The Toronto Maple Leafs made a necessary, but shocking move this summer by removing the captaincy from forward John Tavares and awarding it to superstar center Auston Matthews. The switch was a long-time coming, as Matthews has been the de facto leader of the team since arriving in The Six.
Now the "C" is firmly on Matthews' chest as the Maple Leafs attempt to finally end their 50+ year Stanley Cup drought. In order to do so, the team will need to do more than just re-assign their captaincy. They need their depth behind superstars like Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander. While their core group receives the majority of the blame as the faces of the franchise, it's not all on them.
The management group in Toronto knows this, and they are trying to remedy that. According to multiple NHL insiders, the Leafs may have identified veteran forward Max Pacioretty as a fit for their middle-six. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period was the latest to chime in on this, hearing that the Leafs could be interested in signing him to a contract before training camp begins.
Pacioretty remains one of the biggest names still available at this stage of the offseason. The 35 year-old winger is hoping to have another healthy season before hanging up his skates. Last year with the Washington Capitals, he played in 47 games and had 23 points. He's a far cry from the 30-goal scorer he was with the Montreal Canadiens or Vegas Golden Knights, but he can still bring value in the right role.
The biggest issue for the Maple Leafs to consider is his health. Unfortunately for Pacioretty, he's suffered several injuries over the past few years that have totally derailed his career. He hasn't played more than 50 games in a single season since the 2019-2020 season, when he scored 32 goals with the Golden Knights. In the years since, he's played 48, 39, 5, and 47 games.
If the Maple Leafs are looking for someone they can depend on to play 82 games, Pacioretty isn't the best option. If they see this as an opportunity for a veteran to come in, play around half a season, and contribute in the postseason, then Pacioretty and the Leafs could be a perfect fit.
