The Maple Leafs seek to rewind a proven 30-goal scorer’s body clock to the Max.
The club confirmed on Wednesday they’ve extended a PTO contract for 35-year-old Max Pacioretty after a couple of injury-marred seasons and three teams in as many years.
They hope to get more of the vintage left winger who twice suffered a torn Achilles tendon while with the Carolina Hurricanes, once in pre-season workouts in 2022-23 after his trade for salary-cap reasons from the Vegas Golden Knights and then after playing just five games that season for the Canes.
He signed a one-year, $4-million deal with the Washington Capitals in 2023-24 as he returned to health, playing 47 games and recording 25 points.
In the prime of his career as captain Montreal Canadiens, the Connecticut native was pumping in 30 goals per term and keeping the Habs in playoff contention.
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But as the team started to slide, he was traded to the Golden Knights, though his success there didn’t last until their 2023 Cup run.
Pacioretty would join Steven Lorentz of the ‘24 champion Florida Panthers on a PTO in Toronto.
The Leafs already are up against the cap limit and while they can slightly exceed it in the off-season, general manager Brad Treliving is going to have to make a trade, keep some cheap talent around or work some other cap voodoo were Pacioretty to make it into the opening night lineup.
While some PTOs do not work out, last autumn saw fourth-line forward Noah Gregor parlay his chance into a one-year deal with Toronto.
Quite apart from what the 6-foot-2 Pacioretty can bring to a Leafs team that’s thin at left wing (at least before Bobby McMann proves he has recovered from injury, Nick Robertson gets his shot after signing a one-year on Monday and if Lorentz gets time on the left side) will be the unusual optic of a former Montreal captain wearing blue and white.
In the 107-year rivalry between the oldest NHL franchises, only Kirk Muller (1994) and 1930’s goaltender George Hainsworth went from being captains in Montreal to playing in Toronto.
Doug Gilmour is the only former Leafs captain to re-surface as a Canadien later in his career, while Quebec-born ex-Leaf Vince Damphousse also wore the ‘C’ for the Habs in the ‘90s.
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