he still has some game, and he could still be a difference-making player with a centerman like Auston Matthews or John Tavares.
If Pacioretty is indeed signed by the Leafs, he would be an immediate candidate for a top-six look. As both William Nylander and Mitch Marner are right wingers, a premier performance at training camp could get him a look on either of the top lines.
Both Bobby McMann and Matthew Knies will also be vying for spots as top-six left wingers on the depth chart.
If Pacioretty is able to carve out a role with any of Matthews, Tavares, Nylander or Marner, he could be a sneaky fantastic add for general manager Brad Treliving and the Maple Leafs.
This is a player with 330 NHL goals to his name, after all.
