(Toronto) It’s not a heatwave, but the sun is blazing this Thursday noon in Toronto. And during training camp, it is in full sun, in the parking lot behind the ice rink, that the Maple Leafs hold their press briefings.
Posted at 2:00 p.m.
After his five-minute press scrum with local media, Max Pacioretty stops to take a few moments aside with the representative of The Press. Getting started is easy. David Desharnais, encountered last week when the QMJHL renamed a trophy in his honor, asked us to send him our regards.
As soon as Desharnais’ name is mentioned, Pacioretty’s face lights up.
“I love Davey. He was the best!, says the big left winger. Last year, when things were getting complicated for me and I didn’t know if I was going to play again, he told me that he was going to come out of retirement and come play with me in Switzerland! »
Desharnais’ joke to his old sidekick, however, says a lot about where Pacioretty is in his career. His future was unclear a few months ago and here he is at Leafs camp with a simple tryout in his pocket and no formal contract yet for the season. According to colleagues on site, however, the Leafs are waiting to free up space under the salary cap to formalize his hiring.
PHOTO GUILLAUME LEFRANÇOIS, THE PRESS
The enchanting setting where the Maple Leafs press scrums are held during camp
Slowed down in particular by two operations, Pacioretty only played 91 games over the last 3 seasons. That includes a 5-game campaign in 2022-23, during which he suffered his second injury to the same Achilles tendon.
The American was finally entitled to a full summer of training, without having to undergo rehabilitation. This is a first for him since 2021. That year, he started the season with 37 points in 39 games, before falling in combat.
“I have always taken pride in my summer training. If I’m not happy with what I accomplished in the summer, it shows during the season, he admitted. I feel like my speed is there, it’s the first time in several years.
“I knew I was going to feel good, but I didn’t think it would be this good. The training is very hard, but the staff here is incredible. At my age I have to use everything that is offered and they have it. »
Well off
While waiting to cement his status with the Leafs, Pacioretty is trying to earn points. He will play a second preparatory match on Thursday, against the Canadian; in his first outing, Sunday, he scored two goals and an assist, including a net on a sequence that he started by going to recover a puck in a corner.
Pacioretty will have to convince the skeptics that he can still help a team offensively. Last season, he was limited to 23 points, including only 4 goals, in 47 outings with the Capitals.
These performances come with a change in status in the NHL. Last year, the Capitals gave him a one-year deal worth $2 million, even knowing he would miss the first half of the season. This contract followed six, then four-year pacts, signed respectively with Montreal and Vegas.
And if he successfully converts his try, he will land, barring a surprise, another one-year contract. But that doesn’t bother him.
“When you realize that what you have can be taken away from you so quickly, you learn to appreciate each day,” Pacioretty said. Whether you’re the captain who plays 20 minutes a game or you just have 10 minutes a game, you still have the chance to play in the National League and you can’t take that for granted. »
In blue
It’s already been six years since Pacioretty left Montreal in dramatic fashion, traded in the middle of the night, a few hours before the CH golf tournament, at a time when his handshakes with Marc Bergevin were analyzed as if they were Reagan and Gorbachev.
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
The “famous” handshake between Marc Bergevin and Max Pacioretty at the latter’s golf tournament in 2018
Facing the team that drafted him hardly moves him now. He has already played five games against the Canadian this season, six others during the 2021 playoffs when he was a member of the Golden Knights.
Donning the maple leaf sweater is nothing strange for Pacioretty either. “My kids say this is the sweater that suits me best!” It’s an honor to have been able to wear the jerseys of these two teams and I’m proud of it. »
Unique situation
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Kirk Muller
You have a date coming up and you’re sweating at the thought of keeping the conversation going while your guest. Are you waiting for your plate of linguini? Take a quiz! Here is a suggested question. No need to give us credit. Who are the two players to have worn the colors of the Maple Leafs after being captains of the Canadian? Answer: Kirk Muller and George Hainsworth. But if your meeting is in a few weeks, you will most likely need to add Pacioretty to the list.
Everyone will be there, except Matthews
PHOTO PAIGE TAYLOR WHITE, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Auston Matthews
It’s a pretty seasoned lineup that the Maple Leafs will send into the fray. Indeed, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Morgan Rielly, to name a few, will be there. Only Auston Matthews will be missing among the big names. He is nursing an injury that forced him to leave training early on Tuesday, but his ailment seems minor since he practiced with his teammates on Thursday and did not appear to be on the verge of death when he greeted, on his way to his car, the journalists who were waiting to speak to head coach Craig Berube.
