Nearly three weeks after Max Pacioretty contemplated his NHL future in front of the cameras at Ford Performance Centre in Toronto, a reunion could be possible.
According to The Athletic's James Mirtle, who was at the NHL Scouting Combine in Buffalo, New York, this past weekend, the 36-year-old forward is intrigued about returning to the Toronto Maple Leafs next season.
"One piece of good news over the past few days," Mirtle wrote, "is that UFA Max Pacioretty is leaning toward a return after the Leafs expressed considerable interest in keeping him following a terrific postseason, according to a league source."
It wasn't an easy season for Pacioretty. He dealt with numerous injuries, one of which kept him out of Toronto's lineup for nearly two-and-a-half months because of the Maple Leafs' cap situation. (He jokingly called it a "mid-to-upper-lower-body" injury as he exited his final interview of the season.)
Eventually, though, the veteran forward rejoined the lineup in the playoffs and scored three goals and five assists through 11 games.
One of those goals was the series-winner against the Ottawa Senators in round one. Another was an insurance marker in Game 6 against the Florida Panthers. Pacioretty's eight points were the fourth-most on the team, behind Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander.
"This year was very difficult for me, being away from my family," Pacioretty said in his end-of-season media availability on May 20. "I'm really excited to just get home and be with them, and talk to them about what's next in life. But in terms of playing, that's difficult to answer right now."
Pacioretty admitted that signing a one-year, $873,770 contract in Toronto was more or less to play in the playoffs. He has a lengthy postseason history, appearing in 89 playoff games split between the Maple Leafs, Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights, and Montreal Canadiens.
The New Canaan, Connecticut, native scored 28 goals and 30 assists for 58 points in that span.
Drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (22nd overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft, Pacioretty had first-hand experience of playing in a pressure-filled market. Sixteen years later, after countless ups and downs in his career, including two Achilles injuries, Pacioretty landed in Toronto, another pressure-cooker, and succeeded during his time in the Mecca of hockey.
"It's a privilege to play under pressure, and you probably don't realize that when you're in it or when you're younger, but it's a privilege to have this many people care about how we do and I certainly never felt this way early on in my career, but it kind of builds winners and turns you into men and helps you achieve who you're ultimately trying to become," Pacioretty said.
"I have been there before, and it makes me realize that I don't have regrets with how I've handled it in the past, but I do know that adversity and going through that amount of pressure kind of built me into the person and the player that I am today, and I'm thankful for it."
Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving has other items on his to-do list this summer, with Mitch Marner and John Tavares closing in on NHL free agency. But if Pacioretty does return for another year, there's a chance his playoff experience could pay off in dividends for Toronto next year.
