In the early days of the season small streaks can take on a life of their own. Each week the mood of a fanbase can swing just as drastically as the standings, erratic within the small sample size. Monday night was no different, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets played. The Jets came in flying high, undefeated on the season. The Leafs not so much, dropping off from their early season success under new coach Craig Berube.
There were other, more individual storylines that emerged. John Tavares had a strong performance, scoring a hat trick, after a slower start to the season had criticisms mounting against him. Tavares and William Nylander were moved off of the top power play, the team going with a more balanced approach. Even prior to the game, defenceman Jake McCabe was signed to a five-year contract extension.
Perhaps most interesting of all, though, was a strong performance by Max Pacioretty. Lined up alongside Nylander and Tavares, Pacioretty was a force, the trio ultimately powering the Leafs to victory.
Does Pacioretty have what it takes to stick in a top-six rope for the Leafs? Let’s take a closer look at what Pacioretty brings to the ice and how he might help raise the Leafs level of play.
Tough times
This was the first time that Pacioretty was so heavily featured in the Leafs lineup. Coming into Leafs camp on a tryout, Pacioretty has had to fight his way up the lineup. Early in Berube’s tenure, the coach has kept a rotation of players in and out of the lineup, and Pacioretty found himself among the first to sit out. Going back even further, Pacioretty went unsigned this summer after three seasons almost entirely lost to injury.
In 2021–22 Pacioretty was limited to 39 games, missing time with a broken foot and wrist surgery. In 2022–23 he tore his Achilles tendon twice, appearing in only five games that season. Finally, in 2023–24 Pacioretty returned, playing 47 games for the Washington Capitals. It had been a long while since Pacioretty was healthy for any significant amount of time, and his effectiveness seemed to have greatly diminished. Still, Pacioretty was roughly a point-per-game player in both the 2020–21 season and the 2021–22 season.
Anecdotally, severe ligament injuries can heal enough to play, but often take months until their explosiveness returns. His uncharacteristically poor performance with the Capitals last season can be forgiven on that basis. Now, as healthy as he has been in seasons, and with league-wide scoring on the rise, is it so far-fetched that Pacioretty can regain the quality that made him one of the top power forwards in the NHL?
New role
Time will tell how stable Pacioretty’s spot on the top power play will continue, but there is a growing case that he and Tavares are a combination worth keeping together. Tavares himself spoke on their growing chemistry, as well as referencing Pacioretty’s ability to play winning hockey, contributing beyond the scoresheet. Now up to five points in seven games as a Leaf, the production does make a case for itself.
Naturally, giving the Pacioretty and Tavares duo a player as good as William Nylander will help both veterans produce. More minutes higher in the lineup certainly helps as well. Just days ago the Leafs forward lineup was being questioned, as it surely will be again, but for now, the team appears to have found an answer to help solidify the group.
Profile
On a conceptual level, Pacioretty fitting into this Leafs lineup does make sense, especially under Berube. Pacioretty is a big body who is not afraid to be physical. Although lacking the speed and exuberance of fellow power forwards on the left wing, Matthew Knies and Bobby McMann, Pacioretty is able to bring many of the same elements. Willing and able to win physical battles around the net front and along the boards, Pacioretty can provide the Leafs with some of the forceful and direct play that Berube has continually emphasized.
There is an element of potential that Knies and McMann bring to the table, but it should not be underestimated that Pacioretty has proven himself to be the best offensive option of the three to this point. While there might be some question if Pacioretty can fully return to his prime physical form, his instincts and hockey sense are undeniable. In any case, Pacioretty emerging as a legitimate option gives the Leafs three power forwards to complement their top four forwards. In the relative lawlessness of the NHL playoffs, having these types of players will help the team carve out space and maintain their overall offensive performance.
At 35 years old, two years removed from his last point per game season, and with significant injuries in between Pacioretty might not seem like a player who can alter the Leafs season from afar. Upon closer inspection, and with some important context, that reality does seem much more likely. Pacioretty is one of the Leafs biggest hopes at a forward group that is improved from last season, offsetting and potentially surpassing the contributions that left with Tyler Bertuzzi in free agency. The Leafs do and will have other issues to sort out, but Pacioretty’s three-point performance against the Jets Monday might not be a fluke.
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