NHL Rumor: Max Pacioretty To The Toronto Maple Leafs

The rumored deal circulating the internet today is Max Pacioretty to the Maple Leafs in exchange for a plethora of prospects.

The price tag for Patches reportedly being Josh Leivo, Travis Dermont, Connor Carrick, Frederik Gauthier, One of Jeremy Bracco or Adam Brooks, plus 2 x 2018 2nd round picks.

That is one hefty price tag for the former 5 time 30 goal scorer!


I am not surprised to hear these types of rumors as this is the kind of trade the Leafs will eventually have to make. The Leafs have one of the deepest prospect pools in the league and more NHL calibre prospects then they have available future jobs.

That being said, I believe there may be other bottom feeder teams with better players available then Max Pacioretty. Surely the likes of Buffalo and Arizona would be chomping at the bit to acquire this kind of prospect depth.

Even a highly ranked team like Vegas (I can't believe i just typed that) with an empty prospect cupboard may be swayed to make such a deal.

The thing with giving up this many assets in any trade is that the Leafs would need to acquire more then just a rental. They would hope to gain a player with multiple years left at a decent cap hit or a player entering RFA years, where the team would still have some control.

I personally don't like the trade. First off, Pacioretty only has 1.5 years left at 4.5 million per year until unrestricted free agency. Secondly, LW is not an area of grave concern right now unless Babcock plans on breaking up Matthews and Hyman, who have been attached at the hip since their first training camp. Third and most importantly, I don't think Pacioretty is that good. While he is a proven 30 goal scorer, there is still something about his game which is very underwhelming. His play, or lack there of, in last seasons playoffs should be enough of a concern for any team interested in this abilities.

There you have it. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below