Noel Acciari was acquired along with Ryan O'Reilly ahead of last season's trade deadline in preparation for the Leafs' first round matchup against Tampa. Acciari has always been known as a strong defensive player and one of the most consisent hitters in the NHL. He was brought in to solidify the Leafs' bottom-six and add more physicality to the forward group. Many Leaf fans quickly became fans of the man known as "Cookie" and were hoping the Leafs would be able to re-sign him. Unfortunately, the Leafs and Acciari were unable to come to terms on a new deal.
With he and the Leafs unable to agree to a new deal, Acciari joined former Leaf GM Kyle Dubas in Pittsburgh signing a 3-year deal worth $2M per season. What made Acciari choose the Penguins? Acciari said that he had spoken to former
Providence College teammate Brandon Tanev about Pittsburgh. "He told me I'm going to love it and they're going to love you. He told me that's a great fit as much as he wanted me to come play with him in Seattle."
In addition to speaking with Tanev about Pittsburgh, Dubas also played a large role in convincing Acciari to join the Pens. Acciari cited the relationship he had formed with Dubas during their short time in Toronto was also another reason why he chose to join Pittsburgh. He said that Dubas shared his plans for the Pens and where Acciari would fit and that he was very relentless in his pursuit of signing him. Acciari joins Ryan Graves, Reilly Smith, Lars Eller, Matt Nieto and another former Leaf Andreas Johnsson as new additions to the Penguins' roster since Dubas took over.
