Pacioretty's Max-imum effort endears him to Maple Leafs teammates
'I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I'm trying to get the puck to two of the best players on the planet.'
Article content
Max Pacioretty became a hit with his Maple Leafs teammates this season.
The National Hockey League veteran, in a sense, has had a similar impact on opponents and, as such, Pacorietty increasingly has been a presence in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Pacioretty's Max-imum effort endears him to Maple Leafs teammates Back to video
Despite not playing in the first two games of the first round against the Ottawa Senators, the 36-year-old Pacioretty leads Toronto with 27 hits –more than a few of those coming as the Leafs establish their forechecking game.
And after scoring the series-winning goal in Game 6 versus the Sens, Pacioretty assisted on both of William Nylander’s goals in Game 1 against the Florida Panthers, helping set up the Leafs for what would be a 5-4 victory.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Though Pacioretty was limited to 37 games in the regular season because of injuries, it’s pretty clear now that he is in a comfortable spot heading into Game 2 on Wednesday night versus Florida. In turn, he has become a crucial cog in what the Leafs are accomplishing, playing on the second line with John Tavares and Nylander.
“We’ve spoken about the physicality and playing bigger teams, and I think that’s when I can slot in and help the team and the line in that area,” the 6-foot-2, 217-pound Pacorietty said at the Ford Performance Centre, where only the Leafs scratches skated on Tuesday. “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I’m trying to get the puck to two of the best players on the planet as much as I can and make life a little bit easier on them and harder on the opponent.
“At this stage I know what’s effective and that’s give them the puck.”
Pacioretty certainly isn’t the quickest player at coach Craig Berube’s disposal, but he makes up for it with hard-earned knowledge and experience. On top of his 939 career regular-season games in the NHL, Pacioretty has played in 83 Stanley Cup career playoff games and has 54 points.
We wondered how Pacorietty would fare when he was inserted into the lineup in place of Nick Robertson for Game 3 against Ottawa. Considering that Pacioretty had not played since Feb. 8 after suffering an undisclosed injury at practice following the 4 Nations Face-Off break, admittedly we weren’t sure whether the Connecticut native would make much of a dent in hitting the ground running.
Here he is a couple of weeks later, comfortable in his role and it has been a benefit that Berube is managing Pacorietty’s minutes. He played 13 minutes six seconds in the second-round opener, a shade over his average of 12 minutes 55 seconds in five games.
In the room, Pacorietty — who served as captain of the Montreal Canadiens from 2015-18 — has a voice that carries.
“Awesome,” Leafs defenceman Brandon Carlo said. “He had Game 6 in Ottawa with that big goal, but his physical presence on the ice has been fantastic.
“He has had some big hits. Plays a very hard game. I’ve played against him and he’s not a fun guy to play against. I love his game and his leadership as well.”
Only because Pacorietty was determined and able to persevere through injury recovery is he on the ice now. Gutting through a couple of Achilles heel injuries in recent years also built his resolve.
“He has had a tough couple years,” Berube said. “His dedication when he is injured and working and getting back and doing the things he did and the work he put in on the ice with the people here in the organization when he was out, it gives him the opportunity to come back and play good hockey.”
Berube is glad to lean on Pacioretty now. It’s not a knock on Robertson, but a simple fact that Pacioretty is more capable of influencing any game’s outcome than Robertson.
In general, this is what the Leafs had in mind when they invited Pacioretty to training camp last September on a professional tryout before signing him to a one-year contract in October.
“He has had a pretty good career as a player in all facets,” Berube said. “Scoring goals and he’s a big, strong guy. He’s physical and has the ability to make plays and put the puck in the net at the same time.
“He gets on the forecheck and understands what we want in our system. And he goes through people.
“He is playing some good hockey for us right now.”
For Pacioretty’s Leafs teammates, this has not been a revelation.
“Patch has been around for a while and played in some high-pressure situations,” defenceman Jake McCabe said. “He scored a big goal for us in Round 1 and was a presence on the scoresheet, as well through forechecking and skating and hard work (in Game 1 versus Florida).
“No surprise there from Patch.”
X: @koshtorontosun
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.