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Max Pacioretty and Steve Lorentz finally have their signatures on the dotted line.
As general manager Brad Treliving went through Monday’s machinations of getting the Maple Leafs roster down to 23 healthy bodies and under the $88-million (U.S.) salary cap — by just one dollar in the end — the veteran forwards had to wait until the last possible moment to get their deals done.
“It means a lot,” Pacioretty said. “No matter what was talked about before, it’s just always surreal. You come in and you don’t really know what to expect in terms of the group and fitting in, and you kind of have those butterflies. Like, is it going to work? I’m just really excited to be here.”
Pacioretty skated in practice with Pontus Holmberg and Nick Robertson on what should be the third line when the season opens Wednesday night against the Canadiens in Montreal. Lorentz worked with David Kämpf and Ryan Reaves on the fourth unit.
“I’m happy about that,” coach Craig Berube said of the deals. “I thought both of them had good camps. They’ve got size, skating. They’re different players, I get that, but both are very important.”
Pacioretty, former captain of the Canadiens, signed a one-year deal worth $873,770, plus a $313,115 bonus if he plays 10 games and the same amount if he gets to 35, making the total $1.5 million.
PuckPedia estimates he’s earned more than $63 million in his career. His biggest deal, signed after a trade to the Vegas Golden Knights, paid $7 million a year.
Coming off Achilles surgery more than a year ago and a knee injury last season in Washington, it’s not all about the money for the 35-year-old forward.
“At this stage in my career, the most important thing is winning, and I feel that this group has a chance to win,” said Pacioretty. “There’s a lot of strong players. You don’t just want to be along for the ride, you want to contribute. And it’s a new challenge for me and I’m excited for that.”
Lorentz, 28, is coming off a Stanley Cup win with the Florida Panthers in June. He signed for $775,000, a small cut from the $1.05 million he’s earned the last two seasons. Of course he wants to win again, but he’s also happy to part of the team he grew up admiring as a youngster in Kitchener.
“It was an opportunity that every kid would dream of, especially coming from this area of town, or being just an hour away,” said Lorentz. “It was my dream to be a Leaf my whole life.”
The news of their deals hit just as the Leafs took the ice for an 11 a.m. practice, but before Treliving made the moves necessary to get to the roster and cap limits.
As the day played out:
• Goalie Matt Murray and defenceman Marshall Rifai cleared waivers to join the AHL’s Marlies.
• Rookie Easton Cowan was sent back to his junior team, the London Knights.
• Forwards Connor Dewar (shoulder) and Fraser Minten (ankle) were placed on season-opening injured reserve. That means they don’t take a roster spot, but their cap hits count. In Dewar’s case, that’s his full $1.18-million salary. In Minten’s case, it’s pro-rated down to $76,562 based on how little he was on an NHL roster last year.
• Forward Calle Järnkrok (lower body) and defencemen Jani Hakanpää (knee) and Dakota Mermis (jaw) went on long-term injured reserve.
That adds up to 13 forwards, eight defencemen and two goalies for opening night — and $1 in cap room.
Winger Bobby McMann was the odd man out at practice. Berube said his camp was “not bad, but there’s more there. I know that, Bobby knows that. I felt he maybe was a little hesitant at times. He’s a great skater, good size. He needs to be a power forward out there, and so I’m not too worried about it.”
If there was a surprise, it was on the blue line.
Conor Timmins skated with Simon Benoit on the third pair, while Timothy Liljegren worked with Philippe Myers as the extra pair. Timmins appears to have edged Liljegren on the depth chart.
“He is a real good puck-mover overall. He sees the ice and makes plays,” Berube said of Timmins. “He’s been hard in camp. I think he’s been competitive defensively and done a good job.”
Timmins, who just turned 26, and the 25-year-old Liljegren were both drafted in 2017: Liljegren 17th by the Leafs, Timmins 32nd by the Colorado Avalanche. Liljegren has played 196 NHL games. Timmins just 91 with a career high of 31 in 2021-22 with Colorado.
Myers went undrafted. He’s 27 and shoots right-handed (like Timmins and Liljegren) but is bigger at six-foot-six. He has 158 NHL games under his belt, mostly with the Philadelphia Flyers, and has avoided what looked like a sure trip to the Marlies.
“I think I’ve kept it pretty simple for the most part,” said Myers. “Moving the puck quick, playing really physical, blocking some shots and just going back to basics and not complicating everything.”
Salary cap used: $87,999,999
Forward lines ($59,751,770)
Matthew Knies/Auston Matthews/Mitch Marner
Max Domi/John Tavares/William Nylander
Max Pacioretty/Pontus Holmberg/Nick Robertson
Steven Lorentz/David Kämpf/Ryan Reaves
Extra: Bobby McMann
Defence pairs ($23,725,000)
Morgan Rielly/Chris Tanev
Oliver Ekman-Larsson/Jake McCabe
Simon Benoit/Conor Timmins
Extras: Timothy Liljegren, Philippe Myers
Goaltenders ($3,266,667)
Joseph Woll
Anthony Stolarz
Season-opening injured reserve ($1,256,562)
Connor Dewar, Fraser Minten
Long-term injured reserve
Calle Järnkrok, Jani Hakanpää, Dakota Mermis
Must miss at least 10 games and 24 days, but their salaries don’t count against the cap during that time. Dewar and Hakanpää are skating with the team.
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