During an episode of Agent Provocateur released on Saturday, Max Pacioretty’s agent, Allan Walsh, went in-depth about how his client was able to get signed by the Toronto Maple Leafs and why he chose to continue his career in the Blue and White.
Walsh confirmed that the PTO Pacioretty signed was not considered as such by both parties because they had agreed to the principle of the permanent contract weeks before it became official.
“We started talking with Toronto probably around the middle of July and by very early August, there was a level of interest by Toronto where it looked very much like there was a really good fit here,” Walsh said. “Max went into Toronto very quietly. He met with [Craig Berube], and he met with Brad, and he met with the Leaf doctors who spent considerable time with him, their strength and performance people. Max went on the ice and skated with them and they asked him to do specific things. Whatever was asked of him he was happy to do. At the end of this two-day process of talking, meeting doctors, strength coaches, performance people, and actually being out on the ice, we came up together with the framework of a deal. That deal was done since the beginning of August.”
He later added that the structure of the bonuses was taken care of by the assistant GM Brandon Pridham and they were not finalized until the end of training camp.
All of this information is consistent with what Brad Treliving told the media back at the start of camp when he said that he expected Pacioretty to be signing with the Leafs. It confirms that his PTO was never meant to be considered as such despite some fans wondering if his would actually be turned into a proper contract.
Walsh was asked by co-host Adam Wylde about what made Pacioretty interested in coming to Toronto, especially given he had spent most of his career with their forever rivals the Montreal Canadiens. Walsh noted that it came down to proximity to his family living in Detroit and a chance at winning the Stanley Cup.
“It’s very well documented that he’s an incredible family guy. He’s got five kids and it’s an incredibly close family. Incredibly close-knit family,” he said. “The proximity of Toronto to Detroit was obviously an important factor given how connected he is to his family. But for him, it was all about winning.”
None of this would have been possible if Pacioretty did not feel that he was fit enough to continue his career. He had suffered two Achilles tears within six months during the 2022-23 season. It resulted in him appearing in 91 games out of a possible 246 contests since the start of the 2021-22 season, where he combined to score 63 points (26 goals and 37 assists) in that span. This past offseason was the first one in three years where he was fully healthy and able to properly train, something that Walsh pointed out was very important to his client.
With the gruelling recovery process behind him, Pacioretty is ready to show he still has what it takes to be a productive NHL player.
Both sides clearly were fine with Pacioretty getting a PTO because they were on board with getting a permanent deal and all that needed to be sorted out were the bonuses. The hard work has paid off so far as he had a productive preseason and was the one to score the first goal of the Leafs’ season in their win over the Devils.
You can watch the full episode here.
