Maple Leafs, Max Pacioretty Make Things Official

On Tuesday, The Fourth Period's Dave Pagnotta reported that the Leafs and Pacioretty were expected to finalize a deal that would see the 35-year-old attend training camp on a PTO while the Leafs sorted through their cap issues.

On Wednesday morning, the Leafs made it official, signing the veteran winger to a professional tryout agreement (PTO).

The PTO allows the Leafs to see if Pacioretty will still be able to contribute after coming off of some very serious Achilles injuries over the past few seasons without having to commit a roster spot, contract slot or cap space to the 8-time 20+ goal scorer.

After signing Nick Robertson Tuesday, many fans questioned the thought process of bringing in Pacioretty and seemingly taking away the left wing position that Robertson is after. However, Robertson may not be in a Leafs uniform for very long and the addition of Pacioretty - should he earn a contract in training camp - will give the Leafs some needed secondary scoring and a veteran presence on the left side.

TSN's Chris Johnston also believes that the Pacioretty PTO is merely a formality and that an actual contract will be signed prior to the start of the season.

Source: Hockey Reference
Max Pacioretty Stats