Max Pacioretty signed a one-year, $873,770 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.
The 35-year-old ahead took half in coaching camp on knowledgeable tryout contract. He had 23 factors (4 targets, 19 assists) in 47 video games for the Washington Capitals final season and one help in 4 Stanley Cup Playoff video games.
“It means a lot,” Pacioretty stated. “No matter what was talked about earlier than, it is simply all the time surreal and also you are available and do not know what to anticipate by way of the group and becoming in and also you type of have these butterflies as to whether or not it is going to work. I'm simply actually excited to be right here.
“Training camp was unlike any one I've ever had in the sense that you are trying to use it to get into shape and get ready but at the same time impress people, so it was unique in that sense. It was a very hard camp in a good way, exactly what I needed to get up to speed. I don't feel I'd been up to speed in a while now and I feel like I'm there now and now I can work on my game and fine tune the little areas of my game knowing my legs are in shape.”
Pacioretty, chosen by the Montreal Canadiens within the first spherical (No. 22) of the 2007 NHL Draft, has 668 factors (330 targets, 338 assists) in 902 regular-season video games for the Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and Capitals, and 50 factors (25 targets, 25 assists) in 78 playoff video games. He was named the twenty ninth captain of the Canadiens on Sept. 18, 2015, and held the title till being traded to the Golden Knights on Sept. 10, 2018.
“At this stage of my career, the most important thing is winning and I feel like this group has a chance to win,” Pacioretty stated. “There's a lot of strong players and you don't just want to be along for the ride, you want to contribute. You want to help and I feel like there are some areas I've played in the past that can help the team win and some new roles that can help the team win so it's a new challenge for me.”
Steven Lorentz and Cade Webber additionally signed with the Maple Leafs. Lorentz, a 28-year-old ahead, acquired a one-year, $775,000 contract coming off a Stanley Cup championship with the Florida Panthers. The Kitchener, Ontario, native had three factors (one purpose, two assists) in 38 regular-season video games and three factors (two targets, one help) in 16 postseason video games.
“To be able to officially sign and to be able to go forward with a group like this is super special,” Lorentz stated. “I just looked at the lineup here and thought there was a lot of potential to come in and obviously with the talent offensively they have that I could carve out a role in the bottom six. Just to play my game and bring the experience that I learned last year, it was an opportunity that every kid would dream of, especially coming from this area of town, being just an hour away, it was my dream to be a Leaf my whole life.”
Webber, a 23-year-old defenseman, acquired a two-year, two-way contract starting with the 2025-26 season, a deal that turns into a technique in 2026-27 with a median annual worth of $825,000. He had six assists in 38 video games for Boston University final season and helped it attain the Frozen Four. He had 16 factors (one purpose, 15 assists) in 123 NCAA video games and was named Hockey East's Best Defensive Defenseman for 2023-24.
“Both of them had good camps,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube stated. “They've got size, can skate. They're different players I get that but both pretty important so I'm happy about that.”
NHL.com impartial correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report
