Max Pacioretty is still available.
NHL free agency has slowed down considerably, but a couple of veterans are lingering out there in the pool, and Pacioretty is one of them.
The long-time Canadiens winger spent the 2024-25 season with the Maple Leafs. He only got into 37 games and had just 13 points as he dealt with injuries.
But then in the playoffs, Pacioretty was a different player. In 11 games, he scored eight points, including three goals. That ranked ahead of John Tavares and Matthew Knies in playoff points for the Maple Leafs.
Somehow, that picture has to all add up to a free agent contract with someone.
Clearly, Pacioretty isn’t who he once was. But he also still has just a bit left in the tank.
Pro Hockey Rumors’ Brennan McClain laid out the case for what Pacioretty should be paid:
“Although he doesn’t know where he’s playing yet, Pacioretty should know exactly what kind of contract he’s getting. Due to the consistent injury concern, Pacioretty should only receive a one-year deal with a salary between $775K and $850K. The signing team could include a handful of games played bonuses, as did the Maple Leafs, but those may not even be required to give Pacioretty another chance to close out his career on a positive note.”
McClain also suggests a couple of options.
One is the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the other is the Detroit Red Wings:
“The Columbus Blue Jackets would be the next closest option outside of the Detroit Red Wings, being approximately 80 miles closer to his family than the Maple Leafs offered,” McClain writes. “There is a pending trade request from Columbus’s Yegor Chinakhov, making Pacioretty a potential stopgap if they don’t get another winger in a hypothetical trade. While the Red Wings have seemingly addressed their need for a veteran winger this offseason by signing James van Riemsdyk, they have also realized that they cannot rely on consistent offensive production from anyone other than Lucas Raymond. Even as a veteran with postseason experience, Pacioretty may even resign to a plug-and-play role, being a healthy scratch most nights unless needed for additional offense, if only for a chance to play closer to his family.”
A Pacioretty signing at this point is certainly more name value than actual value. But he’s not a zero.
If he can give his new team 11 points next postseason, getting him will be a victory.
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