Leafs expected to add Pacioretty as a free agent: report

The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to sign the former captain of their longest-standing rival in a move that might have seemed unimaginable just a few short years ago.

Just minutes after the Leafs inked Nick Robertson to a one-year deal, TSN’s Darren Dreger broke the news that the Leafs were also expected to add former Montreal Canadiens captain Max Pacioretty.

I would expect Pacioretty and Hakanpaa to be next in line as Leafs adds. It was important to get Robertson done to avoid the possibility of an offer sheet. https://t.co/45RJnN1HHC

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) September 10, 2024

“I would expect Pacioretty and [Jani] Hakanpaa to be next in line as Leafs adds,” Dreger said on X. “It was important to get Robertson done to avoid the possibility of an offer sheet.”

Dreger offered no specifics about the contract.

Jani Hakanpaa was rumoured to have signed with Toronto back in July, though the deal had yet to be confirmed by the team as he sorted out injury concerns.

While Pacioretty spent the first 10 years of his career in Montreal after being drafted there in 2007, he was then flipped to the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 for a package centred around current Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki.

Pacioretty was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in a cap-clearing move by Vegas four years later, but his time there was brief as an Achilles injury kept him out for most of the 2022-23 campaign.

Last summer, he signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Washington and netted 23 points over 47 games.

At age 35, Pacioretty isn’t quite the player he was in his younger years but still should be expected to play a pretty significant role for Toronto on a team with limited depth at left wing.

Under two weeks remain until Toronto’s first preseason game against the Ottawa Senators on September 22.

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