Maple Leafs Veteran Pondering Retirement After Challenging Season

Expectations weren't all that high when the Toronto Maple Leafs signed veteran forward Max Pacioretty to a PTO near the end of the summer.

A one-year NHL contract was a very likely situation, but many wondered if he still had enough left in the tank to provide the necessary tertiary scoring the team needed.

It was a challenging season from start to finish as Pacioretty dealt with a myriad of injuries on top of his offensive inconsistencies. He finished the 2024-25 regular season with just 5 goals and 13 points in 37 games and missed over 9 weeks due to an injury from February to late April.

He finally made his way back into the lineup in Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators and while he didn't get on the scoresheet, his presence alone made the risky move worthwhile.

Pacioretty eventually turned on the jets and became the hero in Game 6 with his late go-ahead tally in the third.

He finished the playoffs playing mostly a top-9 role as he added 2 goals and 6 points in 7 games against the Florida Panthers, which tied him for first on the team in points alongside William Nylander in the series.

Now, with the season in the books and a tough summer upcoming for the Maple Leafs, the veteran is unsure about his future in the NHL and might be pondering retirement after a challenging year away from his family.

The soon-to-be 37-year-old has struggled to stay healthy since he notched 56 goals and 117 points in 119 games across both COVID-shortened seasons of 2019-20 and 2020-21. Since then, Pacioretty has played in just 128 games across the last 4 seasons with 4 different teams.

If this is the end, Pacioretty would call it a career with 939 games played, 335 goals scored, and 681 points accumulated across 17 seasons. He also added 28 goals and 58 points in 89 playoff games across 9 different post-season runs.

The Maple Leafs would love to bring him back next season on what would most likely be another team-friendly, one-year deal to bolster their top-9 as they are expected to make a myriad of changes elsewhere.