Pacioretty signed a one-year deal with the Leafs worth $873,770 and included an additional $626,230 in games played bonuses.
Pacioretty signed a one-year deal with the Leafs worth $873,770 and included an additional $626,230 in games played bonuses.
After suffering two ruptured Achilles injuries – and undergoing three surgeries – veteran forward Max Pacioretty joined the Toronto Maple Leafs on a PTO (professional tryout) at the beginning of training camp.
However, it was presumed that the 35-year-old would earn a one-year deal before the regular season and that would come to fruition – finalizing a deal at $873,770 with $626,230 in potential performance bonuses – but it was far from an ordinary professional tryout (PTO) situation.
On Saturday's episode of Agent Provocateur with Allan Walsh (Pacioretty’s agent) and Adam Wylde, the pair discussed Pacioretty's journey to signing with the Maple Leafs.
“This is a very special situation,” Walsh said. “We started talking – Max and I – with Toronto, probably around the middle of July. By very early August, there was a level of interest by Toronto, where it looked very much like there was a really good fit here.”
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Given his recent track record of injury history and his 35-year-old status, Walsh detailed how Pacioretty discreetly traveled to meet with Leafs management and staff. This process spanned two full days, with Pacioretty meeting doctors, strength coaches, and Leafs performance staff, as well as participating in skating sessions. By the end of those meetings, it became clear that the partnership would move forward – solidified by the beginning of August.
“Max went into Toronto very quietly, he met with Chief (Craig Berube) and he met with Brad and he met with the Leafs doctors who spent considerable time with him. Their strength and performance people, Max went on the ice and skated with them and they asked him to do specific things, and whatever was asked of him, he was happy to do.”
“At the end of this two-day process of talking, meeting with doctors, strength coaches, performance people, and actually being out on the ice, we came together with the framework of a deal. That deal was basically done since the beginning of August,” Walsh confirmed.
From the beginning of training camp, general manager Brad Treliving made it clear that Pacioretty’s role on the team was already somewhat established – an unusual move for a player seemingly on a PTO. To make it work, assistant general manager, Brandon Pridham utilized a unique financial arrangement to maximize Toronto’s cap flexibility. After all the moves and using long-term injured reserve, the Leafs were $1 under the $88-million salary limit.
“As it has been telegraphed by Brad Treliving, this was never a traditional PTO you don’t ever hear a GM with a player on a PTO say on the first day of training camp, ‘This player is going to be on our team this year,’ which is what Brad said,” Walsh explained.
“I don’t want to get into the weeds about the base salary and the games played bonuses, but you will notice if you look at it, they’re very odd numbers. The base salary and the games played, that was intentional at the end of camp through the magic of Brandon Pridham to come up with the numbers that work for the Leafs and they’re utilizing all remaining cap space.”
It seems that the decision to frame Pacioretty’s signing as anything other than a PTO was deliberate and without question, was a part of the Leafs’ plans for 2024-25. In the preseason, Pacioretty had five points (2G, 3A) in four games. He opened the scoring for the club in the regular season, scoring a goal for his lone point through three games against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.
In 905 regular season games, Pacioretty has scored 331 goals, 338 assists, and 669 points throughout his 17-year NHL career.
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