NHL Rumors: Maple Leafs Interested in Max Pacioretty but They’re Not Alone

TSN: Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 Radio on the latest on UFA forward Max Pacioretty.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Aaron Korolnek: “What are you hearing with regards to Max Pacioretty? Someone who has been rumored to be at least attached the Toronto Maple Leafs, possibly. What’s your intel telling you on that front?”

Dreger: “Yeah, you know what, Aaron? We can rewind a little bit here and go back to Nicky Robertson conversation that we had, right? You know, it’s about that left, left side. (Tyler) Bertuzzi is gone. So there’s, there’s a spot.

You would hope that it’s filled internally. You would hope that, again, developmentally, that Nick Robertson gets the contract done and slides into a place at least, where he’s competing for a spot like that.

But what if he’s not quite there? You know, then you got to look around the league. And, you know, Max Pacioretty is a gamble to a point, right? High character guy, you know, he turns, what, 36 in November. So, yeah, I mean, his better days are long behind him. Played less than 50 games for the Capitals last year, but had 23 points.

You know, there’s, there’s a give and take. Toronto has a history in bringing in older players like this. It hasn’t really worked, but they brought in good players. I think of (Jason) Spezza. I think of Joe Thornton, you know, Patrick Marleau. And go down the list of the older players that do help shepherd in, you know, some of the core of this group, with Matthews being the captain and whatnot.

But is Max Pacioretty really going to be okay with limited ice if he can’t fill the role that he needs to be able to play?

So I would say it’s to be determined still, but I do know that the Toronto Maple Leafs have interest in at least bringing them in on a PTO. No promises, no guarantees, but Pacioretty also has interest from other teams in the National Hockey League. So we’ll have to see how this plays out.”