LW Max Pacioretty
Looking for some potential offensive firepower at an economical price, the Maple Leafs gave veteran Max Pacioretty a professional tryout during training camp last year to see if he could recapture some of his magic from the past.
After enduring with various injury woes in recent years, he was looking to revitalize his career with the team that had been his arch rivals for over a decade. Sure enough, Pacioretty impressed enough during the preseason as Toronto ended up inking him to a one-year, $873,770 contract to start the season in their daily lineup.
The 36-year-old winger showed some promise coming out of the gate, recording two goals and four assists for six points over eight contests in October and appeared to be fitting in nicely in the Leafs middle-six lineup.
However, injury issues would creep into his life once again as Pacioretty would miss about a month’s time due to a lower-body ailment he suffered in a game against the Montreal Canadiens on November 9.
Following his return in December, his production tailed off dramatically, as Pacioretty would register just three more goals and four more assists for just seven points over 24 games played. That included a horrendous stretch in which he put up just one assist over a 12-game stretch between January and February of 2025. To make matters worse, Pacioretty would be hit with the injury bug once again, this time an undisclosed one that occurred during the 4 Nations Face-off break.
The veteran winger has since resumed practice with the Leafs during the past week, as he hopes to be ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, given his long two-month layoff, along with his lacklustre play prior to his undisclosed ailment, the Leafs shouldn’t experiment and mess with a lineup that is currently clicking.
As a result, Pacioretty will likely remain on the sidelines looking in going forward.