Pacioretty signs a one-year contract with the Maple Leafs

Max Pacioretty signed a one-year, $873,770 contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday.

The 35-year-old striker took part in the training camp as part of a professional trial contract. He scored 23 points (four goals, 19 assists) in 47 games for the Washington Capitals last season and one assist in four Stanley Cup playoff games.

“It means a lot,” Pacioretty said. “No matter what was talked about beforehand, it's just always surreal, and you come in and you don't know what to expect in terms of the group and fitting in, and you kind of have these butterflies about whether it's going to work. I” I’m just really happy to be here.

“The training camp was different than any other I've ever had in the sense that you're trying to get in shape and prepare but at the same time impress people. In that respect it was unique. It was very hard.” Camp in a good way, just what I needed to get up to speed. I feel like I've been out of shape for a while now, and now I can work on my game and fine-tune the little areas of my game knowing that my legs are in shape.

Pacioretty, who was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the first round (No. 22) of the 2007 NHL Draft, has 668 points (330 goals, 338 assists) in 902 regular season games for the Canadiens, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and Capitals and 50 points (25 goals, 25 assists) in 78 playoff games. On September 18, 2015, he was named the Canadiens' 29th captain and retained that title until being traded to the Golden Knights on September 10, 2018.

“At this stage of my career, winning is the most important thing and I feel like this group has a chance to win,” Pacioretty said. “There are a lot of strong players and you not only want to be there, but you also want to contribute. You want to help, and I feel like there are some areas that I've played in the past that can help the team win and some new roles that can help the team win, so it's one new challenge for me.”

Steven Lorentz and Cade Webber also signed with the Maple Leafs. Lorentz, a 28-year-old forward, received a one-year, $775,000 contract as part of a Stanley Cup championship with the Florida Panthers. The Kitchener, Ontario native recorded three points (one goal, two assists) in 38 regular-season games and three points (two goals, one assist) in 16 postseason games.

“To be able to officially sign and move forward with a group like this is really special,” Lorentz said. “I just looked at the line-up here and thought there was a lot of potential to play and of course with their attacking talent I could fight for a place in the bottom six. Just play my game and bring the experience that I have.” I learned last year that it was an opportunity that any kid would dream of, especially coming from this part of the city since I'm only an hour away . It’s been my dream my whole life to be a Leaf.”

Webber, a 23-year-old defenseman, received a two-year, two-way contract starting in the 2025-26 season, a contract that will become one-way in 2026-27 and has an average annual value of $825,000. He had six assists in 38 games for Boston University last season, helping them reach the Frozen Four. He scored 16 points (one goal, 15 assists) in 123 NCAA games and was named Hockey East's top defensive defenseman in 2023–24.

“Both had good camps,” Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. “They have size and can skate. I understand they are different players, but they are both pretty important, so I'm happy about that.”

NHL.com independent correspondent Dave McCarthy contributed to this report