Max Pacioretty had no answer when asked whether he’d like to play in the NHL for another season.
It was a strenuous year for the 36-year-old forward. He dealt with injuries throughout the year, the most recent being in February, which kept him out of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ lineup until Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators.
“The team was really, really hot going into playoffs, so I kind of found myself on the outside looking in,” Pacioretty said during Tuesday’s locker cleanout day.
“I just felt really good about my game coming into the playoffs. I know it wasn’t perfect the first handful, first few games or so, but I just had the resources here to really feel like I can contribute when I came in. I’m definitely thankful for all the help I got in that department.”
Pacioretty had two massive goals for Toronto in the playoffs. He had the series-clinching marker against the Senators in Game 6, and the insurance goal in Game 6 of the second round against the Florida Panthers to force a do-or-die Game 7.
He finished the playoffs with eight points—three goals and five assists—in 11 playoff games, the fourth-most points on the Maple Leafs, behind Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander.
“I came here to try and win the ultimate prize, and it’s one game that gets you to move on, but clearly not satisfied with that game at all. That part is very disappointing,” the veteran forward added. “But you live and you learn, and thankful that I got an opportunity to chase my dream.”
After playing just 52 games throughout two seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals, because of two Achilles tendon injuries, Pacioretty got another chance in Toronto. And while that opportunity was exciting, the forward didn’t have his family around for most of the year.
That, plus a few mid-season injuries, made this season wearing.
There were moments throughout the year when Pacioretty’s wife and their five children visited Ford Performance Centre to watch the Maple Leafs practice. At some points, even his kids joined their father on the ice following a skate.
As Pacioretty glances into the future, his playing career hangs in the balance. He was unsure if he’d play another NHL game, and it didn’t seem as though he’d be returning to Toronto if he was to return for another year.
“This year was very difficult for me, being away from my family. I’m really excited to just get home and be with them, and talk to them about what’s next in life,” Pacioretty said. “But in terms of playing, that’s difficult to answer right now.”
If Pacioretty’s career is, in fact, over, it was a mesmerizing one. Drafted 22nd overall by the Montreal Canadiens in 2007, Pacioretty captained the team from 2015 to 2018. He was then traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, playing there for four seasons.
Pacioretty then played parts of two seasons with the Hurricanes and Capitals before signing a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs, where he wore the historic number 67 proudly. It might not have brought him the luck he had hoped, but Pacioretty should be proud of how he handled the hurdles of this season.
And his entire career.
Max Pacioretty: Mr. Game 6.
From beginning under the bright lights in Montreal to potentially finishing under the magnifying glass of Toronto, if this is how Pacioretty rides off into the sunset, it’ll be a career people will remember with ebullience.
“It’s a privilege to play under pressure, and you probably don’t realize that when you’re in it or when you’re younger, but it’s a privilege to have this many people care about how we do and I certainly never felt this way early on in my career, but it kind of builds winners and turns you into men and helps you achieve who you’re ultimately trying to become,” Pacioretty said.
“I have been there before, and it makes me realize that I don’t have regrets with how I’ve handled it in the past, but I do know that adversity and going through that amount of pressure kind of built me into the person and the player that I am today, and I’m thankful for it.”
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