Despite the Toronto Maple Leafs’ dismal exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs, one of their biggest bright spots was the play of veteran left winger Max Pacioretty.
After injuries and salary cap constraints limited him to five goals in 37 regular-season games, Pacioretty stepped up in a huge way for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs. He posted three goals and eight points in 11 games, including the first-round series winner against the Ottawa Senators.
And now, an Athletic report indicates Pacioretty is seriously contemplating a return to Toronto. The 36-year-old has struggled to stay healthy for many years now, but in the right set of circumstances, re-signing Pacioretty would be a nifty little piece of business for Leafs GM Brad Treliving.
One of those circumstances has to be load management. You don’t sign Pacioretty to be an ironman. If you can get 50 games out of him and have him healthy for Game 1 of the playoffs, that would be ideal. His professionalism and the physical menace he’s turned into late in his NHL career are things the Leafs need more of.
Pacioretty showed his Leafs teammates how to expertly handle the pressure of playing in a high-stakes environment. On a Toronto team that had passengers against the Florida Panthers in Round 2, Pacioretty was never one of them. He’s adapted his game in ways most veterans can’t do at the end of their career, and that’s what makes him particularly valuable to this Leafs franchise at this point in its competitive arc. But because of his injury history, the team needs to put him in the best situation to ensure he remains healthy.
That leads to the other circumstance, which is ice time. Luckily, one of Pacioretty’s assets is his versatility.
We certainly don’t see him as a first-line left winger, but Buds coach Craig Berube could insert Pacioretty into the second or third line, depending on how other Leafs wingers perform, and get a very solid performance and value out of him.
Now, given how well Pacioretty played in the post-season, the Maple Leafs might have to fork out a little bit more than the $873,770 he made this year. Maybe they reward him with a bonus-laden contract that approaches the $1-million mark. He certainly deserves a small raise after how he came through for the team this year.
However, that risk of injury also should mitigate how much they offer Pacioretty. If it really is about chasing a Cup for him, Pacioretty has to accept that he should take less money to allow the team around him to be better. But we don’t see that as an issue here. Pacioretty was as good a soldier as the team could’ve asked him to be, and we anticipate nothing will change in that regard if he does come back to Toronto.
Things may change this summer that prevent Pacioretty from coming back to the Blue and White. Maybe he gets a contract offer from a different team that’s too good to turn down, or maybe he decides his body can no longer handle the rigors of the game and chooses to retire. But the Maple Leafs can offer him familiarity and opportunity, and that’s a combination that may prove to be the winning one in getting him back in Toronto.
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