F Max Pacioretty
Finally, we have one of the Leafs signed tryout gambles in veteran star winger Max Pacioretty.
With Toronto looking for some added punch to their offence for the 2024-25 NHL season, they were hoping that Pacioretty could rediscover his offensive touch after being setback by injuries in recent years.
At just $874,000, it was definitely a low-risk move the Maple Leafs were willing to take, given the potential high reward he could end up being.
Pacioretty started out strong, compiling 2 goals and 4 assists in his first eight games playing with the likes of John Tavares and William Nylander. However, his injury woes would resurface in November when he would miss almost a month due to a lower body injury.
After his return from the injured reserve in December, his scoring pace has gradually fallen off, as he recorded just 3 goals and 4 assists in 24 games ever since. More significantly, Pacioretty has only one measly assist to show for in his last 13 games while his ice time was reduced to less than 13 minutes on most nights.
To make matters even worse, injuries have taken a toll on the 36-year-old once again as he is currently out of the past lineup with an undisclosed ailment. It may still be too early to make any conclusions as of yet, but it appears that the Pacioretty experiment has failed for the Maple Leafs.
With offense being his greatest strength and defense not a particular strong area of his game, it will be difficult to warrant Pacioretty a spot in the everyday lineup if and when he does return given his lack of production overall. As a result, it wouldn’t be surprising if we have seen the last of Pacioretty this season, especially if the Leafs add an impact forward or two at the deadline.