Max Pacioretty spent the first 10 years of his NHL career in Montreal, but that doesn’t prevent him from wearing the Maple Leafs’ jersey with pride.

A former Montreal Canadiens’ first-round pick (22nd overall at the 2007 draft), Max Pacioretty spent a good chunk of his career with the Tricolore. He skated in parts of 10 seasons with the Habs, wearing the “C” for his last three campaigns in town. 

Before starting the last season of his six-year deal with the Canadiens, the former Michigan Wolverine was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for Tomas Tatar, Nick Suzuki, and a second-round pick in 2019.

Vegas then signed Pacioretty to a four-year contract extension with a $7 M cap hit. Being true to themselves and craving a new toy (Jack Eichel), the Golden Knights had to move players to fit his contract under the cap once out of LTIR options. They gave Pacioretty to the Carolina Hurricanes alongside Dylan Coughlan in the 2022 off-season in return for future considerations.

Unfortunately for Pacioretty, he suffered two subsequent Achilles injuries, which only allowed him to play five games with the Hurricanes before his contract ran out. He then signed with the Washington Capitals as a free agent for a single year and was able to suit up in 47 games last season, putting up 23 points in the process. 

He was once again a free agent this summer and unable to find a contract to his liking, so he accepted to attend the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp on a professional tryout. 

Once upon a time, players who had worn the CH for years were uneasy about the idea of playing for the Leafs. Josh Gorges blocked a trade to Toronto in 2014, but Pacioretty has no issues with it. As The Hockey News' David Alter reports, refusing to play for the Leafs never even crossed his mind. He even said: 

My kids say it's the best jersey that I've worn, how it looks on me in terms of maybe just how it fits me. […] But no, it's such an honor to wear both the jerseys, two original-six teams, and obviously the history of both the teams. That side of it definitely doesn't feel weird at all. I'm proud of it.

It will be interesting to see what kind of welcome Pacioretty received in Montreal wearing the Maple Leafs jersey. It would be surprising to see him play tomorrow in the second part of the home-and-home series as Toronto is likely to put a diluted side on the ice, but he is likely to earn a contract for this season, having made a good impression so far. He'll soon don the Blue and White in town if he does.

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