Well-respected NHL Analyst weighs in on Pacioretty factor should he sign with Leafs
Photo credit: Jean-Yves Ahern/USA Today Sports
NHL insider Chris Johnston has weighed in on the Toronto Maple Leafs interest in free agent forward Max Pacioretty and what that would mean for disgruntled Leafs forward Nick Robertson and prospect forward Fraser Minten.
Johnston, on First Up 1050, said if the Leafs were to come to terms with the former Habs star, it could directly impact what Robertson's future is with the Leafs. Robertson, unhappy with his role with the Leafs to date, informed the club during the offseason that he will not report to camp and has requested a trade. To date, the Leafs have remained silent on the Robertson request, other than general manager Brad Treliving stating that Robertson is an important part of the club.
"[Pacioretty] is pretty well-known around the league, someone that can play a role perhaps on the power play, and Toronto is certainly not his only option,» Johnston said. «It's not like he's got a ton of [offers], but the summer is winding down to a close here and he's in a position here where he's going to be able to sign a contract rather than a tryout and the Leafs are among the teams with some interest there."
If it's true that Pacioretty would be signing a standard contract and not going to camp on a PTO, it might not be worth the risk for the Leafs, especially considering their salary cap issues. Pacioretty, 35, has played only 52 games over the last two seasons, split between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals.
In that time, the former 39-goal scorer has scored only seven goals and 26 points, well below his production as a member of the Montreal Canadiens and Vegas Golden Knights, where he scored 20 or more goals eight times.
Should the Leafs and Pacioretty come to some sort of a deal, it could give the Leafs options with Robertson, who is a restricted free agent. The Leafs current left-side options beyond Matthew Knies include Bobby McMann, Pontus Holmberg and Connor Dewar.
"No one can say with certainty how that one's going to play out,» Johnston said. «The Leafs have a fair bit of leverage in the Robertson situation, they're really under no pressure to do anything beyond just trying to get him signed.
It's become less and less likely that he'll get an offer sheet from somewhere else and so if he wants to play this year, I do think the Leafs have a lot of power there, but with it being uncertain and not knowing how it goes, I don't think it hurts to add another body there plus let's face it, there's injuries during training camp and it is a long year, so even if it doesn't end up being Pacioretty, the Leafs will consider some other veteran option for left-wing just to have another body around in camp and another player that can play that position if they need for all kinds of different reason."
It's become less and less likely that he'll get an offer sheet from somewhere else and so if he wants to play this year, I do think the Leafs have a lot of power there, but with it being uncertain and not knowing how it goes, I don't think it hurts to add another body there plus let's face it, there's injuries during training camp and it is a long year, so even if it doesn't end up being Pacioretty, the Leafs will consider some other veteran option for left-wing just to have another body around in camp and another player that can play that position if they need for all kinds of different reason."
With Minten, the situation is less fluid. He's likely to be assigned to the Marlies this season.
"In Minten's case, he can play for the Marlies this year, I don't think there's any harm in spending time unless something happens in training camp that surprises,» Johnston said.
«Easton Cowan, it's a little bit more of a tricky road to walk because the only other place he can play is London in the Ontario Hockey League if he isn't a member of the Leafs, so there's different dynamics to be weighed there but I don't think we can sit here at this stage and expect that either of those guys to be full-time Leafs, it doesn't mean they can't but starting with the rookie camp here and the main camp, they're going to have to prove something to have a chance to play with the big club in October."
Source: HockeyDB
Max Pacioretty Statistics
Max Pacioretty Statistics
| POLL | ||
4 SEPTEMBRE | 45 ANSWERS Well-respected NHL Analyst weighs in on Pacioretty factor should he sign with Leafs Do you think the Leafs will sign Max Pacioretty? | ||
| Yes | 20 | 44.4 % |
| No | 25 | 55.6 % |
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