Insider Drops Interesting News About Leafs' Max Pacioretty During Pre-Season Opener
Photo credit: Nick Barden
During Max Pacioretty's 3-point performance for the Leafs on Sunday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman actually dropped some exciting news about his future in Toronto.
A lot has been made of the Pacioretty PTO in Toronto this fall, but while his contract status says professional tryout, the latest report from Friedman suggests that it's merely a formality that a contract gets finalized.
During last night's 6-5 OT loss to Ottawa, Pacioretty, 35, showed everyone that age is just a number when he buried the biscuit twice and added an assist to cap off a 3-point outing in his first pre-season game as a Maple Leaf.
After his 2nd tally of the game, Friedman tweeted out the video shared by Sportsnet, featuring Pacioretty's tremendous play, with the caption "This will not be a PTO, if there was any doubt already."
Friedman elaborated on that comment on Monday morning, during a segment of his 32 Thoughts podcast. Here's what he had to say about Pacioretty's impending NHL contract in Toronto.
"It's not a PTO. I think there's a deal there. There have been tweets about it, there's been a lot of reporting about it, but I'm now more convinced than ever... it's not a PTO. Like, he has a deal.
What my theory is, is that they're going to see where their roster is and they're going to give him a salary -- and it's not like they don't kind of already know what it is -- but I think what it's going to be is they're going to give him a salary that works their cap. It's Brandon Pridham. He is the cap master, and what it says to me is that they have worked with the team and the agent [Allan Walsh], and they've basically said when all this is said and done, does anyone get hurt? LTIR? Does anyone get waived? Does anyone get sent down to the minors? What does the salary have to be at the end of this?
I think this is a PTO in name only, and if there was any doubt about it, he had a 3-point night. There was only a deal there and the way he was looking at the questions on Friday absolutely convinced me of that. It's just a matter of plugging in the number to help the Leafs figure out what cap space is necessary, so that's what's going on here with Pacioretty."
What my theory is, is that they're going to see where their roster is and they're going to give him a salary -- and it's not like they don't kind of already know what it is -- but I think what it's going to be is they're going to give him a salary that works their cap. It's Brandon Pridham. He is the cap master, and what it says to me is that they have worked with the team and the agent [Allan Walsh], and they've basically said when all this is said and done, does anyone get hurt? LTIR? Does anyone get waived? Does anyone get sent down to the minors? What does the salary have to be at the end of this?
I think this is a PTO in name only, and if there was any doubt about it, he had a 3-point night. There was only a deal there and the way he was looking at the questions on Friday absolutely convinced me of that. It's just a matter of plugging in the number to help the Leafs figure out what cap space is necessary, so that's what's going on here with Pacioretty."
The veteran sniper showed a lot of people last night what is still capable of on any given night. If Friedman is correct and the Pacioretty deal is a PTO in name only, and if a standard player contract is on the horizon for him, he could end up being a significant add for the Leafs, especially if he can remain healthy all season long.
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 23 | 713 ANSWERS Insider Drops Interesting News About Leafs' Max Pacioretty During Pre-Season Opener How much will Pacioretty make on his impending contract with the Leafs? | ||
| $775,000 (league minimum) | 154 | 21.6 % |
| As much as $1M | 386 | 54.1 % |
| Over $1M | 173 | 24.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
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