NHL analyst Luke Fox of Sportsnet has linked the Toronto Maple Leafs to veteran free agent forward Max Pacioretty.
The Maple Leafs have yet to make a move to their forward group, but NHL insider Elliotte Friedman recently reported that Toronto is exploring the left-wing market. According to Fox, the top player he thinks the Maple Leafs should sign is Pacioretty who has skated in 902 NHL games.
“Free agent Max Pacioretty tops the list and has six 30-goal campaigns on his 902-game resume. The veteran has firm offers from at least three teams, according to Frank Seravalli, and is expected to decide on his fifth team soon. Because Pacioretty is 35 years old, he’s eligible for a bonus-laden contract like the one he signed with the Washington Capitals last season on the, um, heels of back-to-back Achilles tendon tears,” Fox wrote.
“Pacioretty put up a respectable 23 points in 47 games for the Caps, averaging 14:26 of ice time. Speed and injury will be a concern, naturally, but the price, term and risk should be low. Aging scorers James van Riemsdyk and Mike Hoffman fall into a similar category, but Pacioretty will be a compelling case after a full summer of training, not only rehab,” Fox added.
Last season, Pacioretty skated in 47 games with the Washington Capitals recording 4 goals and 19 assists for 23 points in 47 games. The left winger was drafted in the first round in the 2007 NHL draft and has played for the Montreal Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes, and Capitals.
Nick Robertson’s Status Up in The Air
A key reason why Toronto is exploring the left-wing market is due to the fact Nick Robertson remains unsigned.
Robertson is 22-year-old, turning 23 in September, and was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NHL draft. He currently is an RFA and remains unsigned as he has requested a trade with Toronto.
Robertson has grown frustrated with his role as he was a healthy scratch and has spent time in the AHL over the last few seasons.
Last season with the Maple Leafs, Robertson skated in 56 games recording 14 goals and 13 assists for 27 points.
Maple Leafs GM Not Ruling Out Making More Moves
The Maple Leafs training camp is set to open up in September, and ahead of camp, general manager Brad Treliving has hinted at the team making more moves.
The Maple Leafs have not made a move since the team signed Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Anthony Stolarz on July 1. But, Treliving says there is room to add to the roster.
“To me, we’ve still got five weeks or so till camp. And, you know, we’re not set yet. We continue to look at ways to make our team better,” Treliving said on OverDrive on TSN 1050. “I said at the end of the year we’re going to look at everything. Sometimes people fall in love with ‘ ‘let’s make a big change just to make a big change’. At the end of the day, you can go out and make big changes. If they’re not making your team better, to me it doesn’t make any sense to just make a change just to stand up and say ‘look at it, we made this big change.'”
The Maple Leafs have just over $1.2 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia which would be enough to add one NHL player.
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Analyst Links 900-Game Veteran Forward to Maple Leafs